Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one s friends to Western civilization. Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe. Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them.[...]

The discovery by Francis Crick and James Watson of DNA - the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. But with this discovery have come important ethical questions. This title offers an examination of these two scientists' lives, radical work and legacy.[...]

Niels Bohr's discoveries in quantum theory led to advances in physics and our understanding of atomic structure. His work won him the Nobel Prize in 1922 and his ideas continue to propel physics towards new discoveries. This title offers an account of the man who was both a part of The Manhattan Pro[...]

By the end of the fifteenth century, Florence was well established as the home of the Renaissance. As generous patrons to the likes of Botticelli and Michelangelo, the ruling Medici embodied the progressive humanist spirit of the age, and in Lorenzo the Magnificent they possessed a diplomat capable [...]

Immanuel Kant taught and wrote prolifically about physical geography yet never traveled further than forty miles from his home in Konigsberg. How appropriate it is then that in his philosophy he should deny that all knowledge was derived from experience. Kant's aim was to restore metaphysics. He ins[...]

Rene Descartes spent much of his life in solitude. Fortunately, these countless lonely hours helped Descartes produce the declaration that changed all philosophy: "I think, therefore I am." Convincing himself to doubt and disregard sensory knowledge, Descartes found he could prove his existence thro[...]

Offers a brief profile of the German philosopher, discusses his major works, and assesses his influence on modern philosophy[...]

Offers a brief profile of the German philosopher, discusses his dialectical method, and assesses the influence of his theories[...]

In the autumn of 1502 three giants of the Renaissance period - Cesare Borgia, Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli - set out on one of the treacherous military campaigns of the period. This work focuses on this collusion of three iconic figures of the Italian Renaissance to unite three mighty s[...]

The Republic of Venice was the first great economic and naval power of modern Western world. After winning the struggle for ascendency against its bitter Genoese rivals in the late 13th century, the Republic enjoyed centuries of unprecedented glory and a trading empire. This title defines the charac[...]