macmillanscience: big ideas, great stories, fine writing
NEW SPRING/SUMMER BOOKS
HARDBACK: TEN QUESTIONS SCIENCE CAN’T ANSWER (YET)
PAPERBACKS: PLEASURABLE KINGDOM ▪ SEX, DRUGS AND DNA ▪ LONESOME GEORGE
TEN QUESTIONS SCIENCE CAN’T ANSWER (YET): A GUIDE TO THE SCIENTIFIC WILDERNESS
by MICHAEL HANLON
An irreverent look at why some knotty problems get cracked and others don’t
Details: JUNE 2007; Macmillan; ISBN 9780 230 517585; HARDBACK $24.95/£14.99
AUTHOR/JACKET image downloads: http://www.macmillanscience.com/0230517587.asp
THE BOOK: Science is littered with gaping holes, the elephants in the room of human understanding that simply won’t go away. The questions that form the basis of this book are often ignored, because they are too hard, embarrassing, costly or controversial to answer. They include: What is 96% of the Universe made of? How did life begin? Why are we all getting so fat? They are the questions that a bright child might ask of her teacher before being told not to be so silly and to get on with her equations. They are the questions that, when asked properly, will thoroughly embarrass an egghead.
Author: Michael Hanlon is one of Britain’s most successful science writers. He has been Science Editor at the Daily Mail for many years; prior to this he was at the Daily Express, the Independent and Irish News. He contributes regularly to magazines such as the Spectator and appears on TV and radio as a science pundit. He has headlined several science festivals and written three critically acclaimed popular science books before this one: The Science Of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (Macmillan, 2005), The Real Mars (Constable, 2004) and The Worlds of Galileo (Constable, 2001).
AUTHOR CONTACTS: +44 (0) 7831 314 640; [email protected]
REVIEWS OF HANLON’S PREVIOUS BOOKS:
* The Real Mars: “Hanlon's enthusiasm shines through in this comprehensive overview of what we now know about the Red Planet.” Science News
* The Worlds of Galileo: “Hanlon’s warts-and-all account has a breathless pace that provides a real sense of excitement as the mission unfolds.” Astronomy Now
· The Science of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Hanlon's book probes the possibilities inside the fiction with wit and humour.” The Herald
PAPERBACKS COMING SOON…
LONESOME GEORGE: THE LIFE AND LOVES OF the world’s most famous tortoise
by HENRY NICHOLLS
Award nominated tale of conservation, commerce, cloning, combat and collecting on the high seas
Details: MAY 2007; PaLGRAVE US/PAN Macmillan; ISBN 9780330450119; PAPERBACK $14.95/£7.99
DESCRIPTION: Lonesome George is a Galapagos giant tortoise — the last of his kind alive. Ostensibly the swashbuckling story of George’s celebrity adventures, Dr Henry Nicholls’ beautiful book is more importantly a deft exploration of our troubled relationship with our fragile planet. With warmth, authority and wit, Nicholls — a leading natural history writer — captures the mystery and complexity of the Galapagos Islands and conservation worldwide.
AUTHOR CONTACTS: +44 (0) 7717 303 654; [email protected]
REVIEWS:
* “Read this fascinating book — it skillfully blends historical derring-do with cutting-edge conservation biology.” NewScientist
* “Like the best human-focused biographers, Nicholls uses his unusual subject as a springboard into more universal territory.” Wired
* “Told with real affection and humour — a fitting tribute to one of the voiceless victims of human progress.” Guardian
* “Will do for the cause of science and preservation in the Galápagos what Jonathan Weiner's The Beak of the Finch did a decade before — entertain, enlighten and encourage us all to do our part to preserve not just these islands, but Earth itself.” THES
AUTHOR/JACKET image downloads: http://www.macmillanscience.com/0330450115.asp
ebook TO BROWSE AND BUY: www.macmillansciencebookstore.com
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Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the nature of feeling good
by Jonathan Balcombe
New foreword by PETER SINGER
Critically acclaimed case for animal fun and its evolutionary and ethical implications
Details: JULY 2007; Macmillan; ISBN 1403986029; PAPERBACK $14.95/£8.99
DESCRIPTION: WITH NEW FOREWORD BY ANIMAL RIGHTS EXPERT PETER SINGER. In this influential book Dr Jonathan Balcombe, animal behaviour research scientist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, makes a rousing case for animal joy and its ethical and evolutionary implications. He debunks the popular perception that life for most is a continuous, grim struggle for survival. Instead he suggests that creatures from birds to bats to baboons may feel good thanks to play, sex, touch, food, anticipation, comfort, aesthetics and more. He concludes that the growing evidence for positive feelings in creatures other than humans has important ramifications for science and society and is thus ripe for informed debate.
AUTHOR CONTACTS: +1 202-686-2210; [email protected]
REVIEWS:
* “Brisk, erudite and enormously entertaining — an excellent, approachable introduction to the basic issues in animal behaviour.” Publishers Weekly
· “This well-reasoned, engaging book argues that critters share our capacities for humour, empathy and aesthetic pleasure.” People Magazine
* “A lively, shrewd and well-argued book — an admirable contribution.” Times Higher Education Supplement
AUTHOR/JACKET image downloads: http://www.macmillanscience.com/1403986029.asp
ebook TO BROWSE AND BUY: www.macmillansciencebookstore.com
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SEX, DRUGS & DNA: SCIENCE’S TABOOS CONFRONTED
by MICHAEL STEBBINS
A stinging polemic on the promises, pitfalls and politics of science in the US — with cartoons!
Details: JULY 2007; Macmillan; ISBN 0230521126; PAPERBACK $14.95/£8.99
DESCRIPTION: NOW FULLY UPDATED. Dr Michael Stebbins “the Michael Moore of science” is Director of Biology Policy for the Federation of American Scientists in Washington DC and founder of Scientists and Engineers For America. Prior to this he was an editor of Nature Genetics after working at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In a frank, edgy style that pulls no punches, he says what most are afraid to about the imperilled state of science in US and beyond. Tackling topics from race, gender and genetic modification to stem cells, cloning, IQ, animal experimentation, fertility treatment, creationism and bioterrorism, this book has been hailed as a take-no-prisoners look at some of the most controversial scientific issues of our generation.
AUTHOR CONTACTS: +1 (0) 703 625 1512; [email protected]
REVIEWS:
· “Stebbins makes a good argument, and his style is lively and irreverent.” Focus Magazine
· “You will undoubtedly learn something new from this sobering, illuminating work.” Publishers Weekly
· “Stebbins breaks ranks to passionately, revealingly, counter the threats posed by general American stupidity about science, public health, and education.” Booklist
AUTHOR/JACKET/CARTOON downloads: http://www.macmillanscience.com/0230521126.asp
ebook TO BROWSE AND BUY: www.macmillansciencebookstore.com
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
The above titles are the latest in Macmillan Publishers’ critically acclaimed global popular science list, featuring entertaining, authoritative books about the drama, politics, history and implications of research and discovery, appealing to a broad readership. For more information see www.macmillanscience.com ; for ebooks see www.macmillansciencebookstore.com
To access the books for free online for a limited time please email: [email protected]
Extract enquiries: Jon Mitchell: [email protected] +44 (0) 20 7014 6151
Jacket & author image downloads: http://www.macmillanscience.com/download.htm
Press/Galley requests
· US/Canada: Cheryl Vawdrey [email protected] +1 646 307 5011
· UK/EU/Rest Of World: Lisa Dunn [email protected] +44 (0) 1256 302813
· Australia: Jenny McHendrie [email protected] +61 (0) 3 9825 1157
***Lonesome George ONLY***
Press/Galley requests
· UK/ EU/ Rest of World: Sandra Taylor: [email protected] + 44 (0)20 7014 6093
· US/ Canada: Elizabeth Newman: [email protected] + 1 646 307 5568
