Biography & Autobiography : Science & Technology

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin is the autobiography of the British naturalist Charles Darwin which was published in 1887, five years after his death. Darwin wrote the book, which he entitled Recollections of the Development of my Mind and Character, for his family. He states that he started writing it on about May 28, 1876 and had finished it by August 3. The book was edited by Charles Darwin's son Francis Darwin, who removed several passages about Darwin's critical views of God and Christianity... more...

Price: $3.99

Learn more about 100 Most Influential People of all times - from Buddha and Hammurabi to Thomas Edison and Brothers Wright. Their lifes, views, and careers illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps. Fully illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps. Navigate from Table of Contents or search for the words or phrases. Written in clear and concise language,. Table of Contents. Kings, Emperors and Politicians. Religious Leaders. Humanitarians. Thinkers and Philosophers. Scientists. Inventors. Explorers and Pioneers. Musicians and Composers. Writers. Painters, Sculptors and Architects. Stage, Screen and Photography. Kings, Emperors and Politicians. Menes (ca. 3100-3000 BC) - united Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Hammurabi (c.1792-1750 BC) - first king of the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus the Great (ca.576-530 BC) - founder of the Persian Empire. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) - king of Macedon; he conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks, never losing a battle. Asoka (304-232 BC) - emperor of India who converted to and spread Buddhism. Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC) - Chinese Emperor; unified China, initiated construction of the Great Wall of China. Hannibal (247-183 BC) Carthaginian military commander and politician. Julius Caesar (c.100-44 BC) - Roman military and political leader; key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. ... Religious Leaders. Zoroaster (c.1200 BC) - ancient Iranian prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism. Buddha (c.563-c.483 BC) - founder of Buddhism. Jesus Christ (c.6 BC-c.30 AD) - founder of Christianity. St. Paul (b. c. 10-d. c. 67 AD) - proselytizer of Christianity. Muhammad (c.570-632 AD) - Prophet of Islam; conqueror of Arabia. ... Thinkers and Philosophers. Lao Zi [Lao Tzu] (c.600 BC) - founder of Taoism. Confucius (551-479 BC) - founder of Confucianism. Socrates (469-399 BC) - ancient Greek philosopher who is credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. Plato (c.4 more...

Price: $9.99

Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race. He helped to launch Alan Shepard and John Glenn, then assumed the flight director's role in the Gemini program, which he guided to fruition. With his teammates, he accepted the challenge to carry out President John F. Kennedy's commitment to land a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s. more...

Price: $27.00

An unforgettable story of the joy of motherhood, the bravery of a community, and the hope of one extraordinary woman. At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Worth leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in post war London’s East End slums. The colorful characters she meets while delivering babies all over London—from the plucky, warm-hearted nuns with whom she lives to the woman with twenty-four children who can’t speak English to the prostitutes and dockers of the city’s seedier side—illuminate a fascinating time in history. Beautifully written and utterly moving, The Midwife will touch the hearts of anyone who is, and everyone who has, a mother. more...

Price: $15.00

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you.". What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut, and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures. The fame that resulted was extraordinary. Yet there was a side to their relationship that never made the papers. They were emotionally connected to one another. They shared a deep bond far beyond science. Alex missed Irene when she was away. He was jealous when she paid attention to other parrots, or even people. He liked to show her who was boss. He loved to dance. He sometimes became bored by the repetition of his tests, and played jokes on her. Sometimes they sniped at each other. Yet nearly every day, they each said, "I love you.". Alex and Irene stayed together through thick and thin—despite sneers from experts, extraordinary financial sacrifices, and a nomadic existence from one univer­sity to another. The story of their thirty-year adventure is equally a landmark of scientific achievement and of an unforgettable human-animal bond. more...

Price: $13.99