Tag Archives: best new non-fiction

Edge of the Universe, New Recommended Non-Fiction

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cover, Edge of the Universe, new recommended non-fiction by Paul HalpernA Voyage to the Cosmic Horizon and Beyond
by Paul Halpern

The Deepening Recommended AwardA wonderful new book on the cosmos out by acclaimed science writer and physicist Dr. Paul Halpern. This is a “gotta-have!” Recommended. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening

ABOUT THIS NEW NON-FICTION BOOK

An accessible look at the mysteries that lurk at the edge of the known universe and beyond

The observable universe, the part we can see with telescopes, is incredibly vast. Yet recent theories suggest that there is far more to the universe than what our instruments record—in fact, it could be infinite. Colossal flows of galaxies, large empty regions called voids, and other unexplained phenomena offer clues that our own “bubble universe” could be part of a greater realm called the multiverse. How big is the observable universe? What it is made of? What lies beyond it? Was there a time before the Big Bang? Could space have unseen dimensions? In this book, physicist and science writer Paul Halpern explains what we know—and what we hope to soon find out—about our extraordinary cosmos.

  • Explains what we know about the Big Bang, the accelerating universe, dark energy, dark flow, and dark matter to examine some of the theories about the content of the universe and why its edge is getting farther away from us faster
  • Explores the idea that the observable universe could be a hologram and that everything that happens within it might be written on its edge
  • Written by physicist and popular science writer Paul Halpern, whose other books include Collider: The Search for the World’s Smallest Particles, and What’s Science Ever Done For Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe
  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 2, 2012)
  • Language: English

AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS FROM AMAZON.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Acclaimed science writer and physicist Dr. Paul Halpern is the author of more than a dozen popular science books, exploring the subjects of space, time, higher dimensions, dark energy, dark matter, exoplanets, particle physics, and cosmology. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Literary Award. A regular contributor to NOVA’s “The Nature of Reality” physics blog, he has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including “Future Quest” and “The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special”.

Paul Halpern’s latest book, “Edge of the Universe: A Voyage to the Cosmic Horizon and Beyond”, explores the greatest mysteries of the cosmos, including dark energy, dark matter, extra dimensions, dark flow, black holes, time travel, and the multiverse.

More information about Paul Halpern’s books and other writings can be found at:
phalpern.com

The Black Count, Best New Non-Fiction

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cover, The Black Count by Tom Reiss, best new non-fiction bookGlory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo
by Tom Reiss

Highly recommended by everyone–ARC readers and reviewers, alike. The Deepening, too. –D. L. Keur, The DeepeningTD Recommended

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Phi: A Voyage from the Brain to the Soul, New Non-Fiction

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TD Recommended Non-Fiction bookby Giulio Tononi

An awesome exploration that gets awesome reviews. This is a must have for those of us who love exciting, stimulating tomes. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening World of Books

AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS FROM AMAZON.COM

ABOUT THIS NEW NON-FICTION BOOK

cover, Phi: A Voyage from the Brain to the Soul, new non-fictionThis title is printed in full color throughout.

From one of the most original and influential neuroscientists at work today, here is an exploration of consciousness unlike any other—as told by Galileo, who opened the way for the objectivity of science and is now intent on making subjective experience a part of science as well.

Galileo’s journey has three parts, each with a different guide. In the first, accompanied by a scientist who resembles Francis Crick, he learns why certain parts of the brain are important and not others, and why consciousness fades with sleep. In the second part, when his companion seems to be named Alturi (Galileo is hard of hearing; his companion’s name is actually Alan Turing), he sees how the facts assembled in the first part can be unified and understood through a scientific theory—a theory that links consciousness to the notion of integrated information (also known as phi). In the third part, accompanied by a bearded man who can only be Charles Darwin, he meditates on how consciousness is an evolving, developing, ever-deepening awareness of ourselves in history and culture—that it is everything we have and everything we are.

Not since Gödel, Escher, Bach has there been a book that interweaves science, art, and the imagination with such originality. This beautiful and arresting narrative will transform the way we think of ourselves and the world.

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Pantheon (August 7, 2012)
  • Language: English

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Giulio Tononi is a professor of psychiatry, the David P. White Professor of Sleep Medicine, and the Distinguished Chair in Consciousness Science at the University of Wisconsin. In addition to the major scientific journals, his work has appeared in New Scientist, Science Daily, and Scientific American. His research has been the subject of articles in The New York Times and The Economist. He is the coauthor, with Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman, of A Universe of Consciousness.

The Irrationals, New Non-Fiction

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TD Recommended Non-Fiction bookA Story of the Numbers You Can’t Count On
by Julian Havil

Another book I highly recommend for anyone who’s curious about irrational and transcendental numbers…but, then, I’m love mathematics.  With this book, so will you. –D. L. Keur, The Deepening World of Books

AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE FORMATS FROM AMAZON.COM

cover, The Irrationals, new math non-fiction by Julian HavilABOUT THIS NEW NON-FICTION BOOK

The ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define–and why so many questions still surround them.

That definition seems so simple: they are numbers that cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers, or that have decimal expansions that are neither infinite nor recurring. But, as The Irrationals shows, these are the real “complex” numbers, and they have an equally complex and intriguing history, from Euclid’s famous proof that the square root of 2 is irrational to Roger Apéry’s proof of the irrationality of a number called Zeta(3), one of the greatest results of the twentieth century. In between, Havil explains other important results, such as the irrationality of e and pi. He also discusses the distinction between “ordinary” irrationals and transcendentals, as well as the appealing question of whether the decimal expansion of irrationals is “random”.

Fascinating and illuminating, this is a book for everyone who loves math and the history behind it.

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 22, 2012)
  • Language: English

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julian Havil is the author of “Gamma: Exploring Euler’s Constant, Nonplussed!: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas, and Impossible?: Surprising Solutions to Counterintuitive Conundrums” (all Princeton). He is a retired former master at Winchester College, England, where he taught mathematics for more than three decades.