|
|
|
Architecture by Birds and Insects: A Natural Art
Influential American architect Philip Johnson once mused, “All architecture is shelter; all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space.” But with just a small swap of a key word, Johnson could well have been describing animal nests. Birds and insects are nature’s premier architects, using a dizzying array of talents to build functional homes in which to live, reproduce, and care for their young. Recycling sticks, branches, grass, and mud to construct their shelters, they are undoubtedly the originators of “green architecture.” A visual celebration of these natural feats of engineering and ingenuity, Architecture by Birds and Insects allows readers a peek inside a wide range of nests, offering a rare opportunity to get a sense of the materials and methods used to build them. Here, we see the kinds of places where nests are built—for instance, the house wren has been known to occupy cow skulls, flower pots, tin cans, and the pockets of hanging laundry, while the uglynest caterpillar prefers rose bushes and cherry trees. Inspired by the vast nest collection at the Field Museum, which features specimens gathered throughout North and South America, Peggy Macnamara’s paintings are enhanced by text written by museum curators. This narrative provides a foundation in natural history for each painting, as well as fascinating anecdotes about the nests and their builders. Like so many natural treasures, nests are easy to ignore. But Macnamara’s gorgeous paintings will undoubtedly change that. Architecture by Birds and Insects at last gives the tiniest engineers their rightful moment in the spotlight, and in so doing increases awareness and encourages the protection of birds, insects, and their habitats. Readers will never look at a Frank Gehry design, or a treetop nest, the same way again. .
Price: $15.64
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Painting Wildlife in Watercolor
Peggy Macnamara, the only artist-in-residence at Chicago's Field Museum, shares her unique "No-Fear" approach to capturing all forms of wildlife in living, luminous watercolor. Co-author Marlene Hill Donnelly, Field Museum Scientific Illustrator and third-generation painter, discloses in-depth information on color, paint properties, and design learned over a lifetime of art study and practice. In Painting Wildlife in Watercolor, Peggy demonstrates her singular method, which relies on a gradual layering of washes that eliminates the rigid and disaster-prone formulas of traditional watercolor painting. Peggy and Marlene provide clear and simple instructions for any beginning to advanced artist wanting to know about creating life-like renderings of everything from fur to feathers, along with Peggy's detailed illustrations of a vast range of both familiar and exotic animals..
Price: $24.95
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Illinois Insects and Spiders
Recent estimates put the world's insect population at more than forty million species. Here in Illinois, the numbers are equally awesome: seventeen thousand species call the state home, among them four thousand types of flies; fifteen hundred types of grasshoppers, cicadas, and aphids; five thousand types of beetles; two hundred types of ants, wasps, and bees; and two thousand types of butterflies and moths. With so much entomological diversity here in the Midwest, Illinois residents needn't look further than their own backyards to discover the rich and secret world of insects and spiders. Marrying art and entomology, Illinois Insects and Spiders is a unique introduction to local biodiversity. Artist Peggy Macnamara celebrates the state's burgeoning insect and spider populations with twenty-seven color plates of beautiful renderings of numerous species, organized both taxonomically and thematically. The insects on each plate are depicted true to scale in relation to one another and are displayed approximately ten times larger than life size. Accompanying each plate are lively captions-written by Field Museum curators and collection managers-that identify the species and reveal their interesting behaviors and unique habitats. Illinois Insects and Spiders encourages readers to explore the biodiversity at their feet-in the shiny beetles on the ground-and in the air-in the glint of a lightning bug in summer. More than a traditional field guide, Illinois Insects and Spiders is the rare book that combines lush artwork with the science of natural history, bringing both closer to the general reader. (20050826).
Price: $9.70
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Logical Foundations of Cognition (Vancouver Studies in Cognitive Science, Vol 4)
This important book presents seminal contributions to the emerging synthesis of logic and cognitive psychology. Logicians, who typically concern themselves with ideal reasoning processes, have rarely crossed paths with cognitive psychologists and their more empirical endeavors. With the introduction of a landmark semantic theory by Gonzalo E. Reyes, however, the fields have somewhat reconciled and together have been fruitful in shedding new light on several issues--for example, on how children may master proper names and count nouns, and thus acquire knowledge. Authored by an outstanding collection of leading theorists and researchers across disciplines, this book details the inadequacies of classical logic in its handling of ordinary language and reveals the prospects for applying a symbiosis of logic and psychology to cognitive psychology, cognitive science, linguistics, the philosophy of language, and logic itself. Both scholarly and engaging, The Logical Foundations of Cognition will be of interest to psychologists, philosophers, linguists, and computer scientists alike..
Price: $55.61
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The History of the 9th Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, June, 1861-June, 1864 (The Irish in the Civil War, No. 7)
|
|
Through the Rearview Mirror: Historical Reflections on Psychology
In this lively book, John Macnamara shows how a number of important thinkers through the ages have approached problems of mental representation and the acquisition of knowledge. He discusses the relevance of these approaches to modern cognitive psychology, focusing on central themes that he believes have strongly influenced modern psychology. This is not a neutral historical survey, but a vehicle for Macnamara's compelling and provocative arguments on the relevance and worth of certain aspects of psychological and philosophical thought. The historical figures discussed are quite varied—from Plato to Thomas Jefferson to Sigmund Freud—and include numerous Christian philosophers such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The book assumes no previous background in the subject matter; Macnamara often simplifies abstract concepts via homespun examples (many using his beloved dog, Freddie). This is a quirky, engaging book, as well as the last work by a highly influential figure in cognitive psychology..
Price: $9.65
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
|
|
|