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The compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing that reveals how the brain responds to storytelling, based on the wildly popular creative writing class. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, children’s writer, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction. Award-winning writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers—and also our brains—create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change. Stories shape who we are. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and mold our beliefs. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. So, how do master storytellers compel us? Will Storr’s superbly chosen examples range from Harry Potter to Jane Austen to Alice Walker, Greek drama to Russian novels to Native American folk tales, King Lear to Breaking Bad to children’s stories. With sections such as “The Dramatic Question,” “Creating a World,” and “Plot, Endings, and Meaning,” as well as a practical, step-by-step appendix dedicated to “The Sacred Flaw Approach,” The Science of Storytelling reveals just what makes stories work, placing it alongside such creative writing classics as John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey into Story and Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing. “If you want to write a novel or a script, read this book. It is clear, compelling, and tightly shaped.” - Sunday Times (London)

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Somewhere between unlikely and impossible is where magic happens. This is where Rocket Lab was born. From a young age Sir Peter Beck had his mind set on one thing: space. And as he tinkered with motorbikes in his parents’ garage as a teenager, he was quietly forming a plan-a plan that would eventuate into the establishment of one of the most dynamic and influential aerospace manufacturers the world has ever seen. The Launch of Rocket Lab traces Rocket Lab’s extraordinary journey from fledgling start-up to international powerhouse competing against two of the world’s richest men in the global space race. Remarkable behind-the-scenes photographs and original interviews with Beck, his team, investors, and industry experts provide a thrilling insider account of each step in Rocket Lab’s path to success. From the early days raising venture capital to the successful launch of the first Electron small orbital launch vehicle-which transformed the way we see and access space-to the company’s expansion across the US, going public on the stock exchange, and its countless partnerships with major organizations including the DARPA, the Space Test Program, United States Air Force Space Command, and NASA. Now the fastest company to launch 50 rockets into space, with a market cap of US$13.63 billion, a mission to Mars in production, and plans to reach Venus in the foreseeable future, Rocket Lab has long outgrown its humble beginnings and far surpassed international expectations. A story of of innovation, dedication, teamwork, and brilliance, The Launch of Rocket Lab documents the company’s past as it looks to a future of unlimited possibility.

From Marginalian Editions comes a gorgeous reissue of celebrated poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman’s debut: a soaring ode to our solar system, planet to planet, blending science and imagination, astronomy and cosmology, as well as fantasy, satire, myth, and reflection. First published in 1973, The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral introduced not only a splendid new poet but a whole new adventure in poetry. With bravura style, unbridled imagination, and a connoisseur's eye for precise scientific detail, Diane Ackerman’s debut brought us an unforgettable ode to each planet in our solar system, not to mention the moon, the comet Kohoutek, and the asteroid belt, as well as strange voyages to the stars, the bottom of the sea, through the human body, and into the mind. Diane Ackerman herself says: “I’ve always been baffled by people who write about nature only in terms of, say, junipers and cornfields, eschewing all things so-called ‘scientific,’ as if science were, per se, the spoil-sport of feeling. So wonderless a view of nature really doesn’t appeal to me.” The Planets is a rare fusion of art and science—one of the great poetic works of cosmic imagination.

An insider's view exposing the most urgent issue in US big giving-and how to address it With Americans increasingly concerned about billionaires controlling our public funds and everyday lives, Glen Galaich-social impact expert, nonprofit leader, and Stupski Foundation CEO-delivers his personal conversion story from believing in strong, consolidated donor power to advocating for more community engagement in foundation funding decisions. In Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short , Galaich offers an incisive critique of the United States' approach to charitable Big Giving and its systems and culture that, he argues, encourage excessive donor control. Most people don't realize (or don't want to talk about) why today $2 trillion in US charitable funds are essentially stockpiled by big donors and foundations too focused on growing endowments through for-profit investments rather than the timely, vital disbursement of these funds back to our communities and nonprofits. Galaich introduces us to the system-wide "Mindset of Control" that allows continued, outsized influence of major donors over charitable assets legally and ethically no longer their money. He discusses how financial and legal systems, combined with outdated traditions, have given big donors a false sense of ownership over effectively public assets, and kept private foundations and donor-advised funds from comprehensively engaging communities. It's a role in the system that Galaich questions if many big donors even want to play. Inside the book: Revealing examples of how excessive donor control maintains an ineffective culture of Big Giving and limits community engagement Storytelling that holds a mirror up to the sector’s behaviors, myths, and "fake rules" that impede social progress for working-class and perennially under-resourced communities A rare peek into the inner workings of private foundations and how grantmaking decisions are made behind the closed doors of nontransparent institutions Galaich says the good news is that we created this system, and we can change it. Control offers first steps toward a game-changing shift in this massive sector that affects everyone, showing new roles we can play and fairer mindsets. Challenging and principled, Control is essential reading for anyone interested in this country's socioeconomic trends or in changing our world.

A “fascinating” (Charles Duhigg) and “must-read” (Annie Duke) “page-turning package” ( Publishers Weekly starred review) for understanding identity and showing how our groups have a powerful influence on our feelings, beliefs, and behavior—and can inspire both personal change and social movements. If you're like most people, you probably believe that your identity is stable. But in fact, your identity is constantly changing—often outside your conscious awareness and sometimes even against your wishes—to reflect the interests of the groups you belong to. In The Power of Us , psychologists Dominic Packer and Jay Van Bavel integrate their own cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to explain how identity really works and how to harness its dynamic nature to: Boost cooperation and productivity Overcome bias Escape from echo chambers Break political gridlock Foster dissent and mobilize for change Lead effectively Galvanize action to address persistent global problems Along the way, they explore such seemingly unrelated phenomena as why a small town in Germany spent decades divided by shoes, why beliefs persist after they are disproven, how working together synchronizes our brains, what makes selfish people generous, why effective leaders say “we” a lot, and how playing soccer can reduce age-old conflicts. Understanding how identity works allows people to take control, moving beyond wondering, “Who am I?” to answer instead, “Who do I want to be?” Packed with fascinating insights, vivid case studies, and a wealth of pioneering research, The Power of Us will change the way you understand yourself—and the people around you—forever.

"Enriching" - Publisher's Weekly "Excellent and illuminating"- Wall Street Journal In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene , Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival. Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species? A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.

Gray's Anatomy is one of those few titles that practically everybody has heard of, and with good reason--it is a scientific and artistic triumph. Not just a dry index of parts and names, Gray's lets the natural beauty and grace of the body's interconnected systems and structures shine forth from the page. Using sumptuous illustrations and clear, matter-of-fact descriptions, Dr. Gray unleashed a classic on the world more than 100 years ago. Its clarity and usefulness keep it in print today. Whether you want to understand yourself or others, knowledge of our physical parts and how they fit together is essential. Gray's Anatomy provides that information in a simple, timeless format that cleanly dissects a body of knowledge grown over centuries. This book will not only fill the needs of people in the medical profession, but will please artists and naturalists as well. It is part of Barnes & Noble's series of quality leatherbound volumes. Each title in the series presents a classic work in an attractively designed edition bound in genuine bonded leather. These books make elegant additions to any home library.

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