Download or read book History Without the Boring Bits written by Ian Crofton and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Economics Without the Boring Bits written by Tejvan Pettinger and published by Welbeck. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Science Without the Boring Bits written by Ian Crofton and published by Quercus Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Very Bloody History of Britain written by John Farman and published by Random House (UK). This book was released on 2001-08 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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!
Download or read book The Little Book of Big History written by Ian Crofton and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2016-06-23 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Off With Their Heads written by Martin Oliver and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2011-11-20 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book A Less Boring History of the World written by Dave Rear and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-10-04 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Life Without the Boring Bits written by Colleen McCullough and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Remember the Alamo written by Alison Rattle and published by Michael O'Mara Books. This book was released on 2011-11-10 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concise and informative, yet entertaining and engagingly written, Remember the Alamo? contains everything you will ever need to know about the United States.
Download or read book A Brief History Of The Sewing Machine written by Alex Askaroff and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-11-09 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World renowned author Alex Askaroff gives us his insight into one of the most useful inventions of the 19th Century. The humble sewing machine changed how we dressed, how we looked and how we acted. The simple invention that joined cloth had a profound effect on the World. Here we take a brief journey to bring you some of the fascinating characters who made it possible.
Download or read book Snapshots of Welsh History written by Phil Carradice and published by Accent Press Ltd. This book was released on 2011-11-10 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating collection of stories from Welsh history collected from Phil Carradice's popular BBC Wales blog, gathered together for the first time in a book. Among the incredible stories are... The man from Clydach who invented a Death Ray The Welsh aristocrat whose parrot once bit Herman Goering on the nose The witch who cursed the launch of a warship at Pembroke Dockyard The battle that was won by a herd of cows These stories are part and parcel of Welsh heritage and make history interesting. Snapshots of Welsh History - Without the Boring Bits covers a wide range of Welsh history topics. Written in Phil's unique easy-to-read yet elegant style, these stories are funny, tragic, sad and hilarious. Yet the one thing they all have in common is that they make compelling reading.
Download or read book The Mental Floss History of the World written by Erik Sass and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2008-10-28 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History is . . . (a) more or less bunk. (b) a nightmare from which I am trying to awaken. (c) as thoroughly infected with lies as a street whore with syphilis. Match your answers: (1) Stephen Daedalus of James Joyce's Ulysses (2) Henry Ford (3) Arthur Schopenhauer It turns out that answer need not be bunk, nightmarish, or diseased. In the hands of mental_floss, history's most interesting bits have been handpicked and roasted to perfection. Packed with little-known stories and outrageous—but accurate—facts, you'll laugh yourself smarter on this joyride through 60,000 years of human civilization. Remember: just because it's true, doesn't mean it's boring!
Download or read book A Curious History of Food and Drink written by Ian Crofton and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever wondered where noodles came from? How Worcester Sauce was invented? Or even who the "Cucumber King of Burma" was? Beginning with the hippo soup eaten in Africa in 6000 BC, through to the dangerous blowfish enjoyed in contemporary Japan, A Curious History of Food and Drink reveals the bizarre origins of the food and drink consumed throughout history. From the pheasant brains and flamingo tongues scoffed by the Roman emperor Vitellius, to the unusual uses of licorice (once a treatment for sore feet), Ian Crofton makes use of original sources--including journals, cookbooks and manuals--to reveal the bizarre, entertaining and informative stories behind the delicacies enjoyed by our ancestors.
Download or read book The Tap Dancing Knife Thrower written by Paul Hogan and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-11-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The icon and legend at last tells his story his way -- without the boring bits Paul Hogan first appeared on Australia's screens in 1971 as a 'tap-dancing knife thrower' on TV talent show New Faces. The then father of four and Sydney Harbour Bridge rigger from Granville did it as a dare, but when the network's switchboard lit up, he was invited back. So popular was he with viewers, Hogan became a regular on Mike Willesee's A Current Affair. The rest, as they say, is history. In collaboration with his business partner and best friend, John Cornell (who played his sidekick, Strop), 'Hoges' went on to become Australia's favourite TV comedian. His hugely popular comedy shows and appearances in unforgettable and ground-breaking ads for cigarettes, beer and tourism, came to personify Australia and Australians here and overseas, helping to change the perception of who we are as people and as a nation. Then, in 1986, Crocodile Dundee, the movie he conceived, co-wrote and starred in, became an international smash hit and earned its star a Golden Globe Award, as well as Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Despite the fact that Hoges claimed to have retired, many more successful movies followed. Yet even as his star rose ever higher, he always expected someone to grab him by the arm and say, 'What are you doing here? You're just a bloody rigger!' The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower is a funny and candid account of the astonishing life of this 'lucky bastard', as Hoges describes himself. Full of stories never previously shared, and recounted in the comedian's inimitable, funny and self-deprecating style, The Tap-Dancing Knife Thrower is Paul Hogan's story told his way - 'without the boring bits'.
Download or read book The Complete Bloody History of Britain written by John Farman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 1995 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Guinness Encyclopedia written by Ian Crofton and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A single volume encyclopedia arranged A-Z listings for quick reference. Divided into 12 main sections covering a broad range of subjects. B/W, col photos & illus. Quarto.
Download or read book Snapshots of Welsh History written by Phil Carradice and published by Headline Accent. This book was released on 2011-11-10 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating collection of stories from Welsh history collected from Phil Carradice's popular BBC Wales blog, gathered together for the first time in a book. Among the incredible stories are... The man from Clydach who invented a Death Ray The Welsh aristocrat whose parrot once bit Herman Goering on the nose The witch who cursed the launch of a warship at Pembroke Dockyard The battle that was won by a herd of cows These stories are part and parcel of Welsh heritage and make history interesting. Snapshots of Welsh History - Without the Boring Bits covers a wide range of Welsh history topics. Written in Phil's unique easy-to-read yet elegant style, these stories are funny, tragic, sad and hilarious. Yet the one thing they all have in common is that they make compelling reading.
