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Paleontology 2017
The Five Horsemen of the Modern World
Four Revolutions in the Earth Sciences
Better Presentations
Abominable Science!
A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and
Climate, Food, Water, Disease, and Obesity Daniel Callahan
From Heresy to Truth James Lawrence Powell
Wonks
Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero
"Callahan, a pioneer in bioethics, has written a thoughtful meditation on our most recalcitrant worldly challenges, from the health of our bodies to the wellbeing of our planet....The Five Horsemen of the Modern World demonstrates how the complex mix of technology, politics, and media have slowed progress and calls for a more productive partnership with sustainable businesses to chart a path forward." —Paul Sabin, author of The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon and Our Gamble Over Earth's Future
This absorbing scientific history is the only book to describe the evolution of these four ideas from heresy to truth, showing how science works in practice and how it inevitably corrects the mistakes of its practitioners. $40.00 / £32.95 cloth 978-0-231-16448-1 2014 384 pages / 27 illus.
The Collapse of Western Civilization A View from the Future
Rising Seas
“Oreskes and Conway's startling and “Should be on the desk of anyone involved all-too-plausible history of the century in coastal planning and resource manageto come is in the spirit of George Orwell ment and will be extremely effective as a and Aldous Huxley and all the writtextbook. A great, much-needed book!” ers who have turned to prophecy in the attempt to ward off an —Maureen E. Raymo, Columbia University oncoming disaster.” —Kim Stanley Robinson, author of Shaman, 2312,
DARWIN’S EVOLUTION
Environment and Development Challenges
SOLVING the SPECIES PUZZLE Through TIME and PLACE
J. DAVID ARCHIBALD
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The Imperative to Act Edited by Robert Watson The Blue Planet Prize, awarded by the Asahi Glass Foundation, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious international honors for scientists and researchers in environmental studies. This book features contributions from recent award winners eager to add their voices to the global debate over contemporary environmental and sustainable-development issues. They also discuss the correlation among environmental degradation, poverty, and violence. $40.00 / £32.95 cloth 978-4-13-067120-0 2016 284 pages
University of Tokyo Press
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Science In the Capital $9.95 / £8.95 paper 978-0-231-16954-7 2014 104 pages
Water and Environment in the Selenga-Baikal Basin International Research Cooperation for an Ecoregion of Global Relevance Edited by Daniel Karthe, Sergey Chalov, Nikolay Kasimov, and Martin Kappas The water resources of the Selenga River/Lake Baikal system are essential to the ecosystems and economic development of the surrounding region. The effects of climate change are more pronounced than in most other parts of the earth, and the transition from socialism into a market-oriented economy has led to a boom in mining but also to a partial collapse of environmental monitoring and urban wastewater management systems. Contributors provide strategies to the current water-related challenges in the region. $56.00 paper 978-3-8382-0863-3 2016 336 pages Ibidem Press
Choice Outstanding Academic Title; Outstanding Title in University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries, American Association of University Presses
Really Bad Powerpoint
“[Abominable Science!] is a never less than rigorous examination of the evidence, and a cultural history of cryptozoology.”—Nature
Following three core principles—visualize, unify, and focus— Better Presentations describes how to visualize data effectively, find and use images appropriately, choose sensible fonts and colors, edit text for powerful delivery, and restructure a written argument for maximum engagement and persuasion.
“A good hard look at cryptozoology.... Loxton and Prothero lay bare the psychological roots of why such mythical creatures exist in our own minds.”—The Scientist
$24.95 / £19.95 paper 978-0-231-17521-0 $75.00 / £62.95 cloth 978-0-231-175203-3 2016 192 pages
$19.95 / £14.95 paper 978-0-231-15321-8 $29.95 / £24.95 cloth 978-0-231-15320-1 2015 432 pages / 88 illus.
New in Paper
“Packed with salient science, smart speculation and flashes of mordant humour.”—Nature
“Highly recommended.” —The Midwest Book Review
Foreword by Michael Shermer
"Many smart people often become selfish idiots when they give a presentation. Jon's much-needed book is a must read for just about anyone asked to share some slides."— Seth Godin, author of
Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway
Past, Present, Future Vivien Gornitz
$42.00 / £34.95 paper 978-0-231-14739-2 $120.00 / £99.90 cloth 978-0-231-14738-5 2013 360 pages / 70 illus.
Jonathan Schwabish
"This is first-rate story telling, with heroes, villians, and the oftenunexpected discoveries that created revolutions in our concept of the planet."—Skeptical Inquirer
$35.00 / £26.00 cloth 978-0-231-17002-4 2016 416 pages / 20 illus.
ORIGINS OF
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Retreat from a Rising Sea
Eternal Ephemera
Hard Choices in an Age
Adaptation and the Origin of Species from the Nineteenth Century Through Punctuated
of Climate Change Orrin H. Pilkey, Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, and Keith C. Pilkey “A landmark work long overdue. The book offers deep analysis, case histories, and names villains of denial. It offers visions, solutions, and historic examples of how coastal cities and communities have dealt in the past and will need to cope in the future with rising coastal risks. It is a must-read for coastal residents and policy makers alike." —Klaus Jacob, Columbia University Earth Institute $19.95 / £14.95 paper 978-0-231-16845-8 October 2017 240 pages
Junk DNA A Journey Through the Dark Matter of the Genome One of The Independent's Best Science Books Nessa Carey " A cutting-edge, exhaustive guide to the rapidly changing, ever-more mysterious genome."—New Scientist
Equilibria and Beyond Niles Eldredge “A meticulously researched history of evolutionary theories that will likely be unfamiliar to most readers."—Science "A masterful work by one of the most influential paleontologists of the past half century, this is a must read for every serious student of evolutionary biology."—Choice $28.00 / £22.95 paper 978-0-231-15317-1 2016 416 pages
A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age Scientific Habits of Mind David J. Helfand “Given the state of the world today.... David Helfand has written the right book at the right time with the right message.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson, American Museum of Natural History
From confronting our fear of quantitative reasoning and demystifying graphs to eluci"The first popular overview of this field.... dating the key concepts of probability and data analysis and the use [Carey] has an excellent grasp of the hisof precise language and logic, this book supplies an essential set of tory of junk DNA and its implications for apps for the frontal cortex while making science both accessible and both basic and applied science."—The Quarterly Review of Biology entertaining.
$22.95 paper 978-0-231-17085-7 2017 360 pages
$22.95 / £18.95 paper 978-0-231-16873-1 2017 344 pages
Exam or desk copy requests please visit: http://cup.columbia.edu/static/examdesk Forthcoming January
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The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks
Origins of Darwin's Evolution
The Theory That Changed Everything
Tales of Important Geological Puzzles and the People Who Solved Them
Solving the Species Puzzle Through Time and Place J. David Archibald
Philip Lieberman
Donald R. Prothero Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. How did ocean rocks end up at the top of Mount Everest? What can we learn about our planet from meteorites and moon rocks? The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks answers these questions through expertly chosen case studies, such as Pliny the Elder’s firsthand account of the eruption of Vesuvius; the granite outcrops that led a Scottish scientist to theorize that the landscapes he witnessed were far older than Noah’s Flood; the gypsum deposits under the Mediterranean Sea that indicate that it was once a desert; and how trying to date the age of meteorites revealed the dangers of lead poisoning.
ORIGINS OF
DARWIN’S EVOLUTION
“In this thoughtful and carefully researched book, Archibald makes J. DAVID ARCHIBALD it abundantly clear that it was biogeography, not geology or the fossil record, that provided Darwin and his supporters with the earliest compelling evidence for evolution. Origins of Darwin’s Evolution fills a significant gap in the literature on Darwin’s research methods and the birth of the modern theory of evolution."—Michael Ghiselin, author of The Triumph of the
The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew John Pickrell Foreword by Philip Currie
“Fascinating.... Readers learn of beautiful opalised dinosaur bones from Australia and a crested dinosaur found approximately 13,000 feet up Antarctica's Mt. Kirkpatrick, demonstrating that dinosaurs were widely distributed across the globe."—Publishers Weekly Pickrell opens a vivid portal to a brand-new age of fossil discovery, in which fossil hunters are routinely redefining what we know and how we think about prehistory's most iconic and fascinating creatures. $29.95 / £24.95 cloth 978-0-231-18098-6 2017 280 pages / 53 illus.
Dinosaurs The Textbook, sixth edition Spencer G. Lucas “A concise, well-written, and profusely illustrated introduction to this ever-fascinating subject. It is ideally suited for college-level courses."—Hans-Dieter Sues, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History "The best available introduction to dinosaurs for college students, as earlier editions have been."—John Cisne, Cornell University $85.00 / £70.95 paper 978-0-231-17311-7 $160.00 /£133.95 cloth 978-0-231-17310-0 2016 392 pages / 311 illus.
“An awesome accompanying book for anyone who reads On the Origin of Species."
SOLVING the SPECIES PUZZLE Through TIME and PLACE
Darwinian Method $65.00 / £54.95 cloth 978-0-231-17684-2 2017 208 pages
Cataclysms
$35.00 / £27.95 cloth 978-0-231-18260-7 January 2018 352 pages
Weird Dinosaurs
"On the Origin of Species" as a Work in Progress
A New Geology for the Twenty-First Century Michael R. Rampino "Cataclysms is the most useful, wellwritten...summary of neocatastrophism since the Alvarez team published their initial work in the early 1980s. Rampino paints a lively picture of how work in the area of geoscience is actually done— aided and abetted to good purpose by copious illustrations."—Niles Eldredge, author of Eternal Ephemera
Michael R. Rampino builds on the latest findings from leading geoscientists to take “neocatastrophism” a step further, toward a richer understanding of the science behind major planetary upheavals and extinction events. $30.00 / £24.95 cloth 978-0-231-17780-1 2017 224 pages
Evolution What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters, Second Edition Donald R. Prothero
—Hans-Dieter Sues, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Philip Lieberman relates the insights that led to groundbreaking discoveries in both Darwin's time and our own while asking provocative questions about what Darwin would have made of controversial issues today. Lieberman is equally at home decoding supermarket shelves and climbing with the Sherpas as he discusses how natural selection explains features from lactose tolerance to ease of breathing at Himalayan altitudes. $30.00 / £24.95 cloth 978-0-231-17808-2 November 2017 224 pages
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Environmental Success Stories
Bringing Fossils to Life
Solving Major Ecological Problems and Confronting Climate Change Frank Dunnivant
An Introduction to Paleobiology Third Edition Donald R. Prothero
With a chapter by Kari Norgaard.
“Comprehensively covers the science of paleontology, running the gamut from the history of different aspects of the field to technical discoveries and taxonomic information. It is perfectly aimed at a student audience and belongs in the libraries of all professional (and amateur) paleontolo-
"Walking the narrow line between technological optimist and doom-and-gloom environmentalist by presenting cases where society has solved major ecological challenges, Dunnivant shows how advances in environmental science and regulation have helped to solve some of humanity’s biggest problems..... Environmental Success Stories shows how science, in concert with social movements, can affect real change." —Walter Dodds, author of Humanity's Footprint $30.00 / £24.95 paper 978-0-231-17919-5 $90.00 / £74.95 cloth 978-0-231-17918-8 2017 256 pages
The Story of Life in 25 Fossils
Their African Origin and Global Dispersal
Tales of Intrepid Fossil Hunters and the Wonders of Evolution Donald R. Prothero
John F. Hoffecker
“There is no other book that brings together such diverse fossils and tells their unique stories in a way that is both accurate and approachable.” —Xiaoming Wang, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
“A guide to museums where the original fossils or high-quality reproductions are housed and more than 150 illustrations accompany Prothero’s lively account of the science and politics that shaped the rich history of these discoveries.”—Kirkus Reviews $26.00 / £20.95 paper 978-0-231-17191-5 $35.00 / £27.90 cloth 978-0-231-17190-8 February 2018 408 pages / 150 illus.
Flying Dinosaurs How Fearsome Reptiles Became Birds John Pickrell
In this second edition, Donald R. Prothero describes new transitional fossils from various periods, vividly depicting such bizarre creatures as the Odontochelys, or the "turtle on the half shell," fossil snakes with legs, and the "Frogamander," a new example of amphibian transition. Prothero's discussion of intelligent-design arguments includes more historical examples and careful examination of the "experiments" and observations that are exploited by creationists seeking to undermine sound science education.
“A remarkable book, with a wealth of interviews with palaeontologists and a comprehensive catalogue of virtually all the findings of feathered dinosaurs since 1996."—Cosmos Magazine
$35.00 / £27.95 cloth 978-0-231-18064-1 2017 456 pages
$29.95 cloth 978-0-231-17178-6 2014 240 pages / 26 illus.
“After digesting all that Pickrell has to offer, it will be difficult for any reader to think about dinosaurs—or birds—in the same ways they had before." —Publishers Weekly
Modern Humans is about the most recent—and perhaps the most important—phase of human evolution: the appearance of anatomically modern people (Homo sapiens) in Africa less than a quarter of a million years ago. Most of the features that render living human beings unique among all forms of life evolved or developed with Homo sapiens. John F. Hoffecker argues that humans represent a "major transition" in evolution with respect to the storage, transmission, and translation of information, as well as a quantum leap in living-system complexity.
evolution of life. $95.00 / £79.95 paper 978-0-231-15893-0 $180.00 / £149.95 cloth 978-0-231-15892-3 2013 672 pages / 548 illus.
Aristotle’s Ladder, Darwin’s Tree
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the EVOLUTION of V I S U A L M E TA P H O R S for BIOLOGICAL ORDER
J. DAVID ARCH IBALD
Edited by Xiaoming Wang, Lawrence J. Flynn, and Mikael Fortelius “Invaluable... Fossil Mammals of Asia has done what no project had previously accomplished and will be an indispensable tool for completing the process of establishing a continentwide biochronology.” —Quarterly Review of Biology
A Primer in Biological Data Analysis and Visualization Using R Gregg Hartvigsen Hillel Winner of the Award for Excellence in Professional and Scholarly Publishing in Theology and Religious Studies
“Archibald’s book is interdisciplinary, authoritative, well-written and complete, with a deep historiographic appreciation of its many subjects.”—Nature
"Rich in content, beautifully illustrated, and often thought-provoking, this book should be of interest to anyone interested in the history of visual representations in the life sciences." —Archives of Natural History $70.00 / £58.95 cloth 978-0-231-16412-2 2014 256 pages / 96 illus.
Quarks to Culture How We Came to Be Tyler Volk “There are many books that attempt to build grand theories of everything. This is among the best. Volk has the breadth of intellect, the insatiable curiosity, the scientific rigor, and the philosophical depth.... Yielding a provocative thesis—combogenesis—that is boldly innovative and metaphorically evocative."
Hans-Dieter Sues and Nicholas C. Fraser Choice Outstanding Academic Title
$75.00 / £62.95 cloth 978-0-231-13522-1 2010 224 pages / 115 illus. The Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleobiology
Fossil Mammals of Asia
$110.00 / £91.95 cloth 978-0-231-15012-5 2013 752 pages / 143 illus.
J. David Archibald
The Great Transition
“The best technical reference available on the Triassic period.” —BioScience
Xiaoming Wang, Lawrence J. Flynn, and Mikael Fortelius
The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order
Triassic Life on Land
tems.”—Quarterly Review of Biology
EDITED BY
Aristotle’s Ladder, Darwin’s Tree
$90.00 / £74.95 cloth 978-0-231-16076-6 2017 544 pages
“An excellent resource, compiling evidence from geology, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, and paleobotany, and builds a comprehensive image of the Triassic Period and its significance as a time of transformation in terrestrial ecosys-
N E O G E N E B IO S T R AT IG R A P H Y A N D C H R O N O L O G Y
“This large volume makes a major gists.”— Bruce S. Lieberman, University of Kansas Paleontological Institute step in drawing together the diverse research programs extending from Turkey and Georgia through central and south For this third edition Donald R. Prothero has revised the art and research Asia to China, Asian Russia, Thailand, and Japan. Highly throughout, expanding the coverage of invertebrates and adding a disrecommended.” — Choice cussion of new methodologies and a chapter on the origin and early
Modern Humans
Forthcoming in paper
Fossil Mammals of Asia
—Mitchell Thomashow, author of Ecological Identity: Becoming a Reflective Environmentalist $35.00 / £27.95 cloth 978-0-231-17960-7 2017 280 pages
“An excellent, easy-to-read introduction to biostatistics and the software program R. Simple but rigorous, with top-notch coverage of R.” —Andy Conway, Princeton University Hartvigsen guides readers through the processes of entering data into R, working with data in R, and using R to visualize data using histograms, boxplots, barplots, scatterplots, and other common graph types. $36.00 / £29.95 paper 978-0-231-16699-7 $105.00 / £87.95 cloth 978-0-231-16698-0 2014 248 pages
WHEN THE INVASION OF LAND FAILED The Legacy of the Devonian Extinctions
George R. McGhee Jr.
When the Invasion of Land Failed The Legacy of the Devonian Extinctions George R. McGhee Jr. “From the origin of plants and animals through the Devonian era, this book is a marvelous read. It is important for a wide variety of geologists and biologists and for any readers interested in paleontology and environmental change.” —Peter Sheehan, curator, Milwaukee Public Museum
$50.00 / £41.95 paper 978-0-231-16057-5 $150.00 / £124.95 cloth 978-0-231-16056-8 2013 336 pages / 60 illus. Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleobiology