Visionary Life

An electrifying biography of one of the most extraordinary scientists of the twentieth century and the world he made.

The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating...

Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is “take it easy.” At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull.

Mr. Quark is a down-on-his-luck pot smuggler hiding out in the mountains of Columbia with his dog, High Pockets, and a small band of banditos led by the irascible José. Times are lean, and to liven up their exile, José decides to mug a family of American tourists. Among the spoils are physics texts, which launch Mr. Quark on a sidesplitting, boisterous adventure north to California, where he confronts the owner of the books with his own theories.

"Ryōma!" tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966—and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan’s response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry’s “...

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. It's a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm's fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke. What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson.

Born in an era of rising violence, Black Elk killed his first man at Little Big Horn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, and instead chose the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that haunted and inspired him.

From the bestselling author of Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness comes “a relentlessly optimistic guidebook on finding and securing individual happiness” (Kirkus Reviews). With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first...

"Ryōma!" tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966—and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan’s response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry’s “...

The Seer's Journey explains the importance of having seer prophets in your life and how to become equipped, empowered and provoked to go deeper in understanding the operations of the unseen realm. As you grab ahold of the wisdom in this book you will: *Open your eyes to see with keen sight. *Learn the responsibility of operating as a seer. *Launch into the seer's journey. God created seer's to comprehend times and seasons. Therefore, they walk between the heavens and the earth to convey and speak on behalf of heaven. Even Jesus understood this faucet when he stated, "I only do what I see ...

Discover the secrets to transforming chaos into calm , even if your ADHD brain has always rejected traditional organizing methods. I know what it's like to drown in endless clutter that multiplies overnight. Like you, I struggled with executive functioning challenges that made conventional organizing advice feel impossible. Then I discovered something life-changing: our ADHD traits can become our greatest organizational allies rather than obstacles. In "Organizing Solutions for ADHD Decoded," I'll show you how I transformed my ADHD characteristics into organizational superpowers.

From Alec Nevala-Lee, the author of the Hugo and Locus Award finalist Astounding, comes a revelatory biography of the visionary designer who defined the rules of startup culture and shaped America’s idea of the future. During his lifetime, Buckminster Fuller was hailed as one of the greatest...

Take the plunge down the rabbit hole of insanity and wonder in this fast-paced, nonstop psychological thriller that will leave you questioning the very nature of reality and beyond. Part thriller, part romance, part existential horror, A Dream of Waking Life delves into lucid dreaming, psychedelics, existential ontology, video games, the nature of love, the nature of reality, and more.

Erwin Schrödinger Explained: A Beginner’s Guide to Quantum Theory, Life, and the Mind of a Scientific Visionary Explore the life and legacy of one of the most fascinating minds in modern science with Erwin Schrödinger Explained — an accessible, in-depth guide to the revolutionary physicist whose ideas continue to shape the way we understand reality. From the groundbreaking Schrödinger equation to the world-famous “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment, this book unpacks the major contributions of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose curiosity reached far beyond the lab. Learn...

Konung Bjørn Sharptooth, ruler of Vintervald, has announced a Great Trial. Whoever emerges victorious shall be wed to the Konung's daughter, Princess Astrid. In accordance with ancient custom, for the duration of the Great Trial, a ceasefire is declared in Northland. Sworn enemies in the midst of bloody war must put down their weapons, and all those worthy of the princess' hand may come to the capital to try their luck.

Less than 50,000 years ago mankind had no art, no religion, no sophisticated symbolism, no innovative thinking. Then, in a dramatic and electrifying change, described by scientists as "the greatest riddle in human history," all the skills and qualities that we value most highly in ourselves appeared already fully formed, as though bestowed on us by hidden powers. In Visionary, Graham Hancock sets out to investigate this mysterious "before-and-after moment" and to discover the truth about the influences that gave birth to modern human mind.

Ryōma! tells the life story of Sakamoto Ryōma, one of the great figures in the turmoil that engulfed Japan in the years before the 1868 Meiji Restoration. The novel is a masterwork by the prolific historical novelist Shiba Ryōtarō and has sold more than 24 million copies in Japan since publication in 1966--and still counting! The novel has everything: a winning main character, an action-packed plot, swordfights, and romance, but it is also a fascinating, easy-to-digest history lesson about Japan's response to the shocking arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry's "Black Ships" ...

From the Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of How to Be an Artist: a deliciously readable survey of the art world in turbulent times Jerry Saltz is one of our most-watched writers about art and artists, and a passionate champion of the importance of art in our shared cultural life...

Described as the "ultimate engineer" during his career at NASA, George M. Low was a visionary architect and leader from the agency's inception in 1958 to his retirement in 1976. As chief of manned spaceflight at NASA, Low was instrumental in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Low's pioneering work paved the way for President Kennedy's decision to make a lunar landing NASA's primary goal in the 1960s.

Step into the shadows of cinema history with Fritz Lang: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of the Visionary Director. From the monumental spectacle of Metropolis to the chilling psychological depth of M and the hard-boiled intensity of The Big Heat, Fritz Lang redefined what movies could be. This comprehensive guide traces his journey from the cultural ferment of Vienna and the innovation of Weimar Germany to his dramatic escape from the Nazi regime and reinvention in Hollywood, where he became one of the architects of film noir. Inside, you’ll discover the stories behind ...

In Twelve Pitstops You Should Make While Driving to the Afterlife, Mili Mulic—a Bosnian war refugee turned artist and author—blends myth, memory, and metaphor into a deeply human road trip through the soul.