| View Larger Image | Ice: The Nature, the History, and the Uses of an Astonishing Substance | Paperbackby Mariana Gosnell (Author)
| List Price: | $18.00 | | Price: | $14.04 | | You Save: | $3.96 (22%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | University Of Chicago Press | | Page Count: | 576 Pages | | Publication Date: | June 01, 2007 | | Sales Rank: | 438,368th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
More brittle than glass, at times stronger than steel, at other times flowing like molasses, ice covers 10 percent of the earth’s land and 7 percent of its oceans.Mariana Gosnell here explores the history and uses of ice in all its complexity, grandeur, and significance. From the freezing of Pleasant Lake in New Hampshire to the breakup of a Vermont river at the onset of spring, from the frozen Antarctic landscape that emperor penguins inhabit to the cold, watery route bowhead whales take between Arctic ice floes, Gosnell examines icebergs, icicles, and frostbite; sea ice and permafrost; ice on Mars and in the rings of Saturn; and several new forms of ice developed in labs. A record of the scientific surprises, cultural magnitude, and everyday uses of frozen water, Ice is a sparkling illumination of a substance whose ebbs and flows over time have helped form the world we live in. “Gosnell travels to the ends of the earth, into the clouds and under the frozen sea to conduct her investigations . . . By the time you finish this remarkable book, you’ll never think about freezing and melting in quite the same way.”—New York Times Book Review “To read Ice is to discover just how astonishing it is and how necessary.”—San Francisco Chronicle “A bright, curious, omnidirectional tour that will entrance nature readers.”—Booklist “An encyclopedic work with surprises on every page . . . . Illustrated with images of ice castles, skaters, and bubble-filled frozen sculpture, Gosnell’s book breathes life into the crystals dubbed ‘glorious spangles’ by Henry David Thoreau.”—Discover |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 13 reviews)
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ICE by Peter N. Gill (Australia)  5 Stars
July 25, 2009
If you liked Kurlansky's COD and SALT then ICE is for you, excellent work and intelligently written... Highly recommended.
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ICE IS A NECESSITY by William E. Marks (Martha's Vineyard, MA USA) 5 Stars
December 07, 2008
Ice is a necessity for terrestrial life. Without it - all land formations would be submerged.
Beyond this obvious fact - "ICE" takes us into the chemical and behavioral dimensions of ice and how it works influences our weather, ocean currents and temperature, and the our Earth's atmosphere.
As a water researcher of many years - I liked learning about how the world's foremost ice research center is in New Hampshire; how "sea smoke" is created when water gives up heat to cold air; about "splash ice" and "diamond dust"; how as ice forms it rejects many impurities - even air; about what role ice plays in the life of animals and other life forms; about cosmic ice, and many other cool things.
Water Voices from Around The World
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Warm treatment of ice by The Sanity Inspector (USA)  3 Stars
March 25, 2007
Ignore the PW print review: This is a wonderful treasure chest of science, stories, lore and quotes about ice in all its many, many forms. Recommended for all lovers of popularized science--and of natural beauty.
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The different kinds of ice in N. America and its latest developments by D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer (California, USA) 5 Stars
April 25, 2006
Mariana Gosnell is a former Newsweek reporter and pilot, and her so her exploration of the science and nature of ice reads easily for the general-interest reader - yet contains plenty of science to support research and latest theories. ICE: THE NATURE, THE HISTORY, AND THE USES OF AN ASTONISHING SUBSTANCE surveys different kinds of ice in North America, discusses its effects on nature and the human body, and surveys the latest scientific research into ice's developments. An excellent survey which will appeal to general interest audiences and students alike
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Tedious... by LF (Austin, TX)  2 Stars
April 12, 2006
I'm a sucker for intensive studies of a single topic (e.g. "Cod", or "Salt"), AND I love arctic exploration books, so I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, this author takes a fascinating subject and manages to wring all the life out of it by writing in a such a dull, plodding fashion. I tried skipping ahead, hoping it would get better, but after skimming several chapters, I finally gave up. I'm sure there's a great book to be written about ice, but this isn't it.
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