Reviews (1)

An Important Recognition
In spite of all the "advances" we've made as humanity continues, one of the greatest tragedies of all time continues to thrive in twenty-first century Earth. This book brings to light this tender subject and reveals its profound effect on us. ... Read more

Book Description

The 20th century has been a period of spectacular change. We have moved from letters in the mail to e-mail on the Internet, from the horseless carriage to the space shuttle, from the bayonet to the atomic bomb. The Oxford Children's Book of the 20th Century looks at the grand themes of the last 100 years, examining both serious and not so serious subjects in the scientific, cultural and political spheres. War, sports, the technological revolution, entertainment, racism and fourteen other subjects are each treated in self-contained double-page spreads which explain clearly and authoritatively the major developments within the area throughout the century. Dramatic changes--so dramatic that children can find them hard to grasp--are simply explained in a text that is supported by stunning photos, maps, and diagrams. ... Read more

Book Description

The story of denim's rise from modest workpants to high-fashion statement.

Ever since Levi Strauss made the first blue jean pants in California in the 1870s, everyone has wanted a pair. No one imagined America's love of denim would travel around the world, yet jeans remain an essential part of our lives. The Blue Jean Book chronicles this love affair.

Researchers suggest we're happiest when we're in our jeans. They express our personalities: compare the person who wears the latest designer label to someone who prefers the thrift store variety.

The Blue Jean Book takes you deep into the world of denim. Chapters include: - The Birth of the Blues: 1870 to 1900 -- Levi Strauss and the origin of jeans - Movers and Shakers: 1900 to 1940 -- From workpants to play pants - Blue Jean Time Machine: 1940 to 1970 -- From WWII wear to the trademark of teen rebellion - The Jean Scene: 1980s -- Jeans go designer - Borderless Blues: 1990s -- The politics of pants: sweatshops, ecological impacts - Panting for Perfection -- 21st century jeans

From their origins with hardscrabble miners and cowboys, to their popularity among laborers, rebels, and the incurably hip, The Blue Jean Book is the perfect fit for anyone who wants to know the story behind the seams. ... Read more

Book Description

The intriguing universe of robots.

Robots have lived in the human imagination for generations. Remember Frankenstein's creature brought to life by an electric charge, the Tin Man who yearned to become human, or the robot-filled world of the popular 1960s animated television series The Jetsons?

Young readers will share this fascination as they embark on a thrilling journey from primitive robots to the revolution that is now underway. Chapters include: - In Our Own Image: The history of robots, from the first automaton in 1709 to the rise of computers in 20th century - Where are All the Robots?: Robot predictions from the past vs. modern reality - Robot Explorers: Searching new frontiers: underwater, outer space - Fighting Robots: Military assignments too dangerous for humans - Working Robots: From assembly line operations to intricate surgical procedures - Robots at Play: Robotic athletes, pets, toys and even actors grabbing the movie spotlight - The Future: What can we expect?

With a text that will engross readers from the outset, lively sidebars, and intriguing photography, Mighty Robots creates a captivating picture of the robotic world. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Colliers explain the birth of big government in the U.S.
"Progressivism, the Great Depression, and the New Deal: 1901-1941," offers up a nice little dialectic about the birth of big government. This 19th volume (following the order on the back of the book) in The Drama of American History series by Christopher & James Lincoln Collier looks at how the Great Depression allowed the progressive ideas advanced by Theodore Roosevelt to become instantiated in the Federal Government during Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Consequently, this volume is ideal for highlighting the strengths of the series: the presidencies of the two Roosevelts would never be covered in this way in the same chapter of a standard American history textbook, and not only the Depression but the First World War would have covered in intervening chapters. With this "central core" approach the reasons for the Great Depression, as well as the attempted solutions by FDR, should be made very clear to young readers.

This book covers this broad area in seven chapters: (1) The Struggle to Come establishes how bad the Great Depression was and then lays out the key causes of the economic collapse, including the laissez-faire attitude government took towards business; (2) The Progressive Era looks at T.R. as a social reformer and the efforts of Taft and Wilson in that regard; (3) The Roaring Twenties looks not at the glamour of the decade but at the changes in economic and social conditions (there is a nice side bar on the failed Prohibition experiment as well); (4) The Incredible Bull Market of the 1920s explains in clear and simple terms the big boom that came right before the big bust; (5) The Hardest Times tries to quantify exactly how bad the situation was during the Great Depression; (6) The Hundred Days looks at the vigorous start of FDR's administration, as well as the limited efforts of Hoover in trying to mitigate the harms of the economic collapse; and (7) The Depression Rolls On looks at the political assault on Roosevelt's New Deal from both sides of the political spectrum and how, in the end, it was the war time economy that finally ended the Depression.

Without the, shall I say, distraction of World War I (which is dealt with in the volume "The United States Enters the World Stage," which also covers the Spanish-American War), the Colliers are able to keep the focus on the economic causes of political reform in the United States during the first half of the 20th century. The volume is illustrated with historic pictures and etchings, although there are not as many of those wonderful editorial cartoons from this period as I like to find in these volumes. The "problem," of course, is how to use this approach in a traditional American history course, which does not readily allow for this type of approach. But if the result is that students can get a much better understanding of how the Depression was caused and what massive political changes came in its wake, then that is certainly worth pursuing. The Great Depression is one of two cataclysmic events in the history of the United States, the other being the Civil War, where the course of the nation was radically changed. Understanding the relationship between what came before and what came afterwards is of no small importance. ... Read more