Browse all books

Books in Graphic Discoveries series

  • The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution

    David Quammen

    Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company, July 17, 2007)
    "Quammen brilliantly and powerfully re-creates the 19th century naturalist's intellectual and spiritual journey."--Los Angeles Times Book Review Twenty-one years passed between Charles Darwin's epiphany that "natural selection" formed the basis of evolution and the scientist's publication of On the Origin of Species. Why did Darwin delay, and what happened during the course of those two decades? The human drama and scientific basis of these years constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.
  • Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie

    Barbara Goldsmith

    Paperback (W. W. Norton, Oct. 17, 2005)
    The bestselling, "excellent…poignant―and scientifically lucid―portrait" (New York Times Book Review) of the remarkable Marie Curie.Through family interviews, diaries, letters, and workbooks that had been sealed for over sixty years, Barbara Goldsmith reveals the Marie Curie behind the myth―an all-too-human woman struggling to balance a spectacular scientific career, a demanding family, the prejudice of society, and her own passionate nature. Obsessive Genius is a dazzling portrait of Curie, her amazing scientific success, and the price she paid for fame. 15 photographs
  • Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time

    Michio Kaku

    Hardcover (W. W. Norton & Company, April 15, 2004)
    A dazzling tour of the universe as Einstein saw it. How did Albert Einstein come up with the theories that changed the way we look at the world? By thinking in pictures. Michio Kaku leading theoretical physicist (a cofounder of string theory) and best-selling science storyteller shows how Einstein used seemingly simple images to lead a revolution in science. Daydreaming about racing a beam of light led to the special theory of relativity and the equation E = mc2. Thinking about a man falling led to the general theory of relativity giving us black holes and the Big Bang. Einstein's failure to come up with a theory that would unify relativity and quantum mechanics stemmed from his lacking an apt image. Even in failure, however, Einstein's late insights have led to new avenues of research as well as to the revitalization of the quest for a "Theory of Everything." With originality and expertise, Kaku uncovers the surprising beauty that lies at the heart of Einstein's cosmos.
  • The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution

    David Quammen

    Hardcover (W. W. Norton, July 31, 2006)
    A fresh look at Darwin's most radical idea, and the mysteriously slow process by which he revealed it.Evolution, during the early nineteenth century, was an idea in the air. Other thinkers had suggested it, but no one had proposed a cogent explanation for how evolution occurs. Then, in September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that "natural selection" among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of Darwin's twenty-one-year delay constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about who this man was and what he said. Drawing from Darwin's secret "transmutation" notebooks and his personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work never ceases to be controversial.
  • Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time

    Michio Kaku

    Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company, May 17, 2005)
    "A fresh and highly visual tour through Einstein's astonishing legacy." ―Brian GreeneThere's no better short book that explains just what Einstein did than Einstein's Cosmos. Keying Einstein's crucial discoveries to the simple mental images that inspired them, Michio Kaku finds a revealing new way to discuss his ideas, and delivers an appealing and always accessible introduction to Einstein's work.
  • The History of Flight

    Gary Jeffrey

    Paperback (Rosen Classroom, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Presents a history of flight in graphic novel format, from the Wright brothers development of their first airplane to the Bell X-1's first supersonic flight in 1947.
    W
  • Fantastic Fossils

    Rob Shone

    Paperback (Rosen Central, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Presents a brief introduction to fossils and how they are gathered, as well as three narratives on important people and events in the history of paleontology in graphic novel format.
    V
  • Spectacular Shipwrecks

    Gary Jeffrey, Claudia Saraceni

    Paperback (Rosen Publishing Group, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Tells in graphic novel format the raising of the Mary Rose, the discovery of the Titanic, and the sinking of the Bismarck.
    R
  • Incredible Space Missions

    Gary Jeffrey, Mike Lacey

    Paperback (Rosen Publishing Group, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Presents in graphic novel format the first spacewalk, the moon landing, and the perilous flight of Apollo 13, and offers information about the origins of space flight, early space technology, and later developments.
    U
  • Medical Breakthroughs

    Gary Jeffrey, Terry Riley

    Paperback (Rosen Classroom, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Presents a brief introduction to the history of medical innovations, as well as narratives of three important medical advances in graphic novel format, including the discovery of DNA, the first heart transplant, and the first woman to receive a bionic prosthetic arm.Presents a brief introduction to the history of medical innovations, as well as narratives of three important medical advances in graphic novel format, including the discovery of DNA, the first heart transplant, and the first woman to receive a bionic prosthetic arm.
    W
  • Ancient Treasures

    Rob Shone

    Paperback (Rosen Publishing Group, Sept. 1, 2007)
    Presents in graphic novel format the stories of some of archaeology's greatest finds, including the discoveries of the ancient city of Troy, the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen, and the army of terracotta statues found in China.
    X
  • Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science

    Lawrence M. Krauss

    Paperback (W. W. Norton & Company, March 26, 2012)
    "A worthy addition to the Feynman shelf and a welcome follow-up to the standard-bearer, James Gleick's Genius." ―Kirkus Reviews Perhaps the greatest physicist of the second half of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman changed the way we think about quantum mechanics, the most perplexing of all physical theories. Here Lawrence M. Krauss, himself a theoretical physicist and a best-selling author, offers a unique scientific biography: a rollicking narrative coupled with clear and novel expositions of science at the limits. From the death of Feynman’s childhood sweetheart during the Manhattan Project to his reluctant rise as a scientific icon, we see Feynman’s life through his science, providing a new understanding of the legacy of a man who has fascinated millions.