Part of the ALL-NEW Ladybird Expert series. Learn about Timbuktu, in this clear and authoritative introduction to the place considered to be one of the most important trading cities of the medieval world. Written by curator and cultural historian Gus Casely-Hayford, this book delves into the rise of the largest empire in West Africa and what made Timbuktu the most significant Saharan desert-port of the age. You'll encounter the Mali Empire in its golden age, teeming with riches, scholars and trades. Its history steeped in magicians, epic wars, story-tellers and missing ships. You'll learn what made Timbuktu so notorious and irresistible to Europe, and why centuries later it still enchants the Western World with its beauty, wealth, mystery, intellectual excellence and legacy. Inside you'll discover . . . - The significance of The River Niger - The great advantages of the introduction of camels - The birth of Mali - The connections between Islam and the Mali Empire - How the libraries give vivid access to the medieval African perspective - And much more . . . Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture. For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

DISCOVER THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN THAT ENGLISH HISTORY FORGOT Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES. - Who was Æthelflæd? - What role did she play in the founding of England? - How has her legacy lasted to this day? DISCOVER the epic history of England's forgotten queen. Planting cities, sponsoring learning and defeating her people's enemies, Æthelflæd laid the foundations of a kingdom that lasts to this day. Tom Holland's Æthelflæd puts a spotlight on this formidable leader, pulling her out of the shadowy history of the dark ages.

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES - Why is it octopuses, and not octopi or octopodes? - How did octopuses evolve to be so clever? - How can octopuses see and speak with their skin? EXAMINE these crafty hunters of the seabed - shape-shifting, skin-signalling and using complex tools - their remarkable abilities are still being uncovered. BENDY BODIES, BIG BRAINS Written by celebrated marine biologist and documentarian Helen Scales, Octopuses is an enthralling introduction to these utterly unique creatures, the myths and fiction they have inspired, and what they can tell us about the roots of intelligence.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Bubbles is a clear, surprising and entertaining introduction to the science of bubbles. Bubbles are beautiful, ephemeral, fun, fragile, jolly and slightly unpredictable. We're all familiar with them, but we don't often ask what they actually are. The great scientists of the Western world - Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Lord Rayleigh and more - studied bubbles seriously. They recognised that they had a lot to say about the nature of the physical world, and they poked, prodded and listened to find out what it was. In the years since, we've learned that this bulbous arrangement of liquid and gas does things that neither the gas or the liquid could do by itself. Written by the celebrated physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski, Bubbles explores how everything from the way drinks taste to the Earth's temperature are influenced by bubbles. This book has a message: never underestimate a bubble! Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture. For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

How do plate tectonics work? Learn from the experts in the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES Discover in this accessible and authoritative introduction the fundamental theory of how our dynamic planet works. You'll learn about the make up of the Earth in the past and the present, from monsoon-like currents in our planet's radioactive interior to magnetic force lines and what the planet would look like without water. You will learn about: - Our planet as an active living system - The planetary force field - Fault lines that cross continents - How plates tectonics protects life on Earth - And much more . . . Written by the celebrated geologist, academic and popular science presenter Iain Stewart, Plate Tectonics explores the Earth as a planetary machine and investigates the people and ideas that changed the way we look at the world. Learn about other topics in the Ladybird Experts series including Gravity, Quantum Physics, Climate Change and Evolution. Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture. For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

"So compelling in its exploration of the human psyche, it's as hard to put down as a thriller...such a force of energy, intensity, and straightforwarness. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Discover the stories of 68 brave and brilliant women Curious, provocative, engaging, brave, and funny - women who change the world are diverse, intriguing and brilliant. Filled with wonderful illustrations and engaging activities that will nurture your own varied skills, Brilliant Women compiles the stories of inspiring women from every field. Retelling their triumphs and adversities, this beautiful book reveals and celebrates the women who have shaped the world we live in now. Perfect reading for the next generation of brilliant girls and boys. Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.