Hitting the Books: Renee Descartes had his best revelations while baked in an oven

Some of us do our best thinking in the shower, others do it while on the toilet. Renee Descartes, he pondered most deeply while ensconced in a baker's oven. The man simply needed to be convinced of the oven's existence before climbing in. Such are the quirks of the most monumental minds humanity has to offer. In the hilarious and enthralling new book, Edison's Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History's Greatest Geniuses, Dr. Katie Spalding explores the illogical, unnerving, and sometimes downright strange behaviors of luminaries like Thomas "Spirit Phone" Edison, Isaac "Sun Blind" Newton, and Nicola "I fell in love with a pigeon" Tesla. Little Brown and CompanyExcerpted from Edison's Ghosts: The Untold Weirdness of History's Greatest Geniuses by Dr. Katie Spalding. Published by Little, Brown and Company. Copyright © 2023 by Katie Spalding. All rights reserved.When René Descartes Got BakedRené Descartes, like Pythagoras before him and Einstein after, occupies that special place in our collective consciousness where his work has become … well, essentially a short-hand for genius-level intellect. Think about it – in any cartoon or sitcom where one character is (or, through logically-spurious means, suddenly becomes) a brainiac, there are three things they’re narratively bound to say: ‘the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides’ – that’s Pythagoras; ‘E = mc2’ – thank you, Einstein; and finally, ‘cogito ergo sum’. And that is... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-05-28 14:30:30 UTC ]
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France’s BIEF Hit by London Book Fair Transit Delays in Calais’ Brexit Protests

As France's international publishing agency struggles to get its collective stand and books to London in time, the UK's French Institute plans more shows of solidarité in the British capital. The post France’s BIEF Hit by London Book Fair Transit Delays in Calais’ Brexit Protests appeared first... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books News: Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ Finally Hits Shelves

The publishing industry might have to think back to Harry Potter’s heyday for a book that has garnered as much attention as the former first lady’s has. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2018-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: To All the Books That Have Hit #1 Before

Jenny Han's 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' knocks Kevin Kwan's 'Crazy Rich Asians' down to #2 following the lauded release last week of its Netflix adaptation. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Tim Peake and ESA books to hit shelves this autumn

Penguin Random House imprint Century is to publish two new books from astronaut Tim Peake and The European Space Agency this autumn. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bake-Off’s first C4 tie-in proves a hit with Sphere

Sphere has acquired the exclusive world English-language publishing licence for “The Great British Bake Off” through The Blair Partnership, acting on behalf of Love Productions. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Big freeze hits World Book Day, but 'Brain Freeze' tops chart

Tom Fletcher and Shane Devries’s World Book Day title Brain Freeze (Puffin) has nipped into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, leapfrogging three-week wonder Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (Harper), with 37,879 copies sold through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Best books of 2017: the hits and misses of the publishers’ year

The Man Booker winner, the diary of a junior doctor and the secret lives of cows ... Which books made their publishers proud – and which ones made them envious? Editor-in-chief, Bloomsbury Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paul Hollywood’s new baking book expected to sell like you-know-what

Bloomsbury to publish Great British Bake Off judge’s A Baker’s Life, accompanied by new four-part TV series, in NovemberBloomsbury, the publisher of Paul Hollywood’s new book, A Baker’s Life, is predicting it will be one of the bestsellers this Christmas, thanks in part to the successful... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Open Book closes as library centralisation and cuts hit

A government move to offer library supply contracts to foreign firms has spelled the end for the 27-year-old Open Book Company, with six roles affected and the wider trade outraged. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling hits back over threats to burn Harry Potter books

JK Rowling mocks Twitter users who threaten to burn her books because of her anti-Trump stance. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2017-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hits and misses: indie publishers pick their books of 2016

Small and independent houses share the books they enjoyed and envied this yearThe annual Guardian “hits and misses” feature, canvassing publishers about their high points and regrets of the year, always makes me wonder about what my friends and allies in the small-press world think about their... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'It's like they were selling heroin to schoolkids': censorship hits booksellers at Kuwait book fair

Many Arab book fairs have been a free space for publishers to sell titles banned in shops, but Kuwait has seen raised levels of censorship – turning the book trade into a risky businessArab book fairs are like a giant travelling circus; no sooner does one end than publishers are boxing up books,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Watch Today, Read Today: Book Tie-Ins Are Hitting the Market Faster

Publishers are accelerating the development cycle for licensed tie-ins to satisfy consumer demand. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canadian Indie Could Have Unexpected Hit with New Book on Trees

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Brexit hit the book world

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[ The Guardian | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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LitBlog in Cologne is a Hit with German Book Bloggers

Five German publishing houses united to organize LitBlog, Germany’s first convention for book bloggers, YouTubers and tweeters alike. The post LitBlog in Cologne is a Hit with German Book Bloggers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trade pledges aid for flood-hit Book Case Hebden

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ladybird book pastiches become stocking-filler hit of 2015

Spoof titles with vintage artwork strike a chord with Christmas shoppers, selling more than 600,000 copies in less than two monthsNostalgia for the days of learning to read with Peter and Jane appears to have made Ladybird’s series of spoof titles for grownups a must-buy this Christmas, with... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Declining E-Book Sales Hit Home

Softening sales for digital books have impacted the bottom lines at HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, according to both companies' recent earnings reports. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Trump's latest book hits the shelves

Donald Trump is out with a new book that reads like a campaign manifesto, boasting success stories but offering few details on how he would implement his policy goals as president. But in the book,... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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