A character-filled history that brings the American saga to life The United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world. This is the remarkable story of how it came to be. Beginning with the first contact between the old world and the new over 500 years ago, this Little History moves through the centuries from the first European explorers and slave-owning farmers, to the Declaration of Independence and the Civil War, to the Great Depression and the wars of the twentieth century.We meet key figures, including founding father Benjamin Franklin, the Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman and the civil rights activist Rosa Parks. This is a fast-paced, character-filled history that brings the great, diverse American saga to life.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
A superbly engaging guide to music around the world, from prehistory to the presentMusic excites and moves us perhaps more than any other art form. From a Neanderthal’s bone flute to the festivals of Glastonbury and Coachella, human beings have always made and enjoyed music.Covering a remarkable range, including Indian raga, Javanese gamelan, medieval chant, jazz and K-pop, this Little History celebrates the wonder of music, and why it is treasured across the world. Within its pages, readers will find familiar composers and musicians, and will be introduced to a host of exciting new discoveries.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
A rich and inclusive history of belief, from humanity's earliest days to our own timesReligion is distinctly human. We can’t help wondering about where we come from and why we are here. Did some all-powerful being make the universe? When we die, is there anything else to come? And what will it be like? Questions like these have occupied human minds across the ages. In our search for answers, we have come up with different stories.Richard Holloway tells the history of the major religions from the dawn of belief to the twenty-first century. Ranging far beyond Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, he writes for those with faith and those without, and for those who might be making up their minds.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
The thrilling story of archaeological adventure, and astonishing discoveries around the globeArchaeology tells the story of our ancestors: how they lived, what they believed in and how their cultures developed over millennia. Brian Fagan introduces us to pharaohs’ tombs, Mayan ruins, the first colonial settlements at Jamestown, mysterious Stonehenge, and Pompeii – the city buried by volcanic ash in AD 79.This Little History tells the riveting stories of great archaeologists and their amazing discoveries around the world. For readers of every age, this book explores archaeology’s history of controversies, discoveries, heroes and scoundrels, global sites and newest methods.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
A lively, accessible history of mathematics throughout the ages and across the globeMathematics is fundamental to our daily lives. Science, computing, economics—all aspects of modern life rely on some kind of maths. But how did our ancestors think about numbers? How did they use mathematics to explain and understand the world around them? Where do numbers even come from?In this Little History, Snezana Lawrence traces the fascinating history of mathematics, from the Egyptians and Babylonians to Renaissance masters and enigma codebreakers. Like literature, music, or philosophy, mathematics has a rich history of breakthroughs, creativity and experimentation. And its story is a global one. We see Chinese Mathematical Art from 200 BCE, the invention of algebra in Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, and sangaku geometrical theorems at Japanese shrines. Lawrence goes beyond the familiar names of Newton and Pascal, exploring the prominent role women have played in the history of maths, including Emmy
A rich and engaging guide to psychology, the science devoted to understanding human naturePsychology is the science devoted to understanding human nature. Its practitioners have long sought to understand behaviour, feelings and thoughts. In her fascinating history, Nicky Hayes tells the story of psychology from its origins to the present day. She introduces key thinkers, including Carl Jung, Anna Freud, Frantz Fanon, and Daniel Kahneman. We see how they tried to expand our understanding, from Pavlov and his dogs to Milgram and his famous electric shock experiments to the CIA’s secret mind-control projects.This Little History taken us on a journey through the ever-advancing study of psychology, how the field has evolved over time – and how much more we need to learn.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
An accessible account of the history of economics through the ideas of great thinkersEconomics explains the world. For example, the fact that you’re holding this book in your hands puts you in a special position. To many people around the globe, spending money on a book and being able to read it would seem as likely as a trip to the moon. But why can some countries afford the buildings, books and teachers they need to educate their children – and others can’t? The word ‘economics’ might sound a bit dry, but it’s really about getting to the bottom of questions like these.This is a lively, bestselling account of the history of economics, told through events from ancient to modern times and through the ideas of great thinkers in the field. From Adam Smith to Karl Marx and the invention of money to the Great Depression, this Little History illuminates the economic forces that shape our world.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
A thrilling journey through 100,000 years of art, from the first artworks ever made to art’s central role in culture today Art can help us see the world differently or understand our place in it a little more clearly. It can move us emotionally, even if sometimes we cannot explain why. It is powerful stuff.Roaming from Japan and India to South America and the Middle East, Charlotte Mullins showcases a host of overlooked artists, and celebrates art’s crucial place in our collective culture. This Little History introduces us to extraordinary anonymous creations such as the Terracotta Army, Renaissance masters like Donatello and Michelangelo, and modern trailblazers like Frida Kahlo, Barbara Hepworth and Yayoi Kusama.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
The internationally bestselling guide to the extraordinary human story, for the curious of all agesThe World has existed for over 4 billion years, but humanity arrived much more recently. Here E. H. Gombrich brings to life the full story of human experience on Earth. He paints a colourful picture of remarkable people and events, from Confucius to Catherine the Great, from the invention of art to the destruction of the Berlin Wall.This is a book dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries. It is both a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties. The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this is a timeless account of our shared history.Little Histories – Inspiring Guides for Curious Minds
What is poetry? If music is sound organized in a particular way, poetry is a way of organizing language. It is language made special so that it will be remembered and valued. It does not always work—o
What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions mat
The thrilling history of archaeological adventure, with tales of danger, debate, audacious explorers, and astonishing discoveries around the globe What is archaeology? The word may bring to mind image
