J.H. Elliott sets Prescott`s work against the background of the growth of historical research. This book contains a substantial extract from William H. Prescott`s major work ”A History of the Conquest of Mexico”. Prescott lived from 1796-1859 & his book was a pioneering view of the Aztec civilisation. The country of the ancient Mexicans or Aztecs, as they were known, formed but a very small part of the extensive territories which make up modern Mexico. The story of the life of Hernando Cortes, the Conqueror & the tragic story of Moctezuma the Aztec king are essential to this history. It has been immortalised in works such as the play ” The Royal Hunt of the Sun”. In his fascinating introduction J.H. Elliott sets Prescott`s work against the background of the growth of historical research. The extracts from Prescott`s book demonstrate that he is among the finest of English prose stylists. ...

A History of the English Language in 100 Places is a joyous ride through time, where readers can criss-cross the British Isles & the world at large to land in a hundred contrasting places & light on a hundred wonderful topics that bring the extraordinary story of the English language alive. Any selection of places is inevitably personal. Nevertheless, a number of criteria have directed the selection process in this book. Some places represent historic firsts, some are tied to significant people & some have seen events that have shaped the future of English. Each one takes the reader on an unmissable journey into the rich past of the English tongue. What began as the language of the Angles, Saxons, & Jutes on a small island has become a global property owned & shaped by almost 2 billion English speakers across the world. English has borrowed words from more than 350 languages, & many more languages have borrowed words from English. In an age of cheap air travel & internet communication we have become a global village. If you`ve ever been curious about the global language that binds us all together, A History of the English Language in 100 Places is for you. ...

Mark Tessler`s highly praised, comprehensive, & balanced history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the earliest times to the present
- now fully updated for students in the 21st century
- provides a constructive framework for understanding recent developments & assessing the prospects for future peace. Drawing upon a wide array of documents & on research by Palestinians, Israelis, & others, Tessler assesses the conflict on both the Israelis` & the Palestinians` terms. New chapters in this expanded edition elucidate the Oslo peace process, including the reasons for its failure, & the political dynamics in Israel, the West Bank, & Gaza at a critical time of transition.

...

Over the centuries the Middle East has confounded the dreams of conquerors & peacemakers alike. This now-classic book, last updated in 2010, follows the historic struggles of the region over the last two hundred years, from Napoleon's assault on Egypt, through the slow decline & fall of the Ottoman Empire, to the painful emergence of modern nations, the Palestinian question & Islamic resurgence. For this third edition, Economist journalist & Middle East correspondent Nicolas Pelham has written an extensive new chapter examining recent developments throughout the Middle East, including the invasions of Iraq & Afghanistan, the situation in Iran, the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict & relations with the US under President Obama. ...

What caused Hurricane Katrina? What's inside an Eygptian Pyramid? How did the Vikings wage war? Find the answers to all these questions & more with this definitive world history for children, spanning every continent & era. Take an incredible journey through thousands of years, from the time when humans first walked on the Earth to the age of space travel. This book covers all the recent events including the Asian Tsunami & Human Genome Project. It is perfect for projects or just for fun. ...

From Stone Age cave paintings to computers, find out about the key events in world history through 100 amazing stickers. Discover how great empires rose, famous battles were won, & how artists, inventors, scientists & explorers changed our world again & again. With links to specially selected websites for more information. ...

A treasure trove of human creativity from around the world. History of the World in 1000 Objects takes a fresh look at world history, viewing cultures & early civilizations through the objects that they created. Humanity is defined by our talent for making things from everyday objects to inventions that changed the world. From a Viking wooden comb to a 1950s fridge-freezer you can uncover what the people`s priorities were at the time from what they created. Each culture`s objects are grouped under key themes, from art to the history of technology & together build a story that gives real insight into civilization, plus the accessible visual approach to history makes it easy to compare how people lived at different times & in different parts of the world. The objects, from swords & spears to astrolabes & maritime atlases, are showcased through stunning photography from around the world. Celebrate our extraordinary legacy of creativity with History of the World in 1000 Objects. ...

History is everywhere, & is never as complete as when it can be accessed on a part of history itself. The locomotive is one of the great steps in progress of civilisation that undoubtably connects us to land & history that was shaped by the machine itself. Although a basic form of railway, or rutway, did exist in Ancient Greek & Roman times – notably the ship trackway between Diolkos & the Isthmus of Corinth around 600 BC – it would take several thousand years before the first fare-paying passenger service was launched in the early nineteenth century. Some two hundred years on, it is possible to travel by train to some of the world`s most remote & remarkable destinations, & track the many wonderful legacies of the Earth`s extensive history – man-made & otherwise. From prehistoric rock formations to skyscraper cities, slow steam engines to high-speed bullet trains, let A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys be your guide. Through its beautifully illustrated pages, & 500 awe-inspiring railway journeys, you can chart your own transcontinental itinerary through time. Chug through canyons, steam past ancient monuments, speed through cities, luxuriate in the railcars of presidents & queens, or make express connections between key historical moments or epic eras, A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys has it all. A must-read for travellers, railfans & history buffs alike, offering inspiration & information in equal measure. ...

History is a rich, varied & 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 & the Crimean War, to name a few. Here's your chance to introduce yourself to the full spectrum of world history, & discover just how the modern world came to be. ...

From Babylonian tablets to Google Maps, the world has evolved rapidly, along with the ways in which we see it. In this time, cartography has not only kept pace with these changes, but has often driven them. In this beautiful book, over 70 maps give a visual representation of the history of the world. Every map tells a story & this book tells the incredible history of our world through maps, &

Includes:: many famous examples of cartography, along with some that deserve to be better known. See countries & cities come & go, empires rise & fall, significant geographical discoveries, & key historical events unfold. Key maps reproduced in this atlas include: Babylonian clay tablets, c.2300 BC & c.600 BC
- some of the world`s oldest surviving maps; Waldseemuller World Map, 1507
- the first map to use the name ` America` for the New World; Waghenaer chart, 1584
- a forerunner to modern nautical charts; Abel Buell map of North America, 1782
- the first map of the newly independent United States that was produced in America by an American; The Scramble for Africa, 1852/1898
- maps of new colonies being created; Ypres, 1918
- map of the aftermath of the First World War; Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
- map used by President John F. Kennedy during the crisis.








...