Education

Trace the history of the world in over 500 easy-to-follow maps, from the dawn of humanity to the present day.

Organized chronologically, A History of the World in 500 Maps tells a clear, linear story, bringing together themes as diverse as religion, capitalism, warfare, geopolitics, popular culture and climate change. Meticulously rendered maps chart the sequence of broad historical trends, from the dispersal of our species across the globe to the colonizing efforts of imperial European powers in the 18th century, as well as exploring moments of particular significance in rich detail.

• Visualizes 7 million years of human history.
• Analyses cities and kingdoms as well as countries and continents.
• Features major technical developments, from the invention of farming in the Fertile Crescent to the Industrial Revolution.
• Charts the spread of major global religions, including Christianity and Islam.
• Explores the increasing interconnectivity of our world through exploration and trade.
• Investigates warfare and battles from across the ages, from Alexander the Great’s conquests to the D-Day offensive.

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The idea of a Green New Deal was launched into popular consciousness by US Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018. It has become a watchword in the current era of global climate crisis. But what – and for whom – is the Green New Deal? In this concise and urgent book, Max Ajl provides an overview of the various mainstream Green New Deals. Critically engaging with their proponents, ideological underpinnings and limitations, he goes on to sketch out a radical alternative: a ‘People’s Green New Deal’ committed to decommodification, working-class power, anti-imperialism and agro-ecology. Ajl diagnoses the roots of the current socio-ecological crisis as emerging from a world-system dominated by the logics of capitalism and imperialism. Resolving this crisis, he argues, requires nothing less than an infrastructural and agricultural transformation in the Global North, and the industrial convergence between North and South. As the climate crisis deepens and the literature on the subject grows, A People’s Green New Deal contributes a distinctive perspective to the debate.

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Borderwall as Architecture is an artistic and intellectual hand grenade of a book, and a timely re-examination of what the physical barrier that divides the United States of America from the United Mexican States is and could be. It is both a protest against the wall and a projection about its future. Through a series of propositions suggesting that the nearly seven hundred miles of wall is an opportunity for economic and social development along the border that encourages its conceptual and physical dismantling, the book takes readers on a journey along a wall that cuts through a “third nation”-the Divided States of America. On the way the transformative effects of the wall on people, animals, and the natural and built landscape are exposed and interrogated through the story of people who, on both sides of the border, transform the wall, challenging its existence in remarkably creative ways. Coupled with these real-life accounts are counterproposals for the wall, created by Rael’s studio, that reimagine, hyperbolize, or question the wall and its construction, cost, performance, and meaning. Rael proposes that despite the intended use of the wall, which is to keep people out and away, the wall is instead an attractor, engaging both sides in a common dialogue. Included is a collection of reflections on the wall and its consequences by leading experts Michael Dear, Norma Iglesias-Prieto, Marcello Di Cintio, and Teddy Cruz.

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Really useful map to plan then follow your travels across Central Asia.

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The whole world in the palm of your hand

Ever wonder how you can have a rainforest on one side of a mountain and a desert on the other? Or zoom around the globe with Google Maps and wonder how everything got to where it is now? The answer is…geography.

In Geography For Dummies, you’ll discover that geography is more than just cool trivia―it explains tons about the world around us. From understanding the basics―like how to read maps and geographic coordinates―to learning about how the continents got to their current positions, you’ll learn fascinating things about the planet’s people, cities, resources, and more.

In this book, you’ll discover:

• How geographers make and use maps to understand and tell useful stories about the earth
• How weather and climate shape the planet, impact the water supply, and change landscapes
• How humans use (and overuse) the planet we live on to our advantage

Geography For Dummies is an incredible exploration of our planet and the people who live on it. This book takes a huge subject and makes it accessible for the rest of us!

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Get a rock-solid grasp on geology

Geology For Dummies is ideal reading for anyonewith an interest in the fundamental concepts of geology, whether they’re lifelong learners with a fascination for the subject or college students interested in pursuing geology or earth sciences.

Presented in a straightforward, trusted format―and tracking to a typical introductory geology course at the college level―this book features a thorough introduction to the study of earth, its materials, and its processes.

• Rock records and geologic time  
• Large-scale motion of tectonic plates  
• Matter, minerals, and rocks  
• The geological processes on earth’s surface  

Rock that geology class with Geology For Dummies!

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From the moment towns and cities arose, the struggle for land, resources and power has turned to violence. Almost from the start, maps have been an essential part of planning and waging war. History of War in Maps gives a unique visual representation of the development of warfare and the maps that have helped shaped our history.

Each map in this beautifully designed volume plays a crucial role. While countless campaign strategies have relied on detailed and accurate mapping, entire wars have been fought over the maps themselves, with hopes of redrawing boundaries and redefining nations. Spanning more than 2,000 years, this book expertly curates more than 70 historical maps which tell the fascinating story of war: from ancient and medieval warfare to modern-day global conflicts.

Featuring maps of historic battles such as:
• Battle of Marathon, 490 BC
• Battle of Hastings, 1066
• Battle of Crecy, 1346
• Battle of Lützen (Thirty Years’ War), 1632
• Battle of Saratoga, 1777
• Battle of Austerlitz, 1805
• Battle of Balaklava (Crimean War), 1854
• Siege of Vicksburg, 1863
• Battle of Isandhlwana (Anglo-Zulu War), 1879
• Battle of Spion Kop (Anglo-Boer War), 1900
• Gallipoli campaign, 1915
• D-Day, 1944
• Operation Desert Storm, 1993

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An interactive board book with over 60 flaps, exploring all kinds of questions that young children ask about the world around them. Lift the flaps to discover the answers to lots of ‘what?’, ‘why?’, ‘how?’, ‘when?’ and ‘who?’ questions. Provides friendly, simple answers to challenging questions, with entertaining and informative illustrations.

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‘Agile, wryly funny and wise.’ Robert Macfarlane

A search for nearby nature and wildness.

After years of expeditions all over the world, adventurer Alastair Humphreys spends a year exploring the small map around his own home.

Can this unassuming landscape marked by the glow of city lights and hum of busy roads hold any surprises for the world traveller or slake his wanderlust? Could a single map provide a lifetime of exploration?

Discovering more about nature and wildness than in all his years in remote environments, he learns the value of truly getting to know his neighbourhood.

An ode to slowing down, Local is a celebration of curiosity and time outdoors, as well as a rallying cry to protect the wild places on our doorstep.

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**Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award**
A FINANCIAL TIMES and NEW STATESMAN Book of the Year
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

‘A compelling narrative of the human story’ TIM MARSHALL, author of Prisoners of Geography

‘Lively, rich and exciting… full of surprises’ PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads
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Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. They built our world, and they will transform our future.

These are the six most crucial substances in human history. They took us from the Dark Ages to the present day. They power our computers and phones, build our homes and offices, and create life-saving medicines. But most of us take them completely for granted.

In Material World, Ed Conway travels the globe – from the sweltering depths of the deepest mine in Europe, to spotless silicon chip factories in Taiwan, to the eerie green pools where lithium originates – to uncover a secret world we rarely see. Revealing the true marvel of these substances, he follows the mind-boggling journeys, miraculous processes and little-known companies that turn the raw materials we all need into products of astonishing complexity.

As we wrestle with climate change, energy crises and the threat of new global conflict, Conway shows why these substances matter more than ever before, and how the hidden battle to control them will shape our geopolitical future. This is the story of civilisation – our ambitions and glory, innovations and appetites – from a new perspective: literally from the ground up.

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In his gripping new book The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space Will Change Our World, Marshall digs deep into the past, present and future of the new ‘astropolitics’ that are set to change the face of life on Earth. Available to PRE-ORDER NOW in hardback, ebook and audio – out 27th April 2023]

Ten Maps that tell you everything your need to know about global politics – the million copy international bestseller

Geography shapes not only our history, but where we’re headed…

ON THE RUSSIA/UKRAINE CRISIS – What is driving Russia’s foreign policy? Why do Putin’s actions mirror those made in the past? Prisoners of Geography analyses the geographic weaknesses and historical invasions of Russia’s territories, exploring how they have ultimately shaped the decisions of its leaders past and present.

All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements – but if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.

If you’ve ever wondered why Putin is so obsessed with Crimea, why the USA was destined to become a global superpower, or why China’s power base continues to expand ever outwards, the answers are all here.

In ten chapters and ten maps, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present and future to offer an essential insight into one of the major factors that determines world history.

It’s time to put the ‘geo’ back into geopolitics.

‘Like having a light shone on your understanding… I can’t think of another book that explains the world situation so well. – Nicolas Lezard, Evening Standard

‘Sharp insights into the way geography shapes the choices of world leaders.’ – Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

Ten maps; ten chapters:

Russia * China * United States of America * Latin America * the Middle East * Africa * India and Pakistan * Europe * Japan and Korea * the Arctic

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Public transport is essential to the quality of life of its passengers, both as a means to move around but also to achieve a sustainable environment. However, the passenger’s position as a customer is weakened by the dominance of monopolies, regulation and political influence in our public transport systems. This book is one of the first to examine strategies for the representation of user interests in public transport from a variety of perspectives. The authors review approaches to integrating the passengers’ views in the planning process and to protecting their interests in operations and customer care across a range of European countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and EU policies. The book presents the conclusions of this research and examples of good practice. In this respect it will provide useful guidance for policy makers, stakeholder organizations and planners, as well as transport researchers.

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Sustainability Education: A Classroom Guide provides an accessible, in-depth guide and critique of sustainability education for school and university students, teachers, curriculum makers and school governors working around the world with children aged 3- to 14-years old. Informed by research findings and learning theory, it provides a progressive framework for sustainability education spanning all subject areas and applicable in a wide range of settings. There are over 180 age-related teaching ideas on topics such as conservation, health, food, wildlife, climate change, social justice and sustainable living, as well as provocative questions designed to stimulate educational debate. Written by two highly experienced UK-based educators, it draws together specially commissioned contributions from Australia, Israel, Norway, South Africa, the UK and the USA. Key concepts and links to the UN Global Goals (SDGs), are highlighted throughout. A companion website offers an extensive toolkit of specially prepared PowerPoint presentations and details of over 100 lectures, reports, picture books, websites and classroom and INSET teaching resources.

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A brilliantly arresting historical work, John Lewis Gaddis’s The Cold War takes us as never before to the time when the world stood on the brink of destruction.

In 1945 war came to an end. But a whole new terror was only just beginning…

Here is the truth behind every spy thriller you’ve read: why America and the Soviet Union became locked in a deadly stalemate; how close we came to nuclear catastrophe; what was really going on in the minds of leaders from Stalin to Mao Zedong, Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, how secret agents plotted and East German holidaymakers helped the Berlin Wall fall. It is a story of crisis talks and subterfuge, tyrants and power struggles – and of ordinary people changing the course of history.

‘Gripping’
Len Deighton

‘Superb … brimful of racy incident’
Independent on Sunday

‘A lively and readable history’
The Times

‘Force 9 on the Richter scale’
Spectator

John Lewis Gaddis is the Robert A. Lovett Professor of History at Yale University, and ‘the dean of cold war historians’ (The New York Times). He is the author of numerous books, including Security and the American Experience, the book recently pressed on his cabinet and senior security staff by President Bush.

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THE TIMES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023
A BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK FOR THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE AND FINANCIAL TIMES
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK | AN INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘Humanity has transformed the Earth: Frankopan transforms our understanding of history’ Financial Times
‘Vast, learned and timely work’ Sunday Times
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From the international bestselling author of The Silk Roads comes a major history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time.

When we think about history, we rarely pay much attention to the most destructive floods, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts or the ways that ecosystems have changed over time.

In The Earth Transformed, Peter Frankopan, one of the world’s leading historians, shows that the natural environment is a crucial, if not the defining, factor in global history – and not just of humankind. Volcanic eruptions, solar activities, atmospheric, oceanic and other shifts, as well as anthropogenic behaviour, are fundamental parts of the past and the present. In this magnificent and groundbreaking book, we learn about the origins of our species: about the development of religion and language and their relationships with the environment; about how the desire to centralise agricultural surplus formed the origins of the bureaucratic state; about how growing demands for harvests resulted in the increased shipment of enslaved peoples; about how efforts to understand and manipulate the weather have a long and deep history. All provide lessons of profound importance as we face a precarious future of rapid global warming.

Taking us from the Big Bang to the present day and beyond, The Earth Transformed forces us to reckon with humankind’s continuing efforts to make sense of the natural world.
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‘This is epic, gripping, original history that leaps off the page’ Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland
‘All Historians aiming to tell a narrative face the problem of when exactly to start it. Only Peter Frankopan would go back 2.5 billion years to the Great Oxidation Event’ Tom Holland

A 2023 HIGHLIGHT FOR: BBC NEWS * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE * FINANCIAL TIMES * NEW EUROPEAN * GUARDIAN * NEW STATESMAN * THE TIMES * THE WEEK * WATERSTONES * BLACKWELL’S

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THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2023

Space: the biggest geopolitical story of the coming century – new from the multi-million-copy international bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography

Spy satellites orbiting the Moon. Space metals worth billions. Humans on Mars within our lifetimes.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s astropolitics.

We’re entering a new space race – and it could revolutionise life on Earth.

Space: the new frontier, a wild and lawless place. It is already central to communication, economics, military strategy and international relations on Earth. Now, it is the latest arena for human exploration, exploitation – and, possibly, conquest. We’re heading up and out, and we’re taking our power struggles with us. China, the USA and Russia are leading the way.

From physical territory and resources to satellites, weaponry and strategic choke points, geopolitics is as important in the skies above us as it is down below. If you’ve ever wondered if humans are going back to the Moon, who will benefit from exploration or what space wars might look like, the answers are here.

With all the insight and wit that have made Tim Marshall the UK’s most popular writer on geopolitics, this gripping book shows how we got here and where we’re going, covering great-power rivalry; technology; commerce; combat in space; and what it means for all of us down here on Earth. This is essential reading on power, politics and the future of humanity.

Praise for The Future of Geography:

‘A voyage of galactic discovery’ The Mail on Sunday

‘[An] engaging exploration of power politics in space’ Irish Independent

‘A superb survey of planetary politics’ The Sunday Times

‘Deeply thought-provoking’ BBC Sky at Night

‘Marshall is an engaging writer, good at explaining the science as well as the politics, and with an eye for a telling fact’ Lawrence Freedman, The New Statesman

‘Written with insight and great wit, this is an essential take on power, politics and the future of humanity from the UK’s most popular writer on geopolitics.’ The Daily Telegraph

‘In the latest instalment of his popular books on the meaning of geography, Marshall looks to the stars and the new frontier where astropolitics will be the new geopolitics’ Financial Times

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