The History of Toys

Providing a fascinating alternative perspective on history, this book takes readers on a global journey through human history, examining how lies can change the world around us - and shows that truth really is stranger than fiction.Taking readers on a global journey through human history, Natasha Tidd examines how lies can change the world around us, from Julius Caesar's deceptive PR machine to the cover-ups that caused Chernobyl.From forgeries that created centuries worth of conflict and domination, such as The Donation of Constantine, the Protocols of Zion and the mysterious Testament of Peter the Great, to mass political and press cover-ups including Britain's Boer War concentration camps, a Pulitzer Prize-winning whitewash of the Ukraine Famine and the infamous Dreyfus Affair in France.Alongside these are examinations of how our retellings of history can turn fiction into fact, including The Spanish Inquisition's deceitful legacy. Plus, there is an in-depth look at how historic lie…

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, this book presents an exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis.Travel back in time with the latest instalment in the bestselling Big Ideas series. The History Book 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 History Book is a stunning exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis. The History Book 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 Wo…

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.

A 2023 HIGHLIGHT FOR: BBC NEWS * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE * FINANCIAL TIMES * NEW EUROPEAN * GUARDIAN * NEW STATESMAN * THE TIMES * THE WEEK * WATERSTONES * BLACKWELLSMost people can name the influential leaders and major battles of the past. Few can name the most destructive storms, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts.In The Earth Transformed, ground-breaking historian Peter Frankopan shows that engagement with the natural world and with climatic change and their effects on us are not new: exploring, for instance, the development of religion and language and their relationships with the environment; tracing how growing demands for harvests resulted in the increased shipment of enslaved peoples; scrutinising how the desire to centralise agricultural surplus formed the origins of the bureaucratic state; and seeing how efforts to understand and manipulate the weather have a long and deep history. Understanding how past shifts in natural patterns have shaped history, and how our …

Beginning with the birth of the scientific method, through the Scientific Revolution to the present day, The History of Science in Bite-sized Chunks lays out all the key discoveries and scientists from throughout history in a clear and accessible way.

An accessible and succinct account of the story of Europe from its ancient foundations to the twenty-first century, The History of Europe in Bite-sized Chunks details the events, personalities, ideas and disasters that have shaped our continent.The book is broken down into six easily digestible chapters:Classical Antiquity (2600 BCE to 600 CE); Medieval (600-1500); Reform and Enlightenment (1500-1780); Age of Revolutions (1780-1914); the Wars (1914-45); and the Making of Contemporary Europe (1945 to present). It begins with the first ancient culture to emerge in Europe: the Minoans. It then proceeds chronologically to the present day, taking in not just significant historical events but also overarching social, technological and cultural trends and their impact.Throughout the book there are mini-biographies of notable individuals (such as Julius Caesar, Catherine the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte) who have been most significant in European history. It is also packed with amazing facts, …

Experience the legendary history of Formula 1 in this definitive illustrated book. Formula 1: The Official History is an electrifying account of the F1 phenomenon, telling the complete story of one of the world's most popular, thrilling, and glamorous sports. Bringing together a superbly written account of the history of the sport by acclaimed author Maurice Hamilton, and an exceptional selection of stunning images from across seven decades of F1 racing, the book charts the FIA Formula One World Championship, decade by decade, from its first race at Silverstone in May 1950 right through to the present day.Each chapter tells the fascinating stories behind the greatest drivers and teams, important personnel, famous and infamous incidents, as well as key changes to the rules on design, safety and competitiveness. These tales are accompanied by more than 250 exceptional photographs featuring icons past and present, including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel a…

A Visual History of Graphic DesignA comprehensive look at hundreds of landmark projects, industry leader profiles, and illustrated timelines for each decadeHistory is a complex business. Fortunes boom and bust, empires wax and wane, and change - whether social, political, or technological - has its winners, its losers, its advocates, and its enemies. Through all the turbulent passage of time, graphic design - with its vivid, neat synthesis of image and idea - has distilled the spirit of each age.This book is an in-depth history of graphic design from the end of the 19th century to the '50s. It traces the evolution of this creative field from its beginning as poster design to its further development into advertising, corporate identity, packaging, and editorial design. Organized chronologically, the volume features over 2,500 seminal designs from all over the world, 71 of which are profiled in detail besides 61 leaders in the field, including Alphonse Mucha (chocolate advertisements), E…

A stunning visual celebration of the world's key historical events, key moments, defining eras and outstanding people who have helped shape history like never before.If you could travel back in time, where would you go first? Who would you most want to meet? What pivotal moment in history would you most like to experience? This awe-inspiring history book may be able to help you answer those questions and more!Introducing Timelines of World History - a visual and informative celebration of the most exciting and influential moments in history and a look back at some of the most pivotal moments and people who have defined history over the years. From the origins of the first humans to the political turmoil of the 21st century, this all-encompassing history book brings the key milestones of world history vividly to life, explaining each of them through contemporary artworks, photographs, documents, maps, and artefacts.So prepare to dive deep into the pages of past, which promises:-Explains…

A spirited volume on the great adventures of science throughout history, for curious readers of all agesScience is fantastic. It tells us about the infinite reaches of space, the tiniest living organism, the human body, the history of Earth. People have always been doing science because they have always wanted to make sense of the world and harness its power. From ancient Greek philosophers through Einstein and Watson and Crick to the computer-assisted scientists of today, men and women have wondered, examined, experimented, calculated, and sometimes made discoveries so earthshaking that people understood the world-or themselves-in an entirely new way.This inviting book tells a great adventure story: the history of science. It takes readers to the stars through the telescope, as the sun replaces the earth at the center of our universe. It delves beneath the surface of the planet, charts the evolution of chemistry's periodic table, introduces the physics that explain electricity, gravit…