This is a work written about the plague in France and how to prevent its spread. It is considered an important historical work for the understanding of transmittable diseases. - Summary by afutterer

This is a chronicle of the 19 most interesting inventions of the early 20th century. Some of the inventions are still in use and of considerable impact today, while others are examples of the strong belief in progress prevalent at the time would probably be frowned upon today. In this way, the author's account of how ice was made at the time will still be very interesting for readers today, but an account of how dynamite was going to be used in farming may be seen as humorous to the contemporary reader. The subjects are as varied as science herself is, and any reader and listener should find a subject matching his or her own taste. - Summary by Carolin

Henry asks his sister Mary about the sky. She tells him all about the Sun, the Planets, the Moon, Comets and Meteors, and Stars. Mary tells her brother about mythologies people believed about the earth and sky along with true scientific information.

This book is devoted to the study of invertebrate animals. While most people associate the word "animal" with fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, 90% of the animal species on earth are invertebrates, i.e., they have no backbone. Protozoans and invertebrate animals are found world-wide, from the bottom of the oceans to the the rain forests, ice caves, and our own back yards. Many invertebrates still reside in the oceans, while others dwell in our houses, back yards and gardens, in ponds and streams, and on the menus in seafood restaurants...

This little book is an expansion of two addresses delivered in January, 1889. One deals with sanitary issues in London. The other deals with medical issues, mainly through the lives and careers of physicians. Though ancients are included, the main emphasis is upon the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries. - Summary by Book Preface and David Wales

Written over a century ago, this comprehensive book offers insight into the methods used to research and compile a family history. As stated in the preface of the book, "Strong emphasis is laid upon the importance of employing the historical method..." which is sorely lacking in today's computerized compilations. - Summary by Roger Melin

The electric telegraph, together with the railway-train and the steamship, constituted the three most conspicuous features of late 19th century civilization. Indeed, it may be truly said that the harnessing electricity to the service of man for human communication has effected a change in political, commercial, and social relations, even more complete than that wrought by steam locomotion. This is the story of how the electric telegraph cable was laid across the floor of the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Ireland. - Summary by modified from the introduction

This book tells the stories of some of the baby mammals of the wilderness,—how they grow and learn day by day to take care of themselves. In hollow trees or down under water among the lily leaves, in the cool sea or on the rugged mountains, on the grassy plains or among the waving tree-tops, in the dark caves and burrows or hidden in the tangles underfoot,—all the world is alive with young creatures. - Summary by introduction

This is a volume of exploration into the newest inventions of the turn of the previous century. Journalist Archibald Williams walks the reader through diverse inventions which were changing the world at just that point in time. - Summary by Carolin

Mencken sharpens his pen and in a collection of short essays delivers acerbic opinions on issues and persons of the time. Among his targets in this volume are critics, H.G. Wells Thorstein Veblen, Arnold Bennett, William Dean Howells, Irvin S. Cobb. Mencken's critiques are delivered against a background of his own well known ethnic, racial, religious, and sectional prejudices. Not for the faint of heart, Mencken's prickly, yet unapologetic, prose reveals a window into American attitudes at the time they were written and their influences on the larger American culture. - Summary by DrPGould

Radioisotopes in Medicine is an educational booklet published in 1966 as part of the Understanding the Atom series by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Written in clear language for the general public, the booklet covers the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radioactive isotopes like technetium 99m and iodine 131.

Water: essential for life and in much of the world, we take it for granted. In this work, Jean Thompson explains various aspects of the water cycle in simple terms, for the benefit of young readers with enquiring minds. Listeners are referred to the text for the microphotographs described.

Haven't you always wondered how to properly accept a formal dinner invitation? Perhaps you have a débutante under your wing, in which case you need to make sure her appearance in society goes perfectly, to increase her chances of a brilliant match. And what exactly would be your duties as her chaperon? These and many other questions are expertly answered by Marion Harland in this little volume. - Summary by Carolin

A severe earthquake, centered in the vacation area of West Yellowstone, Montana, shook the ground and its inhabitants and visitors on August 17, 1959, at 11.37 pm. A mountainside fell, a lake formed, roads and houses disappeared, people were trapped, people died. The author of this narrative went to the area the day after the quake, took first-hand stories of the catastrophe, researched in the following months, and wrote this account within a year of the shaking. The printed source has many informative photographs. - Summary by David Wales

John Dewey, an early 20th Century American philosopher, psychologist, educational theorist saw Social Psychology as much a physical science as Biology and Chemistry. This project encompasses Part 1 of 4 of his book Human Nature and Conduct. Dewey's uses the word "HABIT" as a specialized catch-all word to describe how a person and his/her objective environment interact. This interaction is the basis for moral judgement. Dewey writes: "All habits are demands for certain kinds of activity; and they constitute the self.” In other places he also asserts that "Habits are Will." - Summary by William Jones, Soloist

An accessible, comprehensive summary of the science and art of forestry, from its ancient roots to its 20th century techniques . This book synthesizes forestry efforts and practices from around the globe, providing the reader with unique lens into the sociocultural, historic and, of course, economic processes of nearly every world region.

This book is composed of selections from Alexander Teixeira de Mattos’ Translation of Fabre’s “Souvenirs Entomologiques,” retold for children. It's made up of first-person narratives, and using his exceptional observation skills, gives us a close-up peep into the world of insects, including bees, wasps, worms, beetles, moths, and spiders, to name a few. When Fabre first published this work, as the Preface indicates, he was criticized by some scientists in his field for writing a scientific book that was "too interesting." - Summary by Devorah Allen

Translated from Italian, it delves into the physiology of love from a scientific standpoint, in beautiful writing.

Eminent British botanist Agnes Arber provides an authoritative history of printed Herbals -- books widely used in early modern Europe to catalogue the uses of different kinds of plants. While Herbals often reflected pre-scientific and magical beliefs about the properties of plants, Arber's work reveals that they were also critical to the early development of botany and medicine as empirical sciences. A classic in the history of science. - Summary by Josh Leach

The 1873 edition of the autobiography of the founding genius of the "Greatest Show on Earth," P.T. Barnum. It details his life and business struggles up to the year 1872. Not only a showman and a museum operator, but an antislavery politician, Connecticut state legislator, Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and temperance lecturer, Barnum lays aside some of the gilding to provide his thoughts on his career, economics, how to make money, and other issues of the day. - Summary by DrPGould

Some men write their lives to save themselves from ennui, careless of the amount they inflict on their readers. Others write their personal history, lest some kind friend should survive them, and, in showing off his own talent, unwittingly show them up. Others, again, write their own life from a different motive—from fear that the vampires of literature might make it their prey. I have frequently had applications to write my life, both from my countrymen and from foreigners. Some caterers for the public offered to pay me for it...

History and customs of the Irish and Ireland. A word of warning to the listener: The Wild Irishman contains the biased, uncomplimentary opinions of Englishman, Thomas Crosland. Remember this was written in the late 1800's and published in 1905. Crosland was hyper critical of Irishmen and women at a time when American cities often posted signs, "No Irish Need Apply." If you are Irish, as am I, try to not be overly offended or simply walk away. - Summary by John Brandon

Prior to the emergence of paleontology and comparative anatomy as scientific disciplines at the end of the 18th century, it was generally known that there were species of animals that had disappeared completely. The term "extinction" originally applied to the extinguishing of fires or erasing of one's debt. It was not until 1784 that the term extinction was used to denote the complete eradication of a species of living being. In 1901, Frederic A. Lucas penned an overview of vertebrate animals whose only evidence of being remained in fossil records. The book focuses primarily on vertebrate animals, from fish to mammals. - Summary by Jeffery Smith

Full title is "The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, being a description of their sentiments and folklore, superstitions, symbolism, mysticism, use in medicine, protection, prevention, religion, and divination, crystal gazing, birthstones, lucky stones, and talismans, astral, zodiacal, and planetary." Just about everything you ever wanted to know about precious stones, aside from their formation, acquisition, and chemical composition. - Summary by TriciaG

A history of timekeeping from the stone age through to American mass production, covering timepieces from the sundial and water clock through the key inventions driving advances in the accuracy of clocks and watches in both Europe and America. The book was conceived and sponsored by the Ingersoll Family as a celebration of their then 25 years of watchmaking. - Summary by Chris Cartwright

"In the following Letters I have endeavoured to exhibit in their true light the singular natural phenomena of which old superstition and modern charlatanism in turn availed themselves—to indicate their laws, and to develop their theory." In 14 letters, British physiologist Herbert Mayo is giving the reader an overview of popular superstitions of previous times, like vampirism, somnambulism or even ghost sightings, and exposing how in previous times they were treated with fear, ignorance and intolerance, often leading to crime, while he endeavours to give rational explanations for the phenomena with the goal to find treatments and cures for the afflicted. - Summary by Sonia

In 1827 Thomas Southwood-Smith published The Use of the Dead to the Living, a pamphlet which argued that the current system of burial in the United Kingdom was a wasteful use of bodies that could otherwise be used for dissection by the medical profession. "If, by any appropriation of the dead, I can promote the happiness of the living, then it is my duty to conquer the reluctance I may feel to such a disposition of the dead, however well-founded or strong that reluctance may be". Southwood-Smith's lobbying helped lead to the 1832 Anatomy Act, the legislation which allowed the state to seize unclaimed corpses from workhouses and sell them to surgical schools...

The Natural History of Pliny the Elder is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman Empire. The full work consists of 37 books, covering more than 20.000 topics ranging from astronomy and mathematics to botany and precious stones. The book became a model for later encyclopaedias and gives a fascinating overview of the state of scientific knowledge almost 2000 years ago. This version of the Natural History has been adapted for a younger audience. This first volume contains Book I and Book II out of a total of 9 books.

In 1910, when this book was published, the advancement of modern mechanism was still moving at a rapid pace. It must have seemed like very day, new inventions were made to make life easier. Most of these are still very much in use today, such as the lawn-mower, automatic milking machines in the dairy industry, fire engines, and escalators. Learn about how these worked in this volume. - Summary by Carolin

Samuel Phillips Day traces the history of tea from Asia to England, exploring some of the romance of this treasured drink and its place in British culture. - Summary by Larry Wilson

In recent years the number of people interested in keeping amphibians and reptiles in captivity has grown rapidly. All too often, these same people have little knowledge of the proper care needed for their captives, nor do they know where to turn in order to learn the needs of their animals. It is the intent of the authors of this special issue to offer the proper information needed to successfully keep amphibians and reptiles in captivity. We are by no means THE experts on the subject, nor do we claim to cover all the facts. However, we do hope that enough information is furnished to answer most of the common questions asked by people. - Summary by Tom R. Johnson

John Woodhouse Audubon , son of the famous painter John James Audubon and an artist in his own right, joined Col. Henry Webb's California Company expedition in 1849. From New Orleans the expedition sailed to the Rio Grande; it headed west overland through northern Mexico and through Arizona to San Diego, California. Cholera and outlaws decimated the group. Many of them turned back, including the leader. Audubon assumed command of those remaining and they pushed on to California, although he was forced to abandon his paints and canvases in the desert…...