More Than A Game: The Story of Cricket's Early Years

From the names of cruise lines and bookstores to an Australian ranch and a nudist camp outside of Atlanta, the word serendipity--that happy blend of wisdom and luck by which something is discovered not quite by accident--is today ubiquitous. This book traces the word's eventful history from its 1754 coinage into the twentieth century--chronicling along the way much of what we now call the natural and social sciences.

The book charts where the term went, with whom it resided, and how it fared. We cross oceans and academic specialties and meet those people, both famous and now obscure, who have used and abused serendipity. We encounter a linguistic sage, walk down the illustrious halls of the Harvard Medical School, attend the (serendipitous) birth of penicillin, and meet someone who "manages serendipity" for the U.S. Navy.

The story of serendipity is fascinating; that of The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity, equally so. Written in the 1950s by already-eminent sociologist Robert Merton and Elinor Barber, the book--though occasionally and most tantalizingly cited--was intentionally never published. This is all the more curious because it so remarkably anticipated subsequent battles over research and funding--many of which centered on the role of serendipity in science. Finally, shortly after his ninety-first birthday, following Barber's death and preceding his own by but a little, Merton agreed to expand and publish this major work.

Beautifully written, the book is permeated by the prodigious intellectual curiosity and generosity that characterized Merton's influential On the Shoulders of Giants. Absolutely entertaining as the history of a word, the book is also tremendously important to all who value the miracle of intellectual discovery. It represents Merton's lifelong protest against that rhetoric of science that defines discovery as anything other than a messy blend of inspiration, perspiration, error, and happy chance--anything other than serendipity.

Mornings on Horseback is about the world of the young Theodore Roosevelt. It is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks of asthma, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household (and rarefied social world) in which he was raised.

His father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, "Greatheart," a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. His mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, Teddy Roosevelt's first love. And while such disparate figures as Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. John Jacob Astor, and Senator Roscoe Conkling play a part, it is this diverse and intensely human assemblage of Roosevelts, all brought to vivid life, which gives the book its remarkable power.

The book spans seventeen years -- from 1869 when little "Teedie" is ten, to 1886 when, as a hardened "real life cowboy," he returns from the West to pick up the pieces of a shattered life and begin anew, a grown man, whole in body and spirit. The story does for Teddy Roosevelt what Sunrise at Campobello did for FDR -- reveals the inner man through his battle against dreadful odds.

Like David McCullough's The Great Bridge, also set in New York, this is at once an enthralling story, with all the elements of a great novel, and a penetrating character study. It is brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship, which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. For the first time, for example, Roosevelt's asthma is examined closely, drawing on information gleaned from private Roosevelt family papers and in light of present-day knowledge of the disease and its psychosomatic aspects.

Completely updated and revised to include iOS 6, iCloud, and the latest iPhone 5 features, this full-color book is your guide to all things iPhone. Bestselling veteran authors Edward Baig and Bob "Dr. Mac" LeVitus introduce you to the capabilities of the iPhone for making phone calls, browsing the Internet, sending and receiving e-mails, working with the calendar, watching and recording HD videos, taking and editing great photos, and much more.

You'll discover how to set up iTunes, buy music and videos, protect your information, troubleshoot, multitask, and download the hundreds of thousands of apps available from the App Store.

• Includes coverage of iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S as well as the older iPhone 4 model
• Gets you started with your iPhone, and introduces you to the multitouch interface, synching with iCloud, making phone and video calls, texting, working with the calendar, and more
• Explains setting up iTunes, watching your favorite movies and TV shows, taking stunning photos, and listening to your favorite music
• Helps you get organized with the calendar and Reminders features, keep on top of the latest news with Notification Center, and communicate with Siri, your voice-activated virtual assistant
• Walks you through connecting wirelessly, sending and receiving e-mails, making FaceTime video calls, getting directions from the all new Maps app, protecting your information, and troubleshooting
• Addresses the latest updates, iCloud, and new iOS 6 features that make your iPhone even more powerful and easy to use

iPhone 5 For Dummies, 6th Edition is presented in the straightforward-but-fun style that defines the series. It's just the book you need to get acquainted with your brand-new iPhone.