Books
General Science
Science can be viewed as a process involving the search for more understandable explanations. In scientific research; results are theoretically replicable, and their sensitivities and uncertainties are best estimated and presented simultaneously. As a geographer, Andy's applied research aims to be scientific in its nature to; develop our understanding of what is going on around us focusing on those processes that interact on or near Earth's surface and influence, affect and effect the environment focussing on aspects at human spatial and temporal scales. As a computational geographer Andy uses and develops tools for identifying, visualising and analysing space-time-attribute data patterns. These tools tend to be generic and can be readily applied in other contexts. Here follows a list (ordered alphabetically by author's surname) of some enlightening scientific writing he has particularly enjoyed:
- Edwin Abbott Flatland : A romance of many dimensions - A book concerning the secrets of four, five or even six dimensions.
- Peter Atkins The Periodic Kingdom - A book mapping chemistry using a geographical metaphor.
- Bill Bryson A Short History of Nearly Everything - A book that delivers on the title brilliantly. A recommended read for geographers and all interested in the world and our study of it.
- Richard Dawkins Unweaving the Rainbow : Science, Delusion, and the Appetite for Wonder - A book generally reflecting on the endless search for scientific explanation.
- David Deutsch The Fabric of Reality - A book offering an irrefutable and insightful theory of the multiverse.
- Stephen Hawking The Universe in a Nutshell - A book of staggering clarity and genius.
- John Gribbin Deep Simplicity - Explaining how complexity and life arise from simplicity and interaction.
- Douglas Hofstadter Godel, Escher, Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid - A book regarding recursion that is woven with some delightful threads.
- George Johnson Fire in the Mind : Science, Faith and a Search for Order - A book which elegantly expands on the title. A brilliantly written beautiful read.
- Oliver Sacks Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood - A book and story about the author's childhood experience, experiments and chemistry.
- Dava Sobel Longitude - A story of how the 18th-century scientist and clockmaker John Harrison provided the first workable solution of how to calculate longitude at sea.
Geography
GIScience
Relatively speaking, there is little more to it than scales and resolutions. The following list focusses more on geography and how we get, compute and distribute geographical information. The keywords for this are GeoComputation, Computational Geography, GeoInformatics, Geographical Analysis and Quantitative Geography.
- Stan Openshaw , Robert Abrahart (Eds.), 2000, GeoComputation - A considered look at a new geographical paradigm.
- Stan Openshaw and Christine Openshaw, 1997, Artificial Intelligence in Geography - Introduces the basic principles of artificial intelligence with applications in geographical teaching and research, GIS, and planning.
- Stewart Fotheringham, Chris Brunsdon, Martin Charlton (Eds.), 2000, Geographically Weighted Regression - On the theory of Geographically Weighted Statistics.
- Stewart Fotheringham, Chris Brunsdon, Martin Charlton (Eds.), 2000, Quantitative Geography: Perspectives on Spatial Data Analysis - An account of contemporary challenges in quantitative geography.
Earth and Social History
Read all about it! Extra, extra, descriptions of Earth. How did we get here? Where are we going? The following books describe the human society and environment of a single mooned planet called Earth. Imagine the time from our first geographical journeys to discover and map lands across the world to the production of the first atlas of the world showing all the major lands and oceans. What of the friends and foes? What of the mountains, rivers, deserts, jungles, swamps and plains? What of the key developments and interactions of societies? Andy has really enjoyed these books:
- Richard Fortey The Earth: An Intimate History
- Jared Diamond Guns, Germs, and Steel - On how some technological and environmental factors shaped the evolution of our global society.
- Robert Wright Non-zero The logic of human destiny - Looking at human history and for that matter the whole history of life on earth through the lenses of game theory can change your view of life.
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Gavin Menzies
1421 - The Year China Discovered the World
- Their mission was
to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas
and unite the whole world in Confucian harmony. - Giles Milton Big Chief Elizabeth - About English attempts to colonise North America.
- Giles Milton Nathaniel's Nutmeg - About the sea route of spice trading from England past Spain and the West coast of Africa around the Cape of Good Hope away past India and to the spice islands in the Indian ocean.
- Giles Milton Samurai William - A story of William Adams, a noble navigator and true Englishman who befriended and became Japanese.
- Giles Milton White Gold - Corsair Barbary slaves in 17th Century Morocco.
