Kirjahaku

Michael Stephenson's Patriot Battles is a comprehensive and richly detailed study of the military aspects of the War of Independence, and a fascinating look at the nuts and bolts of eighteenth-century combat. Covering everything from what motivated those who chose to fight to how they were enlisted, trained, clothed, and fed, it offers a close-up view of the war's greatest battles, with maps provided for each. Along the way many cherished myths are challenged, reputations are reassessed, and long-held assumptions are tested. One of the most satisfying and illuminating contributions to the literature on the War of Independence in many years, Patriot Battles is a vastly entertaining work of superior scholarship and a refreshing wind blowing through some of American history's dustier corridors.

Shale Gas and Fracking: The Science Behind the Controversy explains the relevant geological principles before examining the peer-reviewed evidence and presenting it through a simple and compelling illustrated narrative. Each chapter focuses on a particular controversy, such contamination of well water with gas from fracking, and follows a similar format: starting with the principles; then detailing peer-reviewed case studies for earthquakes, radioactivity, and climate change; and concluding with a judgment of the general risks involved. Shale Gas and Fracking: The Science Behind the Controversy provides readers with the unbiased information they need to make informed decisions on the controversial issue of fracking.

Energy and Climate Change: An Introduction to Geological Controls, Interventions and Mitigations examines the Earth system science context of the formation and use of fossil fuel resources, and the implications for climate change. It also examines the historical and economic trends of fossil fuel usage and the ways in which these have begun to affect the natural system (i.e., the start of the Anthropocene). Finally, the book examines the effects we might expect in the future looking at evidence from the "deep time" past, and looks at ways to mitigate climate change by using negative emissions technology (e.g. bioenergy and carbon capture and storage, BECCS), but also by adapting to perhaps a higher than "two degree world," particularly in the most vulnerable, developing countries. Energy and Climate Change is an essential resource for geoscientists, climate scientists, environmental scientists, and students; as well as policy makers, energy professionals, energy statisticians, energy historians and economists.

A stunningly researched work of military history that answers a seemingly simple question-how have soldiers through the ages met their deaths?-and in doing so reveals an astonishing wealth of insight about the nature of combat, the differences between cultures, and the unchanging qualities of humanity itself. Behind each soldier's death, in the story of every anonymous infantryman's grave, lies a heady mixture of specifics. There is the weapon that kills him; the tactics that brought him to his death; the strategy that marks the boundaries of the killing field; the decisions he makes or the decisions others make on his behalf; the ability of medical services to save a life or hasten the extinction. And there is the cultural context that shapes each warrior and battlefield: a complex amalgam of attitudes about heroism, sacrifice, justice, compassion, and aggression. Drawing on three years of research and incorporating hundreds of primary sources, The Last Full Measure reveals these and other fascinating complexities hidden behind the simple fact of death in combat.Organized chronologically, but pausing frequently to make cross-temporal comparisons, the book covers the Greek phalanx and the Roman legion, medieval warfare in both the West and samurai-era Japan, the age of black-powder combat, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and insurgent warfare from Vietnam through the present.

Behind every soldiers death lies a story, a tale not just of the cold mathematics of the battlefield but of an individual human being who gave his life. What psychological and cultural pressures brought him to his fate? What lies and truths convinced him to march towards his death? Covering warfare from prehistory through the present day, The Last Full Measure tells these soldiers stories, ultimately capturing the experience of war as few books ever have.

Fossils of Arabia explores how Arabian palaeontology has contributed to our understanding of the story of life, from its earliest beginnings to the rich biodiversity of today. Arabia is one of the hottest and driest regions in the world, but it has not always been this way. Through the depths of geological history - of 'deep time' - its climate has oscillated between wet and dry, and hot and cold periods. The peninsula has witnessed the origins of life, evidence of prehistoric land plants and dinosaurs, and has recently played a role in some of the earliest recorded human activity. This groundbreaking work reveals the significance of Arabian fossils in understanding the development of life. It also reveals how large parts of Arabia, particularly surface outcrops, remain largely unexplored and hold untapped potential for fossil discoveries. New evidence now awaits exploration, ranging from the half-a-billion-year-old fossil-bearing rocks to geologically young Pleistocene lake deposits in the deserts of Arabia.Fossils of Arabia illustrates how the next generation of scientists will employ advanced techniques, such as satellite and X-ray imaging, to uncover these fossils. These technologies will help answer key questions about the development of past life and climate, helping us to plan for a more sustainable future.