The National Academies Press (NAP) was created by the National Academies to publish the reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council, all operating under a charter granted by the Congress of the United States.
The NAP publishes more than 200 books a year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and health, capturing the most authoritative views on important issues in science and health policy. The institutions represented by the NAP are unique in that they attract the nation's leading experts in every field to serve on their award-winning panels and committees. This is the right place for definitive information on everything from space science to animal nutrition.
NAP offers many titles in electronic Adobe PDF format. Hundreds of these books can be downloaded for free by the chapter or the entire book, while others are available for purchase. NAP's frequently asked questions guide answers questions about purchasing and accessing the electronic books.
Introducing selected titles:
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Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty by National Research Council published by the National Academies Press in 2009. During 2004-05, the surveys were sent to the major research universities across the United States. Difficult tasks are often very simply stated. The surveys focused on civil and electrical engineering, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. They bring much needed information, included in this book which presents new and surprising findings about career differences between female and male full-time, tenure-track, and tenured faculty in science, engineering, and mathematics at the nation’s top research universities. This account challenges some commonly held views, discusses the status of female faculty at top universities, clarifies whether male and female faculty have similar opportunities to advance and succeed in academia, and poses several questions still in need of answers. Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty is of special interest to graduate students, professional and academic societies, policy makers,university administration and faculty, and other concerned with the vitality of the United States research base and economy. 
The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic: Global Challenges, Global Solutions by Institute of Medicine published by The National Academies Press in 2010. In March and early 2009, a new, swine-origin 2009-H1N1 influenza A virus(S-OIV)2 emerged in Mexico and the US. In the beginning of surveillance, the virus spread by human-to-human transmission worldwide to many countries, causing the World Health Organization to raise its pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the sustained global spread of the 2009H1N1 influenza A virus. The workshop summary was includes a collection of individually authored papers and commentary and prepared by the rapporteurs for Forum’s members. Sections of the workshop summary not specifically attributed to an individual reflect the views of the rapporteurs and not those of the Forum on Microbial Threats, its sponsors, or the IOM. This workshop summary reflects an important aspect of the Forum’s philosophy and provides an account of the individual presentations …
Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments by Marilyn Fenichel & Heidi A. Schweingruber published by National Academies Press in 2010. Those working in science museums and other informal learning environments, including film and broadcast media, libraries, botanical gardens, nature centers are being called on to answer the question: what do people learn visiting them? Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that’s precise, predictive, and reliable a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional. This account is based on the National Research Council study Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits and provides illustrative examples, case studies, and probing questions for practitioners, making invaluable research accessible to many educators, university faculty, youth leaders, museum professionals, media specialists, publishers, and broadcast journalists involved in informal science. 
America’s Energy Futures: Technology and Transformation by National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, and National Research Council published in 2009 by the National Academies Press. We are reminded of the cost of energy every time we fill up at the gas pump, pay and electricity bill, or purchase an airline ticket. Energy has always played a critical role in the country’s national security, economy, and environmental quality. Many factors pushed energy to the front of national attention. All these factors are affected by the policies of government, and the over-all energy enterprise will be slow to change course. America's Energy Futures evaluates the future impacts and current contributions, such as estimate costs, existing and new energy technologies. This Summary account designed to inform key decisions as the US begins a comprehensive examination of energy policy.
Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits by National Research Council published by National Academies Press in 2009. Science is shaping people’s lives in fundamental ways.Science and technology centers, after-school programs, museums, zoos, and other informal settings and programs increasingly recognized as important environments for science learning. Efforts to enhance scientific capacity typically target schools and focus on strategies of improving science curriculum and teacher training and strengthening the science pipeline. This book summarize key aspects of the committee’s conclusions, beginning with evidence that informal environments can promote science learning, and describes appropriate learning goals for these settings and how to broaden participation in science learning. Also, this book present the committee’s recommendations for practice.
Ensuring The Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age by National Acamy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine published by the National Academies Press in 2009. The development and rapid advance of digital technologies have enabled immense quantities of data to be created, processed, and disseminated around the world. The open sharing of data, tools, and services over the Internet is creating new ways of carrying research and new relationships among researchers. This important book examines the consequences of the changes affecting research data with respect to three issues: integrity, accessibility, and stewardship. This essential guide to the principles affecting research data in the digital age sees the stewardship of research data as a critical long-term task for the research enterprise and its stakeholders. 
America’s Uninsured Crisis: Consequences For Health Care by Institute Of Medicine (IOM) published by the National Academies Press in 2009. The absence of health insurance is hazardous to our health. The IOM has long recommended systemic health reforms coupled with comprehensive health insurance. In this book, IOM report new, rigorous, and persuasive evidence that the lack of health insurance is injurious to health, describes the current evidence on the current consequences, and the committee makes recommendation that included in detail in the report, which is “The committee recommends that the President work with Congress and other public and private sector leaders on an urgent basis to achieve health insurance coverage for everyone…”
In The Light of Evolution, Volume I: Adaptation and Complex Design by John C. Avise and Francisco J. Ayala, (Editors) was published by The National Academies Press in 2007. This book is based on the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium of the National Academy of Sciences, “In the Light of Evolution I: Adaptation and Complex Design,” held December 1-2, 2006, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, CA. The chapters illustrate a wide variety of current scientific perspectives and methodological approaches directed toward understanding the maintenance and origin of complex biological adaptations.
This title is an independent, objective advice on issue that affect people's live worldwide.
In The Light of Evolution, Volume II: Biodiversity and Extinction by John C. Avise, Stephen P. Hubbell, and Francisco J. Ayala (Editors) published by the National Academies Press in 2008. This book based on the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium of the National Academies of Sciences, “In the Light of Evolution I: Adaptation and Complex Design,” held December 7-8, 2007, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, CA. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled international in a scope. The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines.
In The Light of Evolution, Volume III: Two Centuries of Darwin by John C. Avise and Francisco J. Ayala, (Editors) published by The National Academies Press in 2009.This book is based on the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium of the National Academy of Sciences, “In the Light of Evolution I: Adaptation and Complex Design,” held January 16-17, 2009, at the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering in Irvine, CA. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentation by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.
Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects by National Research Council published by The National Academies Press (NAP) in 2007. In recent years, in the United States of America the groth of capacity to generate electricity from wind energy has been rapid, growing from almost none in 1980 to 11,603 MW in 2006. And about 60,000 MW in 2006 globally. This important book provides analyses to help to and evaluateunderstand positive and negative environmental effects of wind-energy facilities. Oover the past 28 years, there has been a rapid evolution of wind-turbine design. This study is concerned with utility-scale clusters of generators often referred to as wind farms. The committee that produced this report focused only on installations onshore. There were no offshore wind-energy installations in the U.S. as of the beginning of 2007. References:
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