“No one who loves elephants or how humans interact with wildlife should pass up Jacob Shell’s remarkable book.” —Dan Flores, author of Coyote AmericaGiants of the Monsoon Forest journeys deep into the mountainous rainforests of Burma and India to explore the world of teak logging elephants and their intriguing alliance with humans. Jacob Shell’s narrative vividly depicts elephants’ extraordinary intelligence, and the complicated bond with individu...

How political regimes have responded when certain modes of transportation—from carrier pigeons to canal boats—have been associated with politically subversive activities.During World War I, German soldiers shot down carrier pigeons for fear the birds were carrying enemy communiqués; in Mexico, the United States, and other countries, mules were used for smuggling and secret travel in mountainous areas; in the British Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth...

“No one who loves elephants or how humans interact with wildlife should pass up Jacob Shell’s remarkable book.”—Dan Flores, author of Coyote AmericaGiants of the Monsoon Forest journeys deep into the mountainous rainforests of Burma and India to explore the world of teak logging elephants and their intriguing alliance with humans. Jacob Shell’s narrative vividly depicts elephants’ extraordinary intelligence, and the complicated bo...

Singapore has gained a reputation for being one of the wealthiest and best-educated countries in the world and one of the brightest success stories for a colony-turned-sovereign state, but the country's path to success was anything but assured. Its strategic location and natural resources both allowed Singapore to profit from global commerce and also made the island an attractive conquest for the world's naval powers, resulting in centuries of stunting colonialization. In Singapore: Un...

December 26, 2004 will always be remembered by the devastation caused by one of the largest earthquakes known to man. The Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami is revisited in captivating, understandable detail with illustrations. The impact of the tsunami on the environment and economy (fishing and tourism) and recovery are discussed.

The past fifteen thousand years-the entire span of human civilization-have witnessed dramatic sea level changes, which began with rapid global warming at the end of the Ice Age, when coastlines were more than seven hundred feet below modern levels. Over the next ten millennia, the oceans climbed in fits and starts. These rapid changes had little effect on those humans who experienced them, partly because there were so few people on earth, and also because those people were able to adjust r...

Journey to the Stone AgeIn one of the last untamed places on Earth, Indonesian New Guinea’s snowcapped peaks tower above steaming rainforests and huge crocodiles stalk in thick mangroves ringing the island. Whether you lounge on the white beaches of Biak, or trek around Wamena, Indonesian New Guinea offers the adventure of a lifetime.The ultimate adventure guideThis is the most complete guide to Indonesian New Guinea ever produced. ...

An archaeologist examines humanity's last major source of food from the wild, and how it enabled and shaped the growth of civilization.In this history of fishing—not as sport but as sustenance—archaeologist and best-selling author Brian Fagan argues that fishing was an indispensable and often overlooked element in the growth of civilization. It sustainably provided enough food to allow cities, nations, and empires to grow, but it did so with a different emphasis. W...

A story of science and discovery that's "part travel diary and part field notebook . . . like what you'd get if Charles Darwin starred in an Indiana Jones flick" ( Audubon Magazine).Credited with discovering more species than Charles Darwin, Tim Flannery has been hailed as "the rock star of modern science." Here, he recounts a series of expeditions he made early in his career to the islands of the South Pacific, a great arc stretching nearly 4,000 miles fr...

The eleven countries of Southeast Asia are diverse in every way, from the ethnicities and religions of their residents to their political systems and levels of prosperity. These nations--Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, and East Timor--are each undeniably unique, yet the vestiges of their shared traditions mean that each country is also characteristically Southeast Asian. In Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction

Everything parents need to help their kids succeed in social studiesThe only comprehensive social studies skill-building series available, the Get Ready! For Social Studies series equips proactive parents with the tools they need to help their children develop the core skills required to perform at grade level in social studies-related subjects.Geography focuses on major geographic concepts: what geography is, maps and globes, landforms, natural regions (bi...

As one of the world’s leading field biologists, George Schaller has spent much of his life traversing wild and isolated places in his quest to understand and conserve threatened species—from mountain gorillas in the Virunga to pandas in the Wolong and snow leopards in the Himalaya. Throughout his celebrated career, Schaller has spent more time in Tibet than in any other part of the world, devoting more than thirty years to the wildlife, culture, and landscapes that captured his heart and c...