barnes simon history of the world in 100 animals
Barnes Simon History of the World in 100 Animals
A powerful and fascinating insight into the 100 animals - from the blue whale to the mosquito - that have had the biggest influence on humanity through the ages. We are not alone. We are not alone on the planet. We are not alone in the countryside. We are not alone in cities. We are not alone in our homes. We are humans and we love the idea of our uniqueness. But the fact is that we humans are as much members of the animal kingdom as the cats and dogs we surround ourselves with, the cows and the fish we eat, and the bees who pollinate so many of our food-plants. In The History of the World in 100 Animals, award-winning author Simon Barnes selects the 100 animals who have had the greatest impact on humanity and on whom humanity has had the greatest effect. He shows how we have domesticated animals for food and for transport, and how animals powered agriculture, making civilisation possible. A species of flea came close to destroying human civilisation in Europe, while the slaughter of a species of bovines was used to create one civilisation and destroy another. He explains how pigeons made possible the biggest single breakthrough in the history of human thought. In short, he charts the close relationship between humans and animals, finding examples from around the planet that bring the story of life on earth vividly to life, with great insight and understanding. The heresy of human uniqueness has led us across the millennia along the path of destruction. This book, beautifully illustrated throughout, helps us to understand our place in the world better, so that we might do a better job of looking after it. That might save the polar bears, the modern emblem of impending loss and destruction. It might even save ourselves.
4934 Руб.Barnes Simon The History of the World in 100 Plants
From the author of The History of the World in 100 Animals, a BBC Radio Four Book of the Week, comes an inspirational new book that looks at the 100 plants that have had the greatest impact on humanity, stunningly illustrated throughout. As humans, we hold the planet in the palms of ours hands. But we still consume the energy of the sun in the form of food. The sun is available for consumption because of plants. Plants make food from the sun by the process of photosynthesis; nothing else in the world can do this. We eat plants, or we do so at second hand, by eating the eaters of plants. Plants give us food. Plants take in carbon dioxide and push out oxygen: they give us the air we breathe, direct the rain that falls and moderate the climate. Plants also give us shelter, beauty, comfort, meaning, buildings, boats, containers, musical instruments, medicines and religious symbols. We use flowers for love, we use flowers for death. The fossils of plants power our industries and our transport. Across history we have used plants to store knowledge, to kill, to fuel wars, to change our state of consciousness, to indicate our status. The first gun was a plant, we got fire from plants, we have enslaved people for the sake of plants. We humans like to see ourselves as a species that has risen above the animal kingdom, doing what we will with the world. But we couldn’t live for a day without plants. Our past is all about plants, our present is all tied up with plants; and without plants there is no future. From the mighty oak to algae, from cotton to coca here are a hundred reasons why.
5919 Руб.Barnes Julian Flaubert's Parrot. A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
In these two masterpieces of post-modernism Julian Barnes explores themes of identity, authenticity and history. Flaubert's Parrot, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984, concerns the attempts of an increasingly bemused reseracher to establish certain facts about a famous French novelist and the stuffed bird which used to sit on his desk. A History of the World in 10 ? Chapters blends fact and fiction in a virtuoso kaleidoscope of vignettes from Noah's time to the present. One of the author's most inventive works, it was praised by Salman Rushdie as 'frequently brilliant, funny, thoughtful, iconoclastic and a delight to read'. Julian Barnes won the 2011 Booker Prize for his novel The Sense of an Ending.
4602 Руб.Lerwill Ben WildLives. 50 Extraordinary Animals that Made History
True tales of wild and wonderful lives to be treasured forever! In this fascinating and touching book, children can learn about 50 courageous creatures from around the world and throughout history. This fully illustrated collection gathers heart-warming, surprising and often emotionally powerful stories of bravery, discovery and friendship. Featuring a range of animals – from heroes, helpers and adventurers to achievers and many more – young readers will discover some of the most famous and unforgettable animals of all time. Compelling and visually arresting in equal measure, this is the perfect introduction to just some of the amazing animals whose wild lives have made history.
3164 Руб.Schama Simon The Embarrassment of Riches. An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age
This is the book that made Simon Schama’s reputation when first published in 1987. A historical masterpiece, it is an epic account of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age of Rembrandt and van Diemen. In this brilliant work that moves far beyond the conventions of social or cultural history, Simon Schama investigates the astonishing case of a people’s self-invention. He shows how, in the 17th-century, a modest assortment of farming, fishing and shipping communities, without a shared language, religion or government, transformed themselves into a formidable world empire – the Dutch republic.
5783 Руб.Balding Clare Heroic Animals. 100 Amazing Creatures Great and Small
100 of the most heroic, inspirational (and sometimes hilarious) animals from history There is no such thing as an ordinary animal. Every one has a heroic story to tell. Discover how... Able Seacat Simon rescued the crew of HMS Amethyst Bobby the Wonder Dog crossed a continent to find his family Galipolli Murphy carried 250 wounded soldiers to safety Pickles tracked down the stolen World Cup And the Tamworth Two managed to save their bacon Clare Balding's stories of daring, courageous, remarkable creatures who changed our world for the better: from the dog that inspired Lassie to the bear that fought the Nazis.
1990 Руб.Prasad Aarathi Silk. A History in Three Metamorphoses
There is not just one story of silk. In silk is science, history and mythology. In silk is the future. Aarathi Prasad's Silk is a gorgeous new history weaving together the story of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia. Through the scientists who have studied silk, and the biology of the animals from which it has been drawn, Prasad explores the global history, natural history, and future of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia. For silk, prized for its lightness, luminosity, and beauty is also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. More than a century ago, it was used to make the first bulletproof vest, and yet science has barely even begun to tap its potential. As the technologies it has inspired - from sutures to pharmaceuticals, replacement body parts to holograms - continue to be developed in laboratories around the world, they are now also beginning to offer a desperately needed, sustainable alternative to the plastics choking our planet. Prasad's Silk is a cultural and biological history from the origins and ancient routes of silk to the biologists who learned the secrets of silk-producing animals, manipulating the habitats and physiologies of moths, spiders and molluscs. Because there is more than one silk, there is more than one story of silk. More than one road, more than one people who discovered it, and wove its threads. From the moths of China, Indonesia and India to the spiders of South America and Madagascar, to the silk-producing molluscs of the Mediterranean, Silk is a book rich in the passionate connections made by women and men of science to the diversity of the animal world. It is an intoxicating mix of biography, intellectual history and science writing that brings to life the human obsession with silk.
4241 Руб.Singh Simon The Code Book. The Secret History of Codes and Code-breaking
The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography From the best-selling author of Fermat’s Last Theorem, The Code Book is a history of man’s urge to uncover the secrets of codes, from Egyptian puzzles to modern day computer encryptions. As in Fermat’s Last Theorem, Simon Singh brings life to an anstonishing story of puzzles, codes, languages and riddles that reveals man’s continual pursuit to disguise and uncover, and to work out the secret languages of others. Codes have influenced events throughout history, both in the stories of those who make them and those who break them. The betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots and the cracking of the enigma code that helped the Allies in World War II are major episodes in a continuing history of cryptography. In addition to stories of intrigue and warfare, Simon Singh also investigates other codes, the unravelling of genes and the rediscovery of ancient languages and most tantalisingly, the Beale ciphers, an unbroken code that could hold the key to a $20 million treasure.
2960 Руб.The Little Book of History
Travel back in time with the latest instalment in the bestselling Big Ideas series, in a brand new portable format. The Little Book of History charts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution to the Space Race, The Little Book of History is a stunning exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis. The Little Book of History tackles big historical ideas with stunning visuals, key quotes, and important themes that are woven throughout world history. Discover events from the assassination of Caesar to World War I and see the people and events come to life with The Little Book of History, perfect for students, adults, or anyone who wants to understand our fascinating past.
1546 Руб.Baker Simon Ancient Rome. The Rise and Fall of an Empire
This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history: the spectacular collapse of the 'free' republic, the birth of the age of the 'Caesars', the violent suppression of the strongest rebellion against Roman power, and the bloody civil war that launched Christianity as a world religion. At the heart of this account are the dynamic, complex but flawed characters of some of the most powerful rulers in history: men such as Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero and Constantine. Putting flesh on the bones of these distant, legendary figures, Simon Baker looks beyond the dusty, toga-clad caricatures and explores their real motivations and ambitions, intrigues and rivalries. The superb narrative, full of energy and imagination, is a brilliant distillation of the latest scholarship and a wonderfully evocative account of Ancient Rome.
3401 Руб.The Little Book of History
Travel back in time with the latest instalment in the bestselling Big Ideas series, in a brand new portable format. The Little Book of History charts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution to the Space Race, The Little Book of History is a stunning exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis. The Little Book of History tackles big historical ideas with stunning visuals, key quotes, and important themes that are woven throughout world history. Discover events from the assassination of Caesar to World War I and see the people and events come to life with The Little Book of History, perfect for students, adults, or anyone who wants to understand our fascinating past.
986 Руб.The Little Book of History
Travel back in time with the latest instalment in the bestselling Big Ideas series, in a brand new portable format. The Little Book of History charts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution to the Space Race, The Little Book of History is a stunning exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis. The Little Book of History tackles big historical ideas with stunning visuals, key quotes, and important themes that are woven throughout world history. Discover events from the assassination of Caesar to World War I and see the people and events come to life with The Little Book of History, perfect for students, adults, or anyone who wants to understand our fascinating past.
986 Руб.Marriott Emma The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks
History is a rich, varied and fascinating subject, so it's rare to find the whole lot in one book … until now. The History of the World in Bite-Sized Chunks pulls it all together, from the world's earliest civilizations in 3500 BC to the founding of the United Nations in 1945, passing by the likes of Charlemagne, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean War, to name a few. Here's your chance to introduce yourself to the full spectrum of world history, and discover just how the modern world came to be.
1036 Руб.Bittel Jason Animals Lost and Found. Stories of Extinction, Conservation and Survival
A beautiful book of extinct and endangered creatures, and a hopeful look at the future Shine a spotlight on animal species throughout history and the ones alive today in Animals Lost and Found, through beautiful illustrations and interesting facts. Children will learn about animals lost to extinction, animals we thought we'd lost but have found, and animals that are the focus of conservation efforts all over the world. This educational book for children aged 7+ is packed with intriguing information about extinction and the different possible causes of it. Children can learn about how natural and unnatural extinction relates to the world we live in today, in a clear and easy way. Animals Lost and Found features: - A very positive outlook on conservation efforts and success stories from around the world - Focus pages on extinct and endangered animals - as well as one or two, who it turns out, never were! - Beautiful illustrations by award-winning wildlife illustrator Jonathan Woodward - Incredible conservation work that has been done around the world, like the reintroduction of Red Kites to Britain, and the effect the wolves had to the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park - A global look at success stories and what it can do for the planet Animals Lost and Found is not just about lost species, but also teaches children the incredible work that is happening around the world to prevent any further loss of species and looks at animals saved from extinction like the Blue Iguana! Learn the incredible stories of uncovering species thought to have been gone, reintroduction of species, and what we as humans are doing and can continue to do to help.
3681 Руб.Attenborough David The Trials of Life. A Natural History of Animal Behaviour
The third and final updated edition of David Attenborough’s classic Life trilogy. Life on Earth covered evolution, Living Planet , ecology, and now The Trials of Life tackles ethology, the study of how animals behave. ‘This is, quite simply, the best thing I’ve ever done.’ Sir David Attenborough on the TV series, The Trials of Life, upon which this book is based. This is the third and last of Sir David’s great natural history books based on his TV series and competes his survey of the animal world that began with Life on Earth and continues with Living Planet. In Life on Earth, Sir David showed how each group of animals evolved. In Living Planet he looked at the way they have adapted to the whole range of habitats in which they live. Now, in Trials of Life, he completes the story by revealing how animals behave – and why.
1926 Руб.Cruickshank Dan Architecture. A History in 100 Buildings
This stunning book by renowned television historian Dan Cruickshank tells the history of architecture through the stories of 100 iconic buildings. Journeying through time and place, from the ancient Egyptian pyramids to the soaring skyscrapers of Manhattan, renowned architectural historian Dan Cruickshank explores the most impressive and characterful creations in world architecture. His selection includes many of the world’s best-known buildings that represent key or pioneering moments in architectural history, such as the Pantheon in Rome, Hagia Sophia in Turkey, the Taj Mahal in India and the Forbidden City in China. But the book also covers less obvious and more surprising structures, the generally unsung heroes of an endlessly fascinating story. Buildings like Oriel Chambers in Liverpool and the Narkomfin Apartment Building in Moscow. Dan Cruickshank has visited nearly all the buildings in the book, many in locations that are now inaccessible and under serious threat. A History of Architecture in 100 Buildings is an eloquent and often moving testimony to the power of great architecture to shape, and be shaped by, world history.
2622 Руб.There is not just one story of silk. In silk is science, history and mythology. In silk is the future. Aarathi Prasad's Silk is a gorgeous new history weaving together the story of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia. Through the scientists who have studied silk, and the biology of the animals from which it has been drawn, Prasad explores the global history, natural history, and future of a unique material that has fascinated the world for millennia. For silk, prized for its lightness, luminosity, and beauty is also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. More than a century ago, it was used to make the first bulletproof vest, and yet science has barely even begun to tap its potential. As the technologies it has inspired - from sutures to pharmaceuticals, replacement body parts to holograms - continue to be developed in laboratories around the world, they are now also beginning to offer a desperately needed, sustainable alternative to the plastics choking our planet. Prasad's Silk is a cultural and biological history from the origins and ancient routes of silk to the biologists who learned the secrets of silk-producing animals, manipulating the habitats and physiologies of moths, spiders and molluscs. Because there is more than one silk, there is more than one story of silk. More than one road, more than one people who discovered it, and wove its threads. From the moths of China, Indonesia and India to the spiders of South America and Madagascar, to the silk-producing molluscs of the Mediterranean, Silk is a book rich in the passionate connections made by women and men of science to the diversity of the animal world. It is an intoxicating mix of biography, intellectual history and science writing that brings to life the human obsession with silk.
