You probably won't believe a word I say but I swear that everything I'm about to tell you really happened.I heard it with my own ears from Uncle Leo.' Uncle Leo is no ordinary uncle, he's one-of-a- ind he's an adventurer, a traveler, a magician, all rolled into one. Join him as he tells Andy all about his adventures in the Romanian steppes from being stuck on a cloud while searching for hidden treasure to being turned into a cockroach by an angry sorcerer; from a thrilling encounter with a story-swallowing demon to becoming the court jester in the Kingdom of Upsidown, where everyone walks on their hands! Funny and endearing, the first book in the Uncle Leo's Adventures series brings to life the magic of storytelling, accompanied by lively and colorful illustrations.

Have I ever told you about the time I met the giant who couldn't stop crying?' 'No, you never told us about that, ' I said. 'So I'll tell you now, ' said Uncle Leo, and he began. Uncle Leo is no ordinary uncle, he's one-of-a-kind-he's an adventurer, a traveller, a magician, all rolled into one. In this second instalment of his wonderful adventures, Uncle Leo tells Andy all about his time in the Siberian jungles-from digging a tunnel to the other side of the world for the queen of Decria to meeting the giant who couldn't stop crying; from battling his own reflection in a magic mirror to travelling to Lafterovnik, where people cry when they're happy! Funny and endearing, the second book in the Uncle Leo series brings to life the magic of storytelling, accompanied by lively and colourful illustration

'We're lucky we can eat chocolate, ' said Uncle Leo. 'There are places where it's dangerous to eat chocolate.' 'Dangerous to eat chocolate?' I said. 'Where?' 'I'll tell you about it, ' said Uncle Leo. Uncle Leo is no ordinary uncle, he's one-of-a-kind-he's an adventurer, a traveller, a magician, all rolled into one. Join him as he tells Andy and his brother Graham all about his adventures in the Swiss desert-from being a superstar in Nullistan to finding a miraculous medicine that can cure all illness; from a thrilling encounter with the people of Chocolateland, who worship all things sweet, to being turned into a living doll in the land of monsters! Funny and endearing, the third book in the Uncle Leo series brings to life the magic of storytelling, accompanied by lively and colourful illustrations. Books in the series: Uncle Leo's Adventures in the Romanian Steppes Uncle Leo's Adventures in the Siberian Jungle Uncle Leo's Adventures in the Swiss Desert Uncle Leo's Adventures at the West Pole Uncle Leo's Adventures in the Sahara Fores

Greek: A History of the Language and its Speakers, Second Edition reveals the trajectory of the Greek language from the Mycenaean period of the second millennium BC to the current day. Offers a complete linguistic treatment of the history of the Greek language Updated second edition features increased coverage of the ancient evidence, as well as the roots and development of diglossia Includes maps that clearly illustrate the distribution of ancient dialects and the geographical spread of Greek in the early Middle Ages

In this book, the distinguished writer Edward N. Luttwak presents the grand strategy of the eastern Roman empire we know as Byzantine, which lasted more than twice as long as the more familiar western Roman empire, eight hundred years by the shortest definition. This extraordinary endurance is all the more remarkable because the Byzantine empire was favored neither by geography nor by military preponderance. Yet it was the western empire that dissolved during the fifth century. The Byzantine empire so greatly outlasted its western counterpart because its rulers were able to adapt strategically to diminished circumstances, by devising new ways of coping with successive enemies. It relied less on military strength and more on persuasion—to recruit allies, dissuade threatening neighbors, and manipulate potential enemies into attacking one another instead. Even when the Byzantines fought—which they often did with great skill—they were less inclined to destroy their enemies than to contain them, for they were aware that today’s enemies could be tomorrow’s allies. Born in the fifth century when the formidable threat of Attila’s Huns were deflected with a minimum of force, Byzantine strategy continued to be refined over the centuries, incidentally leaving for us several fascinating guidebooks to statecraft and war. The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire is a broad, interpretive account of Byzantine strategy, intelligence, and diplomacy over the course of eight centuries that will appeal to scholars, classicists, military history buffs, and professional soldiers.

“Ridley leaps from chromosome to chromosome in a handy summation of our ever increasing understanding of the roles that genes play in disease, behavior, sexual differences, and even intelligence. . . . . He addresses not only the ethical quandaries faced by contemporary scientists but the reductionist danger in equating inheritability with inevitability.” — The New Yorker The genome's been mapped. But what does it mean? Matt Ridley’s Genome is the book that explains it all: what it is, how it works, and what it portends for the future Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the twenty-three pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers. Questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life. Genome offers extraordinary insight into the ramifications of this incredible breakthrough. By picking one newly discovered gene from each pair of chromosomes and telling its story, Matt Ridley recounts the history of our species and its ancestors from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. From Huntington's disease to cancer, from the applications of gene therapy to the horrors of eugenics, Ridley probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome. It will help you understand what this scientific milestone means for you, for your children, and for humankind.