A fascinating tribute to the forefathers of two of today’s most exciting scientific fields Thanks to Max Delbruck and George Gamow, today we have mapped the human genome and understand the ramifications of the Big Bang. In his characteristically inviting and elegant style, Gino Segre brings to life the story of these two great scientists and their long friendship and offers an accessible inside look the people behind the scenes of science—the collaboration and competition, the quirks and failures, the role of intuition and luck, and the sense of wonder and curiosity that keeps these extraordinary minds going.

Recounts the life of the scientist whose theories of relativity revolutionized the way we look at space and time.

A collection of short fiction by an O. Henry Award-winning author explores the transcendent and magical qualities that transform even the most mundane life in Midwestern Kansas, capturing the unique and extraordinary world of a young boy hunting for a runaway hourse, a couple ostracized in their small town, a grieving high school basketball star, and other colorful characters.

The evil Genius Arkady Astrakhan is the Supreme Ruler of Astrakon, a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. He lives in a palace, has a harem and daily spends hours on his throne in an arena where gladiatorial combats take place. He is a sadist with absolute control over the planet’s population. When Roger Reynolds, the leader of Earth’s Council of Geniuses, and Merlin, the 6th century wizard, destroy Arkady’s twin brother Abaddon, Arkady is compelled to leave Astrakon, and travel to Earth to avenge his brother. Arkady is handsome, 6-foot 6, with amazing mental powers. He appears to be a very fit and youthful 50-year-old, but is, in fact, more than 2,500 years old. Roger learns that the bloody conflict raging today between the Astrakhan and Reynolds families began with the destruction of two planets and their populations in the Andromeda Galaxy 2,500 years ago. Arkady arrives on Earth, and tries to destroy Roger and his team during the wedding of Roger’s daughter Roxanne. He is soundly defeated, but manages to get away. He concludes that he must acquire governmental power to be able to defeat Roger Reynolds, enslave humanity and despotically rule Earth. To gain that power, Arkady decides to become the President of the United States. Using his Genius powers, his campaign for the Presidency makes astonishing progress. While campaigning, Arkady repeatedly attacks Roger’s family and friends, and even tries to seduce Roger’s wife Rebecca. Roger races to develop a way to defeat Arkady, without taking his life. Will Roger prevail over the most powerful opponent he has ever faced? The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The cosmos is vastinfinite and incomprehensible. Trillions of galaxies, sextillions of stars, and countless planets, moons, and asteroids all spiral in space, not caring about or noticing what is happening on Earth. But for those living on the planet, a momentous battle prophesied more than fifteen centuries ago by the wizard Merlin is about to begin. Roger Reynolds is one of a small group of super Geniuses who have secretly been influencing the world. He recently defeated a very powerful evil Genius determined to kill him and his beloved wife and daughter, and rule the world. He hoped this victory had ended the threats against his family prophesied by Merlin. But now Roger is being plagued by nightmares and attacked by people whose brains are controlled by an unknown enemy. Roger senses a terrible menace is approaching. Only time will tell whether he is strong enough to protect his family and the world from the coming evil. Merlins sixth-century prophecy unfolds as Roger battles an immensely powerful evil Genius.

The definitive history of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon agency that has quietly shaped war and technology for nearly sixty years. Founded in 1958 in response to the launch of Sputnik, the agency’s original mission was to create “the unimagined weapons of the future.” Over the decades, DARPA has been responsible for countless inventions and technologies that extend well beyond military technology. Sharon Weinberger gives us a riveting account of DARPA’s successes and failures, its remarkable innovations, and its wild-eyed schemes. We see how the threat of nuclear Armageddon sparked investment in computer networking, leading to the Internet, as well as to a proposal to power a missile-destroying particle beam by draining the Great Lakes. We learn how DARPA was responsible during the Vietnam War for both Agent Orange and the development of the world’s first armed drones, and how after 9/11 the agency sparked a national controversy over surveillance with its data-mining research. And we see how DARPA’s success with self-driving cars was followed by disappointing contributions to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Weinberger has interviewed more than one hundred former Pentagon officials and scientists involved in DARPA’s projects—many of whom have never spoken publicly about their work with the agency—and pored over countless declassified records from archives around the country, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, and exclusive materials provided by sources. The Imagineers of War is a compelling and groundbreaking history in which science, technology, and politics collide.

Tag along on this New York Times bestselling “witty, entertaining romp” (The New York Times Book Review) as Eric Weiner travels the world, from Athens to Silicon Valley—and back through history, too—to show how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times. In this “intellectual odyssey, traveler’s diary, and comic novel all rolled into one” (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A “superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating” (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this “big-hearted humanist” (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as the geniuses who flourished in these settings to see if the spirit of what inspired figures like Socrates, Michelangelo, and Leonardo remains. In these places, Weiner asks, “What was in the air, and can we bottle it?” “Fun and thought provoking” (The Miami Herald), The Geography of Genius reevaluates the importance of culture in nurturing creativity and “offers a practical map for how we can all become a bit more inventive” (Adam Grant, author of Originals).

A very small number of people with IQs of over 1,000 secretly live among us, concealing their extraordinary intelligence and mental powers. They call themselves Geniuses, and have - for millennia - influenced our world. Over the centuries evil Geniuses have tried to control ordinary people, who they refer to as Ordinaries, and dominate the world. Good Geniuses have opposed them defending the rights of Ordinaries to control their own destinies and live in freedom. A major confrontation between good and evil Geniuses is about to begin. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

As children, Connie and Estella were best friends-until Estella was discovered to be a math prodigy, which led to the sisters' estrangement. Now, years later, they are forced to reunite on the Gulf Coast of Florida as they pack up their childhood home and ready it for sale. The reunion comes at a time when both Connie and Estella must come to terms with painful revelations and devastating consequences in their own lives. And once again, her sister's genius may alter Connie's life in ways she cannot control.