Most Popular Books by Paul Howard

There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road. When an abandoned cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up, abused hound dog, she seeks him out, and this unlikely pair become an unlikely family. Living underneath the porch of a old house deep in the American bayou, the kittens are safe, just as long as they stay in the Underneath. But it''s a dangerous world out there, with alligators and snakes lurking in the waters - always watching and waiting... But one kitten''s moment of curiosity sets of a chain of events sets off an astonishing chain of events, and so begins a gripping tale about the power of love and hate, the fragility of happiness, and the importance of keeping promises, whatever the cost.

The lives of American cowboys have been both real and mythic. This work explores cowboy music dress, humour, films and literature in sixteen essays and a bibliography. These essays demonstrate that the American cowboy is a knight of the road who, with a large hat, tall boots and a big gun, rode into legend and into the history books.

Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape is the astonishing biography of French cycling star Jacques Anquetil. For the first time since his death in 1987, it reveals the extraordinary truth behind the legend, the man and the cyclist. His list of ''firsts'' alone makes him worthy of a place in the cycling pantheon: the first man to win the Tour de France five times; the first man to win all three grand tours - the Tour de France, Giro d''Italia and Vuelta a España; and the first man to win both the Tour and Vuelta in the same year. However, the extraordinary life of Anquetil does not stop at his achievements on a bike. He candidly admitted to using drugs, offended legions of fans by confessing that his only motivation for riding was financial and infamously indulged his enthusiasm for the high life. He also seduced and married his doctor''s wife, had a child with her daughter and then sustained a ménage à trois with both wife and stepdaughter under the same roof for 12 years. When this ''family'' eventually imploded, he attempted to inspire jealousy in his former lovers by having a child with his stepson''s ex-wife. Containing exclusive contributions from Anquetil''s family, friends, teammates and rivals, Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape untangles myth from reality and confirms that fact is definitely stranger than fiction.

How does learning transform us biologically? What learning processes do we share with bacteria, jellyfish and monkeys? Is technology impacting on our evolution and what might the future hold for the learning brain? These are just some of the questions Paul Howard-Jones explores on a fascinating journey through 3.5 billion years of brain evolution, and discovers what it all means for how we learn today. Along the way, we discover how the E. coli in our stomachs learn to find food why a little nap can help bees find their way home the many ways that action, emotion and social interaction have shaped our ability to learn the central role of learning in our rise to top predator. An accessible writing style and numerous illustrations make Evolution of the Learning Brain an enthralling combination of biology, neuroscience and educational insight. Howard-Jones provides a fresh perspective on the nature of human learning that is exhaustively researched, exploring the implications of our most distant past for twenty-first-century education.

With a new epilogue to carry the story to the present, Paul Carlson engagingly chronicles the development of the range sheep and goat industry from Spanish times to about 1930, when widespread use of mesh-wire fences brought an end to the open-range management of sheep and goat ranches in Texas.

Praise for Gravity Drive: “I started reading Gravity Drive - Key to the Cosmos after dinner, figuring I''d get a couple chapters into it just to see how it started...and couldn''t put it down. I read the whole thing straight through. Well done! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I loved the aliens.” Jerry Oltion - Nebula Award winning author of over 15 novels and 150 published stories, including numerous Authorized Star Trek novels. Author''s comments: If you’re reading this, then hopefully you’ve already read the first two books in the Gravity Drive trilogy. Thank you for returning for Book 3. If you haven’t read the first two then please understand that Gravity Drive 3 - The Scattering was not written as a stand alone novel. It’s the conclusion to the story of a long and difficult path humanity must travel if it wishes to survive for all eternity in the cosmos. It’s the story behind the creation of a revolutionary new deep space propulsion system and the vast impact it has not only on the space program but on humanity and all life on Earth. Warning: Spoiler Alert. Unless you really enjoy spoilers, I suggest you just read the book and let the adventure take over. As I’ve already implied, this third book picks up right were we left off at the end of Gravity Drive 2 - Jason’s Ark. There should be a lot of snoring on The Ark, and the smell should be something awful, but everyone is in deep deep sleep. So all’s well. Wish I could say the same for Mother Earth. The Universe just isn’t quite done with her yet, and it’s not looking promising. It’s looking pretty nice on Mars though. Maybe time for a vacation there? Or maybe Earth’s Moon? Don’t forget about our buddies Al and Taka, floating out there all alone in the darkness of space with just their old music and a sarcastic computer to keep them company. These two are just destined to get into trouble, but see some really cool things along the way (think: what’s your favorite all time life form?). I guarantee it. Anyway, it’s about time for humanity to start doing some serious space exploration and maybe make some new friends out there, or at least see some really cool sights and interesting life forms. Oh, you’re going to love some of our new friends and I’m pretty sure my fans will be writing to tell me how one of them definitely kept them up at night. So for those people I say, you’re going to enjoy spending some serious time with your old friends the Paxians again. If only everyone was as quietly brilliant, kind and easy going as these guys. Can you tell that I’m trying really hard to give you an idea of what might happen without spoiling all the fun surprises waiting for you? So let me just say, you’re really going to love how the story wraps up, and it might even surprise you. Thanks for coming back for the finale of the Gravity Drive Trilogy. Paul

The ultimate starter book for players looking to learn the classic guitar style that''s once again so popular. Learn swing progressions and forms, as well as how to construct a swing guitar solo, and so much more. This is the only book ever needed to get swingin'' right away!

Plop, a baby Barn Owl, is afraid of the dark. Dark is nasty he says and so he won''t go hunting with his parents. Mrs. Barn Owl sends him down from his nest-hole to ask about the dark. He meets a scout out camping and a black cat who takes him exploring, and realizes that dark is super after all.

Great for guitarists who know the basics and are ready to take the next step. Starts with a quick review of basic materials, then covers triads, harmonization, chord embellishment, composite scales, improvising with the modes, and more. All music is shown in standard notation and TAB, and the CD demonstrates each example in the book. 96 pages.

Praise for Gravity Drive: “I started reading Gravity Drive-Key to the Cosmos after dinner, figuring I''d get a couple chapters into it just to see how it started...and couldn''t put it down. I read the whole thing straight through. Well done! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. I loved the aliens.” Jerry Oltion - Nebula Award winning author of over 15 novels and 150 published stories, including numerous Authorized Star Trek novels. Note-This is a work of fiction: Gravity Drive 2 - Jason''s Ark continues where the first book, Gravity Drive - Key to the Cosmos ends. Well sort of. The story picks up from book one but it''s about 6,000 years later. Humanity got it''s act together, stopped the senseless wars between countries and cultures, and together healed the ecosystems of Earth. Amazing what you can accomplish when you stop hosting wars. OK...we''re getting into SPOILER ALERT territory, so you''ve been warned. So there''s this wandering black hole left over from when our Milky Way Galaxy ripped off another smaller Galaxy a really long time ago as it came cruising by, minding it''s own business, but not paying attention to where it was going. That''s what happens when you don''t pay attention. That powerful little bugger really does a number on Earth and it''s life when it comes looking for a bit of payback (not really of course. It''s a black hole. It doesn''t care. It''s totally indifferent as is the rest of the Universe). Then, just when you think things are going to get better, WRONG. The Universe isn''t done with us yet. Things get much worse for Earth. Mars is starting to look pretty nice though. Good time for a visit. Anyway, as things really start to go downhill, the hero from our first book (not Howard he''s just a smart engineer, but our real hero) Jason, comes up with a plan to save the day (assuming a day is all eternity). This is the part where you look at the title of the book and go "Ahhhhhh, I get it." OK, I''m going to stop now because I really hate the idea of ruining the best parts of the story for you. I''ve done enough damage so please forgive me and I hope you enjoy reading book 2 as much as I enjoyed writing it. And thank you again for your excellent taste in authors. You readers are the best. Paul

For the Plains Indians, the period from 1750 to 1890, often referred to as the traditional period, was an evolutionary time. Horses and firearms, trade goods, shifting migration patterns, disease pandemics, and other events associated with extensive European contact led to a peak of Plains Indian influence and success in the early nineteenth century. Ironically, that same European contact ultimately led to the devolution of traditional Plains Indian society, and by 1870 most Plains Indian peoples were living on reservations. In The Plains Indians Paul H. Carlson charts the evolution and growth of the Plains Indians through this period of constant change. Carlson examines, among other aspects of these tribal groups, the horse and bison culture, the economy and material culture, trade and diplomacy, and reservation life. In its examination of cultural change, The Plains Indians relies heavily on Indian voices and stresses an Indian viewpoint. Carlson argues that the Plains Indians were neither passive recipients of these cultural changes nor helpless victims. They took what was new and adapted it to and integrated it into their own culture. Even when faced with a significantly altered life on the reservations, the Plains Indians, "without abandoning their cultural base[,] . . . adopted sedentary lifeways and shifted toward new life patterns, new sodalities, and different characteristics of community." Carlson also investigates the role of the environment in the lives of the plains tribal groups. The ecological exploitation of bison was an integral part of their society; both their material and spiritual worlds depended on bison. The Plains Indians, while not living in perfect harmony with the environment, to some extent adjusted their hunting practices, religious ceremonies, and social organization to the seasons, the bison, and other environmental factors, such as the herding requirements of their horses. The Plains Indians is a clear, well written narrative history of the Plains Indians during a vital and well known era in Indian and American history. Those interested in Indian anthropology and history will value this cohesive overview of Plains Indian society and culture.

"Investigates the so-called ''Battle of Pease River'' and December 1860 capture of Cynthia Ann Parker, contending that what became, in Texans'' collective memory, a battle that broke Comanche military power was actually a massacre, mainly of women. Questions traditional knowledge and historiographic interpretations of the history of Texas"--Provided by publisher.

"Bibliographical notes": pages 198-199.

I went to the supermarket and I bought . . . When a brother and sister play their favourite game of I Went To the Supermarket, they compete to see who can think of the most bizarre and brilliant things. As their words come to life, they get more and more carried away . . . Until the game comes to a surprising, and somewhat messy, end! A new take on an old favourite, children will love this laugh-out-loud, test-your-memory story, with witches, dragons, aliens, flamingos and much, much more!

Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care: Child and Adolescent Version (DSM-PC), this state-of-the-art reference expertly guides you through normal and abnormal development and behavior for all pediatric age groups. See how neurobiological, environmental, and human relationship factors all contribute to developmental and behavioral disorders and know how to best diagnose and treat each patient you see. Accurately identify developmental and behavioral problems using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Primary Care criteria, and evidence-based guidelines. Gain a clear understanding of the "normal" boundaries and variations within specific disorders. Make informed therapeutic decisions with the integration of basic science and practical information and recommendations from the Society of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Avoid legal and ethical implications by consulting the Law, Policy, and Ethics chapter.

A collection of photographs taken along the Atlantic coast and Conception Bay near St. John''s, Newfoundland.

The year 1877 was a drought year in West Texas. That summer, some forty buffalo soldiers struck out into the Llano Estacado, pursuing a band of raiding Comanches. Several days later they were missing and presumed dead from thirst. Although most of the soldiers straggled back into camp, four died, and others faced court-martial for desertion. Here, Carlson provides insight into the interaction of soldiers, hunters, settlers, and Indians on the Staked Plains.

A rugby-mad boy. A huge game. And a chance for an epic win . . . or an epic fail! Gordon D''Arcy is an ordinary boy, but he''s not so ordinary once he gets a rugby ball in his hands. He''s the star player for Wexford Wanderers and dreams of one day wearing the Ireland jersey. A dream like that means hard work, raw talent and never losing sight of your goals. But Gordon has a wild streak that often lands him in trouble. Mum and Dad think that if he can just channel his energy, all will be well. Then something utterly mad happens and he gets a chance to live his biggest dream. Can he stay on his game and do everyone proud? Or will trouble follow him . . . like it usually does? Gordon''s Game is a funny and inspiring adventure for rugby lovers of all ages! ''A cracking read . . . which will appeal to all the family'' Irish Country Magazine