Beginning in the sixth millennium BCE, in the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia and along the Nile River, human civilization expanded to develop writing systems, farming methods, social organization and modes of government. Today, humans inhabit every part of the planet, connected by digital technology and modern infrastructure.
Arranged chronologically, History of the World offers a broad overview of the most important events in human history, including the building of great funerary tombs in Ancient Egypt, the Trojan War, the development of democratic forms of government in Ancient Athens under Pericles, the birth of Christ, the expansion of Islam from Arabia, the Viking raids across northwest Europe, the capture of Jerusalem during the Crusades, Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Copernicus proposing a new model of the Universe, the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns in Japan, the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, Napoleon’s domination of Europe following the French victory at Austerlitz, Stephenson’s development of the steam locomotive, the break up of great empires following the end of World War I, the use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the advent of the modern computer, beginning with Alan Turing’s code-breaking Bombe machine at Bletchley Park during World War II.
History of the World provides a sumptuous, pictorial guide to the most significant events in human history, from the Bronze Age to the 21st Century.
Plato dismissed Greek mythology as ‘old wives’ chatter’ but such chatter, from the Minotaur to the Trojan Horse, from Zeus to Prometheus, Heracles to the Argonauts, has been of immense influence for thousands of years. Those tales of deities and beasts, and of heroes and villains, must have possessed some quality to have lasted so long. Thousands of years on, we still refer in our every day lives to Achilles, Pandora and Narcissus. From Hades in the Underworld to Pegasus in flight, Greek Myths & Legends is an accessible introduction to the world of such characters as the Titans, Aphrodite and Poseidon. The book tells the story of Greek mythology from its creation myths and gods to its tales of mortals. Along the way we see the development of the pantheon of the major Greek deities, the dynastic struggles among the early gods, the creation of the Underworld and we learn how Ariadne, Medea and Perseus, among many others, fit into the mythic universe. The book also examines how Greek myths have survived in written texts, ceramics, art and architecture, and the legacy of Greek mythology in Roman culture and the Middle Ages, as well as its revival in the Renaissance and its enduring appeal today. Illustrated with 180 colour and black-&-white photographs, artworks and maps, Greek Myths & Legends is an engaging, highly informative exploration of a fascinating world and will appeal to anyone interested in legends and ancient cultures.
Discover how the individual parts of the human body function in this anatomy book with a difference, and learn about the body through colouring in. Organised by body area and system, each page includes a detailed colour artwork alongside an identical, annotated line drawing, showing the elements of the featured body part. Following the detailed artworks, students can colour in the line drawings, learning about the different bones in the skull, the respiratory system, blood circulation, the workings of the heart – and every other body system – as they colour. By colouring, students absorb the information more effectively and learn more thoroughly. The book features 215 scientifically precise colour artworks accompanied by 215 highly accurate line drawings, organised by body area: head, neck, thorax, upper limbs, abdomen, reproductive system, pelvis, lower limbs and whole body systems. Human Body Colouring Book is a fun and effective way to learn about human physiology.
Symbols are all around us – some mysterious, some timeless, some arcane and some prosaic. But what are their origins? What does the infinity symbol really signify? Do you understand yin and yang? And why is the swastika really a good luck sign?
This enticing gift book explores the world of classic symbols and signs, revealing the deep meaning and often quirky history behind each one. From the ouroboros and the ankh to the menorah, caduceus and astrological signs, the book ranges widely across the world’s most recognized symbols.
With one symbol per page, accompanied by an explanation and history, and printed on high quality paper with a special binding, Classic Symbols is a unique and attractive book that will appeal to a broad range of readers, both as a gift and as a source for tattoo designs and other creative projects.
No understanding of Chinese civilization is possible without a grasp of Taoism, the philosophy that has shaped not just Chinese spirituality but also art, science and politics. And it was in the Tao Te Ching, written around 300BC, that the fundamental beliefs of Taoism were first gathered. This short, wise but very humble book went on to influence on philosophy, religion and politics. In a compellingly simple rhetorical style the book addresses how to live a simple, peaceful and harmonious life, how to rid oneself of desires and free society of institutions that promote greed. This dual-language edition of Tao Te Ching presents the original Chinese characters with a new translation on the facing page, and is illustrated throughout to make an attractive gift edition in traditional Chinese hand binding. With a new introduction that discusses the questioned authorship of the text and editorial notes, all 81 brief chapters are included, ranging from advice for politicians to wise words for the everyday person. Of immense influence across millennia, Tao Te Ching Illustratedis a classic text richly deserving this exquisite edition.
Gaining insight into our deeper selves through the use of divination tools to help decide future actions has preoccupied mankind since ancient times. In Europe, cards which became known as Tarot have been used to map the soul and predict the future since the 16th century. The 78 cards in the Tarot deck each has its own imagery, symbolism and story. This beautiful hand-bound edition showcases each card from the Rider-Waite set, the one most commonly used by Tarot readers. Practitioners believe that the 22 Major Arcana cards represent life’s karmic and spiritual lessons, and the 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Tarot offers an elegantly presented, concise guide to the 78 cards, from number 0, The Fool – who represents unlimited potential, through The Hermit – who represents a break from everyday life, to number 21, The World – which indicates a sense of wholeness, completion and fulfilment.
On 14 April 1912, less than a week into a transatlantic trip from Southampton to New York, the largest luxury cruise liner in the world struck an iceberg off the coast of Labrador, causing the hull to buckle. The massive 50,000 ton ship hailed as ‘unsinkable’ was soon slipping into the cold Atlantic Ocean, the crew and passengers scrambling to launch lifeboats before being sucked into the deep. Of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making the sinking one of the deadliest for a single ship up to that time. The sinking has captured the public imagination ever since, in part because of the scale of the tragedy, but also because the ship represented in microcosm Edwardian society, with the super-rich sharing the vessel with poor migrants seeking a new life in North America. Other factors, such as why there were only enough lifeboats to hold half the passengers, also caused controversy and led to changes in maritime safety. In later years many survivors told their stories to the press, and Titanic celebrates these accounts. A final chapter examines the shipwreck today, which has been visited underwater by explorers, scientists and film-makers, and many artifacts recovered as the old liner steadily disintegrates. Titanic offers a compact, insightful photographic history of the sinking and its aftermath in 180 authentic photographs.
In Catholicism, sainthood is the highest state of holiness any mortal can achieve during this life – or the next. There are more than 10,000 official saints – some are exemplary models, others extraordinary teachers, while some have worked miracles or changed the lives of millions through their guidance and good works.
Arranged in chronological order, the book covers all the major saints, from St Paul, the Apostle who did most to spread Christianity following the death of Christ, and established Christian communities in Asia Minor – to Pope John Paul II, famous for being a peacemaker and providing spiritual inspiration during the fall of communism. In between, this compact volume covers well-known historical figures such as Joan of Arc, who defended the honour of France in the Medieval era, the philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, and lesser-known saints such as Zita, the 13th century patron saint of maids and domestic servants.
Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding and with 150 illustrations and artworks
of saints from every part of the world, this book will fascinate anyone interested in inspiring – and often very human – religious figures from Biblical times to the present.
Written around 1645, Miyamoto Musashi’s Five Rings is a classic Japanese work on mastery in swordsmanship, leadership and conflict. Musashi was a swordsman, philosopher and strategist, and today his work remains of influence not only in the realm of martial arts but in the business world, too. Musashi’s no-nonsense approach to the martial arts and combat includes eliminating technical flourishes, understanding that technique should simply be understood as defeating your opponent, and appreciating that the same qualities apply in both small- scale and large-scale conflicts. Repeatedly, he stresses the importance of learning through practice, rather than merely reading about them. Produced in a handy pocket format, Five Rings is presented in an illustrated pocket edition with a modern translation.
Written in the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is still used as a book of military strategy today. Napoleon, Mae Zedong and Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. And beyond the world of war, modern-era business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu’s ideas to politics and corporate strategy. This pocket illustrated dual-language edition not only presents the original Chinese characters with James Trapp’s translation on the facing page, it also tests Sun Tzu’s ideas against history. Each of the 13 chapters includes a new commentary giving examples of how Sun Tzu’s wisdom has been borne out on the world’s battlefields. When, for example, has information provided by spies changed the course of a battle? How has history shown Sun Tzu’s ideas on the importance of terrain in conflict to be true? And where can we best find examples of strategic warfare being waged? From the ancient world to the 20th century, the battles featured will be illustrated with colour battle maps, paintings and artworks. Of immense influence to leaders across millennia, The Art of War is a classic text richly deserving this illustrated and expanded dual-language mini edition.
Japanese Myths is an accessible, entertaining, and highly informative exploration of everything from the kami holy spirits venerated in Shinto religion to the divine origins of the Japanese imperial family.
Japanese Myths provides a clear, concise introduction to this fascinating if little-known world. Find out about Hachiman, the mighty god of war and the divine protector of Japan and its people. Marvel at Fujin, the god of the wind, a popular but terrifying demon—his bag of air is thought to move all the world’s winds, and he is a powerful force of nature alongside his brother, the thunder god Raijin. See Hotei, the “Laughing Buddha” and one of the most well-known symbols of Buddhism—rubbing his belly is said to bring good luck. And enjoy the myth of Shita-kiri Suzume, or “Toung-Cut Sparrow,” which explores the effects of greed, friendship, and jealousy.
From coastal to alpine, tropical to temperate, coniferous to deciduous, forest trees not only support the wildlife that lives under their canopies, but humankind, too. We could not survive without the cooling effect that trees have on the planet.
Yet for thousands of years, we have logged forest trees and tapped their resin, we have hunted and foraged among them, found sources of medicine in their leaves and bark, and created sacred groves under their canopies. In some places we have cleared so much land that it is possible the trees will never grow back. Habitats have been lost as global temperatures have continued to rise.
But, despite the environmental damage, there is hope, too. Some areas of abandoned farmland have been reclaimed by trees. And if we look to the Mayan ruins in Mexico, we see how forests can bury even a society’s grandest buildings. Given the opportunity, forests won’t just outlive us, but our civilisations, too.
The author, Kieron Connolly, surveys forests from all around the globe, from deforestation in the Amazon to the reforestation of Californian redwoods, from England’s New Forest to Germany’s Black Forest, telling the stories of humankind’s ancient links to the trees and the flora and fauna found among them.
Ranging from ecology to history, from the ravaged to the rewilded, and featuring more than 230 striking photographs, Forests is a fascinating exploration of woodland life around the world.
From the Azteca to the Appaloosa, Choctaw to the Palomina, Brumbys in Australia to the Mongolian, from rare breeds such as the Polish Konik to the semi-feral Pyrenean Pottok, Horses celebrates a wide variety of breeds from all around the world.
Ranging from dressage to police horses, from racing horses to rodeo and polo, the book looks at the anatomy and lifecycle of foals and yearlings, colts and fillies, stallions, mares and geldings around the globe. It includes draft horses and warmbloods, light horses and thoroughbreds, gaited horses, ponies and breeds that have become feral. Each photograph is accompanied by a caption with fascinating information about the characteristics of each breed.
Illustrated with 200 outstanding colour photographs, Horses is an exquisitely produced work packed with lively information about this beloved animal.
Why do cats purr? How much can you learn about a cat’s mood from the direction it flicks its tail? How do cats show trust with their eyes? Why do cats rub against their owners’ legs?
Arranged in chapters covering physical characteristics, senses, lifecycle and behaviour, Cats features a huge range of breeds from all around the world. From Siamese to Russian Blue, Manx to American Bobtail, Burmese to Bombay, the book expertly explores and celebrates this most beloved pet.
With fascinating captions on every page, even cat lovers will learn something new. Cats is a brilliant examination in 150 outstanding colour photographs.
Built to last, built to impress, built with style and grandeur – it is all the more remarkable when the most ostentatious of buildings fall into disrepair and become ruins. From imperial residences and aristocratic estates to hotels and urban mansions, Abandoned Palaces tells the stories behind dilapidated structures from all around the world.
From ancient Roman villas to the French colonial hill station in Cambodia that was one of the final refuges of the Khmer Rouge, the book charts the fascinating decline of what were once the homes and holiday resorts of the most wealthy. Ranging from crumbling hotels in the Catskill Mountains or in Mozambique to grand mansions in Taiwan, and from an unfinished Elizabethan summerhouse to a modern megalomaniac’s estate too expensive ever to be completed, the reasons for the abandonment of these buildings include politics, bankruptcy, personal tragedies, natural and man-made disasters, as well as changing tastes and fashions.
With 150 outstanding colour photographs exploring more than 100 hauntingly beautiful locations, Abandoned Palacesis a brilliant and moving pictorial examination of worlds we have left behind.
Tigers is an outstanding collection of photographs in a pocket flexibound format showing these fearsome yet magnificent animals in action. Tigers are the largest big cats in the world and because of this, many cultures consider the tiger to be a symbol of strength, courage and dignity. They are featured in ancient mythology and folklore and continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. You’ll discover how tigers are adapted for hunting: A tiger’s paws and claws are one of its greatest weapons during the hunt. Strong, and powerful enough to kill prey with a swipe, the bones in their paws also have cord-like ligaments to buffer them from the impact of hitting prey at a full run. You’ll also learn many other fascinating facts, such as how each tiger is unique – did you know that no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes? Or that you can tell a tiger’s age by its nose? Young tigers have a pink nose which gradually darkens, turning orange, then a blackish-brown as it reaches maturity. With full captions explaining how these incredible animals hunt and feed, rear their young and survive in the wild, Tigers is a brilliant examination in 150 outstanding colour photographs of this beautiful animal.
Beaches, marshes, mangroves; cliffs, deserts, forests; bays, deltas, estuaries – coastlines take many different forms and are put to very different uses. From deserted beaches to busy ports, from pretty fishing villages to a surfers’ paradise, a salt marsh to a ship-breakers’ yard, Coast celebrates where the land meets the sea. From beautiful coastal paths to the shipwrecks left high and dry in the Aral Sea, from world famous locations such as Copacabana Beach in Brazil and Big Sur in California to the little explored coastlines of Yemen and Oman, from Algeria to Antarctica, the Amalfi Coast to the Dead Sea, the book celebrates a huge range in coastlines from all around the world. Including nature reserves and tourist resorts, rugged landscapes and desert island tranquility, fjords and fossils, eroding cliffs to whole towns lost to the waters, the book explores coastlines in all climates and conditions around the globe. Presented in a landscape format and with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Coast is a stunning collection of images and stories.
Featuring more than 200 intriguing images taken by space probes travelling billions of kilometres from Earth, The Solar System is an exhilarating exploration of the mysteries of our local planetary space.
Within the span of a human lifetime, our spacecraft have visited all eight planets of the Solar System, together with several dwarf planets, asteroids and comets. We have mapped the surface of Mercury and Venus in exquisite detail, landed rovers on Mars, placed orbiters around Jupiter and Saturn, and parachuted to the surface of Titan. Our emissaries have visited icy worlds five billion kilometres from home and continued onwards to reach interstellar space. The pictures and science returned by these intrepid travellers have transformed our understanding of the Solar System in which we live.
Travelling from the edge of our Solar System, through the Milky Way and to the outer edges of the observable universe, Deep Space is a spectacular photographic guide to galaxies, nebulae, supernova and clusters. Learn about the birth of stars in our own galaxy, planets beyond our own solar system, when they were first discovered and how we have managed to photograph these places.
Ranging from the Magellanic Clouds within the Milky Way to stellar life cycles, from other spiral galaxies such as the Andromeda Galaxy, to the Sombrero Galaxy, and from nebulae such as the Pillars of Creation to black and white dwarfs, this is accessibly written for the general reader to grasp the science and magnitude of deep space.
Featuring 200 outstanding images, Deep Space is an exhilarating journey to the outermost reaches of the Universe.
Can you spot the Big Dipper in the night sky? Or Orion’s Belt? Or Cassiopeia? Even in cities, and without the aid of a telescope, these are a few of the easier constellations to find. In fact, a great deal can be seen in the night sky with the naked eye – if you know what you’re looking for. Night Sky presents 200 colour photographs of stunning nocturnal vistas all visible to the naked eye. From the majesty of the Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) as seen from Norway or Canada, and the Southern Lights (Aurora australis) as seen from Australia, to seeing the clarity of the Milky Way over an Italian forest, from witnessing a lunar eclipse in Indonesia to charting the course of the International Space Station across the Indian night, and from seeing a Geminid meteor shower in New Mexico to recognizing the Great Bear (Ursa Major) constellation over New England, the book is a feast of nocturnal delights. Where necessary, additional inset photographs indicate the formation of a constellation. Presented in a landscape format and with 200 outstanding colour photographs supported by fascinating captions, Night Sky is a stunning collection of images.
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![Okładka książki Classic Symbols [Chinese Bound]](https://dobreksiazki.pl/Photos/7/MEDIUM/000079/classic-symbols-chinese-bound.jpg "Classic Symbols [Chinese Bound]. Autor: Kerrigan Michael. Dobreksiazki.pl")
![Okładka książki Tao Te Ching Illustrated [Chinese Bound]](https://dobreksiazki.pl/Photos/7/MEDIUM/000079/tao-te-ching-illustrated-chinese-bound.jpg "Tao Te Ching Illustrated [Chinese Bound]. Autor: Tzu Lao. Dobreksiazki.pl")
![Okładka książki Tarot [Chinese Bound]](https://dobreksiazki.pl/Photos/7/MEDIUM/000079/tarot-chinese-bound.jpg "Tarot [Chinese Bound]. Autor: Jay Nikkie. Dobreksiazki.pl")
![Okładka książki Saints Illustrated [Chinese Bound]](https://dobreksiazki.pl/Photos/7/MEDIUM/000079/saints-illustrated-chinese-bound.jpg "Saints Illustrated [Chinese Bound]. Autor: Connolly Dominic. Dobreksiazki.pl")
