This history of technology from Graeco-Roman times through the early twentieth century is told through contemporary writings by technologists, churchmen, naturalists, poets, economists, and statesman. These writings reveal how historical circumstance altered the direction of technical development, and how the intellectual forces of a period influenced and were in turn modified by technical progress.,Topics covered include the position of technology in ancient Greece; early Christianity and technology; Islamic technology; engineering artists in the Renaissance; technical undertakings in the Baroque period; eighteenth-century England’s lead in technology ; the factory system of the industrial age; and automation in the twentieth century. Each section of the book contains numerous illustrations.
Sydney Jary MC (24 May 1924 – 5 August 2019) was a British Army officer who was a platoon commander during WW2. He was awarded a Military Cross and, after the war, wrote a book about his experiences that became a recommended text on several military academy reading lists including that of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
“No one has done so much as Mr. Eliade to inform literature students in the West about ‘primitive’ and Oriental religions. . . . Everyone who cares about the human adventure will find new information and new angles of vision.”???Martin E. Marty, New York Times Book Review
In a wonderful synthesis of science, history, and imagination, Gino Segr??, an internationally renowned theoretical physicist, embarks on a wide-ranging exploration of how the fundamental scientific concept of temperature is bound up with the very essence of both life and matter. Why is the internal temperature of most mammals fixed near 98.6??? How do geologists use temperature to track the history of our planet? Why is the quest for absolute zero and its quantum mechanical significance the key to understanding superconductivity? And what can we learn from neutrinos, the subatomic “messages from the sun” that may hold the key to understanding the birth-and death-of our solar system? In answering these and hundreds of other temperature-sensitive questions, Segr?? presents an uncanny view of the world around us.
In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the most innovative thinkers on the planet turns to the present to make sense of today???s most pressing issues.,???Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.??????Bill Gates, The New York Times Book Review,How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human? How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news? Are nations and religions still relevant? What should we teach our children?,Yuval Noah Harari???s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is a probing and visionary investigation into today???s most urgent issues as we move into the uncharted territory of the future. As technology advances faster than our understanding of it, hacking becomes a tactic of war, and the world feels more polarized than ever, Harari addresses the challenge of navigating life in the face of constant and disorienting change and raises the important questions we need to ask ourselves in order to survive.,In twenty-one accessible chapters that are both provocative and profound, Harari builds on the ideas explored in his previous books, untangling political, technological, social, and existential issues and offering advice on how to prepare for a very different future from the world we now live in: How can we retain freedom of choice when Big Data is watching us? What will the future workforce look like, and how should we ready ourselves for it? How should we deal with the threat of terrorism? Why is liberal democracy in crisis?,Harari???s unique ability to make sense of where we have come from and where we are going has captured the imaginations of millions of readers. Here he invites us to consider values, meaning, and personal engagement in a world full of noise and uncertainty. When we are deluged with irrelevant information, clarity is power. Presenting complex contemporary challenges clearly and accessibly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is essential reading.,???If there were such a thing as a required instruction manual for politicians and thought leaders, Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari???s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century would deserve serious consideration. In this collection of provocative essays, Harari . . . tackles a daunting array of issues, endeavoring to answer a persistent question: ???What is happening in the world today, and what is the deep meaning of these events??????????BookPage (top pick)
From the renowned director of the British Museum, a kaleidoscopic history of humanity told through things we have made.,When did people first start to wear jewelry or play music? When were cows domesticated and why do we feed their milk to our children? Where were the first cities and what made them succeed? Who invented math-or came up with money?,The history of humanity is a history of invention and innovation, as we have continually created new items to use, to admire, or to leave our mark on the world. In this original and thought-provoking book, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, has selected one hundred man-made artifacts, each of which gives us an intimate glimpse of an unexpected turning point in human civilization. A History of the World in 100 Objects stretches back two million years and covers the globe. From the very first hand axe to the ubiquitous credit card, each item has a story to tell; together they relate the larger history of mankind-revealing who we are by looking at what we have made.,Handsomely designed, with more than 150 color photographs throughout the text, A History of the World in 100 Objects is a gorgeous reading book and makes a great gift for anyone interested in history.
An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and aficionados, 100 Great Operas is perhaps the most comprehensive and enjoyable volume of opera stories ever written. ,From La Traviata to A??da, from Carmen to Don Giovanni, here are the plots of the world???s best-loved operas, told in an engaging, picturesque, and readable manner. Written by noted opera authority Henry W. Simon, this distinctive reference book contains act-by-act descriptions of 100 operatic works ranging from the historic early seventeenth century masterpieces of Monteverdi to the modern classics of Gian-Carlo Menotti.,In addition to highlighting the most important aspects of each opera, the author discusses the main characters, the famous turnings of plot, and the most significant arias. Here, too, is a wealth of anecdotes concerning literary background, past performances and stars, and production problems of the great operas.
Yesterday???s World of Tomorrow.,In a narrow corridor of time between the Great Depression and the most destructive war in history, a World???s Fair was held in the city of New York. It was an event that transformed an entire generation with its vision of things to come. Millions of people came from every corner of the globe to gaze in awe at the Trylon and Perisphere, and to experience for an afternoon a thrilling yet humane utopia in which every citizen lived ???the good life??? that art, science, technology, and moral fervor had created. In 1939, David Gelernter gives us an intensely evocative picture of the World’s Fair ??? and of a fleeting era of innocent expectation when the world looked forward in wonder rather than backward with regret.
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Acclaimed by readers and critics around the globe, A Splendid Exchange is a sweeping narrative history of world trade???from Mesopotamia in 3000 B.C. to the firestorm over globalization today???that brilliantly explores trade???s colorful and contentious past and provides new insights into its future.
| Recommended By | |
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| Published By |
Acclaimed by readers and critics around the globe, A Splendid Exchange is a sweeping narrative history of world trade???from Mesopotamia in 3000 B.C. to the firestorm over globalization today???that brilliantly explores trade???s colorful and contentious past and provides new insights into its future.
