Longlisted for the National Book Award "Mind-blowing." —Kim Gordon DEADPAN, EPIC, AND SEARINGLY CHARISMATIC, A Sand Book chronicles climate change and climate grief, gun violence and bystanderism, state violence and complicity, mourning and ecstasy, sex and love, and the transcendent shock of prophecy, tracking new dimensions of consciousness for our strange and desperate times.
The sand art bottles of Andrew Clemens (1857-1894) draw reactions of astonishment and disbelief. Deaf from age six, Clemens began creating his bottles at an early age, selling them from his home and in local shops in his hometown of McGregor, Iowa. He later developed his craft to an extraordinarily high degree, using tempered hickory sticks with specially designed tips to deposit and position naturally colored grains of sand inside chemists' bottles. Many since have attempted to duplicate his technique but his works of art stand unmatched. Clemens made possibly thousands of sand art bottles during his short life but relatively few remain. Some of these are in museums, and many are in private collections. Those that occasionally appear at auctions sell for thousands of dollars. This book covers Clemens's life and work, with dozens of detailed photographs of his intricate designs.
Explaining the science contained in a simple assembly of grains—the most abundant form of matter present on Earth. Granular media—composed of vast amounts of grains, consolidated or not—constitute the most abundant form of solid matter on Earth. Granular materials assemble in disordered configurations scientists often liken to a bag of marbles. Made of macroscopic particles rather than molecules, they defy the standard scheme of classification in terms of solid, liquid, and gas. Granular materials provide a model relevant to various domains of research, including engineering, physics, and biology. William Blake famously wished “To See a World in a Grain of Sand”; in this book, pioneering researchers in granular matter explain the science hidden behind simple grains, shedding light on collective behavior in disordered settings in general. The authors begin by describing the single grain with its different origins, shapes, and sizes, then examine grains in piled or stacked form. They explain the packing fraction of granular media, a crucial issue that bears on the properties displayed in practical applications; explore small-scale deformations in piles of disordered grains, with particular attention to friction; and present theories of various modes of disorder. Along the way, they discuss such concepts as force chains, arching effects, wet grains, sticky contacts, and inertial effects. Drawing on recent numerical simulations as well as classical concepts developed in physics and mechanics, the book offers an accessible introduction to a rapidly developing field.
A longtime CNN columnist astutely combines history and global politics to help us better understanding the exploding number of military, political, and diplomatic crises around the globe. The riveting and illuminating behind-the-scenes stories of the world's most intense “red lines," from diplomatic and military challenges at particular turning points in history to the ones that set the tone of geopolitics today. Whether it was the red line in Munich that led to the start of the Second World War, to the red lines in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, Syria and the Middle East. As we traverse the globe, Andelman uses original documentary research, previously classified material, and interviews with key players, to help us understand the growth, the successes and frequent failures that have shaped our world today. Andelman provides not just vivid historical context, but a political anatomy of these red lines. How might their failures be prevented going forward? When and how can such lines in the sand help preserve peace rather than tempt conflict? A Red Line in the Sand is a vital examination of our present and the future—where does diplomacy end and war begin? It is an object lesson of tantamount importance to every leader, diplomat, citizen, and voter. As America establishes more red lines than it has pledged to defend, every American should understand the volatile atmosphere and the existential stakes of the red web that encompasses the globe.
Uncovering seashells... jumping in the waves... It's a perfect beach day! And what better way to spend it than with a new beach friend? Patricia Hubbell's light verse skips merrily along, while Lisa Campbell Ernst's playful scenes picture a sea that is justwaiting to be splashed in!
In his teenage years, Joe Castillo developed a passion for using art to tell stories. Joe has told his WordStories to audiences for more than thirty years. He also created ArtStory presentations that combined those stories with illustrations drawn for live audiences. His newest adventure is SandStory. Drawing in sand on a light table, he is able to tell stories to music. These fluid illustrations are seen by the audience as they watch the images projected on a large screen. SandStory went viral on YouTube, and hundreds of invitations from around the world crowded his calendar. It became a totally unexpected new career. Joe wrote down the crazy adventures he and his wife Cindy were having on the road. This book is the inside record of the fun, fascinating, inspirational, and exciting adventure of how sand changed his life.
"In 1936 Tel Aviv, a boy accompanies his grandmother on a walk along the beach, buying seltzer, looking in shops, talking with friends, and following men with strange-shaped cases. They end by meeting violinist Bronislaw Huberman and seeing the first performance of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra"--Provided by publisher.