Nancy Marie Brown

Nancy Marie Brown History Science Sagas

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	Nancy Marie Brown 's newest book, The Abacus and the Cross, proves the popular picture of the Dark Ages wrong. The earth wasn't flat. People weren't terrified that the world would end at the turn of the millennium. Christians didn't believe Muslims and Jews were their mortal enemies. The Church wasn't anti-science--in fact, the pope of the year 1000 was the leading mathematician and astronomer of his day. Giving it a Starred Review, for books of "unusual merit," Kirkus Reviews called The Abacus and the Cross "a thoroughly engrossing account of the Dark Ages and one of its Popes, both far less dark than popular histories teach" and "a lively, eye-opening portrait of a sophisticated Europe whose intellectual leaders showed genuine interest in learning." "This book will change how you think about the so-called Dark Ages," said one advance reader. Read more reviews here... Gerbert of Aurillac was the first Christian to teach math using the nine Arabic numerals and zero. He devised a new abacus that's been called the first digital computer. He made sighting tubes and celestial spheres to study the stars. His students used astrolabes to calculate the circumference of the earth, to tell time, and to plot the orbits of the planets. He wrote treatises on acoustics and logic, and tutored kings and emperors. He was also a spy, a traitor, a kingmaker, and a visionary who thought science was the highest form of worship of God. During his lifetime he was called the Scientist Pope. After his death, he was branded a wizard. By tracing the life of one remarkable math teacher, The Abacus and the Cross brings light to the Dark Ages. It reminds us that the major conflicts in our world today--between Christianity and Islam, between religion and science--are products of our own age, not historical inevitabilities. The Abacus and the Cross is in bookstores now. Or you can order a copy through Amazon.com. Nancy Marie Brown 's The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, came out in paperback in 2008. It is the saga of an adventurous woman who explored America a thousand years ago and of the archaeologists who are bringing her world to life. The New York Times Book Review called The Far Traveler a "snappily written biography of a time and place. ... Brown pursues Gudrid out of admiration for a woman bold and wise. I eagerly pursued this book, which is as much about Brown's adventures as Gudrid's, for the very same reasons." Read more about The Far Traveler... Nancy Marie Brown has published two previous books. Mendel in the Kitchen: A Scientist Looks at Genetically Modified Foods , co-authored with Nina Fedoroff, "puts the science back into dilemmas posed by genetically engineered foods," said one reviewer. It was named one of the Best Sci-Tech Books for General Readers for 2004 by Library Journal. Read more about Mendel in the Kitchen... Readers called Nancy Marie Brown's first book, A Good Horse Has No Color: Searching Iceland for the Perfect Horse , "rich and transporting, a true saga." Read more about A Good Horse Has No Color... Author photo: Jennifer Anne Tucker and Gerald Lang

	Nancy Marie Brown has over 25 years' experience as a writer and editor. She holds a B.A. in English (Writing Option) and an M.A. in Comparative Literature, both from Penn State University. From 1981 to 2003, she covered science and scholarship in all disciplines for Research/Penn State magazine. Here are some of her favorite articles available on the Penn State website:
Practical Education, January 2002. Studying the Icelandic sagas as a way to make a life. The Agateer, September 2001. The lore of agates and the science of ignorance. Flowers Out of Glass, September 1999. Glass science in the service of art: saving the Harvard Glass Flowers Collection. Images of the Horse, September 1999. An artist's eye and his passion for technology. Our Place in the Universe, September 1997. Why you should bother to watch a comet. The Wild Mares of Assateague, March 1995. The stallion doesn't lead his herd, nor sire all the foals. The Chemistry of Caterpillar Guts, September 1995. An oak chewed on by gypsy moths is not defenseless, but it may be ill-advised. The Lesson of the Lock, September 1991. When students teach their teacher. In the Interest of Public Safety, March 1990. Why a scientist scrambles into smoking volcanoes. The Fractal Dances of Nature, March 1988. When fractals were new and "frighteningly lovely." Easy Money: Gambling in America, December 1986. The risk to the gambler versus the risk to society. Her work has also appeared in Canter, Dartmouth Medicine, Eidfaxi International, Highlights for Children, Loquitor, News from Iceland, The Penn Stater, Pennsylvania Game News, Pennsylvania Magazine, Scripps Endeavor, Spektur, Town & Gown, Tuck Today, Tuck Forum, UMass Boston Magazine, and Vermont Magazine.

	Nancy Marie Brown lives in Vermont with her husband, the writer Charles Fergus, author of 19 books about nature and the outdoors. They have four Icelandic horses and a rough-shooting dog. Their son, William, attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Nancy Marie Brown is represented by Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary Agency 27 West 20th Street, Suite 1003, New York, NY 10011 phone: (212) 242-0466 fax: (212) 242-2366 www.tessleragency.com Contact her directly at: nmb@nasw.org or nancymariebrown@gmail.com Follow her on Facebook: Nancy Marie Brown \|
Click on the title to buy Nancy Marie Brown's new book The Abacus and the Cross: The Story of the Pope Who Brought the Light of Science to the Dark Ages direct from Amazon.com now, or ask your favorite bookseller to order ISBN 978-0-465-00950-3