Books with author Mark Steven Johnson

A National Bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure-garbage removal, clean water, sewers-necessary to support its rapidly expanding population, the city has become the perfect breeding ground for a terrifying disease no one knows how to cure. As the cholera outbreak takes hold, a physician and a local curate are spurred to action-and ultimately solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a riveting history and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

Gift your kid the awesome of having lots of fun while they learn!Over100+ coloring pages and Alphabet pictures your child will develop the motor control for writing well while also learning to recognize each letter.Are you looking for a workbook that has everything your kid needs to start reading and writing?Do you want your little one to have so much fun, they won't know they are learning?✓ you will love Toddler ABC Booklet!This workbook helps kids of all ages to start learning letters of the alphabet and to improve their handwriting.This fun ABC Book is the perfect start for any child to learn how to write.This book includes:✓ Alphabet pictures from A to Z.✓ Coloring Pages.✓ Shrt Story for Alphabet. Letter A Activity:◆ Color Poster◆ Colour Picture◆ Trace ◆ Fluency Sentences ◆ Maze Age specifications:This early learning activity book is geared to boys and girls aged from 2 to 6 years old but it is suitable for any child (toddlers, preschool and kindergarten) who shows interest in writing. Your kid will love it!Buy now to help your kids enjoy learning and be successful in school and life!

Did you drink a glass of water today? Did you turn on a light? Did you think about how miraculous either one of those things is when you did it? Of course not--but you should, and New York Times bestselling author Steven Johnson has. This adaptation of his adult book and popular PBS series explores the fascinating and interconnected stories of innovations--like clean drinking water and electricity--that changed the way people live.Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That's why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips.In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, bestselling author, Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world. Johnson's "long zoom" approach connects history, geography, politics, and scientific advances with the deep curiousity of inventors or quirky interests of tinkerers to show how innovation truly comes about. His fascinating account is organized into six topics: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, light. Johnson's fresh exploration of these simple, single-syllable word concepts creates an endlessly absorbing story that moves from lightning strikes in the prehistoric desert to the herculean effort to literally raise up the city of Chicago to laser labs straight out of a sci-fi movie. In other words, it's the story of how we got to now!

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

From the dynamic thinker routinely compared to Malcolm Gladwell, E. O. Wilson, and James Gleick, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner with a real-life historical hero that brilliantly illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of viruses, rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry. These are topics that have long obsessed Steven Johnson, and The Ghost Map is a true triumph of the kind of multidisciplinary thinking for which he's become famous-a book that, like the work of Jared Diamond, presents both vivid history and a powerful and provocative explanation of what it means for the world we live in. The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London just as it is emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a ten-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, teeming with people from all over the world, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Dr. John Snow—whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community—is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighborhood begin dying. With enthralling suspense, Johnson chronicles Snow's day-by-day efforts, as he risks his own life to prove how the epidemic is being spread. When he creates the map that traces the pattern of outbreak back to its source, Dr. Snow didn't just solve the most pressing medical riddle of his time. He ultimately established a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment. The Ghost Map is an endlessly compelling and utterly gripping account of that London summer of 1854, from the microbial level to the macrourban-theory level—including, most important, the human level. Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Farsighted, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas.In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback, to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates the secret history behind the everyday objects of contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS, How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks building the modern world, written in the provocative, informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans around the globe.

"Mark Johnson has a magical way of picking you up from your comfy reading chair and dropping you off in the heart of the cold and at times unforgiving Himalayas. I read the whole book in just a few quick sittings and constantly found myself laughing, biting my nails, and undeniably identifying with every ridiculous thing Mark found himself doing on his journey. If you enjoy grand adventures and a fair share of “dad humor,” add Mark’s EBC chronicle to your bookshelf now." ~ Tim Moore, The Penny HoarderImagine yourself trekking through the epic Himalayan wilderness to Everest Base Camp — 17,600 feet above sea level and the gateway to the planet’s most iconic mountain. Experience the world's most startling, high-altitude landscapes, interact with the welcoming Sherpa people, and struggle to catch your breath as you narrowly avoid being trampled by an oncoming train of enormous, shaggy yaks loaded with climbing expedition supplies. Now, imagine living this adventure without leaving your favorite reading chair."Doofus Dad Does Everest Base Camp" brings that scenario to life.In April 2018, Tennessee writer Mark E. Johnson embarked on a life-changing, grueling, and often-hilarious adventure — a 12-day, 80-mile trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal's Himalaya Mountains — after launching an improbable trekking company a year earlier. This was Johnson's first excursion out of the continental U.S., and this journey into the exotic country of Nepal was indeed a trial by fire (and ice). Hike alongside "Doofus Dad" on each part of this bucket list quest, from the starting point of Nashville, Tennessee, through a mind-numbing 23 hours of air travel, into the suicidal traffic of Kathmandu, and on every day of the trek with equal parts lush detail and sly humor. Experience Kathmandu’s Hindu and Buddhist temples, visit the infamous Yeti's Scalp of the Khumjung Monastery and join in on a hysterical salsa dance lesson at 14,000-feet. “Doofus Dad Does Everest Base Camp” is a gripping adventure story that also serves as a practical resource for future trekkers. It includes:A standard EBC trekking mapAn EBC itineraryDaily trekking statistics including elevation changes and hiking timesThe gear lists of Mark and his wife, HollyA Nepal trekking training guideThe foreword is provided by mountaineering legend and Everest blogger Alan Arnette, called "one of America’s most respected chroniclers of Everest," by Outside Magazine. “This book is a must-have for the bookshelf of yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's traveler,” says Arnette.The audiobook is read by Johnson and even includes sound effects from the trek itself.Johnson is a longtime freelancer and blog writer, best known for his Dave Barry-esque stories about parenting, rural living, and health and fitness.

Gift your kid the awesome of having lots of fun while they learn!Over100+ coloring pages and Alphabet pictures your child will develop the motor control for writing well while also learning to recognize each letter.Are you looking for a workbook that has everything your kid needs to start reading and writing?Do you want your little one to have so much fun, they won't know they are learning?✓ you will love Toddler ABC Booklet!This workbook helps kids of all ages to start learning letters of the alphabet and to improve their handwriting.This fun ABC Book is the perfect start for any child to learn how to write.This book includes:✓ Alphabet pictures from A to Z.✓ Coloring Pages.✓ Shrt Story for Alphabet. Letter A Activity:◆ Color Poster◆ Colour Picture◆ Trace ◆ Fluency Sentences ◆ Maze Age specifications:This early learning activity book is geared to boys and girls aged from 2 to 6 years old but it is suitable for any child (toddlers, preschool and kindergarten) who shows interest in writing. Your kid will love it!Buy now to help your kids enjoy learning and be successful in school and life!Gift your kid the awesome of having lots of fun while they learn!Over100+ coloring pages and Alphabet pictures your child will develop the motor control for writing well while also learning to recognize each letter.Are you looking for a workbook that has everything your kid needs to start reading and writing?Do you want your little one to have so much fun, they won't know they are learning?✓ you will love Toddler ABC Booklet!This workbook helps kids of all ages to start learning letters of the alphabet and to improve their handwriting.This fun ABC Book is the perfect start for any child to learn how to write.This book includes:✓ Alphabet pictures from A to Z.✓ Coloring Pages.✓ Shrt Story for Alphabet. Letter A Activity:◆ Color Poster◆ Colour Picture◆ Trace ◆ Fluency Sentences ◆ Maze Age specifications:This early learning activity book is geared to boys and girls aged from 2 to 6 years old but it is suitable for any child (toddlers, preschool and kindergarten) who shows interest in writing. Your kid will love it!Buy now to help your kids enjoy learning and be successful in school and life!

After turning 50, Steve Johnson decided to embark on an incredible, life-changing adventure. Leaving family and friends behind, he chose to thru-hike the rugged 2189.1-mile Appalachian Trail. In this first of two volumes, Steve, "Sir Fob W. Pot," invites readers to lace up their hiking boots and join him on the journey of a lifetime, from Georgia to Maine, traveling five million steps across fourteen states. Filled with belly-aching laughs, heart-wrenching struggles, practical life lessons, and AT hiking strategies, Fob's hike is a compelling story about humanity and wilderness survival.

"I'll fight you till my final breath!"Momma Ruth has Alzheimer's but she's not giving up. She doesn't think there's anything wrong with her. "God knows, not all those know-it-all doctors," she says. She dreams of escaping from Oak Hill - and one day she does. Her sons are terrified, thinking she might get killed; but their mother isn't one bit afraid, charging boldly into the unknown on one last adventure.Ruth meets a compassionate bus driver, a helpful trucker, a protective airman, a large black woman heartbroken over a breakup with her babies' daddy, a thieving online whore, a kind-hearted Latino contractor and Ruthie Columbus, a lonely young lady in pigtails, round wire-rim glasses and an old-style flower-print dress who reminds her a lot of herself when she was younger.She sees Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore - or does she? She's got photos in her scrapbook to prove it, she says. Her destinations are debatable but one thing is for sure - Ruth's last adventure is her greatest adventure.With just one click, you can read all about it.