DUNCAN BAIRD (dist. by PGW)
What's Out There: Images from Here to the Edge of the Universe (Nov., $29.95) by Mary K. Baumann et al. A visual dictionary featuring 200 images of space. 25,000 first printing. QPB main.
BANTAM
A Briefer History of Time (Sept., $25) by Stephen Hawking with Leonard Mlodinow is an updated, more accessible version of the bestseller. 75,000 first printing.
BASIC BOOKS
The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain (Jan., $24.95) by Gene Cohen, M.D., offers proof that the mind improves with age. 50,000 first printing. Author tour.
The Happiness Hypothesis: Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science (Jan., $26) by Jonathan Haidt shows why ancient insights can still help us live meaningful and healthy lives. 50,000 first printing.
BROADWAY BOOKS
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Special Illustrated Edition (Nov., $35) by Bill Bryson explains, in visual terms, the concepts and wonders of science.
BROADWAY/MORGAN ROAD
The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality (Sept., $24.95) by His Holiness the Dalai Lama shares his understanding of how science and spirituality interact.
DK
Universe (Oct., $50). This guide to the universe and all its components illustrates the latest theories about space.
EDITIONS FLAMMARION
Homo Sapiens (Oct., $40) by Yves Coppens provides behind-the-scenes glimpses of the December Discovery Channel film.
FIREFLY
Great Observatories of the World (Sept., $59.95) by Serge Brunier and Anne-Marie Lagrange. Illustrated profiles of observatories and space-based telescopes, and the astronomers who used them.
Rocks and Fossils: A Visual Guide (Sept., $29.95) by Robert R. Coenraads explains geological concepts.
JOSEPH HENRY
Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins (Sept., $27.95) by Robert M. Hazen considers how nonliving chemicals gave birth to life on earth.
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV. PRESS
An Acre of Glass: A History and Forecast of the Telescope (Nov., $30) by J.B. Zirker contrasts the differences between Galileo's 17th-century version and modern mountain-top instruments.
KALES PRESS (dist. by Norton)
Coming to Life: How Genes Drive Development (Sept., $29.95) by Christiane Nüslein-Volhard. A winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine provides an overview of genetics, evolution and cellular processes. Author tour.
MIT PRESS
Sky in a Bottle (Dec., $24.95) by Peter Pesic undertakes a quest through science, history and art to answer the age-old question, "Why is the sky blue?"
W. W. NORTON
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife (Oct., $24.95) by Mary Roach explores what happens when we die. Ad/promo. 12-city author tour.
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Nov., $49.95), edited by Edward O. Wilson, presents the texts with new introductions, afterword, index and restorations of the original illustrations. Author tour.
PANTHEON
The Discoveries: The Great Breakthroughs in 20th-Century Science (Nov., $32.50) by Alan Lightman focuses on groundbreaking findings; includes 24 original papers in physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy.
PRINCETON UNIV. PRESS
Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate (Sept., $24.95) by William F. Ruddiman argues that humans have been changing the Earth's climate for some 8,000 years.
Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago (Feb., $24.95) by Douglas H. Erwin attempts to solve a paleontological mystery: Why did 95% of all living species die out some 250 million years ago?
RUNNING PRESS
Darwin: The Indelible Stamp—The Evolution of an Idea (Sept., $29.95), edited by James D. Watson, reprints four of Darwin's most influential works, with commentary.
God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History (Oct., $29.95), edited by Stephen Hawking, explores 25 important mathematical landmarks spanning 2,500 years.
THUNDERS MOUTH
The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul: What Gnarly Computation Taught Me About Ultimate Reality, the Meaning of Life, and How to Be Happy (Oct., $35) by Rudy Rucker offers a new method of understanding nature, society and the mind.
VIKING
The Planets (Oct., $24.95) by Dava Sobel explores the solar system's origins and oddities through the lens of popular culture. BOMC, One Spirit, History and Natural Science book clubs alternates. 10-city author tour.
YALE UNIV. PRESS
The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma (Oct., $30) by Marc W. Kirschner and John C. Gerhart offers a solution to the puzzle of how small random genetic change can be converted into complex, useful innovations.
