THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE

DARWIN - IN A NUTSHELL

Peter Whitfield explains how Darwin came to his revolutionary views following his voyage on the Beagle, and his initial reluctance to publish his findings.

THE ESSENTIAL ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Abraham Lincoln was one of the most influential presidents of the USA, uniting the country and abolishing slavery after a terrible civil war. His life and works are presented here in an easy introductory form. Through a balance of biography and the key speeches and letters, the man is brought to life, demonstrating his keen intelligence and determination, which was maintained all the way to his tragic death at the hand of an assassin.

THE HISTORY OF WESTERN ART

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age. From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the 19th and 20th centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind.

THE RENAISSANCE IN A NUTSHELL

A short and accessible introduction to the era that gave us Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Palestrina. The Renaissance swept across Europe between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, heralding intellectual revolutions in science, art, philosophy and politics, and marking a decisive shift towards modern thinking.