Reviews
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A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change by John Glassie
The eccentric life of the insatiably curious, but often wrong, 17th century scholar Athanasius Kircher is explored in this tale of his influence on science. Riverhead Books, 2012, 335 p., $26.95
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Cycling Science: How Rider and Machine Work Together by Max Glaskin
The physics of two-wheeled locomotion gets deep coverage in this illustrated overview for the bike-obsessed. Univ. of Chicago, 2012, 192 p., $30
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Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs by Judith S. Weis
A biologist pens a tribute to crabs, exploring everything from their life cycles and behavior to the many ways humans eat them. Cornell Univ., 2012, 224 p., $29.95
- Science & Society
Guesstimation 2.0
Solving Today's Problems on the Back of a Napkin 2.0 by Lawrence Weinstein.
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Henri Poincaré: A Scientific Biography by Jeremy Gray
This comprehensive biography of the mathematician details his life and contributions to math, physics and philosophy. Princeton Univ., 2012, 593 p., $35
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BOOK REVIEW: Heat: Adventures in the World’s Fiery Places by Bill Streever
Review by Allison Bohac.
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The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix by James Watson; Alexander Gann and Jan Witkowski, eds.
Watson’s 1968 memoir of the discovery of DNA’s structure gets a stylish update, with an extra chapter and added photographs and documents. Simon & Schuster, 2012, 345 p., $30
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Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See by Bill Finch, Beth M. Young, Rhett Johnson and John C. Hall
A series of photographs enriches this tribute to disappearing longleaf pine forests, which once covered over 90 million acres of North America. Univ. of North Carolina, 2012, 176 p., $35
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Spectrums: Our Mind-boggling Universe from Infinitesimal to Infinity by David Blatner
Explore the wonders of six kinds of spectra — numbers, light, sound, size, heat and time — that define the universe. Walker & Co., 2012, 183 p., $25
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King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic by John Parascandola
This history of arsenic shows how the compound has been used, from candy to nefarious plots. Potomac Books, 2012, 197 p., $27.50
