A Big History of Everything from the Big Bang to the first stars, to our solar system, life on Earth, dinosaurs, homo sapiens, agriculture, an ice age, empires, fossil fuels, a Moon landing and mass globalization. And what happens next... ... "I have long been a fan of David Christian. In "Origin Story", he elegantly weaves evidence and insights from many scientific and historical disciplines into a single, accessible historical narrative." Bill Gates Most historians study the smallest silver of time. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the Big Bang through the present day ... |
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An interview with the last speaker of a language. A chronicle of the final seven days of a town that is about to be razed to the ground by an invading army. The lonely voyage of an elephant from Kerala to a princess's palace in Morocco. A coterie of international diplomats trapped in near-Earth orbit. Kanishk Tharoor's collection of dazzling stories is furiously inventive, beautifully crafted and remarkably assured. "Swimmer Among the Stars"achieves a hypnotic power. Tharoor's writing has the clarity and imaginative expansiveness of fable.""Sunday Times" "I greatly admired the ... |
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They say that the eyes feed first, then the body follows."The idea behind this book started in the land of smiles - Thailand. The specific aroma of Asian cuisine embraces everyone who sets foot in this land. This fragrance lingers in the mind, enriching the memories associated with the exotic. One of the festivals celebrated there, which is deeply connected to the story of this book, is the festival of the floating lanterns. Its preparation begins with the crafting of small boats made out of banana leaves in the shape of lotus flowers, lavishly adorned with petals and candles, before being set afloat in flowing water ... |
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Every night, above our heads, a drama of epic proportions is playing out. Diamond planets, zombie stars, black holes heavier than a billion Suns. The cast of characters is extraordinary, and each one has its own incredible story to tell. We once thought of our Earth as unique, but we have now discovered thousands of alien planets, and that's barely a fraction of the worlds that are out there. And there are more stars in the Universe than grains of sand on every planet in the Solar System. But amid all this vastness, the Milky Way Galaxy, our Sun and the Earth are home to the only known life in the Universe - at least ... |
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From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in Taschen's Library of Esoterica ... |
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From the New York Times bestselling author of "Six Crimson Cranes" comes a fantasy filled with courtly intrigue, deceitful demons, and breathtaking gowns ... the stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to "Spin the Dawn"! Maia Tamarin's journey to sew the dresses of the sun, the moon, and the stars has taken a grievous toll. She returns to a kingdom on the brink of war. Edan, the boy she loves, is gone, perhaps forever and no sooner does she set foot in the Autumn Palace than she is forced to don the dress of the sun and assume the place of the emperor's bride-to-be to keep the ... |
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An illustrated tour of the night sky. ... What We See in the Stars Kelsey Oseid is a richly illustrated guide to the myths, histories, and science of the celestial bodies of our solar system, with stories and information about constellations, planets, comets, the northern lights, and more. Combining art, mythology, and science, What We See in the Stars is a tour of the night sky through more than a hundred magical pieces of original art, all accompanied by text that weaves related legends and lore with scientific facts. This beautifully packaged book covers the night sky's most brilliant features such as ... |
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The reigning romance queens (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love. Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession... or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke's coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn't leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back ... |
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Traditions and their Transformations in the British Cinema of the 90s, of the 20th Century ... Writing this book was a strange journey over bridges across different cultures. The title is a metaphor of the hybrid, intellectual and anti-spectacular british feature cinema from the end of the 20 th century with affinity to egalitarianism, minimalism of the "short form", archetypal imagery and hedonism. It is a triumph of the expansive yough's counter-culture with it's intrinsic intolerance of authority, power and cliches. The transformation of tradition in the context of instability of the national- ... |
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"Oxford Bookworms Library Factfiles" are non-fiction graded readers from the "Oxford Bookworms Library" available for Levels 1 to 4 (CEFR A1 - B2). Students learn about different countries and cultures, science and nature, history and historical figures all while practising and improving their English. Some call it football, some call it soccer, and to others it's "the beautiful game". By any name, it's a sport with some fascinating stories. There is murder in Colombia, and a game that lasts for two days where many players never see the ball. There's the French writer who learnt ... |
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Can you fall in love when your life is falling apart? ... How do you change what’s already written in the stars? Christopher is the sort of guy that no one notices, yet when Air catches sight of him making intricate paper birds in the airport, she can’t look away. But their worlds are about to collide in ways they never expected. Someone they love is on Flight 0217 from London Heathrow. And it’s missing. Convinced that her brother was on a different flight, Air drives them hundreds of miles across the country, on a trip that will change their lives forever. But how do you tell the person you’re falling for that you ... |
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Born to rule. Raised to deceive. A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown. Immerse yourself in the first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the New York Times bestselling "Ash Princess" series. Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes. Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides, because Margaraux knows there is one ... |