Quaternion Books

26/08/2021

Today is Katherine Johnson's birthday! She was an amazing scientist that quietly revolutionized her field for women of color. We're working on a book that collects her most important publications with NASA: https://quaternionbooks.com/the-human-computer/

16/06/2021

With a bit more than 2 days to go, we have reached our goal on Kickstarter!!! Our book on Katherine Johnson's science will be done thanks to 95 (so far) generous and wonderful people. We'd like to express our gratitude to all of them for making this possible. We are incredibly excited about this result and will keep you posted on our project progress. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/quaternion/the-human-computer-katherine-johnsons-story-0?ref=d5vq6s

A book celebrating Katherine Johnson, the great African-American mathematician who helped NASA make the space program a success

14/06/2021

Let's make this happen! Only 4 days to go: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/quaternion/the-human-computer-katherine-johnsons-story-0?ref=5zpbuw

Katherine Johnson was born in 1918, a time marked by racial segregation and inequality. An exceptional mathematician, she began working for NASA in the early 1950s, in a field dominated by white males. She was a "human computer", in a group of black women mathematicians that were key to the success of the moon program. We are creating a book to celebrate her work, with her original papers commented by scientists.

06/06/2021

The story of the African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson is one that must be told.

She became a key figure at NASA by providing calculations which enabled the institute to send the first Americans into space. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, famous for landing on the moon and helping to rescue the Apollo 13 crew, entrusted Johnson with the success of their mission.

We are preparing a book on Katherine Johnson’s actual work. By showing the science of her work, this book allows readers to clearly see her brilliance.

Help us to share this body of work with the world by reaching our goal and making this project a success!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/quaternion/the-human-computer-katherine-johnsons-story-0

A book celebrating Katherine Johnson, the great African-American mathematician who helped NASA make the space program a success

26/05/2021

The Society of Women Engineers has supported our initiative on Katherine Johnson by hosting an article on their website. A big thank you to them and to all of you who are supporting us! https://alltogether.swe.org/2021/05/katherine-johnson-quaternion-books/

Quaternion Books' first big initiative, which they are funding via Kickstarter, is about the inspiring story and works of Katherine Johnson.

20/05/2021

We are re-launching a Kickstarter campaign to collect funds for our new project: a book to celebrate the great African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson. She was one of the key figures that helped NASA make the space program a success, from the first American in orbit around Earth, to the Moon landing and the rescue of the Apollo 13 crew. This book is a tribute to her work and her achievements and to all African-American women who have worked in the field of science without having the proper recognition. We are retyping and restyling some of her key papers (which are in the NASA archives as scanned typewritten copies and are poorly readable) and we are adding a commentary to explain their significance to the general public. We are also preparing a new biography and interviewing scientists from ESA - European Space Agency and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This project has been endorsed by several universities and research centers across the world and we have now several people working on it, among which some astrophysicists who have volunteered to help (Valeria Korol, Elena Sacchi and Yuri Cavecchi, who are all doing a truly astounding work).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/quaternion/the-human-computer-katherine-johnsons-story-0

A book celebrating Katherine Johnson, the great African-American mathematician who helped NASA make the space program a success

29/12/2020

NEW PROJECT! "The Human Computer - Katherine Johnson's Story" a tribute book to Katherine Johnson, the great mathematician who helped NASA to make the space program a wonderful success. This project presents a selection of the 26 scientific papers and reports written by K. Johnson, retyped and restyled. New high quality figures are included and the volume presents a new biography of the great scientist plus a detailed commentary on each report that will help the reader to understand the meaning and significance of her calculations.
Support this project on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/quaternion/the-human-computer-katherine-johnsons-story

A book celebrating Katherine Johnson, the African American woman who helped humanity touch the Moon.

29/06/2020

Nikola Tesla was a great scientist as well as a legendary showman. In this classic book Thomas C. Martin describes Tesla’s early activities, research, and works in detail.

A pioneer in his field, Tesla was always recognized as one of the foremost electrical researchers and inventors.

01/06/2020

In 1665 Robert Hooke was the first to describe detailed observations of several materials, insects and plants, made with a microscope and various different lenses. The beautifully intricate illustrations cross the border between science and art.

To find this new print, retouched and integrated for maximum quality, please look for the March 2020 edition, ASIN B086FXDTQC on Amazon, ISBN 9798630562739; or follow the Buy link on our website:
https://quaternionbooks.com/product/micrographia/

29/05/2020

Alfred Wegener is the father of the continental drift theory. His hypothesis was controversial and widely rejected by mainstream geology until the 1950s, when novel discoveries provided strong support for continental drift, the basis for today’s model of plate tectonics.
https://quaternionbooks.com/product/the-origin-of-continents-and-oceans/

Alfred Lothar Wegener (1880–1930) was a German geophysicist and meteorologist. His research focused mainly on meteorology and polar research, however he is most remembered as the originator of the theory of continental drift, i.e. that the continents are slowly drifting around the Earth. His hypot...

28/05/2020

Isaac Asimov wrote this clear explanation of the history and future of nuclear energy in the 1970s and it's still very much relevant today. An easy to understand read for anyone fascinated by science and technology.
Isaac Asimov - Worlds within Worlds. The Story of Nuclear Energy
https://quaternionbooks.com/product/worlds-within-worlds/

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was a Russian-American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. He was a very prolific writer of science fiction and popular science books, with a total of more than 500 volumes published. Asimov was also an outspoken atheist, humanist and rationalist and...

22/05/2020

Il capolavoro di Émilie du Châtelet, raffinata intellettuale in un'epoca in cui le donne erano ancora escluse dalla scienza, ristampato per la prima volta.
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0882LS82J

Istituzioni di Fisica: Instituzioni di fisica di madama la marchesa Du Chastellet indiritte a suo figliuolo

22/05/2020

Thanks to the impact of Pasteur's studies, many diseases were eradicated in the following decades, relieving humanity from several epidemics that had erupted throughout human history. This classic book narrates his life and discoveries.

https://quaternionbooks.com/product/pasteur-the-history-of-a-mind/

French biologist and chemist Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) is considered the founder of modern microbiology. His discoveries provided the conclusive evidence necessary to firmly establish the theory of germs, i.e. the fact that microbes are the primary cause of several diseases. His research disproved...

18/05/2020

𝗘́𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘅 -- 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘂𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱

Louis Pasteur (1822--1895) was a French biologist and chemist who is considered the founder of modern microbiology. His discoveries provided the conclusive evidence necessary to firmly establish the theory of germs, i.e., the fact that microbes are the primary cause of several diseases. His research disproved the theory of spontaneous generation and paved the way to a new concept of hygiene across the world.

He invented the pasteurization process to remove pathogens from food and developed the first vaccine against rabies in 1885. Thanks to the impact of his studies, many diseases were eradicated in the following decades, relieving humanity from several epidemics that had erupted throughout human history.
Joseph Lister, shortly after, revolutionized surgery by introducing antiseptic methods, with surgeons that now started to wash their hands before seeing a patient.

After Pasteur's death, his assistant Émile Duclaux became the director of the Institute Pasteur, founded in 1887 in Paris and wrote "The History of a Mind" dedicated to the memory of his mentor and scientific father.

Available on all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088MXBFZ2

www.quaternionbooks.com

Pasteur: The History of A Mind

03/05/2020

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗸ł𝗼𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗸𝗮 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲 -- 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Marie Skłodowska Curie, was a Polish and naturalized-French scientist who remains today one of the most extraordinary figures in modern physics and chemistry. She has been the first person to win two Nobel prizes (physics and chemistry) and the first woman scientist to have been awarded the Nobel prize in physics.

After being denied a position at the University of Kraków, due to the common sexism in the academia of the time, she returned to Paris to work together with Pierre Curie.

This book presents a new English translation of the second edition (1904) of her Ph.D. thesis, titled "Radio-Active Substances" and defended in 1903 at the Faculty of Science of the Université de la Sorbonne in Paris. This thesis, described by the examining committee as the best contribution to science ever presented, made Marie Skłodowska Curie the first woman to obtain a doctoral degree in the history of France. The thesis is composed by four chapters which represent true masterpieces of science and describe in detail her efforts to understand the origin of radio-activity.

We have also added a short lecture transcript, titled "The Discovery of Radium" where Marie Skłodowska Curie explains the difficulties encountered during her scientific career.

Due to the heavy exposure to radiation, Marie Skłodowska Curie died at the age of 66 for aplastic anaemia.

"𝑰𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑴.𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒐-𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒚, 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒓."

This book is available on all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086Y7CGYQ

The Discovery of Radium. Research on Radioactive Substances.

01/05/2020

𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗼́𝗻 𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗷𝗮𝗹 -- 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅

Ramón y Cajal can be considered one of the founding fathers of modern neuroscience. He has been the first person of Spanish nationality to win a Nobel Prize in a scientific discipline (Physiology or Medicine, 1906).

After the invention of the silver impregnation, a staining technique elaborated by the Italian biologist and pathologist Camillo Golgi, Ramón y Cajal began studying the structure of the brain. One of his major discoveries was the determination of the structure of the brain, composed by discrete interlaced single cells called neurons. This view was opposite to the dominant theory of the time, that interpreted the brain structure as composed by a single continuum tissue. Ramón y Cajal is also famous for his illustrations of the structure of the brain, in particular the discovery and the illustration of neural “arborizations”, i.e., the process by which the dendrites branch off to create new synapses. His illustrations are still used in modern neuroscience textbooks.

This book presents a series of three lectures with illustrations given by Cajal at the Clark University in Massachusetts, United States, in 1899. He explains his recent discoveries on the structure of the brain showing for the first time his (still unpublished) illustrations on the structure of neural networks.

Available on all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0863X63ZM?

https://quaternionbooks.com/product/comparative-study-of-the-sensory-areas-of-the-human-cortex/

Comparative Study of the Sensory Areas of the Human Cortex

30/04/2020

𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 -- 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗮

This book is a new edition of the historical masterpiece with the famous drawings improved for maximum quality and readability.

Robert Hooke (1635‒1703) was an English polymath who is perhaps best remembered for his many contributions in different fields of science. He can be considered the first scientist in history to be hired and paid exclusively to produce scientific work. While holding a position at the prestigious Royal Society, he prepared Micrographia, the first major publication of the Society.

In this volume, Robert Hooke described detailed observations of several materials, insects and plants, made with a microscope and various different lenses. He also included some astronomical observations made with a telescope. The book contains the first observation of cells, made possible thanks to the power of the microscope. While observing a slice of cork, Hooke noted tiny units that resembled cells inhabited by monks in a monastery.

During his later years he worked on a theory of gravitation that brought him in a harsh dispute with Isaac Newton. This rivalry resulted in a damaged reputation for Robert Hooke, with his name gradually fading into obscurity. This work has been newly converted and integrated for maximum quality and readability.

https://quaternionbooks.com/product/micrographia/

Available on all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086FXDTQC?

Micrographia

30/04/2020

𝗙. 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮, 𝗔𝗱𝗮 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 -- 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗮𝗴𝗲

Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician considered by many as the first computer scientist in history. Soon after the (never built) invention of the “Analytical Engine” by Charles Babbage, i.e. the first mechanical computer, Ada Lovelace became interested in this machine. She began an intense exchange of ideas and notes with Charles Babbage through the years and translated an article of the Italian engineer Luigi Menabrea on the Analytical Engine.This book presents the translated article together with Ada Lovelace’s added notes, that constitute the bulk of the text. She included several insights that can be considered seminal contributions to the field, most notably: the outline of the first published computer program in history (Note G), useful to calculate a sequence of Bernoulli numbers with the Analytical Engine, and a groundbreaking description of the Analytical Engine as a general purpose machine, a visionary concept that became reality much later with the contributions of Alan Turing and John von Neumann.

https://quaternionbooks.com/product/sketch-of-the-analytical-engine-translation-and-notes-by-ada-lovelace/

Available of all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G3XNS4?

Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage: Translation and Notes by Ada Lovelace

30/04/2020

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗧. 𝗩𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻 -- 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗮

In this historical book, Dr. W. Vaughan describes, among other things, the influenza pandemic of 1918. It is very instructive to see how many of the problems we are having today with the SARS-COVID-2 pandemic were similar to those they had back then: the efficacy of quarantine, the use of face masks, the difficulty in tracking the number of infections during the pandemic.

"Should cases be isolated? Should they be quarantined until no longer infective? The experience of the last epidemic has rendered us pessimistic."

"The efficacy of face masks is still open to question. Certainly the face mask as extensively used during the 1918 epidemic was of little benefit and in many cases was, without doubt, a decided detriment. The same mask was worn until it was filthy. It was not worn in such a way as to be a protection."

https://quaternionbooks.com/product/influenza-an-epidemiologic-study/

The book is available on all 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 stores:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G2HVMX

Influenza: An Epidemiologic Study