Spring is in full bloom, and the long-awaited fifth issue of "New Discoveries: Popular Science Booklist" is finally here!
"New Discoveries Popular Science Booklist" is the first booklist brand in China to specifically review popular science books, with the purpose of leading readers to pay attention to scientific reading, adhering to the value proposition of "science into the future", and is committed to gathering good popular science books from all over the country, and regularly launching a national popular science book list with selection credibility, social influence and market recognition. The book list is divided into three sub-lists: Science and Humanities, Science Life, and Science Youth.
At present, 46 shortlisted books have been produced, and today's two good book recommendations are freshly released, so stay tuned~
Scientific Life: Sub-book List
15
Written by Chen Shuihua
9787554027806
Zhejiang Ancient Books Publishing House
February 2024
Introduction
This is the first cross-border work of ornithologists to interpret Song Dynasty flower and bird paintings. The book contains almost all the flower and bird paintings of the Song Dynasty that are currently known. As a senior and authoritative ornithology expert, the author Chen Shuihua not only described in detail the historical background of each Song Dynasty painter and the creation of each Song Dynasty flower and bird painting, but also carried out exhaustive statistics, category identification and size measurement of the birds depicted in the Song Dynasty paintings, unifying the birds in the paintings, the environment and the seasons, and truly restoring the ecological environment of birds in the Song and Song dynasties. With popular and vivid language and exquisite and detailed pictures, it opens the door to the art of reading Song Dynasty flower and bird paintings for readers, and leads readers back to the world of the Song Dynasty 1,000 years ago to observe and appreciate the beauty of naturalism.
Expert recommendation
Combining Form and Reason: Birds in Song Painting is a brilliant work by Dr. Chen Shuihua, which highlights and explores 68 Song Dynasty paintings containing images of birds, outlining the inextricable connections between Song Dynasty painting and birds, as well as naturalism.
With a clear chapter structure and unique perspectives, this book leads readers to explore the style, Taoism, law and inheritance of flower and bird painting in the Song Dynasty. From Huang Zhen to Xu Xi, from Cui Bai to Song Huizong, and even anonymous works, the author not only examines from the perspective of art history, but also examines with professional knowledge of ornithology, and deeply analyzes the expression, artistic pursuit, and naturalist basis of the paintings.
The artist's meticulous interpretation of the paintings reveals the painters' precise observations and expressions of the bird world. Whether it is the landscapes, flowers and birds in Huang Zhen's paintings, or the aesthetic realm of "the poor theory of things" pursued by Huizong, they all show their deep understanding of the characteristics, habits and living environment of different birds. As the title suggests, the painting achieves the best of both worlds in terms of bird form and naturalistic principles.
In addition, the book also explores the phenomenon of "irrationality" that may occur in the creation of paintings, such as the incorrect depiction of the red-crowned crane in Huizong's famous "Crane Picture". Through a meticulous analysis of 68 Song paintings, the author presents the rich diversity of bird images in these works, as well as the painters' meticulous observation and depiction of the natural world, reflecting the naturalist spirit of Song painting.
Overall, "The Perfection of Form and Reason" is an in-depth excavation of the art and science of Song Dynasty flower and bird painting. For readers interested in Chinese painting and naturalism, this book is undoubtedly a masterpiece.
16
By Brenda Peterson
Translated by Jiang Zhigang
9787547864746
Shanghai Science and Technology Press
January 2024
Introduction
Wolf conservation has been called the "abortion conundrum in wildlife," and the book's stakeholders—wolf advocates, scientists, hunters, and politicians, as well as illegal occupiers, ranchers, and wealthy people on public lands—open a window into the North American wilderness. The wolf is closely related to the American environment and the soul of the Americans, and the relationship between humans and wolves can be used to understand the history of the United States, the identity of Americans, and the national identity.
This book not only contains the wildest and warmest love of life and death in the kingdom of wolves, but also touches on the wildlife politics from the local to the federal level, the tragedy of the commons, and the unremitting efforts of conservationists and scientists in the protection of wolves.
The lessons and experience of nature conservation in the United States can also serve as a reference for the mainland to build an ecological civilization in which man and nature coexist in harmony.
Expert recommendation
Brenda Peterson, author of The Return of the Wolf, tells the 300-year history of the American wolf. From the point of view of the relationship between humans and wolves, this is also our own human history. The book discusses how the earliest Americans revered wolves. However, later settlers went crazy to exterminate them. Now, scientists, writers, and ordinary citizens are trying to bring them back into the wild. Peterson eloquently made a strong case during his 20-year battle: without wolves, not only would our entire ecology disintegrate, but we would lose our national soul.
This book provides compelling environmental, scientific, political, and personal evidence of the value of wild wolves to our world. Most importantly, the book clears the negative myths and lies about wolves for centuries and replaces them with the latest science and stories that support the reintroduction of this magnificent carnivore into the wild. One of the gifts of this well-written book is that we clearly see that the wolf is an animal with strong family bonds and group loyalty. We have also seen how the environment in which they were reintroduced began to recover: soil erosion slowed, trees and other plants began to grow, rivers came back to life, and the ecological balance was restored. Brenda Peterson delved into Wolf Nation and came back to share important science and stories.
This book is very important for Chinese readers. In Chinese culture, there are many animals that describe wolves as vicious and poisonous animals, such as "wolf ambition", "wolf heart and dog lungs", and so on. I remember that in the 50s and 60s of the last century, the mainland once arose a wolf eradication movement in the northeast and the grassland areas of Inner Mongolia. By the 70s, wolves were difficult to spot on the mainland. It was only after reflection in the 90s that wildlife conservation began to be restored. This book allows Chinese people to further understand the relationship between wolves and humans, and the relationship between wolves and the ecological environment. It is expected that more zoologists in China will write similar books as well.
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