Central Kansas Library System

A biography of a self-taught scientist who photographed thousands of individual snowflakes in order to study their unique formations.

With winds that can reach speeds of three hundred miles an hour and funnel clouds that can measure a mile in diameter, tornadoes leave enormous damage in their wake. Now Seymour Simon examines these twisting columns of air and destruction. Simon explains how tornadoes are formed, why and when they are most likely to occur, how scientists classify and track them -- and what to do if one touches down. Full-color photographs show this powerful phenomenon...

"Edward Curtis was dashing, charismatic, a passionate mountaineer, a famous photographer--the Annie Liebowitz of his time. And he was thirty-two years old in 1900 when he gave it all up to pursue his great idea: He would try to capture on film the Native American nation before it disappeared. At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, Egan's book tells the remarkable untold story behind Curtis's iconic photographs,...

Mike Blair has spent a lifetime outdoors, venturing beyond fences to closely observe "natural things" while recording his observations in both words and images. In this sumptuous book he presents some of those observations as the cycle of a year, beginning with a hike through January's deep snowdrifts that "gets you down to business" only to later encounter the white driftings of summer as cottonwood seeds take to the air.

Absolutely anyone can take better photos! If you can press a button, you can take great pictures. It's as simple as that. Jim Miotke shares tips and tricks to improve your photos right away, no matter what camera you're using. Learn to compose knockout shots, make the most of indoor and outdoor light, and photograph twenty popular subjects, from sunsets and flowers to a family portrait.

The author teaches both the art and science to create stunning pictures. You will learn how shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and flash impact your photos. You will also learn how to compose pictures, understand the qualities of natural and artificial light, and how to best add flash. More than 350 original pictures show the results of both good and bad technique, and you can complete the practices at the end of every chapter to get the hands-on experience...

Watch John 'Four Leaf' Tayback as he fights a gruesome battle during the Vietnam War. But, this is actually a scene from 'Tropic Thunder, ' a big-budget adaptation of Tayback's wartime memoir. Starring as the central platoon are Speedman, Lazarus, Chino and Portnoy, as well as young character actor Kevin Sandusky. To play the character of African American Sgt. Osiris, Lazarus dyes his skin dark and refuses to break from character. When a scene goes...

Katie and Micah are a young middle class couple who are engaged to be married. After moving into a suburban 'starter' house in San Diego, California, they begin hearing noises while trying to sleep. Not knowing if the presence is demonic or not, they attempt communicating through a Ouija board, angering the spirit further. Now they may never sleep again, or they may never wake up!

A magical journey where readers encounter eight animals that come alive. Using an innovative lenticular-based technology, precision sliding lenses, and original four-color video imagery, each image is like a 3-D movie on the page, delivering a rich and fluid visual experience.