FREE/BARGAIN - Non-Fiction - 2016

[Little.Egret]

Revenge of the Pond Scum: Searching for the causes of Alzheimer's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's Disease by Kenn Amdahl

Strange criminals stalk our aging bodies. Millions of lives are destroyed each year by invisible killers who do their evil business and then escape into the night leaving behind sad victims and this mystery: what causes neurological diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's Disease, and Parkinson's Disease? That's the question the author chases throughout this book.

It begins as the journal of a writer (who is best known for his quirky and funny books about electricity and calculus) musing about tropical fish and the difficulties of gardening in Colorado. It morphs into a "nonfiction mystery" about biology and medicine - with twists and turns, suspects and alibis - just like a work of fiction. Unlike fiction, the characters it describes lurk in the shadows of your own life.

When a paralyzing disease strikes one of the writer's friends, he tries to learn about it. He searches the Internet and the library. He reads books, abstracts and articles. He looks up the hard words and tries to make sense of it all. As he learns new information, he records it in a notebook. This book is that notebook. It became both a simplified explanation of science facts and the journal of the author's study of them. It does not follow a perfectly linear path; few adventures do.

Books by Kenn Amdahl: non fiction: Algebra Unplugged (with co author Jim Loats, Ph.D.) Calculus for Cats (with co author Jim Loats, Ph.D.) Joy Writing: Discover and Develop Your Creative Voice There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings The Wordguise Alembic

fiction: Jumper and the Bones {also free}
The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YKA388/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007YKA388/
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B007YKA388/

[GtrsRGr8]

Title: In Praise of Copying.
Format(s): Pdf.
Author(s): Marcus Boon.
Publisher: Harvard University Press.
Pages: 304.
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews (Amazon): 5.0 (2); 3.66 (58) at GoodReads
Price: $0.00.
Lowest Price at (or through Amazon) if available from there: $9.53 (Used-"Very Good" Hardcover); Kindle mobi is $9.99.
Book Description (Amazon):
German critic Walter Benjamin wrote some immensely influential words on the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Luxury fashion houses would say something shorter and sharper and much more legally binding on the rip-off merchants who fake their products. Marcus Boon, a Canadian English professor with an accessible turn of phrase, takes us on an erudite voyage through the theme in a serious but engaging encounter with the ideas of thinkers as varied as Plato, Hegel, Orson Welles, Benjamin, Heidegger, Louis Vuitton, Takashi Murakami and many more, on topics as philosophically taxing and pop-culture-light as mimesis, Christianity, capitalism, authenticity, Uma Thurman's handbag and Disneyland.
Chapter Titles
1 - What Is a Copy?
2 - Copia, or, The Abundant Style
3 - Copying as Transformation
4 - Copying as Deception
5 - Montage
6 - The Mass Production of Copies
7 - Copying as Appropriation
Comments: I believe that this is legal free download due to the fact that it is offered that way on the publisher's, Harvard University Press', website at http://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/...se-of-copying/. That webpage further states that the download comes with a Creative Commons License.
URL: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/features/...-full-text.pdf (direct link).

[GtrsRGr8]

Get free ebooks on different aspects of ancient history by signing up for an account at Ancient Origins magazine's website. There are in fact three different books, one to mark each year that the magazine has been in business.

These are the titles of the three books:
Unravelling the Mysteries of Ancient Places.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Ancient Artifacts.
Unraveling Ancient Mysteries..

You're not limited to the pdf format with this promotion. You will have your choice of all three flavors--pdf, mobi, and ePub. You can even get all three of them if you want to.

Each book is actually a compilation of articles from different issues of the magazine, which I'm assuming from the year just prior to when the book was published. The layout, formatting, and photos/graphics are all respectable enough. I've only had a chance to glance in one or two of the books, so I can't really speak to the quality of the writing. The fact that one of Harvard University Press' subsidiaries, Belknap Press, publishes some of the magazine's other books probably says a lot about them, too.

The choice of accounts that you're required to sign up for is for the newsletter, the website, or both. I suggest that you start out by going to the spot in the upper righthand corner of the Ancient Origins magazine's website that says "3 Free Books," clicking on it, and then following the prompts to sign up and get the freebies.

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that people who have an account with the magazine also get one free ebook each month. That should be nice.

[Froide]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Get free ebooks on different aspects of ancient history by signing up for an account at Ancient Origins magazine's website. There are in fact three different books, one to mark each year that the magazine has been in business.

These are the titles of the three books:
Unravelling the Mysteries of Ancient Places.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Ancient Artifacts.
Unraveling Ancient Mysteries..

You're not limited to the pdf format with this promotion. You will have your choice of all three flavors--pdf, mobi, and ePub. You can even get all three of them if you want to.

Each book is actually a compilation of articles from different issues of the magazine, which I'm assuming from the year just prior to when the book was published. The layout, formatting, and photos/graphics are all respectable enough. I've only had a chance to glance in one or two of the books, so I can't really speak to the quality of the writing. The fact that one of Harvard University Press' subsidiaries, Belknap Press, publishes some of the magazine's other books probably says a lot about them, too.

The choice of accounts that you're required to sign up for is for the newsletter, the website, or both. I suggest that you start out by going to the spot in the upper righthand corner of the Ancient Origins magazine's website that says "3 Free Books," clicking on it, and then following the prompts to sign up and get the freebies.

Oh yeah, I read somewhere that people who have an account with the magazine also get one free ebook each month. That should be nice.

Thanks; interesting find! Here's the link: http://www.ancient-origins.net/

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Froide

Thanks; interesting find! Here's the link: http://www.ancient-origins.net/

Thanks. For letting me know that you liked the find. And, for giving the link! Doh!

[GtrsRGr8]

Have you ever thought of images of earth from outer space as being art (of course you haven't, neither had I. But work with me here, okay? ha)? Well, if images of earth from outer space can be considered art, then the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has compiled a book of masterpieces. And, it's free.

Title: Earth as Art: 2012.
Format(s): Pdf.
Author(s): National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth Science Division.
Publisher: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth Science Division.
Pages: viii + 160.
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews (Amazon): Not rated at Amazon; rated 4.32 (25) at GoodReads.
Price: $0.00.
Lowest Price at (or through Amazon) if available from there: $1.99 (Kindle mobi).
Book Description (from NASA's website):
In 1960, the United States put its first Earth-observing environmental satellite into orbit around the planet. Over the decades, these satellites have provided invaluable information, and the vantage point of space has provided new perspectives on Earth. This book celebrates Earth's aesthetic beauty in the patterns, shapes, colors, and textures of the land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere. The book features 75 stunning images of Earth from the Terra, Landsat 5, Landsat 7, EO-1, and Aqua satellites. Sensors on these satellites can measure light outside of the visible range, so the images show more than what is visible to the naked eye. The images are intended for viewing enjoyment rather than scientific interpretation. The beauty of Earth is clear, and the artistry ranges from the surreal to the sublime.
Comments: The images originally come from the U.S. Geological Survey; see more of their images of earth here. I believe this to be a legal free download due to the fact that it is offered at NASA's website as a download, without any caveats.
URL: http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/703154main_earth_art-ebook.pdf (direct link).

[Cinisajoy]

Yes, this is legal. All NASA art is free to use.

Totally cool pictures.

[GtrsRGr8]

I run across free "read online" only books quite often, but never have posted any. I don't remember ever seeing them posted on this thread or even in this forum. Maybe the reason is that they don't render well on tablets (I don't own one so I don't know). I know that the OP of this thread doesn't say anything against posting them. I want to use this post to conduct a test. I'm going to post some "read online" only books and basically kick back and see what kind of reaction that I get. If it's positive, I'll post a lot more in the future.

At http://openaccessbooks.nyupress.org/, NYU (New York University) Press lists somewhere around 70 Open Access ebooks that people can read online, free. I'm sure that they are all ebooks that NYU Press publishes. It looks like none of them are available for free download.

I encourage you to take a look at these books, and let me know either by PM or on the open thread what you think. I'm not so much interested in what you think about the quality of the books, although I hope that it is good, but just the whole concept of being informed when I run across this kind of ebook.

Thanks.

[Cinisajoy]

Will look tomorrow.
Thanks for the book from NASA.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Yes, this is legal. All NASA art is free to use.

Totally cool pictures.

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Will look tomorrow.
Thanks for the book from NASA.

Thanks for your comments.

[murg]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I believe this to be a legal free download due to the fact that it is offered at NASA's website as a download, without any caveats.

In general, all US Government publications are in the public domain.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by murg

In general, all US Government publications are in the public domain.

Yeah, you may be right. Some aren't, though. Like the ones that Ed Snowden and Julian Assange borrowed. ha

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I run across free "read online" only books quite often, but never have posted any. I don't remember ever seeing them posted on this thread or even in this forum. Maybe the reason is that they don't render well on tablets (I don't own one so I don't know). I know that the OP of this thread doesn't say anything against posting them. I want to use this post to conduct a test. I'm going to post some "read online" only books and basically kick back and see what kind of reaction that I get. If it's positive, I'll post a lot more in the future.

At http://openaccessbooks.nyupress.org/, NYU (New York University) Press lists somewhere around 70 Open Access ebooks that people can read online, free. I'm sure that they are all ebooks that NYU Press publishes. It looks like none of them are available for free download.

I encourage you to take a look at these books, and let me know either by PM or on the open thread what you think. I'm not so much interested in what you think about the quality of the books, although I hope that it is good, but just the whole concept of being informed when I run across this kind of ebook.

Thanks.

The books are stored as unzipped epub directories for their online reading software, so they can be downloaded and reassembled into the original epubs.

The books have all been placed under a Creative Commons license, so they can be redistributed by anyone to anyone as long as the source is acknowledged and it's non-commercial. I don't know what's behind NYU's decision to not provide download links, but I didn't see anything on the site restricting downloading the individual files. I've put together a list of Windows batch files that will download and assemble the epubs.

As long as wget and zip have been installed and "C:\Program Files\GnuWin32\bin" is in your executable path, you can double-click any of the batch files. An epub will be created in the same folder as the batch file. The batch files will also work as UNIX shell scripts if you specifically invoke the shell (i.e. "/bin/bash dl_9780814706404.bat").

If you decide to download all 62 books, keep in mind that you'll be downloading about 500 MB of data.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

The books are stored as unzipped epub directories for their online reading software, so they can be downloaded and reassembled into the original epubs.

The books have all been placed under a Creative Commons license, so they can be redistributed by anyone to anyone as long as the source is acknowledged and it's non-commercial. I don't know what's behind NYU's decision to not provide download links, but I didn't see anything on the site restricting downloading the individual files. I've put together a list of Windows batch files that will download and assemble the epubs.

As long as wget and zip have been installed and "C:\Program Files\GnuWin32\bin" is in your executable path, you can double-click any of the batch files. An epub will be created in the same folder as the batch file. The batch files will also work as UNIX shell scripts if you specifically invoke the shell (i.e. "/bin/bash dl_9780814706404.bat").

If you decide to download all 62 books, keep in mind that you'll be downloading about 500 MB of data.

Thanks for all of the invaluable technical information!

I'm not sure that I understood it all (ha), but I understood enough to see that some people might appreciate knowing about "read online" only ebooks that I run across. And I do run across a lot of them. So, I will begin to pass them along when I find some that are excellent quality and that I think that MobileReaders might be interested in. I'm sure that I'll have occasion many times to refer people to your post above for help in downloading them.

The 500 MB would not present an issue with any data limit on the home Internet. And it is fast, but it would still take a few minutes to download all of them (when I get down on how slow downloads like that are, I make myself remember the dial-up days; then I become more patient. ha).

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by Difflugia

If you decide to download all 62 books, keep in mind that you'll be downloading about 500 MB of data.

I'll probably never read them all (maybe just a couple, but what the heck, they're free!). I've got gigabit fiber and a handy little for loop to download them all! Thanks for going to all that trouble to create the download scripts.

After downloading them all, I see that they were generally written 20-40 years ago. I wonder how well their arguments hold up.