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A series of anecdotes shouldn't by rights add up to an autobiography, but that's just one of the many pieces of received wisdom that Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88) cheerfully ignores in his engagingly eccentric book, a bestseller ever since its initial publication in 1985. Fiercely independent (read the chapter entitled "Judging Books by Their Covers"), intolerant of stupidity even when it comes packaged as high intellectualism (check out "Is Electricity Fire?"), unafraid to offend (see "You Just Ask Them?"), Feynman informs by entertaining. It's possible to enjoy Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman simply as a bunch of hilarious yarns with the smart-alecky author as know-it-all hero. At some point, however, attentive readers realize that underneath all the merriment simmers a running commentary on what constitutes authentic knowledge: learning by understanding, not by rote; refusal to give up on seemingly insoluble problems; and total disrespect for fancy ideas that have no grounding in the real world. Feynman himself had all these qualities in spades, and they come through with vigor and verve in his no-bull prose. No wonder his students--and readers around the world--adored him. --Wendy Smith

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Tom Clancy has said of Robert A. Heinlein, "We proceed down the path marked by his ideas. He shows us where the future is." Nowhere is this more true than in Heinlein's gripping tale of revolution on the moon in 2076, where "Loonies" are kept poor and oppressed by an Earth-based Authority that turns huge profits at their expense. A small band of dissidents, including a one-armed computer jock, a radical young woman, a past-his-prime academic and a nearly omnipotent computer named Mike, ignite the fires of revolution despite the near certainty of failure and death.

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Tricks of the trade on speaking well from a master of rhetoric. Since 1985, Reid Buckley has run the exclusive public speaking school for executives and professionals, of which Town & Country magazine said: "To get through these rigorous classes, it helps to have the mettle of a bullfighter." Now this dynamic speaking coach reveals his techniques in a unique primer that will help even the most tongue-tied person become a more persuasive and charismatic speaker. Brimming with humorous anecdotes of the Buckley family and other well-known personalities, this guide provides business speakers with all they need to know, including: Find something interesting to say; Clarify your thinking; Master the mechanics of voice, expression, and delivery; Compose a lucid and compelling talk in decent English.

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Predating the Tom Clancy novels and later offerings in this genre, Captain Beach fills each page with excitement, humanity and the apprehension of battle only a warrior can depict accurately. A must read for undersea warfare buffs, you will learn much about the tactics of current day submariners and glean where many of today's writers of this category of literature originated their styles and interest in undersea warfare.

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In twelve dazzling full-color plates and dozens of two-color illustrations, two-time Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillion capture the beauty, grandeur, and suspense of this timeless tale. From the exploration of the lost city of Atlantis to the battle with a giant octopus to the mad genius of the organ-playing Captain Nemo, their art brings the classic words of Jules Verne to vivid life. More than one hundred years after its first publication, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remains one of the most memorable adventure stories ever told. Now, with this beautifully illustrated and unabridged gift edition, a new generation can discover the excitement and imaginative power of Jules Verne's epic tale.

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--The Washington Post Book World (front page review) In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time. Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier--space. In Pale Blue Dot Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race. "TAKES READERS FAR BEYOND Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity's future in the stars."