"As part of the rising concern for global biodiversity, Christopher Kemp makes clear the value of preserved specimens in basic research." —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist and authorThe tiny, lungless Thorius salamander from southern Mexico, thinner than a match and smaller than a quarter. The lushly white-coated Saki, an arboreal monkey from the Brazilian rainforests. The olinguito, a native of the Andes, which looks part mongoose, part teddy bear...

"Kemp's adventure-filled journey into the often-bizarre world of ambergris takes us from whale innards to remote islands. A compelling narrative." —Philip Hoare, author of The Whale"Preternaturally hardened whale dung" is not the first image that comes to mind when we think of perfume, otherwise a symbol of glamour and allure. But the key ingredient that makes the sophisticated scent linger on the skin is precisely this bizarre digestive by-product—ambergri...

"A NATURAL STORYTELLER" Mary Roach"BRILLIANT AND BEGUILING" Matthew Gavin Frank"CAPTIVATING ... WILL ALTER THE WAY YOU SEE AND MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD" M. R. O'Connor"AS ENTERTAINING AS IT IS ENLIGHTENING" Geographical Magazine, Book of the MonthWithin our heads, we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abiliti...

**"[Kemp] is…a natural storyteller, a deft explainer, and a terrific and funny writer." —Mary Roach, author of FuzzHow the brain helps us to understand and navigate space—and why, sometimes, it doesn’t work the way it should.**Inside our heads we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have—older than language. In Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp embarks on a jour...

"A NATURAL STORYTELLER" Mary Roach"BRILLIANT AND BEGUILING" Matthew Gavin Frank"CAPTIVATING ... WILL ALTER THE WAY YOU SEE AND MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD" M. R. O'ConnorWithin our heads, we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have - older even than language - and in Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp embarks on a journey to discover the remarkable extent of what our minds can...

"A culinary mystery story leavened with Pallant's passion, charm, and devotion to the ageless allure of the risen loaf." —Aaron Bobrow-Strain, author of White BreadSourdough Culture presents the history and rudimentary science of sourdough bread baking from its discovery more than six thousand years ago to its still-recent displacement by the innovation of dough-mixing machines and fast-acting yeast. Environmental science professor Eric Pallant tra...

A bold new history showing that the fear of Communism was a major factor in the outbreak of World War IIThe Spectre of War looks at a subject we thought we knew—the roots of the Second World War—and upends our assumptions with a masterful new interpretation. Looking beyond traditional explanations based on diplomatic failures or military might, Jonathan Haslam explores the neglected thread connecting them all: the fear of Communism prevalent across contine...

"An outstanding contribution. . . . The glossary and illustrations are excellent and most helpful. This book will be the standard for years to come." —Robert M. Timm, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, and past president, American Society of MammalogistsDouglas A. Kelt and James L. Patton provide a long-overdue update to Timothy E. Lawlor's Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals in their new, wholly original w...

A comprehensive study of the manes, their worship, and their place in Roman conceptions of their society.In ancient Rome, it was believed some humans were transformed into special, empowered beings after death. These deified dead, known as the manes, watched over and protected their surviving family members, possibly even extending those relatives' lives. But unlike the Greek hero-cult, the worship of dead emperors, or the Christian saints, the

“A heart-pounding, mind-bending adventure.” —Ilyon WooA riveting biography of Alexander the Great’s final years, when the leader’s insatiable desire to conquer the world set him off on an exhilarating, harrowing journey that would define his legacy.By 330 B.C.E., Alexander the Great had reached the pinnacle of success. Or so it seemed. He had defeated the Persian ruler Darius III and seized the capital city of Persepolis. His exhausted and ...

" With poignancy and audacity, Frame builds an unexpected bridge between mathematical beauty and human sorrow, illuminating both." —Francis Su, author of Mathematics for Human FlourishingWe all know the euphoria of intellectual epiphany—the thrill of sudden understanding. But coupled with that excitement is a sense of loss: a moment of epiphany can never be repeated. In Geometry of Grief *,*mathematician Michael Frame draws on a career's worth of ...

A root-and-branch rethinking of how history has shaped the science of genetics.In 1900, almost no one had heard of Gregor Mendel. Ten years later, he was famous as the father of a new science of heredity—genetics. Even today, Mendelian ideas serve as a standard point of entry for learning about genes. The message students receive is plain: the twenty-first century owes an enlightened understanding of how biological inheritance really works to the persistence of an i...