Bookshelf.

Deep Life

Tullis C. Onstott

A geomicrobiologist takes readers on a journey around the world, and deep underground, to discover the diverse collection of microbes that reside in some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Princeton Univ., $35

Strangers in a New Land

J.M. Adovaslo and David Pedler

A few dozen pre-Columbian archaeological sites are profiled in this coffee table book, which examines how and when people colonized the Americas. Firefly Books, $49.95

My Dear Li

Anna Maria HirschHeisenberg (ed.)

This collection of over 300 letters between physicist Werner Heisenberg and his wife, Elisabeth, offers a new perspective on the Nobel laureate's atomic research and everyday life in Nazi Germany. Yale Univ., $40

The Cure for Catastrophe

Robert Muir-Wood

In reviewing natural disasters from the last few centuries, a global risk expert dissects the role that humans play in turning earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural events into true catastrophes. Basic Books, $29.99

----------

Please note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.