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THE DEEP PULL

Name: THE DEEP PULL
Author: Walter Hayduk
ISBN: 978-1-5255-1870-6

A MAJOR ADVANCE IN THE SCIENCE OF TIDES

by Walter Hayduk ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2018

A thoughtful challenge to the tidal status quo.

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Chemical engineer and debut author Hayduk offers new theories on the workings of tides in this work.

The difference in height between high and low tide is generally larger near the poles than at the equator, but this rule isn’t always true. The ever-curious Hayduk looked into the reason for this inconsistency, but he felt that the current scientific model for tides couldn’t satisfactorily explain it. Therefore, he set out to do his own research, and this work contains his findings regarding the functions of tides, some of which challenge current scientific theories. At the heart of tidal theory is the force of gravity, and the author recounts his attempts to understand the effects of lunisolar gravitational forces on Earth—that is, the “pull” of the sun and the moon—by analyzing tidal patterns and anomalies from the Cape of Good Hope to the Bay of Fundy. “Sometimes, nature leaves a sufficient number of clues as to how it gets things done,” Hayduk writes in his introduction. “This makes it possible for us to rediscover one of its mysterious devices and methods—if we search for it.” He comes to the conclusion that extensive, deep sections of the ocean are “continually subjected to the lunisolar gravitational forces,” which explains numerous effects. Hayduk’s prose, interspersed with numerous diagrams and charts, is technical, but not so opaque that interested amateurs can’t follow his arguments: “The strength of the gravitational force on the lunar belt is more than double that of the solar belt; that is to say, the moon is more effective in moving ocean water faster or farther than the sun is.” Many readers will learn a lot more than they currently know about tidal science. That said, the validity of some of Hayduk’s theories (regarding, for example, the idea that the moon’s and sun’s gravity affect wind, which he notes is “Nowhere…in the literature”) will need to be scrutinized further by other members of the scientific community. However, anyone who’s intrigued by the complex, swirling machinations of water and air will enjoy how he relates his ideas.

A thoughtful challenge to the tidal status quo.

Pub Date: July 3, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5255-1870-6

Page Count: 252

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2018

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.