“A lovely, fascinating book, which brings science to life.” —Alan Lightman Combining science, history, and adventure, Tom Shachtman “holds the reader’s attention with the skill of a novelist” as he chronicles the story of humans’ four-centuries-long quest to master the secrets of cold (Scientific American). “A disarming portrait of an exquisite, ferocious, world-ending extreme,” Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold demonstrates how temperature science produced astonishing scientific insights and applications that have revolutionized civilization (Kirkus Reviews). It also illustrates how scientific advancement, fueled by fortuitous discoveries and the efforts of determined individuals, has allowed people to adapt to—and change—the environments in which they live and work, shaping man’s very understanding of, and relationship, with the world. This “truly wonderful book” was adapted into an acclaimed documentary underwritten by the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, directed by British Emmy Award winner David Dugan, and aired on the BBC and PBS’s Nova in 2008 (Library Journal). “An absorbing account to chill out with.” —Booklist

"Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose family was one of thousands aided by humanitarian relief, once said: "I can still feel the warmth of the blanket I received from The Joint."" "Established in 1914 to aid Palestinian Jews caught up in the agony of World War I, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (known as the JDC or "The Joint") has brought aid to people all over the world - including Europe after World War II ("the Jewish Marshall Plan"), the State of Israel in the early days of its inception, and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The JDC has a simple mission: to help those in need, whoever they are and wherever they are found." "An activist and leader in Jewish affairs all his life, Ralph Goldman is the heart and soul of the JDC. From the 1940s through the 1960s, he assisted David Ben-Gurion during the founding of the State of Israel, and went on to serve as Executive Vice President of the JDC during the 1970s and 1980s. Under Goldman's leadership, the JDC established schools and community centers in Israel, brought aid to Jews trapped behind the Iron Curtain, and improved the lives of people around the world. Called "the ultimate insider" by former mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek, Goldman is a vital part of Jewish life and an inspiration to people all over the world."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Book of Jasher is twice mentioned in the Bible. In order to distinguish this work from the Pseudo-Jasher, it carries the title "The Ancient Book of Jasher". The transcript has been carried out faithfully except for a number of minor amendments. It is a shame that in most publications of the Book of Jasher, the supportive documents that prove its origin are missing, as if evidence that testifies to its veracity is difficult to bear. But here they are. What is new, is a division in sections, which makes easy reading. You'll find a good Analytical Index, and that's always helpful. The prelimenary remarks, made by the present publisher, gives a better feel about the authenticity of this truly amazing book that, by the way, is still being printed in the original Hebrew, in a mode of writing that carries the patina of its age.