**How a devastating outbreak of horse flu in the 1870s ground city life to a halt—but ultimately revolutionized animal rights, medicine, and transportation.From a veteran science writer, evolutionary biologist, historian of science, and the coauthor of the acclaimed How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog).**In the 1870s, horses were the lifeblood of North American cities. New York, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto relied on tens of thousands of workhorses to power daily li...

"Combines accessible prose with solid science."— Wall Street Journal • " Demonstrates that whatever creature you are—from a giraffe to a Tasmanian devil—life is all about who you know."— New Scientist • "Fascinating. . . . Easily the most intriguing, thorough explanation of animal behavior ever produced."— Library Journal (starred review) • "This book makes a fitting companion to Ed Yong's An Immense World. An entertaining tour o...

In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar.Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land...

"This stand-alone is easy to read and difficult to put down." - Bookzilla"Fun, fast, fresh!" - BookJunkieImagine your favorite teachers from high school are dying, being mysteriously murdered one by one soon after the arrival of the new English instructor...Mackenzie August is starting a new life. After a successful but destructive career as a high-profile California homicide detective, and then a less successful and even more destructive stint working for a church,...

This true story of an amazing breeding experiment in Siberia is "part science, part Russian fairy tale, and part spy thriller" ( The New York Times Book Review).Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But despite appearances, these are not dogs—they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken—imagine spee...

First ever illustrated eBook of the classic bestseller featuring more than 60 colour paintings and pencil drawings by the award-winning artist, Alan Lee, Conceptual Designer on Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep ...

Create your own fantasy art with this comprehensive guidebook by the lead conceptual designer on The Lord of the RingsTM and The HobbitTM trilogies.Discover the creative processes and intriguing inspirations behind the work of John Howe – lead conceptual designer on The Lord of the RingsTM and The HobbitTM movie trilogies. Through step-by-step drawings and finished paintings, Howe reveals his artistic approach in action: from dev...

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of Beren and Lúthien will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Dwarves and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myt...

People are a confusing, contradictory bunch. We're capable of kindness, generosity, and love — and just as capable of selfishness, pettiness, and cruelty, sometimes within the same afternoon. Waking Up From History is one man's fifteen-year attempt to make sense of that contradiction — the book he wishes he could hand to his younger self. Its premise is simple: to understand people, you first have to understand how they see — and how they see is shaped by the lens they're ...

"Brilliant. . . . An absorbing read and a potent lesson in moral behavior—both of rodents and of humans."—Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Poison Squad • "A fascinating read about an immensely influential scientist."—Robert M. Sapolsky, author of the New York Times–bestseller Determined • "Stimulating scientific history. . . . Colorful accounts. . . . This fascinates."— Publishers WeeklyA bizarre and compelling biography ...

From the shell wars of hermit crabs to little blue penguins spying on potential rivals, power struggles in the animal kingdom are as diverse as they are fascinating, and this book illuminates their surprising range and connections.The quest for power in animals is so much richer, so much more nuanced than who wins what knock-down, drag-out fight. Indeed, power struggles among animals often look more like an opera than a boxing match. Tracing the path to power for o...

In the years after the Revolutionary War, the fledgling republic of America was viewed by many Europeans as a degenerate backwater, populated by subspecies weak and feeble. Chief among these naysayers was the French Count and world-renowned naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon, who wrote that the flora and fauna of America (humans included) were inferior to European specimens.Thomas Jefferson—author of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. president, and ardent naturalist—spe...