The publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 1859marked a dramatic turning point in scientific thought. The volumehad taken Darwin more than twenty years to publish, in part becausehe envisioned the storm of controversy it was certain to unleash.Indeed, selling out its first edition on its first day, The Originof Species revolutionized science, philosophy, and theology. Darwin’s reasoned, documented arguments carefully advance histheory of natural selection and his assertion that species were notcreated all at once by a divine hand but started with a few simpleforms that mutated and adapted over time. Whether commenting on hisown poor health, discussing his experiments to test instinct inbees, or relating a conversation about a South American burrowingrodent, Darwin’s monumental achievement is surprisingly personaland delightfully readable. Its profound ideas remain controversialeven today, making it the most influential book in the naturalsciences ever written—an important work n

Teach your baby all about animals with touch and feel textures Stroke, tickle and touch the textures together with your baby and help them discover all about animals. Let their little hands roam and feel how soft and cuddly kittens are but how scaly the lizard feels. They'll learn as you play. Twinkly, bumpy, scaly, silky, sandy, sticky and shiny textures in a chunky perfect for encouraging tiny fingers to explore and tiny minds to develop.

Dr. Carl Sagan takes us on a great reading adventure, offeringhis vivid and startling insight into the brain of man and beast,the origin of human intelligence, the function of our most hauntinglegends--and their amazing links to recent discoveries. "A history of the human brain from the big bang, fifteen billionyears ago, to the day before yesterday...It's a delight." THE NEW YORK TIMES

Carl Sagan, writer and scientist, returns from the frontier totell us about how the world works. In his delightfullydown-to-earth style, he explores and explains a mind-bogglingfuture of intelligent robots, extraterrestrial life and itsconsquences, and other provocative, fascinating quandries of thefuture that we want to see today.

In this anthology of reminiscences by prominent scientists,the roll includes Richard Dawkins, Murray Gell-Mann, Joseph Ledouxand Ray Kurzweil, along with 23 others. The mandate of the book'seditor, literary agent Brockman (The Third Culture), to each ofthese authors was to write an essay explaining how he or she cameto be a scientist. Some take him at his word and write meanderingstories of childhood. David Buss found his calling—the study ofhuman mating behavior—while working at a truck stop after droppingout of school. Paul Davies says he was born to be a theoreticalphysicist. Daniel Dennett, on the other hand, seems to have triedevery other profession before landing, as if by accident, inscience. A few writers let their essays get hijacked by the sciencethey have devoted their lives to. And in the midst of this, like akeystone in an arch, is an essay by Steven Pinker explaining whythe entire exercise is a bunch of hooey: scientifically speaking,he says, people have no objective idea what influen

This nostalgic kitexplains how the familiar yellow tub toy became a true icon ofchildhood, and why it’s now so collectible. Featuring 2 classicrubber duckies plus an illustrated book detailing the popularduck’s history, trivia, and trends, it’s an essential for kitschaficionados and a great addition to our very popular line of retroMini Kits?.

Bestselling nature writer David Quammen introduces CharlesDarwin's incredible tale of excursion that led to his revolutionarytheory of evolution--Voyage of the Beagle.