West with the Night
by Beryl Markham
from North Point Press
One of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, with some of the most poetic prose passages I could imagine, such as the following, resonating with a stately and timeless quality so absent in our modern life:
There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing. There is the silence that comes with morning in a forest, and this is different from the silence of a sleeping city. There is silence after a rainstorm, and before a rainstorm, and these are not the same. There is the silence of emptiness, the silence of fear, the silence of doubt. There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old dust upon its keys, or from anything that has answered to the need of a man, for pleasure or for work. This kind of silence can speak. Its voice may be melancholy, but it is not always so; for the chair may have been left by a laughing child or the last notes of the piano may have been raucous and gay. Whatever the mood or the circumstance, the essence of its quality may linger in the silence that follows. It is a soundless echo.Born in England in 1902, Markham was taken by her father to East Africa in 1906. She spent her childhood playing with native Maruni children and apprenticing with her father as a trainer and breeder of racehorses. In the 1930s, she became an African bush pilot, and in September 1936, became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west.
The Art of Electronics
by Paul Horowitz
from Cambridge University Press
This is the thoroughly revised and updated second edition of the hugely successful The Art of Electronics. Widely accepted as the authoritative text and reference on electronic circuit design, both analog and digital, this book revolutionized the teaching of electronics by emphasizing the methods actually used by circuit designers -- a combination of some basic laws, rules of thumb, and a large bag of tricks. The result is a largely nonmathematical treatment that encourages circuit intuition, brainstorming, and simplified calculations of circuit values and performance. The new Art of Electronics retains the feeling of informality and easy access that helped make the first edition so successful and popular. It is an ideal first textbook on electronics for scientists and engineers and an indispensable reference for anyone, professional or amateur, who works with electronic circuits.
Auto Repair For Dummies
by Deanna Sclar
from IDG Books Worldwide
Most of us don’t know the first thing about the machines we’re licensed to drive – and this can turn a ticket to freedom into a ticket to trouble. If you’re like most people, you probably tend to drive around until something goes wrong with the car. You then incur the expense of replacing worn and burnt-out parts (or the entire engine) when low-cost, regular maintenance could have kept your wheels turning for a long time.
Auto Repair For Dummies is indispensable for anyone who is tired of nodding and smiling at the incomprehensible mutterings of your mechanic, only to end up shelling out money for repairs that you neither fully understand nor always need. This easy-to-understand guide is also for you if you
- Don't have the vaguest idea of how a car works.
- Can't identify anything you see under the hood of your vehicle.
- Are tired of other people assuming (especially if you’re a teenager or a woman) that you aren’t capable of handling repairs yourself.
- Don't want to feel helpless in an emergency.
- Are tired of being ripped off because of your own ignorance.
This book shows you how your car works; what it needs in the way of tender loving care; and how to keep from being overcharged if you need to entrust repairs to someone else. Auto Repair For Dummies also gives you the scoop on these topics and more:
- What makes your vehicle go (and how and why)
- A program of "preventive medicine" to avoid trouble
- Shopping for tools and knowing how to use them
- Diesel engines and alternatively powered cars
- How to keep your car looking its best
- Dealing with on-road emergencies
- Checking your tires, alignment, and steering
By handling the simple maintenance and tune-ups and being able to diagnose trouble and perform the less complex repairs yourself, you’ll save some serious money. Once you break the ice (or crack open the hood), the heady sense of power will carry you through basic car repair and maintenance with confidence and ease.
How Cars Work
by Tom Newton
from Black Apple Press
An Illustrated Guide to the 250 Most Important Car Parts and how they work.
How to Rebuild Your Volkswagen air-Cooled Engine (All models, 1961 and up)
by Tom Wilson
from HP Trade
Practical Photovoltaics: Electricity from Solar Cells
by Richard J. Komp
from Aatec Publications
Practical Photovoltaics, the now-classic reference on solar electricity, offers a unique combination of technical discussion and practical advice. Physicist, lecturer, and solar-home dweller Richard Komp explains the "how" and the "how-to" of PV, while providing valuable information on the industry, new developments, and the future. The book is a comprehensive guide to the theory and reality of solar electricity, as well as a detailed installation and maintenance manual. A well-illustrated appendix offers step-by-step instructions for constructing your own solar module, a creative approach to demystifying the technology. Presented in a clear, concise, and understandable style, Dr. Komp's contribution to PV literature has been called the "best single reference available," "the easiest and most complete education on photovoltaics," "one of the best basic books on PV," and "the best of the books."
Maximum Boost: Designing, Testing, and Installing Turbocharger Systems (Engineering and Performance)
by Corky Bell
from Bentley Publishers
Kids' Paper Airplane Book
by Ken Blackburn
from Workman Publishing Company
Calling all pilots: Fly them indoors. Fly them outdoors. Perform loops, dives, and other stunts, or challenge yourfriends to a race. And get to know your drag and your lift. Kids' Paper Airplane Book has everything you need to fold and fly a squadron of bold, bright, custom-designed paper aircraft. Plus games, activities, the pilot's alphabet, a full-color, pull-out poster of an airport, field guide to common aircraft, flight log, pilot's license, and more.
Beginner's Guide to Reading Schematics
by Robert J. Traister
from McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain
by Warren C. Young
from McGraw-Hill Professional
Solutions-based approach to quick calculations in structural element design and analysis
Now updated with 30% new material, Roark Formulas for Stress and Strain, Seventh Edition, is the ultimate resource for designers, engineers, and analysts who need to calculate loads and stress. This landmark reference from Warren Young and Richard Budynas provides you with equations and diagrams of structural properties in an easy-to-use, thumb-through format. Updated, with a user-friendly page layout, this new edition includes expanded coverage of joints, bearing and shear stress, experimental stress analysis, and stress concentrations, as well as material behavior coverage and stress and strain measurement. You’ll also find expanded tables and cases; improved notations and figures in the tables; consistent table and equation numbering; and verification of correction factors.
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