Book Description

Discover the people and traditions of one of the most dynamic countries in the world.

Discover the rich diversity of the world's most populous democracy in this stunning guide. Witness the beauty of the Taj Mahal, learn how India gained its independence, discover the splendor of the Mughal dynasty, and much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Heavy but Worth it!
These DK white books are uncommonly heavy. They don't have as much detailed information as the Blue Guides or Rough Guides, but are good for brief visits or first timers. Where they excell is their outstanding illustrations and diagrams, often cutaways. The maps are good, but the labeling system makes it difficult to locate things easily. Lots of full page color photos give a preview of the trip. It's a daunting task to try to cover India in a single guide, but this book almost does it. It's well organized, color coded by region. The picture of Palitana in the Gujarat section became the foundation for that section of our 2003 trip to India [ cascoly.com/trav/india.asp ], and the diversion provided one of the highlights of the entire 6 week trip.

Bottom line? Your best bet is to get the Rough and Blue Guides, then be sure that someone else on the trip is carrying the DK. Or buy the books you need, and then just scan the pages you need to bring with you. ... Read more

Book Description

New Look! Relaunched with new jackets and 8 pages of new text!

A detailed look at life in Egypt - from the pharaoh and his courtiers, through the mystical rites of the priests, to the world of the workers in the fields.Featuring stunning items from the tomb of Tutankhamun and jewelry from the royal palaces, Eyewitness Ancient Egypt shows how Egyptian palaces, Eyewitness Ancient Egypt shows how Egyptian nobles lived.Find out how they prepared for the afterlife and what food, clothes, weapons, and even toys ordinary people enjoyed.See the mummies of priests and kings, fruit that is more than 3,000 years old, the treasures of the pharaohs and the weapons of an Egyptian soldier. Learn why even cats and dogs were mummified, why the pharaohs were buried with boats and statues, why brave Egyptian soldiers had medals in the shape of flies and how the doctors of Egypt healed the sick. Discover what was inside the Great Pyramid at Giza, how Tutankhamun's tomb was found, what games Egyptian children played, what went on in the temples of Ancient Egypt and how hieroglyphics were deciphered. And much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excelent
It's a great book.
And besides I love to study about ancient Egypt, it's just so interasting.

Love it!
I'm a dabbler in Ancient Egyptian history and this is a great buy. At under $15 I think it's a great deal considering it's hardcover and has a TON of full color pictures. It covers a wide array of topics from Geography to Pharoahs. The book is handsome enough to display on a coffee table, detailed enough to get a taste of ancient egypt, and still simple enough that it would make a terrific gift for a child of any age (I'm 23 and I think this book is fantastic).

Other topics include: daily life of the Egyptian (not just nobility!), tools, jewelry, mummification, writing system, agriculture, textiles, food, religion.

Eyewitness:Ancient Egypt
I think that Eyewitness:Ancient Egypt is an amazing book. I liked how they wrote about how the Egyptians built their pyramids. If you are thinking about reading this book you should,because you will learn alot. Belive me, it's a very interesting book.

ancient egypt
this is a great book on ancient egypt. this book has 60 pages that are filled with lots of info. this book has a great overveiw on ancient egypt and is filled with lots of great colored pictures on every page. if you are into ancient egypt you will want to buy this book that is great for all ages.

SEE ancient Egypt
DK eyewitness books are some of the greatest non-fiction books around. The distinctive white background and high-quality photography gives this book an edge over any other nonfiction picture book. And -- these pictures are real! They're beautiful museum-quality photos of all things related to Egypt, accompanied by informative captions and text.

Learn about Egypt, mummies, egyptian gods, and everyday life in Egypt. SEE the objects common to everyday life in Egypt. If you know someone (young or old) who is fascinated by Egypt and archaeology, then you must introduce them to this book! ... Read more

Book Description

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unlike any other situation in theworld today. It's in the news daily, can spark intense emotionalarguments, and influences American foreign policy.

Yet, a real understanding of this heated conflict is hard to come by.

In Understanding the Holy Land, Mitch Frank offersstraightforward explanations. Answering questions from "What isintifada?" to "Why is peace sohard?" Frank carefully covers the significant developments of thiscomplex disagreement.

Written in a question-and-answer format for sixth-graders and up, andillustrated with black-and-white photos and maps, this book will helpyoung people understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and itssignificance to the world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Understanding the Holy Land
This book should be read by anyone of any age who really wants to understand the full story of the conflict in the Middle East. Mr. Frank offers an empathic and stunninly clear explanation of the cultural and political background and beliefs of all parties to the conflict. He includes a tremendous amount of information, making this complicated subject accessible and shedding light on a situation most Americans know little about. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Union fights to control Central Tennessee in 1862
"The Struggle for Tennessee: Tupelo to Stones River" is the second of the volumes in the Time-Life Civil War series dealing with the Western Theater of the war after the Battle of Shiloh. Obviously this part of the war has never received the attention of the Eastern Theater where Lee's Army of Northern Virginia dueled the Army of the Potomac, so there is something intrinsically interesting about finding out more about what was happening out West. James Street, Jr. presents his subject as a war of maneuvers in and around Tennessee. After the capture of Corinth, Mississippi in May 1862, a portion of Major General Don Carlos Buell's Union army was dispatched towards Chattanooga, the critical railroad center that was the gateway to Georgia. However, Confederate armies under Generals Kirby Smith and Braxton Bragg moved from Eastern Tennessee into Kentucky to threatened Louisville and Cincinnati. After a drawn battle at Perryville, Kentucky on October 8, Major General William Rosencrans succeeded Buell and that December left Nashville to fight Bragg's reorganized Army of Tennessee near Murfreesboro, on the banks of Stone River.

Street divides these events into five chapters: (1) Heyday for Raiders focuses on the guerrilla tactics of both sides, including James J. Andrews stealing the Western & Atlantic Railroad locomotive named the "General," and the raids of John Hunt Morgan. (2) Stumbling Towards Perryville covers the Confederates campaign to retake Kentucky, or at least stop the Federals from moving deeper into Tennessee, climaxing with the Battle of Perryville where both sides claimed victory. (3) Clash at Doctor's Creek has Rosencrans' bringing a new spirit to the Army of the Cumberland preparing them for the key battle in the campaign. (4) The Fight for "Hell's Half Acre" tells the details of the first half of Battle of Stones River outside Murfreesboro on December 31, where the Confederates turned the Union flank in on itself like a jackknife. (5) Across Stones River and Back completes the battle as the successful attack of the Confederates on the left Union flank succeeded in driving the Federals behind the river, where massed artillery fire staggered the Rebels and set the stage for a successful Union counterattack. With this victory, the Union forces could plan their move on Chattanooga.

"The Struggle for Tennessee" is illustrated with the historic photographs, etchings and color sketches that have always been one of the richest parts of the Time-Life series. I appreciate the detail that Street is able to give to the Battle of Stones River, because by devoting two chapters to it he is able to elevate its significance in the Civil War in a way I have never appreciated before. The story of the Western Theater picks up in two volumes, one devoted to Grant's Vicksburg Campaign in "War on the Mississippi" and the other picking right up on this volume with "The Fight for Chattanooga." ... Read more

Book Description

This book outlines a reading program which will take you through the history of Israel by reading through the historical books from Genesis to Nehemiah chronologically. Old Testament history is divided into 196 Bible readings (approximately 1 chapter each) along with some suggestions of how to cover the material and keep it interesting. For each reading there are a series of questions to help you focus on the significant details. There are also a number of background notes and some suggestions for further study. This book won't answer all your questions, but it will give you a well-thought out program of reading and studying the history of Israel. It is intended as a first history course for the early elementary grades (though many parents are using it with high school students) - background for the study of Egypt and other ancient cultures in the Greenleaf history series. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good study designed for young students
My 8 year old son and I read through the Old Testament's historical books using this book as our guide to discussion topics. The Shearer's have presented some interesting questions and comments on the Old Testament scriptures and I found myself learning almost as much as my son did! I would recommend this book for parents with children in elementary school, or even older.

Old Testament The Painless Way!
As we have used this guide through the past year I would say that it is fairly simple & straight forward in style. It uses a question format that's easy to use. Read a few passages of bible text & pose the questions from the guide. Even our 4 & 6 year olds like to give a try at answering the questions though it is geared to older children!

Excellent guide to help teach children ancient history.
The Greenleaf Guide is an excellent resource to help you teach your children ancient history and Old Testament history. For each lesson, you read a chapter or so of the Old Testament. The guide then gives you questions to discuss, explanations of the historical setting, as well as suggestions for how to handle "complicated" readings from the Bible. The guide is helpful even if you want to read it to study Old Testament history yourself. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As she grieved over the "huge shadow [that] had been cast across the lives of so many innocent people and an ancient culture's pride" after September 11, 2001, poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye's natural response was to write, to grasp "onto details to stay afloat." Accordingly, Nye has gathered over four dozen of her own poems about the Middle East and about being an Arab American living in the United States. Devoted followers of the award-winning and beloved poet will recognize some of their favorites from her earlier collections (The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East, etc.), while absorbing themselves in her new haunting and evocative poems. Nye writes of figs and olives, fathers' blessings and grandmothers' hands that "recognize grapes, / and the damp shine of a goat's new skin." She writes of Palestinians, living and dead, of war, and of peace. Readers of all ages will be profoundly moved by the vitality and hope in these beautiful lines from Nye's heart. (Ages 9 to adult) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"There's a place in this brain where hate won't grow."
This collection is a perfect example of the ability of a gifted poet to communicate hard truths simply. Each piece is a work of art and sings in the voices of immigrants and immigrants' children and with the rhythms of life in the Middle East. Don't buy this book expecting to find a treatise on terrorism or the events of September 11. Buy it to see through another's eyes and sing in another's voice. This is a fantastic book in its own right and a great introduction to the talent and skill of Naomi Shihab Nye.

subtle stories
this book was recommended to me by a friend, so i wasn't sure what to expect. i am really glad to have bought it, the poems are like little stories someone tells you on the porch while it's getting dark. very vivid, i felt as if i knew these people...fathers, mothers, grandmothers, schoolchildren, old arab men selling crafts... ... Read more

Book Description

Forty years before the boy was born, a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians thundered out of the west and conquered his native land. They had succeeded because his people, ever at war with one another, had not fought together to defend their cities. In time the boy was destined to become the very leader that was needed, a man with the courage and vision to unite his people and face the most fearsome and brilliant warrior of the age.

The time was the twelfth century; the barbarian horde was the armies of the First Crusade; the great warrior was Richard the Lionhearted; and the leader was Saladin. This is more than the other side of a familiar Western story, the Crusades. It is the tale of an extraordinary man, remarkable for his generous and chivalrous ways, a warrior who longed for peace. Courageous in battle and merciful in victory, he would be revered even by his enemies as the "marvel of his time."

In her vibrant narrative and magnificently detailed illustrations inspired by the Islamic art of the time, Diane Stanley presents a hero whose compassion, piety, tolerance, and wisdom made him a model for his time -- and for ours.

Reviews (2)

Great Book
Great book, pretty good for kids. The book did overlook the fact that Saladin was also a physician and chemist (or alchemist as they used to be called back then). But over all a very good book.

Excellent introduction to a hero of Islam
This is a fine book for young readers who seek an introduction to a hero revered to this day in the Arab and Islamic world and highly respected by historians of the Crusades. Diane Stanley shows how compassionate Saladin was with his enemies even after tens of thousands of civilian Muslims were massacred in cold blood in Jerusalem by the Crusaders (who were fighting for the cross as directed by that era's Pope). His rise to power, struggle to unite Muslims of Greater Syria and Egypt, cunning military leadership and passion to liberate Jerusalem are well explained to the young audience. His adversaries (like King Richard) invovement in the Crusades are well covered, while illustrations that acompany the book are of high quality. Overall, a recommended book for those who would like to know about an enlightened Muslim leader and legend. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The rise of the first cultures in Mesopotamia
The Mesopotamia volume of the Cultures of the Past series, unlike those devoted to the Ancient Egyptians or Spain in the Age of Exploration, looks at a series of ancient cultures that flourished in the Fertile Crescent at what is essentially the beginning of recorded history. Pamela F. Service has to touch on the kingdoms of Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria, all of which held sway over the rich land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers ("Mesopomatmia" means "land between the rivers"). In doing so, Service is also telling young readers the story of how the first civilization was created when human beings made the revolutionary change around 10,000 B.C.E. that they could plant seeds, grow their own crops, and manage herds of animals for eating. Agriculture required group effort and groups required organization under religious precepts and political guidelines. The next thing you know human beings are walking on the moon.

Service's first chapter on The Cradle of Civilization traces these beginnings and looks at the History of the cultures that flourished in this area from Sumer, the first civilization, to the last glories of Babylon. Other chapters are devoted to the Cultural History of those who lived between the rivers, their Belief System in terms of the gods and demons they worshipped and feared, the relationship between Beliefs and Society in living out the life decreed by the gods, and the Legacy of the Mesopotamians in terms of the creation of literature, early technological developments such as the pottery wheel, metalworking, cloth making, and the arch. Scattered throughout the volume are informative sidebars on topics ranging from the historical hero Gilgamesh to the laws of Hammurabi. The format of these volumes allows Service to get into more detail than the standard elementary school World History textbook.

Consequently, while young readers might have trouble keeping the Assyrians distinct from the Babylonians, they will have an understanding of the key things these various ancient cultures had in common. Certainly there is not as much diversity among these particular cultures as you would find in Europe throughout most of its history. The book is illustrated with color photographs of ancient artifacts and archeological ruins. The back contains a chronology of events in Mesopotamia from the dog becoming the first domestic animal (which happened about a thousand years before farming began in the mountains north of Mesopotamia) to the capture of Babylon by Cyrus of Persia (which leads you to the volume on the Persian Empire), as well as a glossary, bibliography, and index. The Cultures of the Past series covers not only the standard topics such as the Ancient Greek and Ancient Romans, but also looks at the Ancient African Kingdom of Kush, the Ancient Maya, China's Tang Dynasty, and the Vikings. This look at Mesopotamia comes back farther than any other volume, but the series does come up to the time of Elizabethan England and the Aztec Empire. ... Read more

Book Description

The story of how the nation of Israel was founded is filled with heroes, villains, bloody battles, and miracles. With clear, accessible text and well-researched illustrations, Israel traces this dramatic history from biblical times to the triumphant proclamation in May 1948 that announced the birth of the Jewish state and plunged the new nation into war. A map of Israel today and a detailed time line spanning 1948 to the present complete this introduction to a fascinating subject. ... Read more

Book Description

Witness the life of a powerful Egyptian ruler.Vivid storytelling brings the past to life. Exciting eyewitness accounts make you feel like part of the action. Stunning photographs, annotated illustrations, and exploded views help you piece together the story. A gatefold page opens out to show a panoramic view of the scene. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful and Interesting Book on Cleopatra!
I love this book, it give you lots of info about Cleopatra and it's beautifully illustrated.

Vivid Storytelling
Cleopatra is one of the most famous women to ever grace the planet. At 14 she watched her father flee for his life and saw people had suffered under the cruelty of her father. She realized her family was at war with the people it ruled.

As Ptolemy XII's oldest surviving child, she would become queen when he died. To protect herself, she made friends with powerful courtiers and prepared herself for government by learning Egyptian and used religion to support her claim to the throne.

Through this book you will learn how Cleopatra used her charm and intelligence to remain queen. You will see how she hoped to make Egypt the successful empire it had been when the first Ptolemies ruled almost 300 years before.

The story gets rather interesting when Antony is disgraced after the Battle of Actium and Cleopatra is afraid of his anger. She locks herself in her mausoleum and sends him a message saying she is dead. In despair, Antony stabs himself and then dies in her arms. Within a few weeks of Antony's suicide Cleopatra also died

There are also beautiful pictures of imaginary fantasy scenes by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, photographs of locations mentioned in the stories and information on plays and movies inspired by Cleopatra's life. This is richly illustrated and contains many fascinating facts about her life and the men she loved. ... Read more

Book Description

Peter Connolly's book brings to life the people and events of a crucial period in the history of the world. Spanning a hundred years that culminate in the fall of Masada in 73 AD, Connolly reconstructs the daily lives--domestic, religious, and military--of the Jewish people in Judea, Galilee, and Jerusalem, mostly under the reign of the great King Herod. The book's fascinating illustrations, based on exhaustive up-to-date research, recreate minute details with stunning precision. The volume features a tour of the geography of the eastern Mediterranean and a review of archaeological excavations and discoveries in the region. For young adults interested in Jewish history, the ancient world, and the beginnings of Christianity, this book offers thorough information with unique clarity. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Throw away textbook versions...
How I wish this book or ones like it were available to me as a textbook when I was in school. It certainly kept my interest piqued and explained it simply to the average reader not only through the verbage but with helpful informative illustrations.
I hope not only the Sunday school teachers mentioned in the aforementioned review before mine, but teachers in the school system consider this book a supplement to their textbooks. Use it for enrichment, folks!
I find it most beneficial to picture the scenario in my mind and here it was all spelled out and illustrated right before my very eyes. I cannot say enough about this book! I am sure if those students who dislike or did not understand history had more books available in this manner, there would be less students who "did not understand" the history lesson.
I am a librarian and I purchased it for the library in which I am employed. We received it afew days ago. What a worthwhile investment!!!
I could go "on and on" as I finished the book less than fifteen minutes ago. I could not put it down. Peruse a copy, yourself, and you will be glad that you did!

A helpful synthesis of big picture and the details
A valuable reference tool for Sunday School teachers or any student of the intertwined political and religious events in first century Palestine. The book spans the period beginning with Herod the Great and ending with the destruction of the Jewish nation by the Romans. It is facinating to see how Herod changes loyalties among wives, benefactors, and potential succesors as often as he changes sandals. Connolly also gives us much detail about the rulers who followed Herod. This book is written from a secular perspective, but students of the Bible will gain insights into the political events surrounding the lives of Jesus and his followers. One can find heavenly humor in the irony that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, within sight of of a mountaintop fortress Herod built only a few miles to the South. Those interested in the history, geography, and topography of this period will not be disappointed. I purchased my first copy in Jerusalem to help me locate ancient places within the modern setting. Connolly's descriptions of seiges at Jerusalem and Masada give a clear picture of weapons and tactics of a Roman army. The illustrations are very detailed and a few are a bit gory. The vocabulary, complexity of sentences and assumed level of knowledge make this book more suited to adult readers. I've given several to fellow teachers. A 9 - 12 year-old might enjoy the pictures, but very few will comprehend all the nuances. ... Read more

Book Description

New Look! Relaunched with new jackets and 8 pages of new text!

Here is an exciting and informative guide to mummies, both natural and embalmed. Superb color photographs of preserved bodies - from a hunter who froze to death 5,300 years ago to the mummy of Ramesses the Great - offer a unique "eyewitness" view of how and why mummification developed.See the unwrapped bodies of Egyptian pharaohs, a Chinese princess buried in a suit of jade, the face of a Copper-Age hunter, a mummy that became a movie star, and a Peruvian mummy from high in the Andes.Learn how bog people were sacrificed, why one 5,000-year-old mummy is called Ginger, the size of the longest crocodile mummy, and how modern technology can see inside closed mummy cases.Discover how Sicilian monks embalmed their dead, what started the story of the mummy's curse, how wealthy Egyptians took servants into the afterlife, the glittering treasures of Tutankhamun, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Informative but graphic
Our family is a big fan of these Eyewitness books and this is an excellent overview of all types of mummies.
As a warning however, there are quite a few gruesome photographs which might scare kids younger than 6 or 7 so a parent might want to check it out in a bookstore before buying sight unseen.

Fascinating and Interesting
The Mummy Eyewitness book was the first one I ever received. It is excellent at conveying information because it has many interesting bits of information next to beautiful pictures. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Babylonian Better--Much Better!
The Babylonians was a big improvement over the other two books written by Elaine Landau in this series, Cradles of Civilization. The other books are The Sumerians and The Assyrians. There was much more detail and the work flowed better in The Babylonians. It kept the children's attention better.

There are 14 illustrations including one map, photos of artifacts, photos of present day sites related to the Babylonians, and several colored drawings. Considering this is written for 9-12 year olds, there are not many illustrations.

There is other information about their way of life that is interesting. Topics covered include Hammurabi and his rule plus his legal code, Kassite rule, the Elamite and Assyrian plundering of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar II's rise to power (spelled Nebuchadrezzar II in the book?).

The type is slightly larger with large space between lines and wide margins. It is easy on the eyes for children to read.

The text on the first five pages in the three Landau books is virtually the same. The only major difference is the map is changed for whichever topic--Sumerians, Assyrians, or Babylonians--is being covered. The map is well done, however, not all locations are shown. While the Kassites and Elamites are discussed, their place of origin is not shown on the map. Neither are the Zagros Mountains labeled.

Paging starts on page 11, text through page 50, timeline text of Important Dates pp. 51-52 (not facing pages), Notes p. 53 (bibliography?), Glossary pp. 55-56 (no pronunciation information though), Further Reading p. 57, and Index pp. 59-61 (nice touch). So for a 64-page book there is only 39 pp. of text, and the format is smaller than usual, too.

This book, with fewer pages, actually seemed more coherent than the other two books in the series. Because the cultures do interact with each other, I think it might have been better to publish a combined text.

Overall, this book was much better written. This isn't just my opinion either--my 9 and 11 yr olds said the same thing when I asked their opinion of all three books. I still would vote for combining some of The Assyrians and The Sumerians into the main text of this book! ... Read more

Book Description

The mummies of ancient Egypt were part of a belief system that permeated the lives of the living as well as the dead. That period in history is an endless source of fascination, and this superb book offers a new way to understand it. Four printed acetate overlay pages provide a window into the past, beneath the mummy's wrapping and right into the magnificent pyramids and tombs in which they were placed. With 120 full-color illustrations, this is an illuminating look at the great tomb of Tutankhamun, the pyramid of Cheops, and the rituals, arts, gods, and rulers of the time. ... Read more