Scibooks

Capital: More questions than answers

SciBooks • Apr 23, 2014

• capital,
• Economics,
• Matt Nolan,
• Scibooks

by Matt Nolan REVIEW: Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty Harvard University Press (2014) RRP: US$39.95 Capital, by Thomas Piketty, is a book that had to be written. Both he, and his translator Arthur Goldhammer, have come together to produce a text that is insightful, interesting, challenging, and clear to the public. I … Read More

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A linguistic taniwha? How real is it?

SciBooks • Apr 10, 2014

• book review,
• evolution,
• language,
• linguistics,
• Māori,
• Scibooks,
• Science

by Michael Corballis REVIEW: How to Find a Taniwha by Trevor Lloyd Steele Roberts Publishers 2014 RRP: $24.99 A common view among linguists is that words are arbitrary, and in themselves convey no information as to what they mean. The word dog bears no physical relation to that friendly animal itself, in either sight or … Read More

Compelling History of National Women’s Hospital

SciBooks • Mar 30, 2014

• book review,
• History,
• hospital,
• Maternity,
• National Women's,
• New Zealand,
• Scibooks,
• Science,
• women's health

by Heather Clendon REVIEW: The Rise and Fall of National Women’s Hospital – A history by Linda Bryder Auckland University Press. RRP $49.95 When first asked to review this book, I thought it may be a dry and complex read and I, as a retired registered nurse, with no midwifery experience, would have little interest in … Read More

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Engrossing, Compassionate Account of Pike River Disaster

SciBooks • Mar 17, 2014

• book review,
• disaster,
• engineering,
• mining,
• non-fiction,
• regulation,
• Safety,
• Scibooks,
• Science

by Rod Hanson REVIEW The Tragedy at Pike River Mine – How and Why 29 Men Died by Rebecca Macfie Awa Press RRP: $40.00 The Pike River coal mine disaster which cost the lives of 29 men in November 2010 has been extensively researched and documented with great feeling and compassion for the families involved … Read More

From genes via markets to the big universe

SciBooks • Mar 12, 2014

• astrophysics,
• book review,
• nonfiction,
• Scibooks,
• Science

by Veronika Meduna REVIEW: What a wonderful world: one man’s attempt to explain the big stuff by Marcus Chown Faber and Faber, 2013 Marcus Chown is well known for his books about astrophysics and anything else related to the universe, but in his latest offering, What a Wonderful World, he leaves his own galactic turf to explore … Read More

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The cryptic appeal of Cryptozoology

SciBooks • Feb 27, 2014

• animals,
• book review,
• cryptids,
• fantasy,
• Scibooks,
• Science

by Sophie Fern REVIEW: Cryptozoologicon: the biology, evolution and mythology of hidden animals by John Conway, C.M. Kosemen and Darren Naish Irregular books, 2013 If it is possible to have a coffee table e-book, that is exactly what this is – a volume to dip into for edification and entertainment.  With tongues firmly lodged in cheeks, … Read More

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‘Old Blue’ an antidote to conservation fatigue

SciBooks • Feb 21, 2014

• Birds of New Zealand,
• black robin,
• book review,
• classics,
• conservation,
• Scibooks,
• scibooks,
• Science

by Sophie Fern REVIEW: Black Robin Country: The Chatham Islands and its wildlife. by David Cemmick and Dick Veitch Hodder and Stoughton, 1985 The story of the survival of the black robins and their matriarch ‘Old Blue’ is well known, but this is a legendary snapshot of the project at a time when no one … Read More

Cautionary tales of a free trade agreement

SciBooks • Feb 21, 2014

• book review,
• free trade agreement,
• patents,
• Scibooks,
• Science,
• Technology,
• TPP

by Dion O’Neale  Review: Hidden Agendas: What we need to know about the TPPA by Jane Kelsey Bridget Williams Books, 2013 e-book RRP $4.99 Jane Kelsey makes no bones about the fact that she thinks that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is bad news for New Zealand: the first page of … Read More

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Nothing but science goodness

SciBooks • Jan 28, 2014

• book review,
• Scibooks,
• Science

Reviewed by: Aimee Whitcroft REVIEW: Nothing Edited by: Jeremy Webb (New Scientist) Profile Books Limited, 2013 I’ve read a great many science books over the years, and stacked up against the numerous tomes into which I’ve sunk myself of an afternoon, Nothing has to be one of my favourites.  With chapters by 20 science writers – … Read More

‘Must Read’ for Would-be Science Writers

SciBooks • Jan 12, 2014

• Scibooks

by Michael Edmonds REVIEW: Field Guide for Science Writers: the official guide of the National Association of Science Writers, 2nd Edition Edited by Deborah Blum, Mary Knudson & Robin Marantz Henig Oxford University Press NZ RRP $36.00 I expected a book containing contributions from over 50 leading science writers to be a good read, … Read More

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