Harold Morowitz has long been regarded highly both as an eminent scientist and as an accomplished science writer. The essays in The Wine of Life, his first collection, were hailed by C.P. Snow as "some of the wisest, wittiest and best informed that I have read," and Carl Sagan called them "a delight to read." In later volumes such as Mayonnaise and the Origin of Life and The Thermodynamics of Pizza, he has established a reputation for a wide-ranging intellect, an ability to see unexpected connections and draw striking parallels, and a talent for communicating scientific ideas with optimism and wit. Kirkus Reviews praised Mayonnaise as "wonderfully diverting and very wise." Nature wrote of Thermodynamics, "his chocolate-coated nuggets of science will continue to entertain and do surreptitious good." With Entropy and the Magic Flute, Morowitz once again offers an appealing mix of brief reflections on everything from litmus paper to the hippopotamus to the sociology of Palo Alto coffee shops. Many of these pieces are appreciations of scientists that Morowitz holds in high regard. In the title piece, for instance, Morowitz tells of his pilgrimage to the grave of Ludwig Boltzmann, buried in the same cemetery--Vienna's Central Cemetery--as Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. He also writes of J. Willard Gibbs ("thought by many to be the greatest scientist yet produced by the United States"), Jean Perrin (author of Les Atomes, a now-forgotten classic that convinced virtually everyone in science of the validity of the atomic hypothesis), Einstein, Newton (on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his Principia, a date that passed virtually unnoticed except by Morowitz), Murray Gell-Mann, and Aristotle. Of Aristotle, Morowitz observes that "most people whose information comes from academic philosophy fail to appreciate that--among his many fields of expertise--first and foremost, Aristotle was a biologist." Indeed, fully a third of Aristotle's writings are on the life sciences, almost all of which has been left out of standard editions of his work. Many other pieces focus on health issues--such as America's obsession with cheese toppings, the addiction to smoking of otherwise intelligent people, questionable obstetric practices--and several touch upon ethics, whistle-blowing, and scientific research. There is also a fascinating piece on the American Type Culture Collection, a zoo or warehouse for microbes that houses some 11,800 strains of bacteria, and over 3,000 specimens of protozoa, algae, plasmids, and oncogenes. Here then are over forty light, graceful essays in which one of our wisest experimental biologists comments on issues of science, technology, society, philosophy, and the arts.

Shortly after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's death, his widow Constanze sent a manuscript copy of one of his most beloved operas, Die Zauberflste, to the court of the Elector of Cologne. It was eventually published by Nicolaus Simrock in 1814 as the first full-score edition. However, the question still remains as to why this early copy in her possession diverges from Mozart's autograph in so many libretto details. The Authentic Magic Flute Libretto: Mozart's Autograph or the First Full-Score Edition? investigates the origin and claim to authenticity of the first full-score edition of Die Zauberflste, drawing attention to the close bond between words and music. Michael Freyhan brings the subtlety of the first edition word setting to the attention of scholars, musicians, and opera-lovers, setting out the evidence for its authenticity and detailing the quest, pursued in 15 countries, for the earliest possible historical sources. Freyhan examines the differences between the first edition and the autograph, discussing the quality of the word-setting_supported by 32 musical examples_and evaluating the relationship of the two texts in terms of language and literature. The following chapters discuss the early history of the autograph, focusing on four alleged owners, its market value, and the misleading catalogue numbering systems seen on the first page. Details of the performance and publication history of the first edition text are followed by a new perspective on the disputed authorship of the libretto, in light of the possible existence of two authentic texts. A concluding chapter discusses Mozart's sketches and working methods, while an appendix traces the character and career of Karl Ludwig Giesecke, one of the writers who claimed ownership of the opera's libretto. The book also includes several photos and the complete first edition libretto, in German and with literal English translation, providing a side-by-side text comparison with the autograph text.

A comprehensive, up-to-date, resource providing an essential framework for understanding Mozart's most-performed opera and its extraordinary afterlife.

“Gayl Jones’s work represents a watershed in American literature." —Imani Perry Legendary writer Gayl Jones returns with a stunning new novel about Black American artists in exile Gayl Jones, the novelist Toni Morrison discovered decades ago and Tayari Jones recently called her favorite writer, has been described as one of the great literary writers of the 20th century. Now, for the first time in over 20 years, Jones is publishing again. In the wake of her long-awaited fifth novel, Palmares, The Birdcatcher is another singular achievement, a return to the circles of her National Book Award finalist, The Healing. Set primarily on the island of Ibiza, the story is narrated by the writer Amanda Wordlaw, whose closest friend, a gifted sculptor named Catherine Shuger, is repeatedly institutionalized for trying to kill a husband who never leaves her. The three form a quirky triangle on the white-washed island. A study in Black women’s creative expression, and the intensity of their relationships, this work from Jones shows off her range and insight into the vicissitudes of all human nature - rewarding longtime fans and bringing her talent to a new generation of readers.

What do you do when you're not asleep and not eating? You're most likely waiting - to finish work, to get home, to finish your duties. This book aims to describe how many people experience waiting and how important this is, in popular and highbrow culture and in real life and how we cope with it.