Fire
A Very Short Introduction
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Fire
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Narrated by:
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James Cameron Stewart
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By:
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Andrew C. Scott
About this listen
Fire is rarely out of the headlines, from large natural wildfires raging across the Australian or Californian countrysides to the burning of buildings such as the disasters of Grenfell tower and Notre Dame. Fire on these scales can represent a serious risk to human life and property. But the advent of fire made and controlled by humans also represented a crucial point in our evolution, allowing us to cook our food, forge our weapons, and warm our homes.
This Very Short Introduction audiobook covers the fundamentals of fire, whether wild or under human control, starting with the basics of ignition, combustion, and fuel. Andrew Scott considers both natural wildfires and the role of humans in making and suppressing fire. Despite frightening reports of wildfire destruction, he also shows how landscape fires have been part of our planet's history for 400 million years and do not always have to be extinguished. He also considers the problem of fires in urban settings, including new ways to prevent fires. The cost of wildfire can be steep - as well as the burning, post-fire erosion and flooding can have a great impact on both humans and the environment. It can also have a lasting effect in shaping ecosystems and plant life. Scott ends by examining the relationship between fire and the climate and considering the future of wildfire in a warming world.
©2020 Andrew C. Scott (P)2021 TantorRelated to this topic
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- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 10
This imaginative and stimulating Very Short Introduction audiobook goes beyond a simple retelling of the stories to explore the rich history and diverse interpretations of classical mythology. It is a wide-ranging account, examining how classical myths are used and understood in both high art and popular culture, taking the listener from the temples of Crete to skyscrapers in New York, and finding classical myths in a variety of unexpected places: from Arabic poetry and Hollywood films, to psychoanalysis, the Bible, and New Age spiritualism.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Woeful: poorly titled, written, and structured
- By Drone Boy on 05-08-24
By: Helen Morales
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Plato
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Julia Annas
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
This lively and accessible introduction to Plato focuses on the philosophy and argument of his writings, drawing the listener into Plato's way of doing philosophy, and the general themes of his thinking. It looks at Plato as a thinker grappling with philosophical problems in a variety of ways, rather than a philosopher with a fully worked-out system. It includes a brief account of Plato's life and the various interpretations that have been drawn from the sparse remains of information.
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2 out of 5 stars
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No Plato, lots of Feminism
- By Anonymous User on 12-29-22
By: Julia Annas
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Leadership
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Keith Grint
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6
Napoleon. Bill Gates. George W. Bush. Osama bin Laden. Leaders and leadership are perennial topics of debate. What is leadership? How does one become a leader? Do we actually need leaders? In this Very Short Introduction, Keith Grint offers provocative answers to these questions, prompting listeners to rethink their assumptions about what leadership is.
By: Keith Grint
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The Russian Revolution
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: S.A. Smith
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 6
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
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Story5 out of 5 stars 4
This concise, accessible introduction provides an analytical narrative of the main events and developments in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1936. It examines the impact of the revolution on society as a whole - on different classes, ethnic groups, the army, men and women, youth. Its central concern is to understand how one structure of domination was replaced by another. The book registers the primacy of politics, but situates political developments firmly in the context of massive economic, social, and cultural change.
By: S.A. Smith
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Game Theory
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Ken Binmore
- Narrated by: Jesse Einstein
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall2 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance2.5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story2 out of 5 stars 6
Games are everywhere: Drivers maneuvering in heavy traffic are playing a driving game. Bargain hunters bidding on eBay are playing an auctioning game. The supermarket's price for corn flakes is decided by playing an economic game. This Very Short Introduction offers a succinct tour of the fascinating world of game theory, a groundbreaking field that analyzes how to play games in a rational way.
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2 out of 5 stars
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No pdf supplementary materials
- By Thomas on 10-06-21
By: Ken Binmore
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Poststructuralism
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Catherine Belsey
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
Poststructuralism changes the way we understand the relations between human beings, their culture, and the world. Following a brief account of the historical relationship between structuralism and poststructuralism, this Very Short Introduction traces the key arguments that have led poststructuralists to challenge traditional theories of language and culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliantly done, excellent narration
- By Dr. Krishnendu Ray on 11-26-24
By: Catherine Belsey
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Music
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nicholas Cook
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall2 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance2.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Story2.5 out of 5 stars 3
This Very Short Introduction, written with both humor and flair, begins with a sampling of music as human activity and then goes on to consider the slippery phenomenon of how music has become an object of thought. Covering not only Western and classical music, Cook touches on all types from rock to Indonesian music and beyond. Incorporating musical forms from every continent, Music will be enjoyable for beginner and expert alike.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Wrong Book!!!
- By Aaron Moreno on 09-05-21
By: Nicholas Cook
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Numbers
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter M. Higgins
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2
Numbers are integral to our everyday lives and factor into almost everything we do. In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Peter M. Higgins, a renowned popular-science writer, unravels the world of numbers, demonstrating its richness and providing an overview of all the number types that feature in modern science and mathematics.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Better as a physical book
- By LJLee on 01-08-25
By: Peter M. Higgins
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Reptiles
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: T.S. Kemp
- Narrated by: Jack de Golia
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story5 out of 5 stars 8
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Tom Kemp discusses the adaptations reptiles made to first leave the sea and colonize the land in dry conditions, such as their waterproof skin, their ability to expel almost dry waste products, their efficient use of external heat for maintaining their body temperature, and the amniotic egg that is laid and develops on dry land.
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5 out of 5 stars
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very interesting
- By Lindsay on 07-20-24
By: T.S. Kemp
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Classics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Mary Beard, John Henderson
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Story4 out of 5 stars 16
We are all classicists - we come into touch with the classics on a daily basis: in our culture, politics, medicine, architecture, language, and literature. What are the true roots of these influences, however, and how do our interpretations of these aspects of the classics differ from their original reality?
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4 out of 5 stars
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Beard guides the reader through the Classics
- By Darwin8u on 10-29-24
By: Mary Beard, and others
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Kant
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Roger Scruton
- Narrated by: Kyle Munley
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 46
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 45
Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Comprehensive, Well Read, But Very Abstract
- By Drone Boy on 09-09-21
By: Roger Scruton
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The American Judicial System
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Charles L. Zelden
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Whatever the level of contact, the American judicial system affects peoples' lives. What courts and judges do matters. This book provides a very short, but complete introduction to the institutions and people, the rules and processes, that make up the American judicial system. This Very Short Introduction explains the "where," "when," and "who" of American courts. It also makes clear the "how" and "why" behind the law as it affects everyday people. It is, in a word, a starting place to understanding the third branch of American government at both the state and federal levels.