Books with author Daniel Meyer

The deciphering of the Rosetta stone was one of the great intellectual triumphs of all time, unlocking the secrets of thousands of years of Egypt’s ancient civilization. Yet in the past two centuries, the circumstances surrounding this bravura feat of translation have become shrouded in myth and mystery. Now in his spellbinding new book, Daniel Meyerson recounts the extraordinary true story of how the lives of two geniuses converged in a breakthrough that revolutionized our understanding of the past.The emperor Napoleon and the linguist Jean-Francois Champollion were both blessed with the temperament of artists and damned with ferocious impatience—and both of them were obsessed with Egypt. In fact, it was Napoleon’s dazzling, disastrous Egyptian campaign that caught the attention of the young Champollion and forever changed his life. From the instant Champollion learned of Napoleon’s discovery of a stone inscribed with three sets of characters—Greek, Coptic, and hieroglyphic—he could not rest. He vowed to be the first to crack the mystery of what became known as the Rosetta stone. In Daniel Meyerson’s sweeping narrative, the haunting story of the Rosetta stone—its discovery in a doomed battle, the intrigue to secure it, the agonizing race to unlock its secrets, and the pain it seemed to inflict on all who touched it—reads like the most engrossing fiction. Napoleon, despite his power and glory, suffered repeated betrayals . . . by his Empress Josephine, on the battlefield, and by history itself. Champollion, though he triumphed intellectually, ultimately endured his own terrible tragedy. As background and counterpoint to the stories of the brilliant linguist and the visionary emperor, Meyerson interweaves the ancient tales of love, intrigue, brutal death, and miraculous rebirth that were hidden for centuries on the walls of Egyptian tombs—stories that Champollion finally made accessible to the world.Blending history, politics, intellectual passion, and a deep understanding of the human heart, The Linguist and the Emperor is a stunning tapestry of breakthrough and ambition, grandeur and vanity, power and pain. Carrying on the tradition of The Professor and the Madman and Longitude, Meyerson has fashioned a masterpiece of meticulous history and astonishing storytelling.

A biography of Poe--aimed at YA readers--but also for general readers. Based on years of research and travel, the text follows the arc of Poe's life and career--but also challenges the conventional thinking that Poe was a hopeless drunk and drug addict. Certainly, he had substance abuse problems at periods in his life, but he simply could not have accomplished all that he did--all the stories, poems, essays, reviews, and other writing--if he had been under the influence thoughout his short life of forty years.

The deciphering of the Rosetta stone was one of the great intellectual achievements of all time, unlocking the secrets of thousands of years of Egypt’s ancient civilization. Yet in the past two centuries, the circumstances surrounding this bravura feat of translation have become shrouded in myth and mystery. Now in his spellbinding book, Daniel Meyerson recounts the extraordinary true story of how the lives of two geniuses–the emperor Napoleon and the linguist Jean-François Champollion–converged in a breakthrough that revolutionized our understanding of the past.In this sweeping narrative, the haunting story of the Rosetta stone–its discovery in a doomed battle, the plot to secure it, the agonizing race to unlock its secrets, and the pain it seemed to inflict on all who touched it–reads like the most engrossing fiction. As counterpoint to the stories of the brilliant linguist and the visionary emperor, Meyerson interweaves the ancient tales of love, intrigue, brutal death, and miraculous rebirth that were hidden for centuries on the walls of Egyptian tombs–stories that Champollion finally made accessible to the world.

For centuries children and adults alike have pondered the age old question:Why do unicorns fart rainbows? What exactly is that trail of rainbow travelling behind them as they travel through space?To discover the answer one must not look to the past but to the future. Time traveller and fable philosopher Daniel Mega has journeyed to the future to a place called Super Happy Cosmos to discover the answer.Join him as he recounts the fable of Hoof Hearted, The Littlest Unicorn. Hoof Hearted is a tender soul on a quest to discover who he really is, and why he has a terrible case of indigestion.Travel to a distant land . . . in outer space. Battle with the evil . . . Super Happy Cosmos King. And most importantly discover the age old question . . . Why Unicorns Fart Rainbows!This epic fable is intended for readers of all ages and is presented into an easy to read chapter book format. This book is from the Fairy Tales From Outer Space series.

Welcome young reader. Meet your hero, Tad, the most heroic Butt Squire from the planet Buttlandia!When a space jet ski jousting event goes terribly wrong, the people of Buttlandia's greatest possession, the space ship party boat is ruined. Because of Tad's recklessness, he must go on a space quest of epic proportions.Alone in space with only his space grog and his trusty space jet ski, Frankenjet, the butt squire must comb the depths of Hyperspace, battling space mummies and other beasties in his never ending quest to find a new space ship party boat.Can our hero save the day?Will the people of Buttlandia be able to party on or suffer death by boredom?Can Tad survive as a captive of the not evil, but terribly boring space mummies?Find out in the epic space quest of The Butt Munchkins!This chapter book is part of a series. Be sure not to miss "Why Unicorns Fart Rainbows", the first book in the "Fairy Tales From Outer Space" series.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley published Frankenstein on New Year's Day, 1818. She became a widow in 1822 and died in 1851. Although the "Frankenstein years" were surely the most exciting of her life (and the most controversial), she lived a life full of success, failure, heartbreak, loss and loneliness and love. Her parents, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, were two of the most remarkable people in literary and cultural history. Her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, was one of England's greatest poets. She knew others from that Romantic Circle--Coleridge, Charles and Mary Lamb, and, of course, Lord Byron, in whose summer home she first thought of Frankenstein. She was also a devoted mother who had to endure the tragedy of burying her children (one survived her). She was an scholar in a time when many men refused to accept the intellectual gifts of women. This book of course deals in some detail with the Frankenstein story, but it also looks at Mary's full life--her friends, enemies, family; her travels, writing, and legacy. Daniel Dyer spent many years researching this book--reading all of her work (and the works of her important family members and contemporaries)--traveling to sites in Europe where she lived--corresponding with the leading Shelley scholars in the world. Mary's story is a complicated and troubling one in ways; in other ways, it is inspiring. And humbling.

Rule Number One of the Secret Ninja Club is Girls Are Not Ninjas! Rule Number Two of the Secret Ninja Club is Old people (especially moms) are not ninjas! . . . Buddy, Muddy, and Lem are working hard to come up with the rules that make a ninja. The problem is ninjas don't exist yet in space. If girls and old people aren't ninjas than who are? Are all boys ninjas? Are cooks ninjas?The boys know a few things about ninjas. They know ninjas like to kick and punch stuff. They like to be sneaky and unseen. And they love to eat sweet buns, but ninjas do not cook!When the boys discover that the Intergalactic Cooking School For Girls threatens to cramp their ninja style they decide to venture out with their ninja stars and nunchucks, and show those girls what for. But sneaking around an all girls school is harder than the boys thought.Can they defeat the evil girl cooks? Can they find the elusive sweet buns they are constantly drooling over? Will these Ninjas Kick Butt!?Find out in the chapterbook Why Ninjas Kick Butt!

Why do zombies love to eat human brains? They could just as easily eat cereal, ice cream, and gummies all day without worrying about their figure. So why do they do it?Do they need brains for its nutritional value?Are humans their version of fast food?Do they think eating more brains will make them smarter?The answer might be easier than you think. Follow zombiologist Daniel Mega as he answers this question and many more in Why Zombies Eat Brains!

Finally, someone is brave enough to answer the age old question: Why do dragons belch fire?It doesn't make sense. Do they have a stove in their stomach boiling a steamy fire stew? Or an extreme case of acid indigestion caused by fire imps?Travel with our fearless and extremely dashing Duke Carmello Smooth as he travels deep into the Sugar Mine caverns to answer this very question.Will Duke Smooth solve this age old riddle or will Ralph the belching dragon burn him to a crispy critter?Find out in the latest installment from the Fairy Tales From Outer Space series, Why Dragons Belch Fire.

"The Call of the Wild" was not only a book by Jack London. It may very well have been his own personal credo, as Daniel Dyer makes clear in this gripping biography of the famed author and adventurer.While researching Jack London, biographer Daniel Dryer uncovered an amazing truth - that London's real life was just as rich and exciting as the stories and characters he created.Equally adept in writing as he was at thrill-seeking, London left school at age eleven to begin his lifelong courtship of adventure. He worked as a seal hunter, an oyster pirate, and a factory worker. And by the time of the Klondike gold rush, he was well on his way to becoming one of the world's most popular writers. This comprehensive biography takes the reader into the mind and life of this memorable author.