Full AspenCat Catalog

Award-winning food writer Bee Wilson's secret history of kitchens, showing how new technologies - from the fork to the microwave and beyond - have fundamentally shaped how and what we eat. Since prehistory, humans have braved sharp knives, fire, and grindstones to transform raw ingredients into something delicious -- or at least edible. But these tools have also transformed how we consume, and how we think about, our food. In Consider the Fork,...

"In this page-turning, myth-busting history, acclaimed author Rodney Stark shows exactly why Western civilization triumphed over other cultures?and why we all should be thankful it did."--Publisher's website.

The Greeks and Romans were considerable engineers. They made many remarkable machines, which where not betttered until the Industrial Revolution. Landels shows how these machines were developed and made. He draws together evidence from archaeological discoveries and from literary sources.

"Engaging images accompany information about automobiles. The combination of high-interest subject matter and narrative text is intended for students in grades 3 through 8"--

The Day the Universe Changed presents a sweeping view of the history of science, technology, and human civilization and examines the moments in history when a change in knowledge radically altered man's understanding of himself and the world around him. James Burke examines eight periods in history when our view of the world shifted dramatically: In the eleventh century, when extraordinary discoveries were made by Spanish crusaders. In fourteenth-century...

Although the compass was first invented by the Chinese about 2,500 years ago, it's gone on to help give direction to the entire world! The introduction of the compass lead to many other advancements in science and navigation, including reliable maps, the system of latitude and longitude, and GPS. You may even have a compass app on your phone! Readers will travel to ancient China to witness the invention of the compass as a fortune-telling item and...

Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen murdered his wife and tried to escape London on a ship to America in the early twentieth century. He was caught in part due to the new invention of the wireless by Guglielmo Marconi, which was used on the ship. Larson draws from letters, memoirs, Scotland Yard reports, and other documents in telling the story and filling in its historical context of the Edwardian era.

Vivid text details how early mechanical automatons led to the advanced, intelligent robots of today. It also puts a spotlight on the brilliant scientists who made these advances possible. Useful sidebars, rich images, and a glossary help readers understand the science and its importance. Maps and diagrams provide context for critical discoveries in the field. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.

On February 20, 1962, John Glenn strapped himself into the seat of the Friendship 7. He was about to become the third American in space and the first American to orbit Earth. Find out more in NASA and the Astronauts, one of the titles in the Space Exploration series.