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Non-fiction
Non-fiction
This Science Café encourages us to take a closer look at and to think deeper about the world around us. The books below are just a small sample of what's available at Cleveland Public Library to provide a wider perspective on the living world that surrounds us (and inhabits us!) everyday and often goes overlooked. Click the titles to link to the library's catalog to place a hold or to get additional information.
- The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben (2016)
- Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again. (Originally published in German as Das geheime Leben der Bäume)
- I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and A Grander View of Life by Ed Yong (2016)
- Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin--a "microbe's-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on earth.
- How Plants Work: The Science Behind the Amazing Things Plants Do by Linda Chalker-Scott (2015)
- In How Plants Work, horticulture expert and contributor to the popular blog The Garden Professors , Linda Chalker-Scott brings the stranger-than-fiction science of the plant world to vivid life. She uncovers the mysteries of how and why plants do the things they do, and arms the home gardener with fascinating knowledge that will change the way they garden.
- Welcome to the Microbiome: Getting to Know the Trillions of Bacteria and Other Microbes In, On, and Around You by Rob DeSalle and Susan Perkins (2015)
- Rob DeSalle and Susan Perkins illuminate the long, intertwined evolution of humans and microbes. They discuss how novel DNA sequencing has shed entirely new light on the complexity of microbe-human interactions, and they examine the potential benefits to human health: amazing possibilities for pinpoint treatment of infections and other illnesses without upsetting the vital balance of an individual microbiome.
- Ascomycete Fungi of North America: A Mushroom Reference Guide by Michael W. Beug (2014)
- Ascomycetes exhibit a remarkable range of biodiversity, are beautiful and visually complex, and some, including morels and truffles, are highly prized for their edibility. While emphasizing macroscopic field identification characteristics for a general audience, the authors also include microscopic and other advanced information useful to students and professional mycologists.
- Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web by Jeff Lowenfels (2010)
- Healthy soil teems with life--not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. Chemical fertilizers injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and the soil becomes increasingly dependent on artificial, often toxic, substances. But there is an alternative: by strengthening the soil food web--the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms--gardeners can create a nurturing environment for plants. Teaming with Microbes extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web.
- Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners by James B. Nardi (2007)
- Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred color illustrations and masterfully-rendered black and white drawings throughout, Life in the Soil introduces readers to a dazzling array of creatures: wolf spiders with glowing red eyes, snails with 120 rows of teeth, and 10,000-year-old fungi, among others. Organized by taxon, Life in the Soil covers everything from slime molds and roundworms to woodlice and dung beetles, as well as vertebrates from salamanders to shrews. The book ultimately explores the crucial role of soil ecosystems in conserving the worlds above and below ground.
- Nature's Palette: The Science of Plant Color by David Webster Lee (2007)
- Beginning with potent reminders of how deeply interwoven plant colors are with human life and culture--from the shifting hues that told early humans when fruits and vegetables were edible to the indigo dyes that signified royalty for later generations--Lee moves easily through details of pigments, the evolution of color perception, the nature of light, and dozens of other topics. Through a narrative peppered with anecdotes of a life spent pursuing botanical knowledge around the world, he reveals the profound ways that efforts to understand and exploit plant color have influenced every sphere of human life, from organic chemistry to Renaissance painting to the highly lucrative orchid trade. Lavishly illustrated.
- Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets (2005)
- Mycelium Running is a manual for the mycological rescue of the planet. The basic science goes like this: Microscopic cells called "mycelium"--the fruit of which are mushrooms--recycle carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements as they break down plant and animal debris in the creation of rich new soil. What Stamets has discovered is that we can capitalize on mycelium's digestive power and target it to decompose toxic wastes and pollutants (mycoremediation), catch and reduce silt from streambeds and pathogens from agricultural watersheds (mycofiltration), control insect populations (mycopesticides), and generally enhance the health of our forests and gardens (mycoforestry and myco-gardening). This book is destined to be a classic reference for bemushroomed generations to come.
- Slayers, Saviors, Servants, and Sex: An Exposé of Kingdom Fungi by David Moore (2001)
- In this highly entertaining book, mycologist David Moore presents a fascinating and lively guide to the fungal kingdom. He explores their role in food and agriculture and their dual role as infectious agents and providers of the most potent antibiotics. He also explores their fascinating evolutionary origins and shows us how life would not be possible without them. Throughout, the book relates interesting stories such as the Irish Potato famine and the discovery of penicillin. Anyone interested in biology and the natural world will find this an enjoyable and informative read.
Speaking of Biodiversity: The Seed Library at Cleveland Public Library
Speaking of Biodiversity: The Seed Library at Cleveland Public Library
The Science and Technology department in the downtown Main Library campus is the “base of operations” for The Seed Library at Cleveland Public Library in collaboration with the Cleveland Seed Bank. The primary goals of The Seed Library are to preserve biodiversity and to promote local, heirloom varieties of plants. The Seed Library allows you to “check out” a packet of heirloom seeds, grow your own heritage vegetables or flowers, save seeds from the best plants, and then lend them to a friend or neighbor, participate in a “seed swap,” or use them yourself next year. In addition to the downtown Science and Technology department, branches participating in The Seed Library program are Addison, Carnegie West, Garden Valley, and Lorain. Additional libraries in The Seed Library initiative are the Willoughby Public Library and Coventry Village Branch of Heights Libraries.
For additional information, stop by any of the locations listed above or call Science and Technology at 216-623-2932.
Cleveland Public Library - Main Library - 325 Superior Ave - Cleveland, Ohio 44114 - 216-623-2800
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