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Though often wrongly confused with hedonism, the Epicurean ideal of achieving true happiness was in reality an austere, utilitarian philosophy of kindness, equality and moderation of appetites. This edition of Epicurus’ surviving works, as recorded by Diogenes Laertius, includes introductory chapters from Robert Drew Hicks’s Stoics and Epicureans (1910).

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Schrödinger’s cat, the uncertainty principle, multiverses: the language and imagery of the quantum are now applied in all manner of contexts, from poetry and fiction to marketing and politics. A philosopher and a physicist analyse this cultural impact as they explain the origin and meaning of each term and consider what such uses and misuses reveal about the ways in which concepts from quantum mechanics help us to rediscover the strangeness of the everyday world.

Spanning more than three decades, these 41 essays reflect Richard Dawkins’ commitment to communicating the values and history of science, through his writings on evolution and the wonders of nature, his polemical attacks on faulty logic and his articles connecting scientific discourse to public debates. As well as providing new annotations to individual pieces, he uses the volume’s introduction to reiterate the importance of adhering to reason and objective values in an age of demagoguery and prejudice.

Colin Stuart rejects mathematical jargon in favour of concise explanations of the cosmos’s most fascinating astronomical features. Beginning with early astronomers, including Ptolemy and Newton, this accessible guide moves from the Earth, Sun and Moon ever further from home, covering the Solar System, stars and galaxies, eventually reaching the mysteries at the edge of the universe – the Big Bang, inflation and dark energy.

In six parts, on the universe, Earth, life, civilization, knowledge and inventions, this book is a compilation of modern origin stories, giving science’s answers and explanations to questions such as "What is matter made of?" "How did eyes evolve?" and "Why do we need so much stuff?" The book is an engaging introduction to a vast range of topics – from the QWERTY keyboard to black holes – introduced by Stephen Hawking and his big question: ‘Existence: Where did we come from?’

Why have humans never successfully created new life entirely from non-living material? How do birds detect Earth’s magnetic field, and how can dogs distinguish so many different smells? In this book a physicist and a biologist introduce the emerging field of quantum biology, which promises to help scientists understand the most puzzling biological phenomena by considering how the behaviour of matter at the quantum scale could affect processes important to life – and could even provide the key to its origins. Slightly off-mint and felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.

Ever since our ancestors first contemplated the majesty of the heavens, people have felt a profound curiosity about realms beyond the Earth. This authoritative, fully illustrated book provides an accessible introduction to the science of the universe. Starting with our own planet, it explores our neighbours in the solar system, before moving out into the vastness of intergalactic space. It also charts the history of astronomy. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.

Historical reconstructions have become a decisive tool in the history of science and technology. This volume brings together studies of 11 recent projects ranging from a Viking age long ship to Babbage's Difference Engine No 2.

For readers who are free of exams and the stress of having to get it right, Peter Higgins offers a chance ‘to wonder at the mathematical scenery’. Exploring questions such as ‘How many matches are played in a tennis tournament?’ and ‘What are your chances of winning the lottery?’ he gives an entertaining account of what mathematics can do.

In this survey of scientific development and theological response over the past 450 years, Barrett covers three major shifts in Western science – the Scientific Revolution (16th and 17th centuries), Darwin's theory of evolution, and New Physics in the 20th century. He describes how the work of leading figures such as Copernicus, Boyle, Newton, Linnaeus and Darwin impacted on Christian belief and concludes with a discussion of the discourse between science and theology in recent decades.