Technology, Engineering, Agriculture & Industrial Books

NPR's Best Books of 2020 American Scientist's 2020 Science Book Gift Guide Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system.Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often...

The Chinese invented gunpowder and began exploring its military uses as early as the 900s, four centuries before the technology passed to the West. But by the early 1800s, China had fallen so far behind the West in gunpowder warfare that it was easily...

In 1969, Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill began looking outward to space colonies as the new frontier for humanity's expansion. A decade later, Eric Drexler, an MIT-trained engineer, turned his attention to the molecular world as the place where...

An insider account of how researchers unraveled the mystery of the thawing ArcticIn the 1990s, researchers in the Arctic noticed that floating summer sea ice had begun receding. This was accompanied by shifts in ocean circulation and unexpected changes...

Life in Ancient Ice presents an unparalleled overview of current research into microbial life in ancient glacial ice and permafrost. Particulates of fungi, bacteria, pollen grains, protists, and viruses are carried by wind around the globe. When they...

Things in life tend to fall apart. Cars break down. Buildings fall into disrepair. Personal items deteriorate. Yet today's researchers are exploiting newly understood properties of matter to program materials that physically sense, adapt, and...

A monumental history of the nineteenth century, The Transformation of the World offers a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a world in transition. Jurgen Osterhammel, an eminent scholar who has been called the Braudel of the nineteenth century, moves...

How technological advances and colonial fears inspired utopian geoengineering projects during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.From the 1870s to the mid-twentieth century, European explorers, climatologists, colonial officials, and...

Nano Comes to Life opens a window onto the nanoscale - the infinitesimal realm of proteins and DNA where physics and cellular and molecular biology meet - and introduces readers to the rapidly evolving nanotechnologies that are allowing us to manipulate...

Climate change and justice are so closely associated that many people take it for granted that a global climate treaty should--indeed, must--directly address both issues together. But, in fact, this would be a serious mistake, one that, by dooming...

Dive into a mind-bending exploration of the physics of black holes Black holes, predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity more than a century ago, have long intrigued scientists and the public with their bizarre and fantastical...

Guesstimation 2.0 reveals the simple and effective techniques needed to estimate virtually anything--quickly--and illustrates them using an eclectic array of problems. A stimulating follow-up to Guesstimation, this is the must-have book for anyone...

The oceans exert a vital moderating influence on the Earth's climate system. They provide inertia to the global climate, essentially acting as the pacemaker of climate variability and change, and they provide heat to high latitudes, keeping them...

Roughly half the world's population speaks languages derived from a shared linguistic source known as Proto-Indo-European. But who were the early speakers of this ancient mother tongue, and how did they manage to spread it around the globe? Until now...

Physics and Technology for Future Presidents contains the essential physics that students need in order to understand today's core science and technology issues, and to become the next generation of world leaders. From the physics of energy to climate...

On May 11, 1997, as millions worldwide watched a stunning victory unfold on television, a machine shocked the chess world by defeating the defending world champion, Garry Kasparov. Written by the man who started the adventure, Behind Deep Blue reveals...

The ultimate reference book for collectors and lovers of Australian bakelite radios. For the first time, a complete photographic history of the best of Australian bakelite radios from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, highlighting their Art Deco designs and...

Did you know that there will be more plastic than fish in the seas by 2050? Did you know that it takes 20,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans? Did you know that we have a massive food-wastage problem, and yet millions die of hunger each day?In...

Packed with step-by-step instructions, useful tips, time-honored wisdom, and both illustrations and photographs, this might just be the most comprehensive guide to back to basics living ever published. Fans of Back to Basics, Homesteading, and...

The U.S. Army Intelligence and Interrogation Handbook provides doctrinal guidance, techniques, and procedures governing the use of interrogators as human intelligence collection agents in support of a commander's intelligence needs. It outlines the...

First published in 1948, Mechanization Takes Command is an examination of mechanization and its effects on everyday life. A monumental figure in the field of architectural history, Sigfried Giedion traces the evolution and resulting philosophical...

From contaminated urban lots to polluted waterways and massive oil spills, how can communities transform toxic landscapes and respond to environmental disasters positively and effectively? Earth Repair is packed with accessible, simple, and practical...

What's the buzz about the growing popularity of backyard beekeeping? Providing habitat for bees, pollinating your garden, and producing honey for your family are some of the compelling reasons for taking up this exciting hobby. But conventional...

Every day, individuals take action based on how they believe innovation will change industries. Yet these beliefs are largely based on guesswork and incomplete data and lead to costly errors in judgment. Now, internationally renowned innovation expert...

Do you have the locksmith's phone number on speed dial? Find yourself spending a fortune on new locks after someone lost their keys again? Forgot your keys in the car one too many times? Free yourself once and for all from ever having a keyless crisis...

This compact guide provides advice, tips, and step-by-step instructions for hundreds of projects, offering the entire family the tools they need to make the shift toward self-sufficient living. Readers will learn to dip candles, bake bread, make maple...

We are entering a Space Age, but not the kind President Kennedy originally envisioned. This Space Age is replacing resource wars and redefines planet earth as a "battlespace" in accordance with the military doctrine of "Full-Spectrum Dominance."This book...

To ensure food security and restore the health of the planet, we need to move beyond industrial agriculture and return to the practice of small-scale, local farming. Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm describes the creation of a sustainable...

The samurai sword: a symbol of the spirit of old Japan, it embodies the samurai's steel discipline, unswerving devotion and peerless skill. With its creation, a feat of craftsmanship passed down by generations of artisans; the samurai sword is considered...

In March 2008 the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney II and its adversary the disguised German raider HSK Kormoran were found. In the following May a Commission of Inquiry sat for a total of 36 days and after hearing evidence from across Australia a...

Les Jardins de la Grelinette is a micro-farm located in eastern Quebec, just north of the American border. Growing on just 1.5 acres, owners Jean-Martin and Maude-Helne feed more than two hundred families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market...

It's closing time at the brewery. While the moon rises, the happy crew sings and dances as they wind down for the day. Join them in saying goodnight to the beer-making equipment, brew ingredients, and styles of suds. This humorous parody of a children's...

For most of human history, people have lived in durable, comfortable buildings made from natural materials such as soil, sand, rocks, and fiber. All over the globe, these ancient traditions persist; a quarter to a third of the world's population today...

For 25 years, Growing Media for Ornamental Plants and Turf has been a core text for horticulture students and an essential reference for horticulturalists, their suppliers and landscape gardeners. The fourth edition has been substantially revised and...

The Revised 8th Edition of Steel Designers' Handbook is an invaluable tool for all practising structural, civil and mechanical engineers as well as engineering students at university and TAFE in Australia and New Zealand. It has been prepared in response...

Shows readers the how, which, when, where, what and why of termite and wood borer control. The previous edition of this highly-regarded and indispensable text is now out-of-date, and the new edition has been refined and rewritten as a full fledged text...

For 23 years and through four editions, Urban Pest Management in Australia has been the major reference work for Australian pest control operators. This fifth edition has been extensively revised to support the constantly evolving pest management...

Aquaponics is a revolutionary system for growing plants by fertilizing them with the waste water from fish in a sustainable closed system. A combination of aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponic gardening is an amazingly productive way to grow organic...

The Japanese sword, a unique work of art in steel, can be appreciated from a number of viewpoints. Its functionality as a weapon, the sophisticated metallurgy and scientific thinking utilized by the swordsmith, the shape of the blade itself, and the...

Genes - we all have them and we're all affected by them, often in unknown ways.  Whether directly inherited or modified by our environment, genes control or significantly influence almost every aspect of our lives, from the success of our conception and...

Australia's no. 1 bee book! 'A wealth of knowledge! This book will help many keen bee enthusiasts to start their journey in beekeeping.' Mat Lumalasi, Rooftop Honey Bees need our help. Under threat from insecticides and habitat loss, they're in decline...

A look at small, seldom-noticed and apparently insignificant objects and inventions that have changed the world.  Small inventions - modest yet essential, diminutive in size and humble in stature - are an essential component of every element of everyday...

The bike that is most fun to ride is the bike that you have made yourself, and the good news is that anyone can do it. This simple guide walks you through the process, from working out what you need, creating the specification, sourcing parts, to the...

This indispensable beekeeping reference-packed with helpful diagrams, color photos, and easy-to-follow yet thorough instruction-gently guides you through setting up and caring for your first colonies. Are you an absolute beginner when it comes to...

This complete honey bee resource is loaded with updated information on bee problems and treatments, measuring techniques, swarm control, harvesting, and using top bar hives.   The Backyard Beekeeper, now in its 4th edition, makes the time-honoured and...