This work abandons the conventional distinctions between history and science. Diamond focuses on what ancient people were endowed with in the way of land, animals and plants, and on the confrontations between less and more advanced people to see how this led to today's inequalities.

The tenth anniversary edition of the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest: the search for the solution of how to calculate longitude and the unlikely triumph of an English genius. With a new Foreword by the celebrated astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Talks about the mysterious collapse of past civilizations - and what this means for the future. Bringing together evidence from many sources and piecing together the myriad influences, from climate to culture, that make societies self-destruct, this book shows how unlike our ancestors we can benefit from our knowledge of the past.

A new edition of the world's most prestigious and authoritative reference atlas. Since its first edition in 1967 it has sold well over 1 million copies and its detailed and beautifully created mapping represents the perfect blend of tradition, authority and style which set it apart. Reprinted with updates 2008.

Hidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London's Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer's son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was beset by troubles. This title tells his story.

Offers 48,000 entries on countries, states, cities, natural landforms, and bodies of water, with information on history, population, and location.

Reflects major developments in the world as well as in the discipline, ranging from the collapse of Russia's Post-Soviet transformation to the impact of globalization and from the rise of Asia's Pacific Rim to the war in Iraq.

Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. Over 100 inventive maps from artists, graphic designers and illustrators, ranging from book covers to tapestries, from advertisements to personal accounts, giving a breathtaking view of the world, both real and imaginary.

Tadessa from Ethiopia, Suchart from Thailand, Celina from Brazil - each has hopes and fears dreams and beliefs. Their cultures are different yet in many ways their daily lives are very similar. This book features photographs that bring to life the children's families and homes, their clothes and food, and other aspects of their daily lives.

This guide to navigating Patrick O'Brian's well loved Aubrey-Maturin novels has been updated, with chapters devoted to the final books in the series. It contains maps created exclusively for each of the novels in this world-renowned series.

Chronicles the destruction of Indonesian island of Krakatoa in 1883. This book describes how one island and its inhabitants were blasted out of existence and how colonial society was turned upside-down in a cataclysm.

The hilarious mock reference guide to the world from the brilliant Onion team

This work traces the adventures, discoveries and feats of technical ingenuity by which mapmakers, over the centuries, have succeeded in charting first the surface of the globe, then the earth's interior and the ocean floors, and finally the moon and the planets of our solar system.

With two additional chapters, this illustrated essay on the use and abuse of maps teaches how to evaluate maps critically, and promotes a healthy scepticism about these easy-to-manipulate models of reality. It shows that despite their immense value, maps do, and in fact need to, lie.

In this book the author gives an account of the arguments surrounding the proposition of postmodernism and contributes to the debate on what exactly is the nature of current social change.

Now in paperback with a bright new cover, this popular title introduces children to groups of people all over the world. Organized on a continent-by-continent basis, describing the different ways of life, cultures, cuisines and faiths of the six billion people who inhabit our planet. Stunning photographs illuminate the informative text, fostering in children a greater understanding of the people .

The classic guide to the geography and history of Middle-earth by a professional cartographer and Tolkien expert.

A literary exploration of a country few will recognize; from maps and migration to magic, language and landscape,

Contains over 200 pages of mapping, which takes you from an overview of the whole world, through portraits of the continents to a picture of the world's countries and regions. The maps in this atlas show how humans have moulded the land for their own needs, built towns and cities, and the highways, roads and railways that link them.