World Civilizations

Spectacular fossil finds make today's headlines; new technology unlocks secrets of skeletons unearthed 100 years ago. Still, evolution is often poorly represented by the media and misunderstood by the public. A potent antidote to pseudoscience, Written in Stone is an engrossing history of evolutionary discovery for anyone who has marveled at the variety and richness of life.

Most of us are taught that the worst “World Wars” happened in the 20th century. World War I followed by World War 2 killed 70 million people and destroyed millions of square miles of land, property, and cities. 3 percent of the human populations died. My last book “World War Zero” described the World War before that [about 55 hundred years ago]. Worse than the more well known ones, 1/3 of the population of the entire world died and the world was sent back to a Stone Age existence, but that was not the worst World War. This book is about the World War before World War Zero. In this ...

Theodosia Throckmorton is in a fix. Allowed to attend a reception given by one of the directors of her parents museum, she stumbles across Mr. Tetley of the British Museum in most unusual circumstances! Since Theo has last seen him in a showdown in an ancient Egyptian tomb, his reappearance could mean only one thing: the Serpents of Chaos are back.

Soul Machine takes us back to the origins of modernity, a time when a crisis in religious authority and the scientific revolution led to searching questions about the nature of human inner life. This is the story of how a new concept - the mind - emerged as a potential solution, one that was part soul and part machine but fully neither.

In this paradigm-shattering book, biologist Mark W. Moffett draws on findings in psychology, sociology, and anthropology to explain the social adaptations that bind societies. He explores how the tension between identity and anonymity defines how societies develop, function, and fail. Surpassing Guns, Germs, and Steel and Sapiens, The Human Swarm reveals how mankind created sprawling civilizations of unrivaled complexity - and what it will take to sustain them.

Most people who pay attention to the news would tell you that 2017 is one of the worst years in recent memory. We're facing a series of deeply troubling, even existential problems: fascism, terrorism, environmental collapse, racial and economic inequality, and more. Yet this narrative misses something important: by almost every meaningful measure, the modern world is better than it ever has been. In the United States, disease, crime, discrimination, and most forms of pollution are in long-term decline, while longevity and education keep rising.

In this post-apocalyptic anthology, nothing matters except survival. Many are forced to scavenge every day to get by while others are part of the remaining vestiges of society. Some face zombies and other monstrous creatures while others watch their backs from fellow humans. Regardless of their numerous challenges, when the end arrives, life finds a way. Features twenty-three short stories by the following authors: Alex Passey, Ainsley Davidson, Daryl Marcus, Stephen A. Roddewig, Matt Spencer, Lee Clark Zumpe, Linda Griffin, Sean E. Britten, Andrea L. Staum, J. VanZile, Kelly Matsuura, ...

James Morris Webb argues that the Black man was the father of civilization, born in the land of Egypt, and that the different branches of science and art were simply transmitted to other races, which, as the ages have rolled by have only been enlarged - and to some extent improved upon. The narrative is rich in quotes from the Bible.

When one thinks of the world’s first cities, Sumer, Memphis, and Babylon are some of the first to come to mind, or if the focus then shifts to India, then Harappa and Mohenjo-daro will likely come up. But archaeologists recently uncovered a site thousands of years older than any of those, marking one of the oldest settled sites in the world.

Famous for its unflagging narrative power, fine organization, and irresistibly persuasive arguments, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has earned a permanent place of honor in historical literature. Gibbon's elegantly detached erudition is seasoned with an ironic wit, and remarkably little of his work is outdated.

Latitude is a gloriously exciting tale of adventure and scientific discovery that has never been told before. Nicholas Crane, the former president of the Royal Geographic Society, documents the remarkable expedition undertaken by a group of 12 European adventurer-scientists in the mid-18th century. The team spent years in South America, scaling volcanoes and traversing jungles, before they achieved their goal of establishing the exact shape of the Earth by measuring the length of one degree latitude at the equator.

Our understanding of the Persian Empire has traditionally come from the histories of Greek writers such as Herodotus—and as such, over many centuries, our perspective has been skewed by ancient political and cultural agendas. Professor Llewellyn-Jones, however, calls upon original Achaemenid sources, including inscriptions, art and recent archaeological discoveries in Iran, to create an authentic 'Persian Version' of this remarkable first great empire of antiquity—the Age of the Great Kings.

In The End Is Always Near, Dan Carlin connects the past and future in fascinating and colourful ways, exploring a question that has hung over humanity like the sword of Damocles from the collapse of the Bronze Age to the nuclear era - that of human survival. Combining his trademark mix of storytelling, history and thought experiments, Carlin forces us to consider what sounds like fantasy: that we might suffer the same fate as all previous civilisations. Will our world ever become a ruin for future archaeologists to dig up and explore?

In Hearts Beneath the Ashes of Pompeii, healer Lucia Valerius and Egyptian physician Khai risk everything to uncover a deadly secret—and protect a love society forbids. As Pompeii teeters on the brink, they must fight prejudice, passion, and time itself in a race to heal a city—and their hearts.

Here's a sly, dry, hilarious collection of essays, his first in more than 10 years, from the writer who, according to The New York Times Book Review, is "in serious contention for the title of America's most cherished humorist". This time Blount focuses on his own dueling loyalties across the great American divide, North vs. South.

On aurait tort de considérer le XIXe siècle comme lointain ou révolu. Sur bien des points, comme l'intense politisation des sociétés européennes, la diversité des pratiques de mobilisation et de contestation, l'inventivité idéologique et culturelle, la réflexion critique sur la modernité et le progrès, cette période est un laboratoire riche d'expériences et d'enseignements. Restituer les grandes dynamiques et tensions politiques qui la traversent permet non seulement de mieux comprendre les formes du changement historique, mais aussi de se repérer dans un présent incertain.

In 1892, Sir Charles Oman, a pioneer in military history lifted the curtain and offered the world a rare insight into the Byzantine world. His ground-breaking book on Byzantine history helped bring the attention of historians back to an era that shaped medieval empires, cultures and European history in general. From the foundation of Constantinople to the fall of an empire: embark on a unique adventure! By the end of this eye-opening Byzantine history book, you will be able to fully understand the immense significance of the Byzantine Empire and its cultural legacy.

Rock legend, best-selling author, reality television star, accomplished entrepreneur, and renowned ladies' man Gene Simmons presents an original take on a taboo topic—prostitution. In this informative and entertaining mix of narrative history and Simmons' unique philosophy, the Kiss frontman delves deep into the legacy of the oldest profession in the world. From the very first cavewoman to the brothel-women of Rome; from the geishas of Japan to the courtesans of Europe's Renaissance; and from the saloon ladies of the Wild West to today's high-end call girls, Gene covers it all.

This Series, in seven parts, tells the story of America from the earliest founding through the days of Woodrow Wilson and The Great War (World War I). You'll hear stories of great explorers and pioneers.

When there’s nothing left to live for, what will you do with your last six bullets? Thirteen months ago, civilization ended with the arrival of a massive asteroid. For Burt James, a seasoned survivalist, it was the event he'd long prepared for. While the rest of the world descended into chaos, scrambling for food and water, he secluded himself in his fortified hilltop home in a small Australian Outback town. But now, he's out of supplies and down to his final six bullets—and must face the hardest choice of his life.