ABRAMS
Astronomy: 365 Days (Oct., $29.95) by Jerry T. Bonnell and Robert J. Nemiroff gathers photos from the Astronomy Picture of the Day Web site to present vivid views of space and sky.
ARTISTS’ AND PHOTOGRAPHERS’ PRESS (dist. by Sterling)
Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time (Oct., $12.95) by John Grant considers alchemy, the flat earth theory and other ideas that once seemed plausible.
BASIC BOOKS
Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law (Sept., $26) by Peter Woit presents the other side of the growing debate on string theory, arguing that it’s not even science. Author tour.
CAMBRIDGE UNIV. PRESS
The Chronologers’ Quest (Oct., $30) by Patrick Wyse Jackson chronicles the story of humankind’s quest to determine the age of the Earth.
COLLINS/SMITHSONIAN
Fragile Earth: Views of a Changing World (Oct., $34.95) by Collins UK Staff presents a photographic view of the dramatic changes at work on the planet.
COLUMBIA UNIV. PRESS
Freedom and Neurobiology (Jan., $24.50) by John Searle discusses the possibility of free will within the context of contemporary neurobiology.
DK
Ocean (Oct., $50), intro. by Fabien Cousteau, offers a reference work on the world’s oceans organized by the geological and physical processes that affect it.
DUTTON
Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet (Nov., $50) by Jim Bell imagines a stroll on Mars.
ECCO
Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong (Sept., $27.95) by Marc D. Hauser argues that we have evolved a universal moral instinct. 50,000 first printing.
JOSEPH HENRY PRESS
Out of Thin Air: Dinosaurs, Birds, and Earth’s Ancient Atmosphere (Sept., $27.95) by Peter Ward provides a new explanation for dinosaurs’ incredible longevity.
A Beautiful Math: John Nash, Game Theory, and the Modern Quest for a Code of Nature (Oct., $24.95) by Tom Siegfried explains the mathematics invented by Nash, which has influenced many scientific realms.
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
The God Delusion (Oct., $26) by Richard Dawkins examines the irrational belief in God and the harm done in the name of religion. 75,000 first printing. 9-city author tour.
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV. PRESS
Shattered Nerves: How Science Is Solving Modern Medicine’s Most Perplexing Problem (Nov., $27.50) by Victor D. Chase explores the use of neural implants to correct nerve damage.
The Science of Orgasm (Nov., $25) by Barry R. Komisaruk et al. delves into everything concerning the science of nature’s seminal moment.
KODANSHA INT’L
Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots (Sept., $26.95) by Timothy N. Hornyak examines Japan’s fascination with humanoid machines from the Edo period to today.
LANTERN BOOKS
Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching (Sept., $30) by Michael Greger, M.D., considers bird flu and other zoonotic diseases.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
In the Womb (Sept., $25) by Peter Tallack features images of the journey from conception to birth created with 3D and 4D ultrasound technology.
Deep Ancestry: Inside the Genographic Project (Nov., $24) by Spencer Wells examines the landmark study of the world’s largest collection of DNA samples. 50,000 first printing.
W.W. NORTON
The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth (Sept., $21.95) by E.O. Wilson proposes an alliance between science and religion to save Earth’s vanishing biodiversity. 11-city author tour.
ONEWORLD PUBLICATIONS
Information Generation: How Data Rules the World (Oct., $25.95) by David J. Hand considers diverse examples of the role of data.
OVERLOOK
How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die (Nov., $30) by David Crystal explores the origin, function and purpose of language.
PENGUIN PRESS
The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God (Nov., $27.95) by Carl Sagan, edited by Ann Fruyan, offers, on the 10th anniversary of Sagan’s death, his prescient exploration of the relationship between religion and science. Ad/promo.
PRINCETON UNIV. PRESS
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved (Oct., $22.95) by Frans de Waal tackles the biological foundations of one of humanity’s most valued traits.
PROMETHEUS
Brilliant! Shuji Nakamura and the Revolution in Lighting Technology (Feb., $28) by Bob Johnstone portrays the Japanese engineer who solved the final piece in the LED puzzle.
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
Smart Mice, Not So Smart People: An Interesting and Amusing Guide to Bioethics (Nov., $21.95) by Arthur L. Caplan compiles the bioethicist’s provocative opinions on issues concerning the new genetics.
SMITHSONIAN BOOKS
The Epidemic: A Global History of AIDS (Sept., $28.95) by Jonathan Engel chronicles one of the compelling medical dramas of our time.
THUNDER’S MOUTH PRESS
The Artist and the Mathematician: The Story of Nicholas Bourbaki, the Genius Mathematician Who Never Existed (Sept., $23.95) by Amir D. Aczel tells of a pioneering, influential—and nonexistent—mathematician.
TIMES BOOKS
Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design (Sept., $22) by Michael Shermer demonstrates the facts of evolution and exposes the agenda behind intelligent design.
UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Skin: A Natural History (Oct., $24.95) by Nina G. Jablonski explores the biology, evolution and social significance of skin and debunks classic concepts of race.
UNIV. OF CHICAGO PRESS
The Best of All Possible Worlds: Mathematics and Destiny (Oct., $25) by Ivar Ekeland traces the impact of the mathematical principle of optimization on a variety of fields.
WALKER & CO.
Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human (Oct., $19.95) by Chip Walter investigates the evolutionary links between our big toe, thumb and pharynx and the human emotions of love, laughter and tears.
