Books with author Richard Wake

Plagues have been an ongoing feature of human history, and this addition to the award-winning KFK series places today's heightened interest in global health issues in a larger historical context. Using a mix of science and history, Epidemics & Plagues reveals how certain diseases become worldwide killers, and provides comprehensive answers to readers' most pressing questions. From the Black Death of thirteenth-century Europe, to AIDS, SARS, and avian influenza, Epidemics & Plagues peers through the microscope at the agents that cause the diseases and also uncovers the superstitions and drama surrounding them.

This eye-catching book takes readers on a fantastic voyage through human biology using digital illustration and cutting-edge scans and imagery. An introductory chapter details the evolution of Homo sapiens and reveals the body's building blocks―its chemical elements, molecules, and cells. A section on the body in action examines the skeleton and the muscles. The final chapter explains how cells join together to form the organs and body systems that keep us fueled, aware of our surroundings, and free of disease.

Starting with the basic questions, "What does it mean to be human?" and "What does it mean to be me ?" Who Am I? by Richard Walker is an exciting, unusual, and thought-provoking exploration of what human identity is at the most fundamental level. Sweeping through biology, biotechnology, psychology, and a range of social themes―with room for the astonishing, surprising, and the bizarre―this is a book that delves deep into our notions of who we are, and what an amazing species we have become. From how we learn language, to what light DNA studies can shed on ancient history, to why so much money is spent on fighting the aging process, and how emotions help us interpret our world, this book enlightens on a whole range of physical and metaphysical questions. Fresh, engaging design and a compelling question-and-answer text make this a book that will intrigue, inspire, and inform readers of all ages.

With this book and interactive CD, kids can make five fantastic voyages of discovery—right inside the human body—to explore Digestion, Breathing, Circulation, Hearing, and New Life! Through the wonders of QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality), specially sited cameras can navigate around orifices, organs, canals, and tubes from almost any angle and viewpoint, zooming in on everything right down to the innermost details magnified thousands of times. It's groundbreaking technology, super science, and loads of fun!

"Kingfisher Knowledge" is a groundbreaking series for readers hungry for information on today's hot topics. Lively, engaging text, packed with information, accompanies stunning photographs that enhance each chapter. Amazing, state-of-the-art digital artwork guides readers into the fascinating heart of the subject. This learning adventure does not stop there - information panels throughout lead the reader to further discovery. Each chapter offers website links, book lists, places to visit and career information. "Epidemics & Plagues" takes an in-depth look at epidemics and plagues past and present, finding out about the big killer diseases and what happens when they spread rapidly and affect large numbers of people. It conveys the sad yet gripping histories of the Black Death of 13th-century Europe, the Great Plague of London, the devastating smallpox epidemics of 18th-century America and the flu epidemic that followed the First World War. It peers under the microscope at the agents that cause smallpox, influenza, cholera, tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria, examines the science to find out why they spread so quickly and what might be done to stop them. It also looks at history and legend to get an idea of why people have always been so frightened by the threat of epidemics and plagues.

From cabbage burps to chunky vomit, a day in the life of your fantastic body is now in paperback. Introduce your child to Nanocam, he may be smaller than a full stop, but he's an expert guide to an in-your-body journey they'll never forget. Let them join him for an edge-of-their-seat ride through arteries, muscles, organs and nerves. Jaw-dropping 3D pictures will show in graphic detail how their body keeps everything ticking, 24 hours a day. Get a close-up look at battles with bugs and germs, a 150kph sneeze, and how clotting agents tackle a knee scrape. If they have the stomach for the CD-ROM, they'll find out what happens when you pop zits, chuck up dinner or empty your bladder with ten mini-movies showing all the glorious yucky detail. It's a thrill-a-minute anatomical adventure!