BOOK REVIEW
The Architecture and Design of Man and Woman, Origins, Ultimate Robot and more...
David Schneider, Roger Harris
Drawing equally from Rembrandt
and Fantastic Voyage, The Architecture and Design of Man and
Woman (Doubleday, $50) is a remarkable atlas of human
anatomical structure. As in his 2002 book, From Conception to
Birth, artist Alexander Tsiaras combines modern medical imaging
techniques with graphics software to render realistic portraits of
the body's interior.
Beautifully produced, with literate, engaging text by Barry Werth,
Tsiaras's book would be equally at home in an anatomy lab, an
engineering library or an art museum. His work recalls Andreas
Vesalius's 1543 anatomy textbook, whose diagrammed woodcuts
transformed both medical art and the popular imagination. But
Tsiaras's images depict living, active subjects in almost
photorealistic detail. "For the first time we see the body
interior not as like something," Werth writes,
"but very nearly as it is."
The book tours more than a dozen major anatomical
systems—nervous, skeletal, endocrine,
immunological—exploring their structure, function and complex
interdependence. A recurring feature, "Mirrored in
Nature," points up the similarities between diverse natural
structures, such as blood vessels and leaf veins. Even the simplest
anatomical images, like the finger (above
right), offer startling new perspectives on the familiar.
The reader gets an eye-opening look at a hidden
universe.—G.R.
"Where did we come
from?" is a simple question that rarely gets a full answer.
Ultimately, to explain our own existence we must first account for
everything else: life, planets, stars, galaxies and the universe
itself. Our species is only the last link in a very long chain.
In Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
(Norton, $27.95), Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith set out
to tell the whole story, spinning a lively history of the universe
from the Big Bang to the present. With a light touch they explain
the arcane, the counterintuitive and the barely conceivable, from
the early birth of the natural forces and atomic nuclei to the
coalescing of galaxies (such as Andromeda, right) and the
mysterious origins of solar systems.
This is also the story of some immensely clever human beings.
Trapped on a speck of dust amid a hundred billion galaxies,
cosmologists have used careful observation and inference to pin down
the evolution of a universe whose strangeness we are only beginning
to appreciate. In the end, the authors make a compelling case for
continuing these cosmic inquiries. "We are not simply in the
universe," they write, "we are a part of
it."—G.R.
Just glancing at the cover of
Robert Malone's Ultimate Robot (Dorling Kindersley, $30),
you would think this book is for youngsters, especially if you are
familiar with DK's many attractive books for kids. In fact, this
visual encyclopedia is aimed more at adults, those broadly curious
about robots, both in life and in art. Although the book touches on
some very practical machines—such as the robots now used in
industry, for planetary exploration and even for vacuuming the
living room—the bulk of it pertains to automatons conceived
only for our amusement. Some of these creations are toys, including
such sophisticated machines as Sony's AIBO dogs (above
left), which learn to recognize their owners and can
communicate with them using lights, sound and gestures. Others are
purely fictional, such as Robby the Robot, who appeared in the 1956
movie classic Forbidden Planet, which Malone points out was
inspired by The Tempest. Readers with an interest in
roboculture will be delighted to see that this mechanical Caliban
got more or less equal billing with Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and
Leslie Nielsen (above right).—D.A.S.
Compiled by an international
team of zoological experts, The Encyclopedia of Animals: A
Complete Visual Guide (University of California Press,
$39.95) contains more than 2,000 biologically accurate illustrations
of featured species. Beautiful hand drawings, such as the one of a
crucifix toad (above left), are supplemented with photo
insets, such as the one of the iiwi, a Hawaiian honeycreeper
(above right). Nearly 60 pages of introductory material
on classification, evolution, animal behavior and biology, habitats
and adaptations, and loss of biodiversity are followed by
color-coded sections on mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes
and invertebrates. A brief overview is given of each class and
order. "Fact File" sidebars on species include such
information as size, social unit, reproductive facts, habitat and
conservation status; ranges are shown in mini-maps. Other sidebars
explain particular biological features.
Vertebrates take up three-quarters of the book, an emphasis that
reflects human knowledge and interest, and perhaps the intended
audience—high school or college libraries and teachers who
want to inspire learning about animals. Omissions in a book of this
scope are inevitable and necessary; the focus is on animals in
nature. Specialist readers may be frustrated by not seeing their
favorite organism. Nevertheless, anyone who leafs through the pages
of this general reference will delight in the marvelous diversity of
our living world.—R.H.
Long hours, strenuous labor
and an ever-present stench are just a few of the perks of life as a
lobsterman. After two years of such work, Trevor Corson
understandably opted for a career change, but he has returned often
to the site of his apprenticeship, Little Cranberry Island, Maine,
to write about the lobster industry. His new book, The Secret
Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unlocking the
Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean (HarperCollins,
$24.95), uncovers the fascinating behavior of lobsters, the
tight-knit culture of lobstering communities and the remarkable
dedication of the scientists who study Homarus americanus.
Corson switches back and forth adeptly from zoological discussions
of lobsters to stories about those who trap the tastiest of
crustaceans. One particularly effective chapter describes the
elaborate lobster mating process while also recounting the meeting
and eventual marriage of a couple whose relationship began when they
worked together on a lobster boat. The tale of how the two human
protagonists courted is a good one, but it pales in comparison to
the soap-opera-like love lives of lobsters.
Corson's work also provides a valuable case study of the complexity
of resource management. Government scientists who declare lobsters
"overfished" have often ignored the evidence collected by
lobstermen, who themselves have long tried to ensure the
sustainability of lobster catches. Complicating these problems have
been disputes over the factors that lead to swings in lobster populations.
As Corson shows, much remains to be learned about these unusual
creatures. His book, however, is an immensely enjoyable way to find out
what we already do know.—A.E.