Science
(Apr. 26, hardcover, $29.95,
ISBN 978-0-691-15537-1).
Microbes transformed the
chemistry of Earth to make it
habitable for plants, animals,
and humans. Falkowski takes
readers deep into the microscopic world to explore how
these marvelous creatures
made life on Earth possible
and how human life would
cease to exist without them.
PROMETHEUS BOOKS
Everyone Is African: How Science
Explodes the Myth of Race by Daniel J.
Fairbanks (Apr. 7, paper, $18, ISBN 978-
1-63388-018-4). What does science say
about race? A distinguished research
geneticist presents abundant evidence
showing that traditional notions about distinct racial differences have little scientific
foundation.
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD/
TAYLOR
Reef Libre: Cuba—The Last, Best
Reefs in the World by Robert Wintner
(Feb. 1, hardcover, $45, ISBN 978-1-
63076-073-1). Famed diver/photographer
“Snorkel Bob” Wintner showcases the magnificent reefs of Cuba with his astounding
underwater images while also capturing life
in the cities and villages of the island
nation.
SCRIBNER
The Reason for Flowers: Their History, Culture, Biology, and How They
Change Our Lives by Stephen Buchmann
(July 14, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-
4767-5552-6) is the engaging, lively, and
definitive story of the beauty, sexuality,
ecology, myths, lore, and economics of the
world’s flowers, written by a passionately
devoted scientist, and illustrated with his
stunning photographs.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
The Next Species: The Future of Evo-
lution in the Aftermath of Man by
Michael Tennesen (Mar. 17, hardcover,
$26, ISBN 978-1-4516-7751-5). While
examining the history of our
planet and actively exploring
our present environment,
science journalist Tennesen
describes what life on Earth
could look like after the next
mass extinction.
Rust: The Longest War
by Jonathan Waldman (Mar.
10, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN
978-1-4516-9159-7). It has
been called “the great
destroyer” and “the evil.”
The Pentagon refers to it as “the pervasive
menace.” In this thrilling drama of man
versus nature, Waldman details the fierce,
ongoing fight against the mightiest and
unlikeliest enemy: rust.
ST. MARTIN’S
Fire and Ice: Soot, Solidarity, and
Survival on the Roof of the World by
Jonathan Mingle (Mar. 24, hardcover,
$28.99, ISBN 978-1-250-02950-8). A
remote Himalayan mountain village’s fate
holds the key to averting global warming,
in this brilliant, wide-ranging debut by an
award-winning young journalist and
adventurer.
ST. MARTIN’S/DUNNE
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death,
and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh (May
26, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-250-
06581-0). A revealing look into the life
and work of a modern neurosurgeon—its
triumphs and disasters—has already
become an international bestseller since it
was published in the U.K. last year.
UNIV. OF CHICAGO
Infested: How the Bed
Bug Infiltrated Our Bedrooms and Took Over the
World by Brooke Borel (Apr.
27, hardcover, $26, ISBN
978-0-226-04193-3) is a
closeup, no-gross-outs-barred look at the horrid
bedbug, its natural history,
interactions with humanity,
and its not-at-all-welcome
comeback.
Elephant Don: The Politics of a
Pachyderm Posse by Caitlin O’Connell
(Apr. 6, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-226-
10611-3) tells the story of the rise and fall
of a bull elephant pack leader in Etosha
National Park, Namibia, investing it with
the drama and tragedy of The Godfather.
Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of
the Unseen by Philip Ball (Apr. 6, hardcover, $27.50, ISBN 978-0-226-23889-0).
Science writer Ball tackles his most
complicated subject yet: invisibility, and
how the idea of the unseen has driven curiosity, science, and discovery for centuries,
with forays into chemistry, war, and even
ghost hunting.
VIKING
The Ghost in My Brain: How a Concussion Stole My Life and How the New
Science of Brain Plasticity Helped Me
Get It Back by Clark Elliott (June 2, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-525-42656-1).
The dramatic story of one man’s recovery
offers new hope to those suffering from
concussions and other brain traumas.
YALE UNIV.
Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned
by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein, and
Gambled on by Hawking Became
Loved by Marcia Bartusiak (Apr. 28, hardcover, $27.50, ISBN 978-0-300-21085-9).
Renowned science writer Bartusiak shows
how the black hole helped revive Einstein’s
greatest achievement, the general theory of
relativity, after decades during which it had
been pushed into the shadows.
Private Doubt, Public Dilemma:
Religion and Science Since Jefferson
and Darwin by Keith Stewart Thomson (May 26, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-300-
20367-7) considers the ideas
and writings of Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin,
who struggled mightily to
reconcile their religion and
their science, before looking
at other scientific challenges
to religion that have given rise
to powerful political responses
from religious believers.
