This illuminating study of the evolution of Chinese capitalism chronicles the fortunes of the Song family of North China under five successive authoritarian governments. Headed initially by Song Chuandian, who became rich by exporting hairnets to Europe and America in the early twentieth century, the family built a thriving business against long odds of rural poverty and political chaos.
A savvy political operator, Song Chuandian prospered and kept local warlords at bay, but his career ended badly when he fell afoul of the new Nationalist government. His son Song Feiqing inspired by the reformist currents of the May Fourth Movement developed a utopian capitalist vision that industry would redeem China from foreign imperialism and cultural backwardness. He founded the Dongya Corporation in 1932 to manufacture wool knitting yarn and for two decades steered the company through a constantly changing political landscape the Nationalists, then Japanese occupiers, then the Nationalists again, and finally Chinese Communists. Increasingly hostile governments, combined with inflation, foreign competition, and a restless labor force, thwarted his ambition to create an Industrial Eden.
Brett Sheehan shows how the Song family engaged in eclectic business practices that bore the imprint of both foreign and traditional Chinese influences. Businesspeople came to expect much from increasingly intrusive states, but the position of private capitalists remained tenuous no matter which government was in control. Although private business in China was closely linked to the state, it was neither a handmaiden to authoritarianism nor a natural ally of democracy."

Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—as he explores our innate desire to know why .

Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?

In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?

Curiosity is at the heart of mystery and suspense novels. It is essential to other forms of art, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.

Mario Livio—an astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience—explores this irresistible subject in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.

Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner once wondered about "the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in the formulation of the laws of nature. Is God a Mathematician? investigates why mathematics is as powerful as it is. From ancient times to the present, scientists and philosophers have marveled at how such a seemingly abstract discipline could so perfectly explain the natural world. More than that -- mathematics has often made predictions, for example, about subatomic particles or cosmic phenomena that were unknown at the time, but later were proven to be true. Is mathematics ultimately invented or discovered? If, as Einstein insisted, mathematics is "a product of human thought that is independent of experience," how can it so accurately describe and even predict the world around us? Mathematicians themselves often insist that their work has no practical effect. The British mathematician G. H. Hardy went so far as to describe his own work this way: "No discovery of mine has made, or is likely to make, directly or indirectly, for good or ill, the least difference to the amenity of the world." He was wrong. The Hardy-Weinberg law allows population geneticists to predict how genes are transmitted from one generation to the next, and Hardy's work on the theory of numbers found unexpected implications in the development of codes. Physicist and author Mario Livio brilliantly explores mathematical ideas from Pythagoras to the present day as he shows us how intriguing questions and ingenious answers have led to ever deeper insights into our world. This fascinating book will interest anyone curious about the human mind, the scientific world, and the relationship between them.

What do the music of J. S. Bach, the basic forces of nature, Rubik's Cube, and the selection of mates have in common? They are all characterized by certain symmetries. Symmetry is the concept that bridges the gap between science and art, between the world of theoretical physics and the everyday world we see around us. Yet the "language" of symmetry--group theory in mathematics--emerged from a most unlikely source: an equation that couldn't be solved.
Over the millennia, mathematicians solved progressively more difficult algebraic equations until they came to what is known as the quintic equation. For several centuries it resisted solution, until two mathematical prodigies independently discovered that it could not be solved by the usual methods, thereby opening the door to group theory. These young geniuses, a Norwegian named Niels Henrik Abel and a Frenchman named Evariste Galois, both died tragically. Galois, in fact, spent the night before his fatal duel (at the age of twenty) scribbling another brief summary of his proof, at one point writing in the margin of his notebook "I have no time."
The story of the equation that couldn't be solved is a story of brilliant mathematicians and a fascinating account of how mathematics illuminates a wide variety of disciplines. In this lively, engaging book, Mario Livio shows in an easily accessible way how group theory explains the symmetry and order of both the natural and the human-made worlds.

Drawing on the lives of five renowned scientists, Mario Livio shows how even these geniuses made major mistakes and how their errors were an essential part of the process of achieving scientific breakthroughs. We all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. And that includes five of the greatest scientists in history—Charles Darwin, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), Linus Pauling, Fred Hoyle, and Albert Einstein. But the mistakes that these great luminaries made helped advance science. Indeed, as Mario Livio explains, science thrives on error, advancing when erroneous ideas are disproven.

As a young scientist, Einstein tried to conceive of a way to describe the evolution of the universe at large, based on General Relativity—his theory of space, time, and gravity. Unfortunately he fell victim to a misguided notion of aesthetic simplicity. Fred Hoyle was an eminent astrophysicist who ridiculed an emerging theory about the origin of the universe that he dismissively called “The Big Bang.” The name stuck, but Hoyle was dead wrong in his opposition.

They, along with Darwin (a blunder in his theory of Natural Selection), Kelvin (a blunder in his calculation of the age of the earth), and Pauling (a blunder in his model for the structure of the DNA molecule), were brilliant men and fascinating human beings. Their blunders were a necessary part of the scientific process. Collectively they helped to dramatically further our knowledge of the evolution of life, the Earth, and the universe.

A sophisticated and entertaining debut novel about an irresistible young woman with an uncommon sense of purpose.
Set in New York City in 1938, "Rules of Civility" tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future.
The story opens on New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where Katey and her boardinghouse roommate Eve happen to meet Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a ready smile. This chance encounter and its startling consequences cast Katey off her current course, but end up providing her unexpected access to the rarified offices of Conde Nast and a glittering new social circle. Befriended in turn by a shy, principled multimillionaire, an Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, and a single-minded widow who is ahead of her times, Katey has the chance to experience first hand the poise secured by wealth and station, but also the aspirations, envy, disloyalty, and desires that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her orbit, she will learn how individual choices become the means by which life crystallizes loss.
Elegant and captivating, "Rules of Civility" turns a Jamesian eye on how spur of the moment decisions define life for decades to come. A love letter to a great American city at the end of the Depression, readers will quickly fall under its spell of crisp writing, sparkling atmosphere and breathtaking revelations, as Towles evokes the ghosts of Fitzgerald, Capote, and McCarthy.

本书作者为奥地利学者耿爱德，分为上、下两册。全书重点论述了中国的金属硬币，分为银部、金部、铜部三编，对中国货币之流通、种类、市场分布、产地、外汇市场等方面进行了论述，勾勒了中国货币发展脉络，对后人解读、研究中国货币，尤其是金属货币助益良多。

The Fifth Edition of one of the standard works on number theory, written by internationally-recognized mathematicians. Chapters are relatively self-contained for greater flexibility. New features include expanded treatment of the binomial theorem, techniques of numerical calculation and a section on public key cryptography. Contains an outstanding set of problems.

This text is an introduction to the modern theory and applications of probability and stochastics. The style and coverage is geared towards the theory of stochastic processes, but with some attention to the applications. In many instances the gist of the problem is introduced in practical, everyday language and then is made precise in mathematical form. The first four chapters are on probability theory: measure and integration, probability spaces, conditional expectations, and the classical limit theorems. There follows chapters on martingales, Poisson random measures, Levy Processes, Brownian motion, and Markov Processes. Special attention is paid to Poisson random measures and their roles in regulating the excursions of Brownian motion and the jumps of Levy and Markov processes. Each chapter has a large number of varied examples and exercises. The book is based on the author's lecture notes in courses offered over the years at Princeton University. These courses attracted graduate students from engineering, economics, physics, computer sciences, and mathematics. Erhan Cinlar has received many awards for excellence in teaching, including the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching at Princeton University. His research interests include theories of Markov processes, point processes, stochastic calculus, and stochastic flows. The book is full of insights and observations that only a lifetime researcher in probability can have, all told in a lucid yet precise style.

Probability and Measure Anniversary Edition This Anniversary Edition of Probability and Measure offers advanced students, scientists, and engineers an integrated introduction to measure theory and probability. Retaining intact the unique approach of the Third Edition , this text interweaves material on probability and measure, so that probability problems generate an interest in measure theory, which is then developed and applied to probability. Probability and Measure provides thorough coverage of probability, measure, integration, random variables and expected values, convergence of distributions, derivatives and conditional probability, stochastic processes, Brownian motion, and ergodic theory. The Anniversary Edition features a new, pedagogically sound interior design with an emphasis on open space.Like the previous editions, this Anniversary Edition will be well received by students of mathematics, statistics, economics, and a wide variety of disciplines that require a solid understanding of probability theory.

The revision of this well-respected text presents a balanced approach of the classical and Bayesian methods and now includes a chapter on simulation (including Markov chain Monte Carlo and the Bootstrap), coverage of residual analysis in linear models, and many examples using real data. Calculus is assumed as a prerequisite, and a familiarity with the concepts and elementary properties of vectors and matrices is a plus.

中文书名：《计算机时代的爱情》
英文书名：Love in the Time of Algorithms
作 者：Dan Slater
代理公司：ANA
出版时间：2013年1月
代理地区：中国大陆、台湾
类 型：大众社科
版权已授：西班牙、英国、德国
本书从《大西洋月刊》（The Atlantic）摘录发行，引起巨大反响。
“网上约会”始于1965年的哈佛，从那以后网上约会产业为着全美三分之一，大约8千万的单身人士服务。这个现象原来被当做寂寞和绝望的归宿，但如今却被人们所接受。
丹·斯莱特（Dan Slater）为我们讲述了网上约会是如何推动一轮新的性革命。这要归功于网络的高效性，那些情投意合的伴侣不再仅属于小型的群体。高效性和控制性改变了人们对私人生活可能性的看法，也让我们重新感受稳定性和承诺。
斯莱特在他的书中将历史、心理学以及对网站建设者及使用者的采访结合起来，把读者带进了这个令人称奇产业的幕后世界。相亲网站利用的正是人们对爱的渴求和向往。但是您想不想知道这些网站的建设者对搭建这个虚拟世界的利润、有限性和欲望的本质是如何看待的呢？以及他们如何理解人们的线下情缘？
媒体评价：
“本书从哈佛有趣但别扭的网上约会开始，逐渐走向专业，到今天在迈阿密的时髦派对，斯莱特专业并娴熟地带领我们经历了我们这个时代最大的求爱变革（与之前六七十年代简·奥斯汀似的恋爱方式相比）。作者以独到的探究手法显示了科技也许重新塑造了人类存在最重要的一面：爱情。”
----万妮莎·格里奥迪亚斯（VANESSA GRIGORIADIS），《纽约杂志》（New York Magazine）编辑
“五种关系中的一种如今始于电脑屏幕前。但是我们是如何到达这里的？丹·斯莱特（Dan Slater）带我们窥探了这些相亲主管们的独特思维，这些人建立了这个产业，与此同时这些人的生活因为相亲革命而发生永久性的改变。作为这些管理者的其中一位，我想我知道这个故事。但是斯莱特带着幽默和新鲜的视角将改变你对数字世界里爱情的看法。”
----山姆·亚甘（SAM YAGAN），OkCupid创建者及执行总裁
“这是一本详细介绍了计算机科学和创业者努力解决人们生活中最长期存在的挑战之一：找到合适的人生伴侣的优秀读物。书里既没有诋毁也没有赞扬网上相亲这种作为，斯莱特的清楚地表明寻找伴侣的方式如今已经永久性地改变了，无论你喜不喜欢，我们可能无法回头。”
----蒂姆·吴（TIM WU），《信息帝国的兴衰》（The Master Switch）作者
“《计算机时代的爱情》（Love in the Time of Algorithms）贯穿了整个网上相亲的世界，非常精彩。本书充满了人们如何习惯（或者不习惯）网络爱情的轶事，但是与此同时斯莱特同样提出了一个大问题：科学能够预测爱情吗？以及相亲网站上那一摞摞的相亲对象对于未来的人类关系又意味着什么？”
----本瑟尼·麦克林（BETHANY McLEAN），《最聪明的人》（The Smartest Guys in the Room）作者
“同如今大量充斥在数字世界的其他商品一样，爱情也开始蜂拥而来。但是，正如斯莱特娴熟又风趣地向我们指出，把爱情拿到算术法则当中去改变的将不仅是我们最终跟谁走在了一起，更是我们如何看待伴侣、关系、人类意志甚至命运。”
----道格拉斯·洛西科夫（DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF），《生命公司》（Life Inc.）及《当今震惊》（Present Shock）作者
“网络会为我们带来网上相亲以及使科技在我们的爱情生活中蔓延吗？！这本书对我们所在的这个科技-爱情的世界进行艺术性的检验，丹·斯莱特（Dan Slater）为我们打开视野，介绍了永久改变我们行为以及渴望的方式。”
----杰西卡·马萨（JESSICA MASSA）及瑞贝卡·魏根特（REBECCA WIEGAND），“The Gaggle & WTF Is Up With My Love Life?!”共同创立者
中文简体版权代理：
安德鲁•纳伯格联合国际有限公司北京代表处
电子邮箱：JHuang@nurnberg.com.cn
网址：http://www.nurnberg.com.cn
新浪微博：http://weibo.com/nurnberg
豆瓣小站：http://site.douban.com/110577/

本书精选收录了刘宇昆的科幻佳作共22篇，由科幻文学译者耿辉倾情呈现。“奇点时代”来临，身处一个虚拟数据控制一切的时代，我们平凡的生活将以何种形式继续存在？作为一本人文科幻小说，《奇点遗民》融入了科幻艺术吸引人的几大元素：数字化生命、影像化记忆、人工智能、外星访客……刘宇昆的独特之处在于，他写的不是科幻探险或英雄奇幻，而是数据时代里每个人的生活和情感变化。透过这本书，我们看到的不仅是未来还有当下。

The Lessons of History is a book by historians Will Durant and Ariel Durant.
In The Lessons of History the authors provided a summary of periods and trends in history they had noted upon completion of their momentous eleven volume The Story of Civilization. Will Durant stated that he and Ariel "made note of events and comments that might illuminate present affairs, future probabilities, the nature of man, and the conduct of states."
The book thus presents an overview of the themes and lessons observed from 5000 years of world history examined from 13 perspectives such as geography, biology, race, character, morals, religion, economics, socialism, government, war, growth and decay and progress.

Genetic algorithms have been used in science and engineering as adaptive algorithms for solving practical problems and as computational models of natural evolutionary systems. This brief, accessible introduction describes some of the most interesting research in the field and also enables readers to implement and experiment with genetic algorithms on their own. It focuses in depth on a small set of important and interesting topics--particularly in machine learning, scientific modeling, and artificial life--and reviews a broad span of research, including the work of Mitchell and her colleagues. The descriptions of applications and modeling projects stretch beyond the strict boundaries of computer science to include dynamical systems theory, game theory, molecular biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and population genetics.

A perennial bestseller by eminent mathematician G. Polya, "How to Solve It" will show anyone in any field how to think straight. In lucid and appealing prose, Polya reveals how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out - from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams. Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft - indeed, brilliant - instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of the problem. In this best-selling classic, George Polya revealed how the mathematical method of demonstrating a proof or finding an unknown can be of help in attacking any problem that can be "reasoned" out - from building a bridge to winning a game of anagrams.Generations of readers have relished Polya's deft instructions on stripping away irrelevancies and going straight to the heart of a problem. "How to Solve It" popularized heuristics, the art and science of discovery and invention. It has been in print continuously since 1945 and has been translated into twenty-three different languages. Polya was one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century. He made important contributions to a great variety of mathematical research: from complex analysis to mathematical physics, number theory, probability, geometry, astronomy, and combinatorics. He was also an extraordinary teacher - he taught until he was ninety - and maintained a strong interest in pedagogical matters throughout his long career.In addition to "How to Solve It", he published a two-volume work on the topic of problem solving, "Mathematics of Plausible Reasoning", also with Princeton. Polya is one of the most frequently quoted mathematicians, and the following statements from "How to Solve It" make clear why: "My method to overcome a difficulty is to go around it." "Geometry is the science of correct reasoning on incorrect figures." "In order to solve this differential equation you look at it till a solution occurs to you."