Book Description

The original Olympics were the most exciting event of the ancient Greek life. This book transports the reader back to 100 BC to find out about horses and trainers, gods and judges, runners and wrestlers.

• Why was the chariot race the most exciting event of the games?
• What did Zeus, the king of gods, have to do with the original Olympics?
• who was the most famous athlete of the ancient games?

Reviews (2)

Great book!
I just read this with my son.We are visiting Ireland later this year.This book is terrific.Well-written and so easy to follow and understand!Impressive and appropriate photos.I borrowed my copy of the book from the library (based on a previous Amazon review) and bought a different book.Wish I had bought this one!!!

An excellent introduction to Ireland for younger students
Brendan January's True Book about Ireland is an illustrated guide to the history, geography and culture of the Emerald Isle.January tells of the country's history, from ancient times through the Golden Age of Celtic civilization to the beginning of "the Troubles" between Protestants and Catholics.At one point January explains how the Irish flag represents the Catholics (green) and Protestants (orange) separated by a white stripe that represents the hope for peace.This book also includes pages of The Book of Kells and the Irish Potato Famine, as well as a list of books, organizations and online sites from which young students can find out more about Ireland.Students learning about different countries of the world will find this little book to be very information and provide all the basics teachers would like them to learn.The color photographs seem to prove the claim that there are forty different shades of green to be found in the Irish countryside. ... Read more

Book Description

An exploding population and the Great Famine increased the number of Irish immigrants to North America. This exciting look at the history of the Irish in North America includes eyewitness accounts and describes conflicts at home, disease on the journey, anti-Irish prejudice, and the music and dance they brought with them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Eh.....
This book was fairly informative, and fairly tepid. The large print (this is a juvenile research book) is supposed to make the book more acessible, but the outright borishness of this cliffnotes-style writing completely marred any chance of the reader feeling interested, let alone invited. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Man who changed the world!
This is a great introduction to Mikhail Gorbachev for younger (and not-so-younger) readers. Gorbachev's reform movement was unlike anything anyone had ever seen in the then-Soviet Union. He helped vastly improve U.S.-Soviet relations and gave greater freedom and ultimately independence to the Soviet republics.

This book, edited by Tom Head, is a compilation of articles published elsewhere that brings together the personal and professional history of one of the great men of the twentieth century.

Clearly, a superior choice for individuals and the library & schools market. I found it quite readable and I haven't been a youth for quite some time! ... Read more

Book Description

The Atlas of the Medieval World is a stunningly illustrated survey of 100 years of history. Some topics covered include:

• The Fall of the Western Empire
• The Spread of Christianity
• The Islamic World
• The Feudal Kingdoms
• Merchants and Bankers
• The Mongol Empire
• Knights and Warfare
• The Birth of Russia
• Music and Entertainment
• The Black Death

This highly visual book incorporates detailed maps, architectural reconstructions, historical artifacts, and superb scenes from everyday life.

Reviews (1)

The Atlas of the Medieval World in Europe (IV-XV Century)
Reminiscent of the Eyewitness Explorers Series, illustrations fill every page in this graphically beautiful series. Short descriptions give a concise eclectic overview of topics. A nice supplement to encyclopedic reference works with broader and more in depth coverage, but which may be lacking in illustrations. Ideal for young or reluctant readers because there are so many pictures calculated to capture student interest. Includes Index and maps. Series includes the following titles: Atlas of World Cultures, Atlas of the Classical world, Atlas of the Bible Lands, and Atlas of the 20th Century. ... Read more

Book Description

A fascinating work of detective history, The Black Death traces the causes and far-reaching consequences of this infamous outbreak of plague that spread across the continent of Europe from 1347 to 1351. Drawing on sources as diverse as monastic manuscripts and dendrochronological studies (which measure growth rings in trees), historian Robert S. Gottfried demonstrates how a bacillus transmitted by rat fleas brought on an ecological reign of terror -- killing one European in three, wiping out entire villages and towns, and rocking the foundation of medieval society and civilization. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great book on the Black Death
This is a fascinating book on the plague pandemics of the 14th century and the way they changed the world. After a very interesting description of some essential medical facts about the plague, such as where it came from, how it is transmitted and the effects the different strains have on the human body, Mr Gottfried describes how European society was conformed just prior to the outbreak. Then he proceeds to give a very detailed account of the advance of the epidemic throughout the Mediterranean Basin and the European Continent and the effects it had in different geographical areas. He also deals with the reactions of the clergy (both Muslim and Christian), the secular authorities and the people in general and proposes answers to some very interesting questions (why only 15% of the population of Nuremberg died while in Florence the mortality rate may have been as high as 75%?). After the immediate effects of the epidemic, where extensive quotes from contemporary sources are included, we get an analysis of the long term consequences and the the way the Black Death altered European society and culture for ever. This book is scholarly and well researched but also very accessible to the layman.

The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Eur
This is not light bedtime reading. Rather, it appears to be a textbook masquerading as popular history. The book begins with an attempt to explain plague ecology. As an academic with a background in both history and ecology I found this section raised more questions than it answered. By the time Gottfried moved the plague from its endemic homes in Asia through 14th C Europe we knew what it was, how it moved, and were thoroughly saturated with facts about the purported and hypothetically actual mortality in every major city in Europe. But some things don't add up. If, for instance, the mortality rate for bubonic plague was 50%, and 50% of the population of Siena died in the first attack, then every man, woman, and child in Siena was infected. Even in an era of poor sanitation and relaxed attitudes toward personal hygiene, that strains our credulity.

The second half of the book is less tedious. Here Gottfried deals with the effects of the plague, on medicine, economics, government, sociology, and many other aspects of life in the late Middle Ages. This is history as it should be written, and it is hard to believe the same author wrote the overwhelmingly dull first half. My recommendation: buy this book only if you have an academic interest in the effects of the plague on pre-Renaissance European affairs.

a grim, thorough work on the Black Death
There has been nothing in modern medicine to parallel the devastation of the Plague. This books is not easy reading, not lightly touched upon history. More of a masquerading study presented as a historical work, with a dash of detective work tossed in. Gottfried sets the stage of the emergence of the plague, traces its thorough and relentless progress across Europe, drawing on a wealth of documents, such as church and tax records, records written in six different languages from poets, historians and physicians of the period.

He shows how the cycles of outbreak of plague beginning in 1347 and lasting over hundreds of year, nearly singlehandedly broke the spine of feudalism, even to challenged the papal authority of the church, and shook up medicine completely. He draws comparisons so you have a focal point to which you can wrap your mind around such as during the first major outbreak lasting four years, he estimate between 17 and 28 million souls died a horrible death, contrasting that to the causalities of World War I where 8 1/2 million died. His study shows the areas of cities and over population, where the sanitary conditions were nonexistent, the mortality rate ran to 40-50%, pointing out London suffered nearly 300 death daily in the Summer of 1349.

Civil authority nearly broke down as fear and panic seized the masses, bizarre cults appeared like the Flagellistic ones, that went from town to town whipping themselves as punishment for the sins of mankind. Many saw it as the end of the world, Dooms Day, the time for the second coming of Christ.

Gottfried recreates this nightmare world that serves as a warning for all generations in vivid detail.

I do wish he had gone more into the witch-craze beginning to sweep the lands, and how the Church's ordering of the killing of all cats, fearing they were witches or witches familiars strongly contributed to the spread of the plague.

sigh...maybe in another book...

Still a must for writers of this historical period.

An excellent accounting of the Black Death
In this work, Gottfried presents the reader with a fairly graphic and well-researched accounting of the Black Death. It was interesting to see not only how devastating the Black Death was, but also how resilient human populations are....even when faced with multiple population-depleting disasters. It was also quite interesting to see exactly how the Black Death changed society, and how it actually made life better for most of those who survived it. Probably my favorite chapter was the one that dealt with how it changed the entire medical profession. Whereas pre-plague, the citizenry relied on 1,000 year old texts, the failure of medicine to prevent or stop the plague brought about radical changes in how medicine was studied and practiced.

Ziegler said it better
For those who delight in derivation, try this. Or get Philip Ziegler's book on the same subject, which is miles better. ... Read more

Book Description

The lives of the British Monarchs from George I to the present Elizabeth II are outlined, with the major historical events of their time highlighted, including the American War of Independence. Explore Victorian Britain and the expansion of the British Empire, and discover the facts of World War I and II. ... Read more

Book Description

A child's history of ancient Irish art, with droll Celtic people and animals admist ancient mazes and patterns. From 8th and 9th century artifacts and the Books of Durrow and Kells. ... Read more