Absinthe & Flamethrowers

by William Gurstelle

Dedicated to the risk-takers among us, Gurstelle’s book shares insights ranging from the science of the alcoholic drink known as absinthe to step-by-step instructions for creating your very own flamethrower. SC. 224pp. 2009.

The Age of Entanglement

by Louisa Gilder

Gilder leads us through many of the thrilling developments of quantum physics—including the study of the “spooky” correlation of widely separated particles—by re-creating actual conversations among leading physicists. HC. 432pp. 2008.

The Airplane

by Jay Spenser

Spenser vividly re-creates the conception and birth of the earliest flying machines, and addressed in turn the evolution of the airplane’s fuselage, wings, flight controls, flight deck, propulsion, landing gear and more. HC. 320pp. 2008.

Aladdin's Lamp

by John Freely

Freely traces the route by which Greek philosophy and science dating to the 6th century BC migrated to the Arabic and Latin worlds, and subsequently birthed modern science at the dawn of the Renaissance. HC. 352pp. 2009.

Animal Investigators

by Laurel A. Neme

Neme takes us inside the only forensics lab dedicated to animals, and shows how it has cracked cases involving walrus slaughtered for their ivory, black bear gallbladders and smuggled feathers from endangered tropical birds. HC. 256pp. 2009.

Animal Life

by DK

Counts as 2

The Annotated Turing

by Charles Petzold

With the help of extensive annotations and background insights, Petzold presents Alan Turing’s landmark 1936 paper in which the computing pioneer introduced the Turing Machine and defined the limits of computability. SC. 300pp. 2008.

Apollo

Featuring 80 iconic images from the Apollo lunar missions—including handpicked images and commentary from Apollo astronauts—this book explores the role of the astronaut as photographer and highlights each mission in turn. HC. 132pp. 2009.

Archimedes to Hawking

by Clifford A. Pickover

More than 40 physical laws, from Archimedes’ Principle of Buoyancy to Ohm’s Law of Electricity. HC. 524pp. 2008.

The Atom and the Apple

by Sebastien Balibar

Balibar leads a charming and often personal journey along the frontiers of experimental physics, touching on issues within the realms of chaos theory, cosmology, fluid mechanics, climatology and other fields. HC. 200pp. 2008.

Atomic Awakening

by James Mahaffey

In his incisive history of nuclear science, Mahaffey offers an essential look at the development of this technology in the 20th century and how it will overcome its negative connotations to shape the 21st. HC. 368pp. 2009.