Amazon.co.uk: Best of 2009 in Books: Science & Nature

Best of 2009 in Books: Science & Nature

Best of 2009 in Books

We’ve thoroughly reviewed the list of books newly published in 2009 to select the year’s best releases in the Science & Nature category.

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Life by Martha Holmes and Michael Gunton	The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins
Life is an ambitious, exhilarating and beautifully illustrated study of animal behaviour, exploring the key groups of animals that inhabit this planet and their survival strategies. From cold-blooded reptilian killers to the armoured invaders of the insect world, the long-distance migratory birds to predatory mammals and the sociable and intelligent primates, Life reveals animal behaviour as never described before.	In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. He sifts through layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics.
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Wildlife Photographer of the Year by Rosamund Kidman Cox	Life Stories by Sir David Attenborough
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is undoubtedly the most outstanding new collection of nature photographs available. The book showcases more than 120 stunning images from the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, choosing the winning entries from 35,000 entries submitted by photographers around the world.	In Life Stories, Sir David Attenborough looks at the wildlife that has captured his imagination and enthusiasm over his distinguished career in TV and offers a personal view of the natural world. Life Stories is a fascinating trip around the world in search of extraordinary plants and animals.
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Last Chance to See by Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine	Paw Tracks in the Moonlight by Denis O'Connor
Join zoologist Mark Carwardine and Stephen Fry, as they follow in their great friend Douglas Adams' footsteps, in search of some of the rarest and most threatened animals on Earth. Last Chance to See follows the unlikely duo on six separate journeys which take them from the steamy jungles of the Amazon to the ice-covered mountain tops of New Zealand and from the edge of a war zone in Central Africa to a sub-tropical paradise in the North Pacific.	When Denis O'Connor rescues a three-week-old kitten from certain death during a snowstorm, little does he know how this tiny creature will change his life forever. Against all odds the kitten, who he names Toby Jug, survives and forms an unusually strong bond with his rescuer. Set against the rural splendour of Northumberland, Paw Tracks in the Moonlight in the Moonlight charmingly chronicles the adventures of one man and his Maine Coone cat.
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Apollo 11 Manual by Chris Riley and Phil Dolling	The Running Sky by Tim Dee
Apollo 11 Manual is the story of the Apollo 11 mission and the 'space hardware' that made it all possible. This manual looks at the evolution and design of the mighty Saturn V rocket, the Command and Service Modules, and the Lunar Module. It describes how the Apollo 11 mission was flown - from launch procedures to 'flying' the Saturn V and the 'LEM', and from moon walking to the earth re-entry procedure.	The Running Sky is the fascinating account of a bird-watching life. Tim Dee maps his own observations and encounters over four decades from near-global birds like sparrows, starlings and ravens, to exotic species, like electrically coloured hummingbirds in California and bee-eaters and broadbills in Africa.
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Wild Life by Simon King	Red Sky at Night by Jane Struthers
In Wild Life, Simon King weaves his animal stories amongst encounters with extraordinary people, and astonishing places from remote desert to Arctic and Antarctic wilderness to give us a delightful memoir.	Ever wondered how to predict the weather just by looking at the sky? Or how to attract butterflies to your garden? Packed with instructions and lists, ancient customs and old wives tales, Red Sky at Night is the indispensable guide to countryside lore.
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