Bookshelf

Image of A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science

A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science

An interesting journey through the strange and wonderful world of the numbers 1 through 10. Includes many interesting connections from nature and history. Does not go very deeply into mathematics itself.

Image of A Hacker Manifesto

A Hacker Manifesto

A Hacker Manifesto deftly defines the fraught territory between the ever more strident demands by drug and media companies for protection of their patents and copyrights and the pervasive popular culture of file sharing and pirating. This vexed ground, the realm of so-called "intellectual property," gives rise to a whole new kind of class conflict, one that pits the creators of information--the hacker class of researchers and authors, artists and biologists, chemists and musicians, philosophers and programmers--against a possessing class who would monopolize what the hacker produces. (Also available from Harvard University Press.)

Image of A History of Western Philosophy

A History of Western Philosophy

Generally considered flawed due to Russell's strong bias toward logical positviism, it's still a classic and well worth reading. We don't have to agree with every idea in order to consider it, and learn from it.

Image of A Mathematician's Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form

A Mathematician's Lament: How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form

A research mathematician who has devoted his career to teaching, reveals math to be creative and beautiful and rejects standard anxiety-producing teaching methods. Witty and accessible, Paul Lockhart’s values are very close to those of creative Waldorf-inspired teachers.

Image of Algebra to Go: A Mathematics Handbook

Algebra to Go: A Mathematics Handbook

Covers Algebra I concepts. Small format, jam-packed, well-written, full-color, richly illustrated, with clear explanations. Excellent index and glossary. There's even good inspiration in this mainstream book for quality Waldorf-inspired lessons.

Image of All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

Kinzer reconstructs the U.S. CIA's 1953 overthrow of the elected leader of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, who was wildly popular for having nationalized his country's oil industry. The coup ushered in the long and brutal dictatorship of Mohammad Reza Shah, widely seen as a U.S. puppet. A veteran New York Times foreign correspondent, he shows that until early in 1953, Great Britain and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company were imperialist baddies. Intransigent in the face of Iran's demands for a fairer share of profits from their oil and better conditions for workers, British Foreign Secretary Herbert Morrison exacerbated tension with his overt racisism. Before the crisis peaked, a high-ranking employee of Anglo-Iranian wrote to a superior that the company's alliance with the "corrupt ruling classes" and "leech-like bureaucracies" were "disastrous, outdated and impractical." This tragic epesode stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy. The book highlights much that the U.S. military/industrial elites would prefer was forgetten.
Image of Classical Guitar Making: A Modern Approach to Traditional Design (Music Sales America)

Classical Guitar Making: A Modern Approach to Traditional Design (Music Sales America)

A beautifully crafted book with hundreds of detailed color photos. You can' t build a guitar only from reading this book (or any other book), but this one will take you a long way in the right direction. I appreciated the detailed information on wood, tools and jigs.

Image of Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge

Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge

The biologist Edward O. Wilson offers an imaginative and intellectually stimulating romp through many aspects of modern science and society. He's not afraid to clearly express his opinions and let the chips fall where they may. I appreaciate this courage to speak his mind in a time of rampant intellectual relativism and ethical cowardice.

Image of Desert Solitaire

Desert Solitaire

One of the top ten North American books.

Image of Goethe contra Newton: Polemics and the Project for a New Science of Color

Goethe contra Newton: Polemics and the Project for a New Science of Color

An insightful and balanced look at the conflict of ideas in Newton's Optiks and Goethe's Farbelehre.

Image of Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar (Guitar Reference)

Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology: A Complete Reference for the Design & Construction of the Steel-String Folk Guitar & the Classical Guitar (Guitar Reference)

Hailed by Guitar Player magazine as 'perhaps the finest book on guitars ever produced,' and by Booklist as 'a Rolls Royce of construction guidebooks,' this impressive volume is the first book of its kind to describe in depth how both steel-string and classical guitars are actually designed and built. Over 450 photographs, drawings, and diagrams reveal in exquisite detail the hows, whys, and how-to's of the traditional craft of guitarmaking, all accompanied by fascinating historical and technical notes. A comprehensive bibliography; a list of tools, materials, and supply sources; and a full index complete this uniquely authoritative reference -- and essential acquisition -- for guitar and craft enthusiasts, woodworkers, and students of instrument making everywhere.

Image of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Review

"Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volumei education in itself."

-- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"An extremely convincing plea for truth in education." -- Mary Mackey, San Francisco Chronicle

"Remarkable."

-- USA Today

"A lively critique."

-- The New York Times

"Powerful and important...deserves to become an instant classic."

-- The Washington Post Book World

 

Winner of the American Book Award and the Oliver C. Cox
Anti-Racism Award of The American Sociological Association

Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.

In the revised edition, packed with updated material, Loewen explores how historical myths continue to be perpetuated in today's political climate and adds an eye-opening chapter on the lies surrounding 9/11 and the Iraq War. From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to an honest evaluation of our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers, history buffs, and enlightened citizens across the country.

Image of Making Math Meaningful: A Middle School Math Curriculum for Teachers and Parents

Making Math Meaningful: A Middle School Math Curriculum for Teachers and Parents

Written by an experienced Waldorf teacher, this book provides a clear overview of a typicalWaldorf middle school math curriculum. Filled with detailed examples and clear explanations. Unfortunately, it's somewhat dated due to ever increasing state pressures to teach complex skills at inappropriately young ages. This is an excellent book for home schoolers and others who are free to teach to the students rather than to politically-motivated  mandates.

Image of Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

Many books by Chomsky are anthologies of articles, interviews and lectures on some current event or conflict. Manufacturing Consent is not one of these. It's a real book on a topic of vital importance to those living at the heart of the global corporate empire where simple-minded nationalistic propaganda is so effectively trumpeted by political and media elites.

Image of Mark Twain on Religion: What is Man, The War Prayer, Thou Shalt Not Kill, The Fly, Letters from the Earth (Forgotten Books)

Mark Twain on Religion: What is Man, The War Prayer, Thou Shalt Not Kill, The Fly, Letters from the Earth (Forgotten Books)

Most of Mark Twain's most important works have been systemactially ignored due to their uncompromising truthfulness and passion. This collection contains many of the best.

Another great anthology is, Mark Twain in Eruption. This book is no longer in print, but used copies can still be found.

Image of Mathematical Puzzling

Mathematical Puzzling

A great companion book to Thinking Mathematically, Mathematical Puzzling is filled with interesting challenges and just enough hints to keep you going when you think you're stuck. Great teacher resource when seeking quick, challenging and interesting problems to stretch student's imaginative problem solving and logical reasoning skills. Appropriate for students and adults.

Image of Mein Kampf (German)

Mein Kampf (German)

To understand what leads societies toward fascism (an alliance of elite business and political interests), it's important to understand the fears, frustrations, hopes, and dreams of those who fall under the spell of simplistic dogmas. Ignorance is no defense against the approach of night.

Image of Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

An important book, by a thoughtful statesman, about a tough conflict. As the oppressor's mask falls and the horendous occupation and illegal, colonial settlement of Palestinian lands continues, US complicity in this imperialistic interprise is increasingly difficult to ignore. Perhaps Rachel Corrie, and many thousands of others who died in this sorry conflict will not die vain.

Image of Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition

Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition

Should be required reading for all educators.

Image of Pro Drupal Development, Second Edition

Pro Drupal Development, Second Edition

The best book by far on developing complex websites using the Drupal application framework. Required reading for serious Drupal developers.

Image of Protocol: How Control Exists after Decentralization (Leonardo Books)

Protocol: How Control Exists after Decentralization (Leonardo Books)

Is the Internet a vast arena of unrestricted communication and freely exchanged information or a regulated, highly structured virtual bureaucracy? In Protocol, Alexander Galloway argues that the founding principle of the Net is control, not freedom, and that the controlling power lies in the technical protocols that make network connections (and disconnections) possible. He does this by treating the computer as a textual medium that is based on a technological language, code. Code, he argues, can be subject to the same kind of cultural and literary analysis as any natural language; computer languages have their own syntax, grammar, communities, and cultures. Written for a nontechnical audience, Protocol serves as a necessary counterpoint to the wildly utopian visions of the Net that were so widespread in earlier days.

Image of Religion and Science

Religion and Science

Bertrand Russell was a philosopher, agnostic, mathematician, and renowned peace advocate. In this book he offers a brief yet insightful study of the conflicts between science and traditional religion during the last four centuries. Examining accounts in which scientific advances clashed with Christian doctrine or biblical interpretations of the day, from Galileo and the Copernican Revolution, to the medical breakthroughs of anesthesia and inoculation. Russell points to the constant upheaval and reevaluation of our systems of belief throughout history. In turn, he identifies where similar debates between modern science and the Church still exist today. Michael Ruse's new introduction brings these conflicts between science and theology up to date, focusing on issues arising after World War II.

Image of Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered

Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered

Small is Beautiful launched a global humanistic movement in economics. It's a wholistic approach containing ethical, ecological, and metaphysical components that are missing from mainstream statistical models that focus solely onmeasurements, such as the GNP. Schumacher sounded the alarm regarding globalization by asking "how much further 'growth' will be possible, since infinate growth in a finite environment is an obvious impossibility". He was critical of economic models that assumed unbounded materialism and advocated greed and envy as the primary human motivators.

Essays include: "Peace and Permanence", "The Role of Economics", "Buddhist Economics", "The Greatest Resource - Education", "Technology with a Human Face", "Development of Intermediate Technology", and "Two Million Villages".

Although the book was written in 1973, it is as timely now as it was then. The 25th anniversary edition contains provocative updates provided as sidebars by contributors such as Hazel Henderson, Peter Warshall, Amory Lovins, and Godric Bader.

Image of The American Boy's Handy Book: Build a Fort, Sail a Boat, Shoot an Arrow, Throw a Boomerang, Catch Spiders, Fish in the Ice, Camp without a Tent and 150 Other Activities

The American Boy's Handy Book: Build a Fort, Sail a Boat, Shoot an Arrow, Throw a Boomerang, Catch Spiders, Fish in the Ice, Camp without a Tent and 150 Other Activities

Parts of this book are of course outdated. There is a sexist emphasis on boys and exclusion of girls that is inappropriate today. There is the naive patriotism and nationalisism undertone so typical of empire-building eras. On the other hand, the book is filled with practical ideas from a simpler age. It is ideal for parents and teachers who work to preserve the best of childhood--wonder, imagination, free exploration, discovery and adventure.

Image of The Complete Book of Woodworking: Detailed Plans for More Than 40 Fabulous Projects

The Complete Book of Woodworking: Detailed Plans for More Than 40 Fabulous Projects

Great book with plenty of breadth, depth and detail. The projects are a little simple, but they are good starting points.

Image of The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong

Haven't read this book yet, but heard the author, David Shenk, give an interesting interview on KQED. Despite the odd book title and the even worse subtitle, if the interview is any indication, this is a well-researched and thought out book. It explores the impact of the lastest discoveries and theories in genetic on our conventional ideas about talent, inate ability and inteligence. Worth reading, I think, for educators and parents. May be of particular interest to Waldorf teachers who tend to already share the 'revolutionary' perspective described in this book.

Image of The Gnostic Gospels

The Gnostic Gospels

An easy introduction to many of the lost books of the early Christians. Shows what Christianity might have become if it's early history had not be so brutally controlled by gangs of bitter old men.

Image of The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics

The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics

Math’s infinite mysteries and beauty unfold in this follow-up to the best-selling The Science Book. Beginning millions of years ago with ancient “ant odometers” and moving through time to our modern-day quest for new dimensions, it covers 250 milestones in mathematical history. Among the numerous delights readers will learn about as they dip into this inviting anthology: cicada-generated prime numbers, magic squares from centuries ago, the discovery of pi and calculus, and the butterfly effect. Each topic gets a lavishly illustrated spread with stunning color art, along with formulas and concepts, fascinating facts about scientists’ lives, and real-world applications of the theorems.

Image of The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition

The Pursuit of Loneliness, 20th Anniversary Edition

Contrary to the distortions of the corporate media, the sixties generation stood for much more that "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll." The counterculture they devised, was first and foremost an intellectual, philosophical, and even spiritual movement against the bankrupt morals, ideas, and lifestyles of dominant society. One of the predominating characteristics of the counterculture was its sense of moral outrage at blatant racism.

Philip Slater details how and why the two cultures clashed, and what the likely results would be. Unlike his younger admirers, Slater understood the power of the dominant culture, and just how perilous the position of the counterculture was growing to be. In this sense, he anticipated the kinds of events--such as the shootings at Kent State and in the Deep South--that began the reaction and eventual distruction of the counterculture.

To read this book is to take a step back into the maelstrom that whirled around us in the sixties, and to see the nature of contemporary society in an even clearer light than is possible without it.

Image of The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World

The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World

A tragic story told in a surprisingly engaging and readable style. Although the book lacks footnotes and source citations, the overall story still rings true. Should be required reading among the denizens of North America.

Image of The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (American Empire Project)

The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (American Empire Project)

Since September 2001, the United States has "undergone a transformation from republic to empire that may well prove irreversible," writes Chalmers Johnson. Unlike past global powers, however, America has built an empire of bases rather than colonies, creating in the process a government that is obsessed with maintaining absolute military dominance over the world, Johnson claims. The Department of Defense currently lists 725 official U.S. military bases outside of the country and 969 within the 50 states (not to mention numerous secret bases). According to the author, these bases are proof that the "United States prefers to deal with other nations through the use or threat of force rather than negotiations, commerce, or cultural interaction." This rise of American militarism, along with the corresponding layers of bureaucracy and secrecy that are created to circumvent scrutiny, signals a shift in power from the populace to the Pentagon: "A revolution would be required to bring the Pentagon back under democratic control," he writes.

In Sorrows of Empire, Johnson discusses the roots of American militarism, the rise and extent of the military-industrial complex, and the close ties between arms industry executives and high-level politicians. He also looks closely at how the military has extended the boundaries of what constitutes national security in order to centralize intelligence agencies under their control and how statesmen have been replaced by career soldiers on the front lines of foreign policy--a shift that naturally increases the frequency with which we go to war.

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Image of THE World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics

THE World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics

Includes original essays by Einstein, Hawking, Dillard, Updike, Heisenberg, Planck, Russell, Mandelbrot, Neumann, Asimov, Goethe, and many more. Eloquent and inspiring.

Image of Thinking Mathematically

Thinking Mathematically

A well-designed guide for those in recovery from drill-and-kill indoctrination. If you were taught to fear or hate math, this book may be your cure. Rather than expecting you to memorize and regurgitate meaningless formulas invented by others, you are offered various interesting challenges to explore. As you progress through the book, your problem solving skills expand and you begin to think like a mathemetician.

Image of Illustrated Dictionary of Math (Illustrated Dictionaries)

Illustrated Dictionary of Math (Illustrated Dictionaries)

Covers Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. Grady, one of our previous star students, introduced me to this book, and it may be among the best of the lot. Small format, jam-packed, full-color, richly illustrated, and with clear explanations. A very well organized book with inspiring examples and illustrations.

Image of Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

A great romp through the history of one of the most unusual of the known numbers. Shows how political, religious, dangerous, and crazy such topics can become. Best of all, gently teaches math along the way.