Books about Smithsonian from Amazon.com

This new field guide provides a suite of modern tools to effectively aid in the identification of more than 750 species of birds across North America It introduces a "whole bird" approach by concisely gathering a collection of information about birds into one portable and well-organized volume.

• 2,000 stunning color photographs of birds in natural habitats show the most important field marks, regional population differences, life stages, and behaviors
• 700-plus detailed and up-to-date color range maps show summer, migration, winter, year-round, and rare but regular occurrences of every major species
• A DVD of birdsongs for 138 major species (587 vocalizations in all for 5½ hours of play); each high-quality MP3 file is embedded with an image of the bird, perfect to view on home computers and portable MP3 players
• Concise descriptions of habits and ecology, age-related and seasonal differences, regional forms, vocalization, and informative captions pointing out the most important aspects of the bird
• 46 group essays with information outlining taxonomy, feeding, migration, habitats, behaviors, and conservation status
• A thorough and accessible introduction to birds and birding includes sections on parts of a bird, plumage and molt, food and feeding, migration, habitats, conservation, tips on bow to become a better birder, and more
• A detailed glossary of terms, species checklist, and quick index

The new Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America is perfectly designed to give birders the most powerful and user-friendly collection of information to carry into the field or wherever they enjoy learning about birds and nature.

A Look (and Listen) Inside the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Click on an image below to sample one of the 587 different downloadable bird songs included with the guide.

American Wigeon	Common Loon	Mallard
Red-Winged Blackbird	Mourning Dove	Northern Cardinal

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Price: $15.34 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals combines 600 vivid full--color photos with descriptions of more than 500 specimens This authoritative and systematic photographic approach, with words never separated from pictures, marks a new generation of identification guides. Each entry combines a precise description with annotated photographs to highlight the chief characteristics of the rock or mineral and distinguishing features. Color--coded bands provide a clear, at--a--glance facts for quick reference. In addition, each mineral entry features an illustration showing the crystal system to which the mineral belongs. Designed for beginners and experienced collectors alike, the Smithsonian Handbook of Rocks and Minerals explains what rocks or minerals are, how they are classified, and how to start a collection. To help in the initial stages of rock identification, a clear visual key illustrates the differences between igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, then guides the reader to the correct rock entry. A concise glossary provides instant understanding of technical and scientific terms.
Price: $10.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Not too long ago, in earth time, no one thought the universe had a history The scientific and religious experts believed that the world had been created as it is today and that nothing had changed. Those experts did their best but they were wrong--really wrong. The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way tells the amazing but true story of the quest to answer an important question: What is this universe of ours all about? From the lost city of Alexandria with its gigantic lighthouse and steam-powered vehicles, to faraway lands where Hindu and Arab mathematicians invented the number zero, Hakim invites readers of all ages to meet the forefathers of modern science and experience their greatest discoveries in astronomy, math, and physics. Along the way, readers learn the answers to questions like:

What can a baboon bone tell us about calendars?

Why can't we feel the earth moving?

How did math contribute to Archimedes' death?

A science book unlike any other, Aristotle Leads the Way pairs a gripping narrative style with quirky sidebars; hundreds of charts, maps, and diagrams; experiments to do at home; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists..
Price: $14.48 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Sometimes it can seem like science just comes fully formed--a textbook can tell us the Milky Way is a galaxy, the Sun is 93 million miles away, or gravity bends light. But such a book often leaves out some of the most interesting stuff about that hard-won knowledge: how anyone ever figured it out, and even why anyone was wondering about it to begin with.

It turns out that those stories--the stories of the how and the why--are some of the most interesting in all of history. Those stories are full of adventure and bravery, boldness and luck, and the discoverers are often those willing to stand up and call false what everyone else believes to be true. At the end of the nineteenth century, for example, Lord Kelvin, one of the time's preeminent physicists--and the sort of guy who everyone else listens to, just because--declared that all that was left to do in physics was to make more and more precise measurements of the world. Within a couple decades of Kelvin's pronouncement, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and others would show just how wrong he was.

Joy Hakim's The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension culminates with their discoveries: the quantum world, the theory of relativity, and nuclear physics. These discoveries created our modern world, from solar-powered calculators to cell phones to global positioning systems and the atomic bomb, and opened our eyes to the expanding Universe, the Big Bang, and much more.

A science book unlike any other, Einstein Adds a New Dimension pairs a gripping narrative style with informative sidebars; hundreds of charts, maps, and diagrams; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists..
Price: $16.89 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The story of science continues with the reclusive Copernicus and his astounding theory that the sun is at the center of the universe, and closes with the basics of atomic theory, offering intriguing portraits of the scientists who built on each other's theories in their tireless pursuit of answers. 300 color photographs, illustrations, and maps..
Price: $12.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

When Leonard Fisher claims that the Smithsonian and all its museums belong to him, Washington D.C. goes into an uproar. KC Corcoran and her best friend Marshall have a feeling that there is something fishy about Fisher. But if they are wrong, the United States may lose the Smithsonian forever!.
Price: $1.09 [Notify me when price goes down.]