In the summer of 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched the largest diplomatic mission in American history. Led by Secretary of War (and future president) William Howard Taft, the group traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific. Along for the ride was Teddy's daughter Alice. She was not there by accident: her father knew that Alice would be an effective distraction for the reporters covering the journey. And Roosevelt had very good reason to keep his true motives concealed.

"Despite their fears and prejudices, they began a friendship — and now a remarkable book. It is a book that confronts head-on the issues dividing the Middle East, but one that also shines a ray of hope on that dark, embattled region"

"The inherent value or validity of political propositions put forward by candidates for office is now largely irrelevant compared with the image-based advertising campaigns they use to shape the perceptions of voters."

A wonderful mix of an entertaining narrative, the history of math learning, especially in the U.S., Japan and Eastern Europe, some DARNED HARD math and thought problems (with solutions in the Appendix), a balanced view of some psychological and sociological research that has been done on talent and so-called gifted children, and also an easy read (except for the math problems!)

True story of my friend Bert's father and his cropdusting business in Central California in the 1920's-1930's

The curious and contentious story of Daylight Saving Time

Movie Magic and studio power in the prime of MGM - and the miracle of Production #1060

The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - "droll, dark, and quite wise" - "the funniest science writer in the country"

If you like tales of sailing ships, you'll love this first-hand narrative of a round-the-world voyage in 1938-39. Filled with nautical terminology

From Nixon to Clinton, in the words of the man who served four presidents

Superstrings, hidden dimensions, the search for the universal theory

The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary, Queen of Scots to Quantum Cryptography

The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the WORLD WIDE WEB by Its Inventor

The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the WORLD WIDE WEB by Its Inventor

If you are curious about how our brains process music, or like to read about the lives of famous musicians, read this

To my mind, one of the most beautiful books ever written

A touching story about an old, dying professor and his former student

The true story of a lone genius who solved the greatest scientific problem of his time

The saga of a series of expeditions to see nearly extinct animals, told by the author of A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe