Everyday Wonders: Encounters With the Astonishing World Around Us [Paperback]

Barry Evans (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0809237989 | ISBN-13: 978-0809237982 | Publication Date: October 1993

In 30 essays--filled with anecdotes and illustrations--Evans takes such commonplace concepts as gravity, water, and breath and turns them into delightfully documented adventures. Exclusive interviews with Stephen Jay Gould, Linus Pauling, and other creative and articulate scientists add an extra dimension. Photos. Line drawings. Puzzles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 363 pages
• Publisher: Contemporary Books (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809237989
• ISBN-13: 978-0809237982
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,886,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, stimulating & instructive!, March 15, 2006

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyday Wonders: Encounters With the Astonishing World Around Us (Paperback)

What I like about this book is that the author has transformed such commonplace concepts as gravity, water, & breath into fun-to-read adventures. In 21 essays, each full of anecdotes & illustrations, the author explains remarkable everyday phenomena in simple, clear language. There are also interviews with some of the world's most brilliant scientists - Linus Pauling, Stephen Jay Gould, Edward Teller, Francis Crick - & dozens of mind boggling puzzles as well as insightful quotations.

What is the principal object of the author in creating all of the above?

In a nutshell, the author is just showing to all of us: how to be more aware of our own surroundings & how to play with our childhood sense of wonder. In the author's own words: This book is about the present, because it's about awareness: noticing, stopping, looking, heeding, remarking, observing, beholding, discerning, perceiving, asking, examining, probing, considering, pondering, weighing, appraising, studying...right now.

Over the years, I have come across only a handful of such unique books as continuation of my relentless search for better understanding of perceptual sensitivity & sensory acuity. I must say this one is one of the best books in the genre, because it is entertaining, stimulating and instructive! In fact, it has inspired me to create valuable learning experiences for participants in my creativity workshops.

Do you have the time to go and play? Come play with your childhood sense of wonder. Prepare to be astonished, to learn with this wonderful book!

There are two other good books that I would recommend to readers, in conjunction with this one:

- The Sense of Wonder, by Rachel Carson;
- Playful Perception: Choosing How to Experience Your World, by Herbert Leff;

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading, September 26, 2009

By 

Chad Pelishek (WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Everyday Wonders: Encounters With the Astonishing World Around Us (Paperback)

Originally purchased for Physics 101 but actually enjoyed reading. Author incorporates physics & philosophy into everyday examples. A bood book that makes you think and helps you to understand.