The first seven of Steven Brusts Vlad Taltos novels have long been in print from Ace Books in a set of three trade paperback omnibuses. Now Tor, publisher of the series from book eight on, continues the series of omnibuses by putting Dragon and Issola into print in that format. In Dragon, Vlad finds himself in the last place any self respecting assassin wants to be the army. Worse, he in the middle of an apocalyptic battle between two sorcerous armies, and everyone expects him to perform a role that they would not explain. Vlad may kill people for a living, but this is ridiculous. Read more…

Admit it. When you hear the word neuroscience, you expect something abstract and remote, very complex, of little practical value. But this time…it is personal. In a highly anticipated, three-part series airing on the National Geographic Channel in Fall 2011, National Geographics Brainworks makes YOU the test subject in an array of astonishing challenges and experiments. Your brain will be stimulated, fooled, and ultimately amazed, as scientists and other experts show you how this three pound blob of gray matter effectively makes you, you. Read more…

New advances in brain science will directly affect our lives, from the courtroom to the classroom to the living room. Cerebrum has long been the leading magazine for distilling these developments into concise, intelligent prose accessible to a general reader as a result, its articles by scientists and scholars are often cited in prominent publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and the Washington Post. Assembled here is a new array of articles from Cerebrums Web edition that collects the most cutting edge developments in brain science in one essential volume. Read more…

Editor Max Brockman presents the work of some of todays brightest and most innovative young researchers in this fascinating collection of writings that introduce the very latest theories and discoveries in science. Future Science features eighteen young scientists, most of whom are presenting their work and ideas to a general audience for the first time. Included in this collection. Future Science shares with the world a delightful secret that we academics have been keeping that despite all the hysteria about how electronic media are dumbing down the next generation, a tidal wave of talent has been flooding into science, making their elders feel like the dumb ones. . . . It has a wealth of new and exciting ideas, and will help shake up our notions regarding the age, sex, color, and topic cliches of the current public perception of science. Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought. Read more…

The Science Book Everything You Need to Know About the World and How It Works encapsulates centuries of scientific thought in one volume. Natural phenomena, revolutionary inventions, scientific facts, and the most uptodate questions are all explained in detailed text that is complemented by visually arresting graphics. Six major sections ranging from the universe and the planet Earth to biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics are further broken down into subsections that encompass everything from microscopic life to nuclear power. Read more…

From the Pythagorean theorem to DNAs double helix, from the discovery of microscopic life forms to the theory of relativity the big ideas of science and technology shape an eras worldview. Open this book, grasp the newest ideas from thought leaders of today, then spring off from them to move back through the past, one big idea at a time. Meet the people who gave birth to these ideas and those who fought against them. Meet the MIT electrical engineer currently developing a way to turn on the lights cordlessly, then move back through Nikola Tesla visionary concept of the wireless transfer of energy, Thomas Edisons groundbreaking work in developing a nationwide electrical grid, Ben Franklins experiments to capture electricity, all the way back to ancient Greece, where Thales of Miletus described static electricity as a property of naturally occurring amber. Read more…

A digital innovator shows how we can thrive in the new technological age. When Cathy Davidson and Duke University gave free iPods to the freshman class in 2003, critics said they were wasting their money. Yet when students in practically every discipline invented academic uses for their music players, suddenly the idea could be seen in a new light as an innovative way to turn learning on its head. Read more…