VIVA BOOKS

Freedom : The End of the Human Condition by Mr. Jeremy Griffith

$37.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

The fastest growing realization everywhere is that humanity can't go on the way it is going. Indeed, the great fear is we're entering endgame where we appear to have lost the race between self-destruction and self-discovery-the race to find the psychologically relieving understanding of our 'good and ev il'-afflicted human condition. Well, astonishing as it is, this book by Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith presents the 11th hour breakthrough biological explanation of the human condition necessary for the psychological rehabilitation and transformation of our species! The culmination of 40 years of studying and writing about our species' psychosis, FREEDOM delivers nothing less than the holy grail of insight we have needed to free ourselves from the human condition. It is, in short, as Professor Harry Prosen, a former president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, asserts in his Introduction, "The book that saves the world!". Griffith has been able to venture right to the bottom of the dark depths of what it is to be human and return with the fully accountable, true explanation of our seemingly imperfect lives. At long last we have the redeeming and thus transforming understanding of human behaviour! And with that explanation found all the other great outstanding scientific mysteries about our existence are now also able to be truthfully explained-of the meaning of our existence, of the origin of our unconditionally selfless moral instincts, and of why we humans became conscious when other animals haven't. Yes, the full story of life on Earth can finally be told-and all of these incredible breakthroughs and insights are presented here in this 'greatest of all books'. ...Show more

The Hidden Life of Trees (Illustrated Edition) by Peter Wohlleben

$49.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

In his international bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben opened readers' eyes to the wonders and amazing processes at work in the forest. Now this new, breathtakingly illustrated edition brings those wonders to life like never before. With compelling selections from the original book and eighty six stunning photographs of trees from around the world, this gorgeous volume distills the essence of Peter Wohlleben's message to show trees in all their glory and diversity. Through rich language highlighting the interconnectedness of forest ecosystems, the book offers fascinating insights about the fungal communication highway known as the 'wood wide web,' the difficult life lessons learned in tree school, the hard-working natural clean-up crews that recycle dying trees, and much more. Beautiful images provide the perfect complement to Wohlleben's words, with striking close-ups of bark and seeds, panoramas of vast expanses of green, and a unique look at what is believed to be the oldest tree on the planet. ...Show more

Lake Eyre: A Journey to the Heart of the Continent(Prize winner Indie s/l 2013) by Paul Lockyer; John Bean (Photographer); Gary Ticehurst (Photographer)

$19.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

Lake Eyre occupies a vast mythological and real landscape - its basin makes up one sixth of the Australian continent and it is the 'inland sea' so many early exploreres died trying to disover. But for most of the time the lake is empty, a vast salty desert plain. Only once in a generation when the great rains sweep in from Queensland, does the lake fill up. When this happens an astonishing transformation occurs; overnight the lake changes, the desert blooms, great flocks of birds, brumbies, dingoes and other wildlife find their way to the water's shores. And for the people who live there, the deluge changes everything. In this stunning book, reporter Paul Lockyer tells the story of the great lake - from its ancient beginnings to its present day - and the tales of all those it affects, from intrepid early exploreres like Burke and Wills and pioneers like Birdsville mailman Tom Kruse to characters like racing car driver Donald Campbell, showmen like Fred Brophy, artists like John Olsen and cattle kings like Sir Sydney Kidman. Along with environmental scientist Professor Richard Kingsford, Paul explores one of the world's great wonders and reveals why it holds such resonance for so many Australians. ...Show more

Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything (HB) by Theodore Gray

$35.00 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

In his highly anticipated sequel to The Elements, Theodore Gray demonstrates how the elements of the periodic table combine to form the molecules that make up our world. Everything physical is made up of the elements and the infinite variety of molecules they form when they combine with each other. In M olecules, Theodore Gray takes the next step in the grand story that began with the periodic table in his best-selling book, The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. Here, he explores through fascinating stories and trademark stunning photography the most interesting, essential, useful, and beautiful of the millions of chemical structures that make up every material in the world. Gray begins with an explanation of how atoms bond to form molecules and compounds, as well as the difference between organic and inorganic chemistry. He then goes on to explore the vast array of materials molecules can create, including: soaps and solvents; goops and oils; rocks and ores; ropes and fibers; painkillers and dangerous drugs; sweeteners; perfumes and stink bombs; colors and pigments; and controversial compounds including asbestos, CFCs, and thimerosal. Big, gorgeous photographs, as well as diagrams of the compounds and their chemical bonds, rendered with never before seen beauty, fill the pages and capture molecules in their various states. As he did in The Elements, Gray shows us molecules as we've never seen them before. It's the perfect book for his loyal fans who've been eager for more and for anyone fascinated with the mysteries of the material world. ...Show more

Geology of Western Australia's National ParksGeology for Everyone

$29.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

2019 Australasian Sky Guide by Nick Lomb

$16.95 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

Compact and easy to use, this popular guide by well-known astronomer and author Dr Nick Lomb has been providing stargazers with everything they need to know about the southern night sky for over 25 years. The 2018 guide contains monthly astronomy maps, viewing tips and highlights, and details of the yea r's exciting celestial events. Wherever you are in Australia or New Zealand, easy calculations allow you to estimate local rise and set times for the Sun, Moon, and planets. The 2019 Australasian Sky Guide also provides information on the solar system, updated with the latest findings from space probes. Published annually, the Australasian Sky Guide continues to be a favourite with photographers, event planners, sports organisers, teachers, students - and anyone who looks up at the stars and wants to know more. Highlights for 2019: Venus near Jupiter in January and November Saturn covered by the Moon in April, August, September and November Partial eclipse of the Moon in July Transit of Mercury in November Partial eclipse of the Sun in December ...Show more

A Handbook to Australian Seashells: On Seashores East to West and North to South by B.R. Wilson

$29.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

A Handbook to Australian Seashells will help you to identify most of the shells you find, no matter where you are on the Australian coast. It includes over 375 species of the most common seashells found along our seashores. Each one is illustrated with a beautiful colour photograph showing its colours, patterns, shape and sculpture. ...Show more

Atlas Of The Southern Night Sky by Steve Massey; Steve Quirk

$39.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

If you ever needed a book to help you explore the wonderful nightskies from down under, be it Australia, South America, South Africaor New Zealand, this is it!. With hundreds of full colour star chartsand maps of the Moon and planets of our Solar System, this bookwill ensure you get the most out of a pa ir of binoculars or a smalltelescope from suburban and dark country sky locations.Beautifully illustrated with many tips and advice on how toboth understand, observe and even photograph the night sky,including the stars, galaxies, nebulae, Sun, Moon, asteroids,comets and planets from the back yard, this book is your essentialguide and reference to the celestial wonders of the Southern NightSky.. Information on common telescope designs and tips for observingthe night sky. ...Show more

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genes, Talent and Intelligence is Wrong by David Shenk

$22.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

In this dazzling look at the new science of genetics and the frontiers of human potential, David Shenk argues that talent - for piano playing, sprinting, designing computers, you name it - is not a thing we're gifted from birth and coded in our genes, but a process - a lifelong project. The genetic lega cy for which we thank our parents is not what holds us back - it is our inability, so far, to tap into what we already have. Shenk discusses evidence which shows how the average London cabby's posterior hippocampus - the part of the brain that specializes in recalling spatial representations - is not just larger than normal but increases in size as the driver's experience grows. He illustrates that Mozart, seemingly born a musical prodigy, was in fact brought up in an environment almost uniquely perfect to mould him into the child star he became. He points out that Copernicus, Rembrandt, Bach, Newton, Kant, da Vinci, Einstein and Michael Jordan were all super-achievers who led undistinguished lives as children. Genes, he argues, are not a 'blueprint' that bless some with greatness and doom most of us to mediocrity. Integrating cutting-edge research from a wide swath of disciplines - cognitive science, genetics, biology, child development - Shenk portrays a highly optimistic new view of human potential, and in the book's second Part, he outlines his prescription for cultivating excellence within us all. Deftly written and already hugely praised, The Genius in All of Us carries a deeply revolutionary and optimistic message: we are not prisoners of our DNA, and we all have the potential for greatness. ...Show more

Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were by Philip Lymbery

$24.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE | Reading Level: General Adult

A tour of some of the world's most iconic and endangered species, and what we can do to save them. Climate change and habitat destruction are not the only culprits behind so many animals facing extinction. The impact of consumer demand for cheap meat is equally devastating and it is vital that we confro nt this problem if we are to stand a chance of reducing its effect on the world around us. * We are falsely led to believe that squeezing animals into factory farms and cultivating crops in vast, chemical-soaked prairies is a necessary evil, an efficient means of providing for an ever-expanding global population while leaving land free for wildlife * Our planet's resources are reaching breaking point: awareness is slowly building that the wellbeing of society depends on a thriving natural world From the author of the internationally acclaimed Farmageddon, Dead Zone takes us on an eye-opening investigative journey across the globe, focussing on a dozen iconic species one-by-one and looking in each case at the role that industrial farming is playing in their plight. This is a passionate wake-up call for us all, laying bare the myths that prop up factory farming before exploring what we can do to save the planet with healthy food. ...Show more

The Hunt for Vulcan: How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet and Deciphered the Universe by Thomas Levenson

$32.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

In 1859, the brilliant scientist Urbain LeVerrier discovered that the planet Mercury has a wobble, that its orbit shifts over time. His explanation was that there had to be an unseen planet circling even closer to the sun. He called the planet Vulcan. Supported by the theories of Sir Isaac Newton, the f inest astronomers of their generation began to seek out Vulcan and at least a dozen reports of discovery were filed. There was only one problem. Vulcan does not exist - and was never there. The real explanation was only revealed when a young Albert Einstein came up with a theory of gravity that also happened to prove that Mercury's orbit could indeed be explained - not by Newton's theories but by Einstein's own theory of general relativity. THE HUNT FOR VULCAN is a scientific detective tale at the intersection of theory, measurement, and belief; and a reflection on a bizarre period in which the power of conformity led very smart people to literally see a planet that wasn't there. ...Show more

New Scientist: The Origin of (almost) Everything by New Scientist Magazine Staff; Graham Lawton; Jennifer Daniel (Illustrator); Stephen Hawking

$29.99 AUD

Category: SCIENCE & NATURE

Introduction by Professor Stephen Hawking. When Edwin Hubble looked into his telescope in the 1920s, he was shocked to find that nearly all of the galaxies he could see through it were flying away from one another. If these galaxies had always been travelling, he reasoned, then they must, at some point, have been on top of one another. This discovery transformed the debate about one of the most fundamental questions of human existence - how did the universe begin? Every society has stories about the origin of the cosmos and its inhabitants, but now, with the power to peer into the early universe and deploy the knowledge gleaned from archaeology, geology, evolutionary biology and cosmology, we are closer than ever to understanding where it all came from. In The Origin of (almost) Everything, New Scientist explores the modern origin stories of everything from the Big Bang, meteorites and dark energy, to dinosaurs, civilisation, timekeeping, belly-button fluff and beyond. From how complex life evolved on Earth, to the first written language, to how humans conquered space, The Origin of (almost) Everything offers a unique history of the past, present and future of our universe. ...Show more