As a young man, Paul Hoffman was a brilliant chess player . . . until the pressures of competition drove him to the brink of madness.In King's Gambit, he interweaves a gripping overview of the history of the game and an in-depth look at the state of moder
Based on a National Magazine Award-winning article, this masterful biography of Hungarian-born Paul Erdos is both a vivid portrait of an eccentric genius and a layman's guide to some of this century's most startling mathematical discoveries.
On the eve of the centennial of the Wright brothers' historic flights at Kitty Hawk, a new generation will learn about the other man who was once hailed worldwide as the conqueror of the air--Alberto Santos-Dumont. Because the Wright brothers worked in se
Syndicated columnist Paul Hoffman provides an acclaimed account of the world of modern mathematicians in the bestselling tradition of accessible scientists Stephen Jay Gould and Tracey Kidder. An extremely clever account.--The New Yorker.
In this eye-opening book, "New York Times" science writer Gina Kolata shows that our society's obsession with dieting and weight loss is less about keeping trim and staying healthy than about money, power, trends, and impossible ideals."Rethinking Thin" i
From the highly acclaimed New York Times science writer Gina Kolata, the book for people who love exercise as much as they value the truth.In Ultimate Fitness, Gina Kolata, science reporter for The New York Times, takes a fascinating journey into the fads
Provocative and engaging, this collection brings together the premiere science writing of the year. Featuring the imprimatur of bestselling author and New York Times reporter Gina Kolata, one of the nation's foremost voices in science and medicine, and wi
In 1918 the Great Flu Epidemic killed an estimated 40 million people virtually overnight. If such a plague returned today, taking a comparable percentage of the U.S. population with it, 1.5 million Americans would die.The fascinating, true story of the wo
Today we live longer, healthier lives than ever before in history—a transformation due almost entirely to tremendous advances in medicine. This change is so profound, with many major illnesses nearly wiped out, that it's hard now to imagine what the wor
