Ten years after the publication of the first English edition of The History of the Theory of Structures, Dr. Kurrer now gives us a much enlarged second edition with a new subtitle: Searching for Equilibrium. The author invites the reader to take part in a journey through time to explore the equilibrium of structures. That journey starts with the emergence of the statics and strength of materials of Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo, and reaches its first climax with Coulomb's structural theori...

Worldwide, the use of natural gas as a primary energy source will remain vital for decades to come. This applies to industrialized, emerging countries and developing countries. Owing to the low level of impurities, natural gas is considered to be a climate-friendly fossil fuel because of the low CO2 emissions, but is at the same time an affordable source of energy.In order to enable transport over long distances and oceans (and hence create an economic and political alternative to p...

Building with precast concrete elements is one of the most innovative forms of construction. This book serves as an introduction to this topic, including examples, and thus supplies all the information necessary for conceptual and detailed design.

The group of stories known as The Arabian Nights or The Thousand and One Nights is believed to have originated in the East during the early Middle Ages. The tales first appeared in a Western translation in France in 1704. This selection of favorite Arabian Nights stories, with new illustrations by Thea Kliros, features a multitude of colorful characters — devious magicians, monstrous giants, lovely princesses, and steadfast suitors — caught up in exciting adventures that ...

The "man who invented the future," French novelist Jules Verne fanned mankind's desire to explore earth's hidden territories. His prophetic 1870 adventure novel, featuring a fabulous underwater craft commanded by the brilliant and mysterious Captain Nemo, predated the deep-water submarine.Weaving amazing scientific achievements with simple, everyday occurrences, this memorable tale brims with detailed descriptions of a futuristic vessel and bizarre scenes of life on the ocean's bott...

Superb treasury of time-honored poetic gems includes Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter," Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat," Eugene Field's "Wynken, Blynken and Nod," Emily Dickinson's "I’m Nobody! Who are you?," Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Swing," many more. Printed in large, easy-to-read type.

Here is a treasury of charming tales brimming with the humor, whimsy and imagination characteristic of Native American folklore. Specially chosen from children, the stories include an Algonquin tale of how Glooskap conquered the Great Bull-Frog, and how pollywogs, crabs, leeches, and other water creatures were created; "The Meeting of the Wild Animals," a Tsimshian myth recounting how the four seasons came into being and why all animals are afraid of the porcupine; "The Bear Man," a Cherok...

The age-old charm of Irish folklore gives special sparkle to this collection of eight tongue-in-cheek tales. Wicked old hags, clever leprechauns, courageous tailors, evil giants, and other characters come to life in such fanciful yarns as "Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary," "Conal and Donal and Taig," "The Old Hag's Long Leather Bag," "The Field of Boliauns," "The Sprightly Tailor," “The Giant’s Stairs,” “The Bee, the Harp, the Mouse, and the Bum-Clock,” and “The Black Horse.” Reset in...

Here are some of the most-loved poems in the English language, chosen not merely for their popularity, but for their literary quality as well. Dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, these splendid poems remain evergreen in their capacity to engage our minds and refresh our spirits.Among them are Marlowe: "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"; Shakespeare: "Sonnet XVIII" ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"); Donne: "Holy Sonnet X" ("Death, be not proud"); Marvell: "T...