The Wonderful Century
The Wonderful Century

Author: Alfred R. Wallace

Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.

Published: 2007-04-01

Total Pages: 461

ISBN-13: 1602064180

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Wonderful Century, originally published in 1898, is a unique book, offering a retrospective of the grand scope of the 19th century. In it, British biologist and explorer ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE (1823-1913) discusses what he considers the successes of the last hundred years, including advances made in modes of travel, mechanization, photography, the analysis of light, physics, the study of dust, chemistry, astronomy, glaciers, geology, evolution, and medicine. He also covers those areas of study that have not been advanced as much as he believes they should have been. Among the curious topics in the "Failure" section of the book are phrenology, hypnotism, and the fallacy of vaccination. It will be amusing to modern readers that many of the areas that Wallace thought needed to be elucidated better in the future have since been proven false. History buffs as well as readers wishing to be entertained by the skewed views of the past will find this book a joyous and engaging read.

The Wonderful Century
The Wonderful Century

Author: Alfred Russel Wallace

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-11-17

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1108036791

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

First published in 1898, this book describes the scientific and technological achievements of the nineteenth century, together with its 'failures'.

The Wonderful Century
The Wonderful Century

Author: Alfred Russel Wallace

Publisher: Palala Press

Published: 2016-05-19

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9781357358945

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Wonderful Century
The Wonderful Century

Author: Alfred Russel Wallace

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-20

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 9781440073151

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Excerpt from The Wonderful Century: Its Successes and Its Failures 1898! And these are ours to-clay! The boundless flood Of infinite Research - the ocean vast Of endless exploration - and our barque Of Science builded, fairly launched at last, Captain'd by Thought - by Reason piloted - Sails forth upon the venture - and to us, To search the shores of Doubt-in midnight hid; To give, it such there be, new Worlds to light, And that we have, with better day make bright. - J. E. Dell. Every young soul, ardent and high, rushing forth into life's hot fight; Every home of happy content, lit by loves own mystical light; Every worker who works till the evening, and earns before night his wage, Be his work a furrow straight drawn, or the joy of a battered age; Every thinker who, standing aloof from the throng, finds at high delight In striking with tongue or with pen a stroke for the triumph of right! - All these know that life is sweet; all these, with a consonant voice, Read the legend of Time with a smile, and that which they read is "Rejoice!" - Sir Leuis Morris. It thou wouldst make thy thought, 0 man, the home Where other minds may habit, build it large. Make its vast root translucent to the skies, And let the upper glory dawn thereon, Till morn and evening, circling round, shell drop Their jewelled plumes of sun-flame and of stars. - Thomas Luke Harris. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Fall of Giants
Fall of Giants

Author: Ken Follett

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2011-08-30

Total Pages: 1010

ISBN-13: 1101543558

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ken Follett’s magnificent historical epic begins as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits. . . . An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House. . . . A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy. . . . And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution. From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again. . . .

The Book of Barely Imagined Beings
The Book of Barely Imagined Beings

Author: Caspar Henderson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2013-04-10

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 022604470X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From medieval bestiaries to Borges’s Book of Imaginary Beings, we’ve long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer’s song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology—they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don’t. With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson’s book—from the axolotl to the zebrafish—are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up—that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature’s “extreme survivors,” able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value—or fail to value—and what we might change. A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change.

A Sense-of-Wonderful Century
A Sense-of-Wonderful Century

Author: Gary Westfahl

Publisher: Wildside Press LLC

Published: 2013-07-30

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 143444371X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book gathers together many of the illuminating essays on science fiction and fantasy film penned by a major critic in the SF field. The pieces are roughly organized in the chronological order of when the movies and television programs being discussed first appeared, with essays providing more general overviews clustered near the beginning and end of the volume, to provide the overall aura of a historical survey. Although this book does not pretend to provide a comprehensive history of science fiction and fantasy films, it does intermingle analyses of films and TV programs with some discussions of related plays, novels, stories, and comic books, particularly in the essays on This Island Earth and 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequels. Inciteful, entertaining, and full of intelligent and witty observations about science fiction and its sometimes curious relationship with the visual media, these essays will both delight and entertain critics, fans, and viewers alike.