Neil Mac Gregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects" takes a bold original approach to human history exploring past civilizations through the objects that defined them. Encompassing a grand sweep of human history "A History of the World in 100 Objects" begins with one of the earliest surviving objects made by human hands a chopping tool from the Olduvai gorge in Africa & ends with objects which characterise the world we live in today. Seen through Mac Gregor's eyes history is a kaleidoscope
- shifting interconnected constantly surprising & shaping our world today in ways that most of us have never imagined. A stone pillar tells us about a great Indian emperor preaching tolerance to his people; Spanish pieces of eight tell us about the beginning of a global currency; & an early Victorian tea-set speaks to us about the impact of empire. An intellectual & visual feast this is one of the most engrossing & unusual history books published in years. " Brilliant engagingly written deeply researched". (Mary Beard " Guardian"). "A triumph: hugely popular & rightly lauded as one of the most effective & intellectually ambitious initiatives in the making of 'public history' for many decades". (" Sunday Telegraph"). " Highly intelligent delightfully written & utterly absorbing". (Timothy Clifford " Spectator"). " This is a story book vivid & witty shining with insights connections shocks & delights". (Gillian Reynolds " Daily Telegraph"). Neil Mac Gregor has been Director of the British Museum since August 2002. His latest book " Shakespeare's Restless World" is an enthralling exploration of Shakespeare's world & of the minds of his audiences based on Neil Mac Gregor's new 20-part BBC Radio 4 series. Mac Gregor was previously Director of the National Gallery in London from 1987 to 2002."
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Jerry Brotton is the presenter of the acclaimed BBC4 series Maps: Power Plunder & Possession". Here he tells the story of our world through maps. Throughout history maps have been fundamental in shaping our view of the world & our place in it. But far from being purely scientific objects world maps are unavoidably ideological & subjective intimately bound up with the systems of power & authority of particular times & places. Mapmakers do not simply represent the world they construct it out of the ideas of their age. In this scintillating book Jerry Brotton examines the significance of 12 maps
- from the mystical representations of ancient history to the satellite-derived imagery of today. He vividly recreates the environments & circumstances in which each of the maps was made showing how each conveys a highly individual view of the world
- whether the Jerusalem-centred Christian perspective of the 14th century Hereford Mappa Mundi or the Peters projection of the 1970s which aimed to give due weight to 'the third world'. Although the way we map our surroundings is once more changing dramatically Brotton argues that maps today are no more definitive or objective than they have ever been
- but that they continue to make arguments & propositions about the world & to recreate shape & mediate our view of it. Readers of this book will never look at a map in quite the same way again."


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Throughout history maps have been fundamental in shaping our view of the world & our place in it. But far from being purely scientific objects maps of the world are unavoidably ideological & subjective intimately bound up with the systems of power & authority of particular times & places. Mapmakers do not simply represent the world they construct it out of the ideas of their age. In this scintillating book Jerry Brotton examines the significance of 12 maps
- from the almost mystical representations of ancient history to the satellite-derived imagery of today. He vividly recreates the environments & circumstances in which each of the maps was made showing how each conveys a highly individual view of the world. Brotton shows how each of his maps both influenced & reflected contemporary events & how by reading it we can better understand the worlds that produced it. Although the way we map our surroundings is changing Brotton argues that maps today are no more definitive or objective than they have ever been but that they continue to define shape & recreate the world. Readers of this book will never look at a map in quite the same way again.
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Stretching from the Ice Ages to the present day this masterful account traces the political social & cultural history of the land that has come to be called Wales. Spanning prehistoric hill forts & Roman ruins to the Reformation the Industrial Revolution & the series of strikes by Welsh miners in the late twentieth century this is the definitive history of an enduring people: a unique & compelling exploration of the origins of the Welsh nation its development & its role in the modern world. This new edition brings this remarkable history into the new era of the Welsh Assembly. ...

The definitive history of Britain's busiest rail terminal written by a long term commuter to the station & bulging with illustrations. Waterloo Station has a massive 91 million passenger movement every year. It has more platforms & a greater square footage of floor space than any other station in Britain & is second in terms of train movements. The main facade erected in 1920 is now a listed heritage building. In terms of size importance & bustle there is quite simply nothing like Waterloo. In this book retired commuter John Fareham looks at the history trains & diverse range of characters that have made Waterloo what it is today. Built in 1848 as a small station for the London Southampton Railway Company Waterloo grew with that company over the years until by 1913 it had become a vast sprawling & confusing mass of rails & platforms. A planned rebuilding was delayed the Great War but began in 1919 & was completed in 1920 creating the core station we see today. More developments in the 1990s & in 2012 saw the station enlarged & renovated. In this amusing enthralling & engaging book we meet the characters who have worked at Waterloo or who have used it. We see the key events in the history of the station. We look behind the scenes at the hidden warren of rooms & tunnels never seen by passengers. A fascinating & engaging book guaranteed to be of interest to all users of this mighty station. ...

Egypt: 1333 BC. Tutankhamen is eleven years old & has just become pharaoh. The Department of Historical Accuracy needs a fearless History Spy to report back.. . Your mission: Walk like an Egyptian talk like an Egyptian & learn to decipher hieroglyphs. Learn about pyramids mummies & what its like to be king when youre a kid! Join top History Spy Charlie Cartwright in his adventures as he travels through space & time dodging bombs dinosaurs & erupting volcanoes. ...

Relive history as it happened
- year by year. From the origins of our earliest African ancestors right up until the present day
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Rumors myths & fantastic stories have swirled around the automobile since the first car appeared over 100 years ago. Did you know that after James Deans death behind the wheel of his Porsche 550 Spyder parts of the car were sold off & said parts then cursed their new owners? Did you know that Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie & Clyde fame) wrote Henry Ford praising the power of Fords new V-8? Did you know James Browns wife once claimed diplomatic immunity when fighting a traffic ticket because her husband was the ambassador of soul"? Have you heard of the mythical 200-mpg carburetor that the oil companies & auto manufacturers conspired to hide from the public? How about the tale of Jocko Flocko NASCAR racer Tim Flocks simian co-driver? These are just a few of the automotive worlds crazy stories mysteries & legends. Historys Greatest Automotive Mysteries Myths & Rumors Revealed compiles a juicy selection covering subjects from racing to crime to pop culture encompassing historical to modern day tales. Read it & be amazed!" ...

Mankinds past is strewn with mistakes
- colossal blunders driven by virtue as often as vice. The unlucky people in this book didnt
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The people in this book set out to change the world with their brilliant new discovery or design. At best they failed monumentally; at worse they changed the world in ways for which no one will thank them. Historys Worst Inventions" is an entertaining look at the failures of celebrated inventors & less well-known (for good reason) pioneers. The book

Includes:: the parachute-overcoat (its inventor leapt from the Eiffel Tower to demonstrate it & plunged to his death) Trevethicks locomotive (too heavy for its rails & broke them) Soviet anti-tank dogs (with mines strapped to their backs they turned on their owners & blew up an entire Red Army division) & TGN1412 (the drug which in its 2006 clinical trial nearly killed its test subjects). A compendium of cock-ups " Historys Worst Inventions" provides a clear warning
- its all too easy to go down in history as an idiot!"


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