The Ancient World, Prehistory-476 C. E by
Great Lives from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory-476 C.E. is the first in a multivolume series covering the lives of important personages from the ancient world through the twenty-first century. This series is a revision of the 10-volume Dictionary of World Biography series, which was a revision and reordering of Salem Press's thirty-volume Great Lives from History series.
Leonardo Da Vinci by
The #1 New York Times bestseller "A powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life...a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it." --The New Yorker "Vigorous, insightful." --The Washington Post "A masterpiece." --San Francisco Chronicle "Luminous." --The Daily Beast He was history's most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us? The author of the acclaimed bestsellers Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography. Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy. He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius. His creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history's most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions. Leonardo's delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it--to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.
Leonardo da Vinci by
In this engaging and thoroughly researched biography, Charles Nicholl uncovers the man behind the myth of the great Renaissance master. At times a painter, sculptor, inventor, draftsman, and anatomist, Leonardo's life cannot easily be summarized. And yet, Nicholl skillfully traces the artist's early days as an illegitimate child in Tuscany; his apprenticeship with Verrocchio in Florence; his service with some of the most powerful Renaissance families; his relationships with Michelangelo and Machiavelli; and his final days at the French royal court. In addition, Nicholl looks beyond the well-known stories of Leonardo's famous masterpieces, and gives us a glimpse into the artist's everyday life. We learn of Leonardo's penchant for jokes, his fascination with flight, his obsessive note making, and even what he ate. Nicholl weaves these details together in a fascinating portrait that goes far towards revealing the enigmatic figure who continues to fascinate present-day readers.
Leonardo Da Vinci by
An account of the life of perhaps the greatest polymath who ever lived. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. His Last Supper (1495-97) and Mona Lisa (1503-06) are among the most widely popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance, while his notebooks reveal a spirit of scientific inquiry and a mechanical inventiveness that were centuries ahead of their time. What was it that propelled Leonardo's insatiable curiosity? How could the same person, in the same moment, appear to be as naive as a child yet as profound as a sage? What was it that was truly 'modern' about this mind and work? Nuland finds clues in Leonardo's art, his scientific research, his famous notebooks and in his relationships with his family, patrons and lovers.
The Butchering Art by
Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Short-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017,Publishers Weekly A Best History Book of 2017,The Guardian "Warning: She spares no detail!" --Erik Larson, bestselling author ofDead Wake InThe Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery and shows how it was transformed by advances made in germ theory and antiseptics between 1860 and 1875. She conjures up early operating theaters--no place for the squeamish--and surgeons, who, working before anesthesia, were lauded for their speed and brute strength. These pioneers knew that the aftermath of surgery was often more dangerous than patients' afflictions, and they were baffled by thepersistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. At a time when surgery couldn't have been more hazardous, an unlikely figure stepped forward: a young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister, who would solve the riddle and change the course of history. Fitzharris dramatically reconstructs Lister's career path to his audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection and could be countered by a sterilizing agent applied to wounds. She introduces us to Lister's contemporaries--some of them brilliant, some outright criminal--and leads us through the grimy schools and squalid hospitals where they learned their art, the dead houses where they studied, and the cemeteries they ransacked for cadavers. Eerie and illuminating,The Butchering Art celebrates the triumph of a visionary surgeon whose quest to unite science and medicine delivered us into the modern world.
Medical Firsts by
Summary: "In Medical Firsts, science journalist and author Robert Adler recounts the fascinating story of Western medicine as told through the lives and achievements of more than thirty of its brightest lights. Combining a journalist's economy of style and a born storyteller's way with a good yarn, he takes us on a grand tour of 2,500 years of medical innovation - from Hippocrates' grand idea to William Harvey's discovery of the workings of the human circulatory system to Pasteur's proof of the germ theory of disease to the mapping of the human genome. He provides vivid profiles of the great men and women responsible for the medical milestones he describes, while bringing the science and technology involved down to earth for general readers."
Sports and the Physically Challenged by
Summary : This encyclopedia is a great resource for those wishing to learn more about the history of the disability sport movement. Research shows that little has been written about disability sports and the people, events and organizations that created the movement. Sports and physical activity transcend many barriers--thus, a book about disability sport and the people and events involved is likely to eradicate some of the barriers people with disabilities face, by creating a greater awareness and understanding of the abilities of people with disabilities. The comprehensive coverage of disability sport will be of interest to people in sports, recreation, and rehabilitation, as well as to those who are interested in learning more about it. The resource pages will interest people with disabilities, their families and friends. The work also includes a historical timeline of disability sport. Specific entries include: Archery; International Blind Sports Federation; Cycling; Cerebral Palsy; Time Nugent; Wheelchair Tennis; Paralympic Games; Sandy Dukat; Amateur Sports Act of 1978; Ergometer.
Body Systems by
Introduces readers to the science of the human body, covering the respiratory system, the digestive system, and other body systems
Cells, Tissues and Organs by
Introduces readers to the science of the human body, covering cells, tissues, organs, bones, blood and more.
Encyclopedia of World History by
In today's world of globalization, there is a growing trend among historians and students alike to study the common challenges and experiences that unite the human past. ""Facts On File"" is pleased to announce its new seven-volume ""Encyclopedia of World History"", a truly groundbreaking work and one of the first to offer a balanced presentation of human history for a global perspective of the past. A team of distinguished world history academics has brought together scores of specialists in writing signed entries based on the latest scholarship.Based on the National Standards for World History and influenced by the National Standards for World History, this comprehensive and authoritative set is rich in features to make the study of world history easier for students to understand. Arranged in six chronological eras that span from prehistory to the present day, this chronological approach follows the way world history is taught and studied in the classroom. Each volume era begins with essays that tackle large themes - such as agriculture, science and technology, social and class relationships, trade and cultural exchanges, and warfare - that allow students to make connections and trace key global patterns over time. The final volume contains primary documents, a chronology, and a master index for the set.It contains thematic essays that help students make comparisons and connections across regions and time periods. It is based on primary source documents, carefully chosen to be representative of the six world eras. It is informative with cross-referenced entries. It also includes: Chronologies in every volume to help students place events in context; More than 600 illustrations, including a 32-page insert of full-color maps in each volume designed to convey the importance of geography in world history; An appendix in each volume; Further reading sections that encourage further research; Individual volume indexes; And a comprehensive set index.
Milestone Documents in World History by
Milestone Documents in World History represents a unique and innovative approach to history reference. Combining full-text primary sources with in-depth expert analysis, the 125 entries in the 4-volume set cover important and influential primary source documents from the third millennium BCE to the twenty-first century and include documents that range from laws and legal codes to letters, from treaties to constitutions, from royal edicts to political speeches.
Global Events by
Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History is a six-volume set that explores the seminal events of human history (from ancient to modern-day) that helped shape the world we live in today. Each volume is arranged chronologically and focused on one of the following 6 regions of the world: North America, South and Central America, Asia and Oceania, Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Each entry provides background information on the origin/causes of each event, a summary of the event itself, and concludes with a brief analysis of the event's ultimate legacy. Also included in each entry are short biographies of the key players involved in each event and a bibliography of sources for further research. *Includes 820 entries covering key global historical events from a regional perspective. *Covering ancient civilizations to the present, important events in history are explored with an emphasis on their significance to overall world history. *Each volume is chronologically arranged and covers the following 6 regions of the world: Africa, Asia and Oceania, Central and South America, Europe, Middle East, and North America. *Approx. 1,800 pages in 6 volumes with 900 illustrations.
The Industrial Revolution by
The Industrial Revolution that began in Great Britain in the mid-seventeenth century transformed the British economy_and later the economies of Western Europ and the U.S._from a rural, agricultral system into an industrial society, centered around the factory system of mass production and specialized labor. the right mix of social, political and legal conditions in Britain at the time led to the discovery of labor. The right mix of social, political and legal conditions in Britain at the time led to the discovery of fresh sources of power and energy, and to advances in agriculture, manufacturing, communication and transportation. Notable results included the steam engine, which made possible everything from textile factories to railroads, and, later in the U.S., the cotton gin, electric light, and automobiles. This comprehensive volume explores all these events and more, including the aftermath of the Revolution_its spread beyond Britain and the U.S. to Asia and throughout the world, allowing for a higher standard of living while challenging that standard with increased pollution and health problems, a widened economic and social class gap, and a weakening of traditional family structure. Biographical sketches of key figures, a chronology of events, primary document excerpts from the period, and a print and nonprint source bibliography supplement the work.
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The Butchering Art by
Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Short-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017, Publishers Weekly A Best History Book of 2017, The Guardian "Warning: She spares no detail!" --Erik Larson, bestselling author of Dead Wake In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery and shows how it was transformed by advances made in germ theory and antiseptics between 1860 and 1875. She conjures up early operating theaters--no place for the squeamish--and surgeons, who, working before anesthesia, were lauded for their speed and brute strength. These pioneers knew that the aftermath of surgery was often more dangerous than patients' afflictions, and they were baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. At a time when surgery couldn't have been more hazardous, an unlikely figure stepped forward: a young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister, who would solve the riddle and change the course of history. Fitzharris dramatically reconstructs Lister's career path to his audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection and could be countered by a sterilizing agent applied to wounds. She introduces us to Lister's contemporaries--some of them brilliant, some outright criminal--and leads us through the grimy schools and squalid hospitals where they learned their art, the dead houses where they studied, and the cemeteries they ransacked for cadavers. Eerie and illuminating, The Butchering Art celebrates the triumph of a visionary surgeon whose quest to unite science and medicine delivered us into the modern world.
