"A rich, complex history . . . Deeply engaging and witty" ( Los Angeles Times).Long before Columbus arrived in the New Word, tobacco was cultivated and enjoyed by the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, who used it for medicinal, religious, and social purposes. But when Europeans began to colonize the American continents, it became something else entirely—a cultural touchstone of pleasure and success, and a coveted commodity that would transform the wo...

A spirited look at the history of alcohol, from the dawn of civilization to the modern dayAlcohol is a fundamental part of Western culture. We have been drinking as long as we have been human, and for better or worse, alcohol has shaped our civilization. Drink investigates the history of this Jekyll and Hyde of fluids, tracing mankind's love/hate relationship with alcohol from ancient Egypt to the present day.Drink further documents the co...

An entertaining collection of myths and misconceptions about history, geography, famous figures, and more—and the real stories behind them.Various “facts” are taught in schools. They are passed down to us by our families and friends, and have become part of our shared cultural knowledge. And they are wrong.Touching on a number of topics— including history, current events, government, sports, geography, and popular culture—Lies They Teach in School ...

History repeats itself as Uncle John presents another volume of funny stories and fascinating facts about the past!For our historical trivia collection number two, we dug ever deeper into our bottomless vaults to bring you more of history's most colorful characters, cultural milestones, funniest mishaps, and earth-shattering events. More than 500 pages of great stories, fascinating facts, and fun quizzes await you.Read about . . . * Philosophers who fought ...

Make the most your down time with quick hits of history—from Roman games to stagecoach rules, great walls to the Great Molasses Flood.Uncle John takes readers on a journey through the ages, shedding new light onto some of the past's most famous (and infamous) figures, and digging up obscure history you'd never learn in school. Featuring classic BRI articles along with some great all-new material, History Makers travels from the Far East to the Old West, fro...

Forty years after first chewing on sugar cane in New Guinea, the home of sugar, the author underwent some complex dental work as a direct result of his sweet tooth. This led him to explore sugar cane's journey from New Guinea to Shakespeare's England. In the days before dentistry, people paid dearly for this sweet new food from exotic places. Queen Elizabeth I became so partial to hippocras, sugared almonds and pastilles that her teeth turned completely black.Bittersweet i...

Did You Know That . . . ?: "Revised and Expanded" Edition: Surprising-But-True Facts About History, Science, Inventions, Geography, Origins, Art, Music, and More is an uncommon compendium of knowledge that will astound, demystify, edify, and debunk. It is a book of ambitious design that is both eminently informative and vastly entertaining. Assiduously researched, it will be the arbiter of disagreements and will stand cherished misconceptions right on their heads. It will also exp...

New York Times Bestseller * The inspiration for the TV series starring Dan Aykroyd“There aren't many books this entertaining that also provide a cogent crash course in ancient, classical and modern history.” -Los Angeles TimesBeer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola: In Tom Standage's deft, innovative account of world history, these six beverages turn out to be much more than just ways to quench thi...

A bestselling historian shows how the British Empire created the modern world.**“Scrupulous scholarship and a rattling good tale.” —**Wall Street JournalThe British Empire was the largest in all history, its reach the nearest thing to world domination ever achieved. By the eve of the Second World War, over a fifth of the world's land surface and nearly a quarter of the world's population were under some form of British rule. Yet fo...

**In a riveting, groundbreaking narrative, Russell Shorto tells the story of New Netherland, the Dutch colony which pre-dated the Pilgrims and established ideals of tolerance and individual rights that shaped American history.UPDATED EDITION WITH A NEW PREFACE AND POSTSCRIPT"Astonishing . . . A book that will permanently alter the way we regard our collective past." --The New York Times**When the British wrested New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664, the tru...

*On 26 January the convict transports moved into their new home as a handful of Aborigines on the shore set up a horrid howl and indicated by angry gestures with sticks and stones that the white man was not wanted.*More than a decade after his death, Manning Clark remains Australia's most eminent and controversial historian. A Short History of Australia, considered by many to be his greatest work, charts the nation's social, cultural and political growth from the arrival of that f...

All in perfectly bad tastePrepare to be amazed, appalled, disgusted, and hugely entertained by this compendium of indelicate oddities. Nothing is too inane, too insane, too bizarre, or too distasteful for this incredible, seemingly impossible, but absolutely true collection of facts from across the ages and around the world.Did you know……that Pope Benedict XII was such a hardened boozer that he inspired the expression “drunk as a pope”? (From “10 Historic D...