Space and time on earth are regulated by the prime meridian, 0°, which is, by convention, based at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. But the meridian’s location in southeast London is not a simple legacy of Britain’s imperial past. Before the nineteenth century, more than twenty-five different prime meridians were in use around the world, including Paris, Beijing, Greenwich, Washington, and the location traditional in Europe since Ptolemy, the Canary Islands. Charles Withers explains how the choice of Greenwich to mark 0° longitude solved complex problems of global measurement that had engaged geographers, astronomers, and mariners since ancient times. Withers guides readers through the navigation and astronomy associated with diverse meridians and explains the problems that these cartographic lines both solved and created. He shows that as science and commerce became more global and as railway and telegraph networks tied the world closer together, the multiplicity of prime meridians led to ever greater confusion in the coordination of time and the geographical division of space. After a series of international scientific meetings, notably the 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington, DC, Greenwich emerged as the most pragmatic choice for a global prime meridian, though not unanimously or without acrimony. Even after 1884, other prime meridians remained in use for decades. As Zero Degrees shows, geographies of the prime meridian are a testament to the power of maps, the challenges of accurate measurement on a global scale, and the role of scientific authority in creating the modern world.

Bell Laboratories is one of the world's leading research centres. Bell scientists have won seven Nobel prizes in, physics, more than any other single institution in the world. In this engrossing book - a blend of popular science, and history -Jeremy Bernstein guides us on a fascinating tour of the labs, introducing us to the men and women who have been responsible for some of the greatest scientific advances of this century, in computers and computation, solid state physics (including the invention and development of the transistor); communications, and in astrophysics.

Translated from the Tamil by Pritham K. Chakravarthy and Rakesh Khanna. With its mad patchwork of phone sex conversations, nightmarish torture scenes, tender love poems, numerology, mythology, and compulsive name-dropping of Latin American intellectuals, Charu Nivedita's novel ZERO DEGREE stands out as a groundbreaking work of Tamil transgressive fiction that unflinchingly probes the deepest psychic wounds of humanity. "Hide it in the deep recesses of your clothes cupboard or in the general chaos of your office desk, if you must, but read it"--Asha S. Menon, New Sunday Express.

We have always struggled to explain why some people behave in the most evil way imaginable, while others are completely self-sacrificing. From the Nazi concentration camps of World War Two to the playgrounds of today, the author examines empathy, cruelty and understanding and looks at what exactly makes our behaviour uniquely human.

Fourteen degrees below zero cold enough to freeze the soul Lewis Ingraham is cold. He s lost his wife to cancer, his executive career, his once sure grip on the world around him. All that he can hold on to is his beautiful daughter Jay, a brilliant student who has become a struggling single mother. But he sees that even Jay is starting to slip away from him, in favor of Stephen, her self-important boyfriend. This time Lewis is going to fight back. But when Lewis takes out his fury on Stephen, he ignites a chain reaction of violence. Now winter is bearing down on Minnesota. Desire, guilt, and rage are swirling in the snow. And a heinous crime is about to lead three people down a steep and unforgiving slope into a realm of cold, hard truth. Set in a chillingly barren milieu and invoking comparisons to Donald Westlake s bestselling classic The Ax, 14 Degrees Below Zero is a stunning, provocative, and utterly unforgettable experience in psychological suspense and American" "noir fashioned from the heat of ordinary lives."

Joseph Campbell advised everyone to live authentically by following our bliss, but how many of us do? Somewhere along the way, we lose sight of our aims. We forget the myths that guide us and end up lost in the dark. This book is a light in that darkness, a guide to our own natural talents, aptitudes and potential. With Astrology and Aptitude you will: Explore abilities related to the planets, signs and houses. Discover over 30 minor asteroids linked to career and creativity. Follow practical delineations and chart examples. Learn about talents hidden in the fixed stars, Vertex and Aries Point. Become the person you are most capable of being. Focusing on the symbolic meaning of the signs, houses, planetary aspects and transits, this book describes ways to identify and boost the natural modes of expression, bringing them out into the open. Included are delineations of asteroid gods and goddesses, fixed stars, Arabic parts, the Vertex, Aries Point, midpoints and Lunar Nodes. Also included is a reference guide to vocational rulerships and a comprehensive index. Astrology and Aptitude is a must read for everyone serious about becoming everything they can possibly be, and supporting others to do the same.

CLICK HERE to download the first 50 pages from (Provide us with a little information and we'll send your download directly to your inbox) "This finely crafted adventure tale runs on adrenaline but also something else: brutal honesty." —The Wall Street Journal "I couldn't lay it down until it was all finished (12:40 a.m.!)... A fascinating and beautifully-written story." —Bradford Washburn * One of National Geographic Adventure's "The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time" * Spring 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount McKinley * New edition includes a revised preface, new prologue, and new afterword describing more recent winter attempts on McKinley In 1967, eight men attempted North America's highest summit: Mount McKinley (now known as Denali) had been climbed before—but never in winter. Plagued by doubts and cold, group tension and a crevasse tragedy, the expedition tackled McKinley in minimal hours of daylight and fierce storms. They were trapped at three different camps above 14,000 feet during a six-day blizzard and faced the ultimate low temperature of -148° F. Minus 148° is Art Davidson's stunning personal narrative, supplemented by diary excerpts from team members George Wichman, John Edwards, Dave Johnston, and Greg Blomberg. Davidson retells the team's fears and frictions—and ultimate triumph—with an honesty that has made this gripping survival story a mountaineering classic for over 40 years. Minus 148° is featured among many "best of" reading lists, including National Geographic Adventure's "The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of all Time." "At twenty-two I came to regard the first expedition to Mt. McKinley in the winter as a journey into an unexplored land. No one had lived on North America's highest ridges in the winter twilight. No one knew how low the temperatures would drop, or how penetrating the cold would be when the wind blew. For thousands of years McKinley's storms had raged by themselves." —Minus 148° This title is part of our LEGENDS AND LORE series. Click here > to learn more.