Winchester, Simon

When the earth shakes : earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis by Simon Winchester( Book )

5 editions published in 2015 in English and held by 958 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"'New York Times' bestselling author, explorer, journalist, and geologist Simon Winchester who's been shaken by earthquakes in New Zealand, skied through Greenland to help prove the theory of plate tectonics, and even charred the soles of his boots climbing a volcano looks at the science, technology, and societal impact of these inter-connected natural phenomena"--

The perfectionists : how precision engineers created the modern world by Simon Winchester( Book )

10 editions published in 2018 in English and held by 870 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"Precision is so essential a component of modern human life and existence that we seldom stop to think about it. [This book] examines the relatively recent development of the notion of precision--the people who developed it and the ways in which it has shaped the modern world--and the challenges posed and losses risked by our veneration and pursuit of increasingly precise tools and methods. The history of precision as a concept and in practice begins in England with its originators: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who first exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools--machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods in the development of guns, glass, mirrors, lenses, and cameras gave way to further advancements, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider. The fundamental questions at the heart of The Perfectionists are these: Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultraprecise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural coexist in society?"--Dust jacket

Krakatoa : [the day the world exploded, August 27, 1883] by Simon Winchester( Recording )

26 editions published between 2003 and 2004 in English and held by 809 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

In 1883, a series of cataclysmic events completely annihilated the Indonesian volcano islands of Krakatoa. Those who survived the initial volcano eruption fell victim to a ferocious tidal wave. Over 40,000 people lost their lives in perhaps the worst natural disaster in history. Here, Simon Winchester chronicles the harrowing event

The professor and the madman by Simon Winchester( Recording )

25 editions published between 1998 and 2005 in English and Undetermined and held by 776 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

When editors of the "Oxford English dictionary" put out a call during the late 19th century for "men of letters" to contribute entries, hundreds of responses came forth

Pacific rising : the emergence of a new world culture by Simon Winchester( Book )

7 editions published between 1991 and 1992 in English and Undetermined and held by 740 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"A brilliant portrait of the peoples, history, culture and politics of the Pacific by a gifted and critically acclaimed author who remains fascinated and enthralled by the ocean Herman Melville called 'the tide-beating heart of the earth.'"--Dust jacket inside cover

Stones of empire : the buildings of the Raj by Jan Morris( Book )

19 editions published between 1983 and 2008 in English and held by 675 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

This book describes the whole range of British constructions in India. The text and photographs illustrate these buildings not simply as physical objects, but as reflections of an empire's mingled emotions and changing history

The man who loved China : Joseph Needham and the making of a masterpiece by Simon Winchester( Recording )

9 editions published in 2008 in English and held by 668 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Simon Winchester profiles the life and work of Joseph Needham, a man who, in the mid-20th century, dedicated his life to studying the history of Chinese science. He would go on to write the definitive history of China's scientific progress

The men who united the states : America's explorers, inventors, eccentrics, and mavericks, and the creation of one nation, indivisible by Simon Winchester( Recording )

14 editions published in 2013 in English and held by 664 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

For more than two centuries, E pluribus unum -- Out of many, one -- has been featured on America's official government seals and stamped on its currency. But how did America become "one nation, indivisible"? What unified a growing number of disparate states into the modern country we recognize today? In this monumental history, Simon Winchester addresses these questions, bringing together the breathtaking achievements that helped forge and unify America and the pioneers who have toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizens and geography of the U.S.A. from its beginnings. Winchester follows in the footsteps of America's most essential explorers, thinkers, and innovators, including Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery Expedition to the Pacific Coast, the builders of the first transcontinental telegraph, and the powerful civil engineer behind the Interstate Highway System. He treks vast swaths of territory, from Pittsburgh to Portland; Rochester to San Francisco; Truckee to Laramie; Seattle to Anchorage, introducing these fascinating men and others -- some familiar, some forgotten, some hardly known -- who played a pivotal role in creating today's United States. Throughout, he ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree

The surgeon of Crowthorne : a tale of murder, madness and the love of words by Simon Winchester( Book )

48 editions published between 1998 and 2014 in 5 languages and held by 633 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

W.C. Minor was one of the keenest volunteers involved in the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. What the OED's editor, James Murray, didn't realise was that he was also a millionaire American Civil War surgeon turned lunatic, imprisoned in Broadmoor Asylum for murder

Skulls : an exploration of Alan Dudley's curious collection by Simon Winchester( Book )

5 editions published between 2010 and 2012 in English and held by 607 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Tells the rich and fascinating story of skulls, both human and animal, from every perspective imaginable: historical, biographical, cultural, and iconographic. Presenting details about the parts of the skull (including the cranium, the mandible, the shape and positioning of the eye sockets, and species-specific features like horns, teeth, beaks and bills), information about the science and pseudoscience of skulls, and a look at skulls in religion, art and popular culture, his stories and information are riveting and enlightening