Lapidarium

Lapidarium PDF Author: Hettie Judah
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143137417
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices. Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta’s prehistoric “fat lady” temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.

Lapidarium

Lapidarium PDF Author: Hettie Judah
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593511433
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices. Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta’s prehistoric “fat lady” temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.

The Star-Crossed Stone

The Star-Crossed Stone PDF Author: Ken McNamara
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226514714
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Throughout the four hundred thousand years that humanity has been collecting fossils, sea urchin fossils, or echinoids, have continually been among the most prized, from the Paleolithic era, when they decorated flint axes, to today, when paleobiologists study them for clues to the earth’s history. In The Star-Crossed Stone, Kenneth J. McNamara, an expert on fossil echinoids, takes readers on an incredible fossil hunt, with stops in history, paleontology, folklore, mythology, art, religion, and much more. Beginning with prehistoric times, when urchin fossils were used as jewelry, McNamara reveals how the fossil crept into the religious and cultural lives of societies around the world—the roots of the familiar five-pointed star, for example, can be traced to the pattern found on urchins. But McNamara’s vision is even broader than that: using our knowledge of early habits of fossil collecting, he explores the evolution of the human mind itself, drawing striking conclusions about humanity’s earliest appreciation of beauty and the first stirrings of artistic expression. Along the way, the fossil becomes a nexus through which we meet brilliant eccentrics and visionary archaeologists and develop new insights into topics as seemingly disparate as hieroglyphics, Beowulf, and even church organs. An idiosyncratic celebration of science, nature, and human ingenuity, The Star-Crossed Stone is as charming and unforgettable as the fossil at its heart.

The Secret Life of Stones

The Secret Life of Stones PDF Author: Michael Adzema
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781534607439
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
There is a secret life in the Universe. The physical world is an illusion arising from our human perception, and the fundamental reality is consciousness; it is experiential. This is the conclusion of quantum physics and our latest consciousness research. There is a secret life of stones. Knowing this changes everything. It is the tipping point revealing a new world-one in which you are immersed, like a fish in water, in aliveness, consciousness, experiential units...and all of it friendly, compassionate, reaching out to you and helping you...even in spite of you. This book presents a logical philosophical journey that wanders and explores the terrain leading up to and supporting such overstandings. Then, it hovers above those astonishing revelations and glories in the implications of them for understanding our Reality, our non-separation from each other, our Identity as Self and Divinity, and for guidance for our lives. In so doing, we peer through a portal wherein we are again one with the Universe. We find ourselves on the edge of a coming together as grand as that which we experienced at conception. We receive the gift of a heritage we long ago and mistakenly repudiated-a worldview in which we are seen as belonging, at home, and once again noble within the world we inhabit. The Universe is at base Consciousness, Absolute Subjectivity, Experience, or mind-stuff. This is the finding of quantum physics and Consciousness research. Does that not imply that matter and stones are, somehow, aspects of that Consciousness, mind-stuff, Experience? This book explains how that is so and reveals the profound implications that has for us and how we live our lives. In so doing, it gives us back a heritage we long ago and mistakenly repudiated - a worldview in which we are seen as belonging, at home, and once again noble within the world we inhabit. Using rediscovered psychotechnologies, people are able to identify with and experience the consciousnesses not only of other planetmates - that is, other species on Earth - but also are able to merge with and experience the consciousness of higher orders of beings: the Earth, individual planets, the galaxy, individual collections of people - such as the women of all time; and even collectives of supranormal beings and realities - archetypal consciousness and its reality. It is possible to experience consciousness of supposedly inanimate, non-living forms and even identify with consciousnesses on the atomic and subatomic levels. So trees bloom for the joy of it. Bees delight in their tasks. The ocean is deep, wise, and comforting. And the Universe is pervaded by love, which we erroneously label gravity. This is what we know because we are part of Reality, part of Nature, part of Divinity and not superior to it as the dominant religions presume.... Or fallen from it like we are some kind of alien fruit that was somehow projected out of a tree, a Nature, that we have no part of, as scientists assume. This book presents a logical philosophical journey that wanders and explores the terrain leading up to and supporting such overstandings. Then, it hovers about that terrain and glories in the implications of that for understanding our Reality, our Identity as Self and Divinity, and for guidance for our life.

The Secret Journal

The Secret Journal PDF Author: Otto Schafer
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781734115499
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
Sixteen-year-old Garrett is beginning to realize that something is very wrong. Worrying about earning money for new running shoes, dodging the school bully, and enduring his stepfather's grueling bug-out training should be enough for any boy to deal with. But when Garrett Turek and his buddies find a disintegrating journal in the basement of an old Victorian, they realize there's a lot about their small Midwestern town they never knew. Turns out Petersburg, Illinois - home of the young Abraham Lincoln - has another history. . . a history that's been hidden from the world. Since the tragic loss of her mother, Breanne Moore has focused all her energy into one passion, archaeology. When her father, world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Charles Moore, is called to a mysterious dig site in Nova Scotia, Breanne is immersed in a treasure hunt that will make her question everything she knows. Could the Knights Templar really have hidden a treasure of untold riches on Oak Island, or could there be something else hidden, something long sought and never meant to be found? Little do the Moores know someone else searches. . . Someone ravenous for revenge. He has been searching for centuries and will stop at nothing to take back what was stolen. A prophecy will unite them and now Garrett, Breanne, and their loyal band of friends must stop a powerful force threatening to destroy the world. A coming-of-age story in the vein of Goonies and Stand by Me, with elements of Indiana Jones and The Magicians, this first book in an exciting new contemporary fantasy series is perfect for readers who like their archaeology mixed with magic and their suspense deepened by stories of friendship, family, and loyalty.

The Secret of the Stones

The Secret of the Stones PDF Author: Ernest Dempsey
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780988707207
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
"A tour thousand year old mystery lurks in the hills of Georgia. While investigating a strange series of ancient codes, an archaeologist vanishes, and a professor he entrusted with the secret is murdered. Former government agent, Sean Wyatt, learns of his friend's disappearance as well as the assassinations and must race against the clock to unravel the clues to the ancient mystery. But to save him, he will have to fight off highly trained mercenaries in hand to hand combat, violent shootouts, and high speed car chases through the Blue Ridge Mountains. And in the end, what he learns will change the history books as we know them."--

An Ocean Garden

An Ocean Garden PDF Author: Josie Iselin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780870712395
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In this captivating book, artist and avid beachcomber Josie Iselin reveals the unexpected beauty of seaweed. Produced on a flatbed scanner, Iselin's vibrant portraits of ocean flora reveal the exquisite color and extraordinary forms of more than two hundred specimens gathered from tidal pools along the California and Maine coasts. Her engaging text, which accompanies the images, blends personal observation and philosophical musings with scientific fact. Now available in paperback for the first time, this edition includes a new foreword and updated nomenclature. An Ocean Garden is a poetic and compelling tribute to the natural world and the wonder it evokes.

Lapidarium

Lapidarium PDF Author: Hettie Judah
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143137417
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices. Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta’s prehistoric “fat lady” temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.

The Secret Life of Stuff

The Secret Life of Stuff PDF Author: Julie Hill
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409040232
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Wouldn't you like: - Products that don't damage the environment? - A better way of life without agonising about your 'footprint'? - To really know your stuff? Climate change? Biofuels? Nuclear power? Landfills? Recycling? Renewable energy? Environmental issues can feel overwhelming. But, in fact, it is simple; it all comes down to one thing - stuff. Our use of the Earth's resources - whether a crisp packet or a cargo ship, a T-shirt or a wind turbine - has an inescapable impact on our future. In The Secret Life of Stuff, Julie Hill uncovers the origins and the true cost of what we use. Her inventory of over-consumption may shock but it is the first step towards overcoming waste. The misuse of stuff is not your fault, it's a product of history. But it is only by understanding what has gone wrong, that everyone - politicians, business people and us as consumers - can create a new and better material world.

The Secret Life of Kris Kringle

The Secret Life of Kris Kringle PDF Author: Jhon Kilgore
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0615253237
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
The Secret Life of Kris Kringle as told by his brother, Olaf, answers the questions... Who were Santa's parents? How did he get all those amazing powers? Where did the Elves come from and why are their short and tall Elves in legend? And what about Santa's reindeer? These and some of the mysteries of the last thousand years are woven into a tale that even the Sphinx could enjoy.

The Secret Life of Space

The Secret Life of Space PDF Author: Heather Couper
Publisher: Aurum
ISBN: 1781313946
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
The Secret Life of Space is the definitive guide to understanding the key breakthroughs and discoveries mankind has made to unravel the mysteries of the Cosmos. This engaging and fast-paced narrative debunks the urban myths of astronomy, revealing the true stories behind our biggest breakthroughs. Starting with the discovery that Stonehenge was actually built to celebrate the winter solstice rather than the summer, this book leads us through history to reveal that the telescope was not invented by Galileo, Einstein did not predict the presence of black holes or the Big Bang and Copernicus’s theory that the Sun was at the centre of the Universe might have actually disappeared without a trace had it not been for the efforts of one of his fanatical disciples. Renowned scientists and authors Nigel Henbest and Heather Couper also uncover the unsung heroes and heroines who have been overlooked in the history of scientific endeavor. These stories include the computer engineer who discovered more exploding stars in his back garden than anyone else in history, the teacher who developed the basis for radio astronomy and the sanitary engineer who found evidence of life on Mars. Finally, they look to today’s increasing possibility of space travel as we push the frontiers of discovery and ask the perennial question, is there life out there?