Science Imagination

Drawing from a vast array of creation myths - Babylonian, Greek, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Chinese, Hindu, Navajo, Polynesian, African, Norse, Inuit, and more - this concise book uncovers both the similarities and differences in our attempts to explain the universe. Anthony Aveni, an award-winning author and professor of astronomy and anthropology, examines the ways various cultures around the world have attempted to explain our origins, and what roles the natural environment plays in shaping these narratives. The book also celebrates the audacity of the human imagination.

Bringing together tales of melancholy and madness, nightmare and fantasy, this is a new collection of the most haunting German stories from the past 200 years. Macabre, dreamlike and expressing deep unconscious fears, these stories are also spiked with unsettling humour, showing stylistic daring as well as giving insight into the darkest recesses of the human condition. Peter Wortsman's powerful translations are accompanied by brief overviews of the lives of each author, and an introduction discussing the notion of 'angst' and the stories' place in the context of German history.

Allyce thought when the most popular kids in school asked her to be their friend, she was finally going to come into their own. And then they murdered her. Now, ten years later on the anniversary of her death, Allyce has pulled herself from the grave for a long-awaited reunion with her so-called friends. Prose Novel.

Moral relationships saturate the living world, and the line between the human and nonhuman is blurrier than we might think. Animals, Robots, Gods provides a bold new vision of ethics defined less by the individual mind or society and more by our interactions with those around us, whether they are the pets we keep, the gods we believe in, or the machines we endow with life.

A rich, sweeping, and compelling work of botanical history, The Cabaret of Plants explores dozens of plant species that for millennia have challenged our imaginations, awoken our wonder, and upturned our ideas about history, science, beauty, and belief. Going back to the beginnings of human history, Richard Mabey shows how flowers, trees, and plants have been central to human experience not just as sources of food and medicine but as objects of worship, actors in creation myths, and symbols of war and peace, life and death.

In this companion volume to The Discoverers, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Daniel J. Boorstin brings to life more than three thousand years of human artistic achievement, examining painting, sculpture, architecture, theology, philosophy, history, poetry, drama, literature, dance, music, and film.

Prize-winning essayist turns to the imagination as a spiritual guide and material method of living through climate disruption, as climate change and broad extinction forever alter our place on the planet and our lives together.

The ultimate uncharted frontier is the human mind. Dream Phaze: Imagination explores these extreme boundaries through engineered dreams as mainstream entertainment. We all dream...but what are the psychological consequences of creating an immersive environment indistinguishable from reality where everything is possible?

The American Open Road offers a rich exploration of how the mythos of the open road has shaped, and been shaped by, American culture. Beginning with the post-World War II boom that solidified car culture as central to American life, Melton reflects on how roads, automobiles, and landscapes have been represented in literature, film, and other cultural texts, highlighting the interplay between mobility and narrative.

In Tending the Heart of Virtue, Vigen Guroian illuminates the power of classic tales and their impact on the moral imagination. He demonstrates how these stories teach the virtues through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, while he also unveils components of the good, the true, and the beautiful in plot and character. With clarity and elegance, Guroian reads deeply into the classic stories.

Engines of Empire tells the story of the complex relationship between Victorians and their wondrous steamships, following famous travelers like Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Jules Verne as well as ordinary spectators, tourists, and imperial administrators as they crossed oceans bound for the colonies. Rich with anecdotes and wry humor, it is a fascinating glimpse into a world where an empire felt powerful and anything seemed possible if there was an engine behind it.

Oswald doesn’t want a new friend either, especially not a book-loving, bed-making, broccoli-eating boy. But when an imaginary friend gets a new assignment, they’re stuck there until the kid no longer needs them. And with Oswald’s home world of Imagination mysteriously crumbling away into nothing, befriending Reggie seems like a safer bet than disappearing with it. But when Oswald forgets Reggie’s birthday, Reggie runs away to Imagination.

We depend on - we believe in - algorithms to help us get a ride, choose which book to buy, execute a mathematical proof. It's as if we think of code as a magic spell, an incantation to reveal what we need to know and even what we want. Humans have always believed that certain invocations - the marriage vow, the shaman's curse - do not merely describe the world but make it.

Phantasmagoria...where all the forgotten dreams go, where all the imagined things, both good and bad, make their home. Join Tom, Katie, Chad, Melissa, and Sharice as they adventure through Phantasmagoria, encountering everything from long-winded trolls to upside-down rivers, on their search for three artifacts...before time runs out.

The Dream Orchard invites listeners into a world where dreams and creativity grow on trees. In this tale, a young adventurer enters a magical orchard, where each tree bears fruits representing different ideas, dreams, and aspirations. As the protagonist picks fruits from the trees, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, learning valuable lessons about imagination, growth, and the power of dreams to shape reality. With its whimsical narrative and vibrant imagery, this book is a perfect listen for those who believe in the endless possibilities of the mind and the magic of imagination.

Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called "modern myths." But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did.

Adam Childers is a 17-year-old closeted gay high school student in middle America. When Jara, a mysterious little girl from another world, reveals to Adam that he was born a Gatemaker, one of very few in all creation able to open doorways from one world to another, everything changes. Jara's world suffers at the hands of a mighty warlord, and when she makes her way to Adam's world she sees in him potential that he could never see in himself. Together, Jara, Adam, and Adam's friends must travel to Onus and confront both danger and their own fears if they are to set Jara's world free.

Rooted in rhythm-and-blues pioneered by black musicians, 1950s rock and roll was racially inclusive and attracted listeners and performers across the color line. In the 1960s, however, rock and roll gave way to rock: a new musical ideal regarded as more serious, more artistic-and the province of white musicians. Decoding the racial discourses that have distorted standard histories of rock music, Jack Hamilton underscores how ideas of "authenticity" have blinded us to rock's inextricably interracial artistic enterprise.

Have you ever wanted to feel like you were part of a story you were reading? Well, that's what Jason Carmichael wished for, until he discovered the book called Imagination. Jason shows his best friend and love interest, Aaliyah. But trouble starts, the moment they start reading the book. Now, they've become the book's characters. And in order to escape, they must finish the story along the way, and face a warlock, hardships, and personal issues.

Dr. Peter Andresen is a broken man. Once a highly respected psychiatrist, he lives alone, suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder that he steadfastly denies. As the story begins, Peter walks alone on a deserted beach. He doesn't know where he is or what he's doing until he encounters a beautiful young woman named Holly Be. She knows his story and it is her assigned mission to restore meaning to his life. But she fails to maintain the emotional distance required to prevent them from falling in love.