History Without The Boring Bits

Conventional chronologies of world history concentrate on the reigns of kings and queens, the dates of battles and treaties, the publication dates of great books, the completion of famous buildings, the deaths of iconic figures, and the years of major discoveries. But there are other more interesting stories to tell--stories that don't usually get into the history books, but which can nevertheless bring the past vividly and excitingly to life. Imagine a history lesson that spares you the details of such seminal events as the 11th-century papal-imperial conflict, that fails to say much at all about the 1815 Congress of Vienna--and that neglects entirely to mention the world-changing moment that was the 1521 Diet of Worms. Imagine instead a book that tells you the date of the ancient Roman law that made it legal to break wind at banquets; the name of the defunct medieval pope whose putrefying corpse was subjected to the humiliation of a trial before a court of law; the identity of the priapic monarch who sired more bastards than any other king of England; and last but not least the date of the demise in London of the first goat to have circumnavigated the globe twice. Imagine a book crammed with such deliciously disposable information, and you have History without the Boring Bits. By turns bizarre, surprising, trivial, and enlightening, History without the Boring Bits offers rich pickings for the browser, and entertainment and inspiration aplenty for those who have grown weary of more conventional works of history.

This chronology of scientific curiosities comprises a host of cranky theories, crackpot experiments, crazed professors, questionable quacks, mischievous pranksters, deluded pundits, and a priceless host of wild and baseless speculations.

Refreshes the parts other history books can’t reach... A bit ropy on the Renaissance? In the dark about the Enlightenment? Or, in fact, do you need a revision course on the entire history of the world and want to read a witty, irreverent, definitely not boring romp through everything that has ever happened on planet earth – from 15 billion years BC to the present day? Good. A Less Boring History of the World tells you everything you need to know from the Big Bang to Barack Obama, taking in the Byzantines, the Black Death, Bin Laden and the fall of bankers along the way, all boiled down to bite size chunks so that you can finally piece together all the different bits of history - and see how on earth we ended up in the mess we are today. A Less Boring History refreshes your memory and broadens your mind. And, if that’s not enough, it will also make you laugh. A lot.

The Little Book of Big History breaks down the main themes of Big History into highly informative and accessible parts for all readers to enjoy.

Where does wealth come from? How is it different from money? Does division of labour mean that the best people are hired to do the job? Does government intervention prevent or create crises? What is the most effective way to protect the environment? The great Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle dismissed economics as "the dismal science", yet it is at the heart of everything we do. Economics without the Boring Bits is a clear, comprehensive and richly anecdotal guide to debt, finance, trade, money, taxation, supply, demand and all the other big issues that worry us all yet relatively few truly understand. Oxford-trained economist Tejvan Pettinger takes readers on an enlightening tour of the powerful, counter-intuitive and frequently startling insights of economic research, showing us that middlemen are good, recycling is bad (sometimes) and why some people get rich and others don't. If you want to understand the wealth of nations without wading through The Wealth of Nations, this is the ideal place to start.

A factually accurate and fabulously funny look at the history of Britain from the dawn of civilization to the end of the Second World War. You’ve never had a history lesson like it!

Off With Their Heads! is the exciting history of Britain in easy to digest, bite-sized chunks, which is sure to inspire a love of history that will last a lifetime.

Intimately personal memoir, reflections on life and observations on modern society from Australian national treasure, Dr Colleen McCullough. 'Written with heart and humour, (McCullough) takes us on a bumpy ride full of surprises, laughs, tears and the odd lecture. She shines as a bright unquenchable spark that poverty, familial cruelty and tragedy could not extinguish, A little ripper.' Woman's Day World-famous writer and national treasure Colleen McCullough has always resisted the idea of writing an autobiography. But her mind has a life of its own. Here, finally, is its portrait. Among the personal reminiscences and thought-provoking musings lie clues as to the shaping of this extraordinary mind: the confused, impulsive, thoughtlessly cruel mother; the miserly absentee father; the far-reaching effects bureaucrats can have on the lives of strangers; the riddle of Time ...If Colleen McCullough has any lesson to teach in Life Without the Boring Bits, it is that nothing above, below, or on the surface of the Earth can keep a good mind down, let alone break it.

Concise and informative, yet entertaining and engagingly written, Remember the Alamo? contains everything you will ever need to know about the United States.