Continued fractions, studied since Ancient Greece, only became a powerful tool in the eighteenth century, in the hands of the great mathematician Euler. This book tells how Euler introduced the idea of orthogonal polynomials and combined the two subjects, and how Brouncker's formula of 1655 can be d[...]

This book places thermodynamics on a system-theoretic foundation so as to harmonize it with classical mechanics. Using the highest standards of exposition and rigor, the authors develop a novel formulation of thermodynamics that can be viewed as a moderate-sized system theory as compared to statisti[...]

Many historical processes exhibit recurrent patterns of change. Century-long periods of population expansion come before long periods of stagnation and decline; the dynamics of prices mirror population oscillations; and, states go through strong expansionist phases followed by periods of state failu[...]

Reaching far beyond sword and sorcery, "The Scar "is a story of two people torn by disaster, their descent into despair, and their reemergence through love and courage. Sergey and Marina Dyachenko mix dramatic scenes with romance, action and wit, in a style both direct and lyrical. Written with a su[...]

Sergey Prokofiev, a compulsive diarist and gifted and idiosyncratic writer, possessed an incorrigibly sardonic curiosity about individuals and events. When he left Russia after the 1917 Revolution, his diaries were recovered from the family flat in Petrograd and later hidden at considerable personal[...]

'Hedgehog in the Fog' is an international bestseller which has already been published in many languages. The book is based on Francesca Yarbusova's sketches to the award-winning animated film directed by Yuri Norstein. It is about the adventures of the philosophical little Hedgehog on his way to mee[...]

When Stanford graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin collaborated on the search engine Google, they didn't realize that their invention would soon become so ingrained in Web culture that its name would be used as a verb. As the search engine of choice worldwide, Google ranks Web sites' popular[...]

The genetic interests of males and females often diverge; traits favored by one sex can be costly to the other. Over time, this "battle of the sexes," or sexual conflict, has important evolutionary consequences (e.g., speciation).
Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from [...]