Books with author David Norman

Here is a masterpiece of historical narrative that stretches from the Ice Age to the Atomic Age, as it tells the story of Europe, East and West. Norman Davies captures it all--the rise and fall of Rome, the sweeping invasions of Alaric and Atilla, the Norman Conquests, the Papal struggles for power, the Renaissance and the Reformation, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, Europe's rise to become the powerhouse of the world, and its eclipse in our own century, following two devastating World Wars. This is the first major history of Europe to give equal weight to both East and West, and it shines light on fascinating minority communities, from heretics and lepers to Gypsies, Jews, and Muslims. It also takes an innovative approach, combining traditional narrative with unique features that help bring history alive: 299 time capsules scattered through the narrative capture telling aspects of an era. 12 -snapshots offer a panoramic look at all of Europe at a particular moment in history. Full coverage of Eastern Europe—100 maps and diagrams, 72 black-and-white plates. All told, Davies's Europe represents one of the most important and illuminating histories to be published in recent years.

"In the beginning," writes Norman Davies, "there was no Europe. All there was, for five million years, was a long, sinuous peninsula with no name, set like the figurehead of a ship on the prow of the world's largest land mass. To the west lay the ocean which no one had crossed. To the south lay two enclosed and interlinked seas, sprinkled with islands, inlets, and peninsulas of their own. To the north lay the great polar icecap, expanding and contracting across the ages like some monstrous, freezing jellyfish. To the east lay the land-bridge to the rest of the world, whence all peoples and all civilizations were to come." So begins Davies's magisterial Europe, a master work of history that stretches from the Ice Age to the Atomic Age, as it tells the story of Europe, East and West, from prehistory to the present day. Davies's absorbing narrative captures the full drama of European history, on a sweeping canvas filled with fascinating detail, analysis, and anecdotes. It is a glorious chronicle packed with momentous events: the rise and fall of Rome, the sweeping invasions of Alaric (leader of the Vandals) and Atilla (leader of the Huns), the Norman conquests of Sicily and England, the Papal struggles for power, the Crusades, the Black Death, the sack of Constantinople, the growth of cities such as Venice, Ghent, London, and Paris, the Renaissance and the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, Europe's rise to become the powerhouse of the world, and its eclipse in our own century, following two devastating World Wars. Davies omits nothing. We read not only of the great figures and events of European history--battles, usurpations, tyrants, and saints--but of philosophers, scientists, writers, and artists; the great explorations; the stateless nation and the nation-state. Minority communities, from heretics and lepers to Jews, Romanies, and Muslims, have not been forgotten in this vast tapestry. And Davies has also added 299 "time-capsules," small, self-contained sections that focus intensely on an aspect of an age, to attain a greater sense of immediacy, a sharper picture of life as it was--articles that range from "Erotic Graffiti at Pompeii," to "Stradivarius," to "Psychoanalyzing Hitler." And there are also twelve "snapshots"--fascinating glimpses of moments frozen in time, such as "Knossos 1628 BC," or "Constantinople AD 230," or "Nuremberg 1945." And finally, the book features over one hundred superbly detailed maps and diagrams, and seventy-two black-and-white plates. Never before has such an ambitious history of Europe been attempted. In range and ambition, originality of structure and glittering style, Norman Davies's Europe represents one of the most important and illuminating histories to be published in recent years.

One of the most dramatic and shameful episodes in World War II was the doomed Warsaw uprising of 1944—an uprising that failed because the Allies betrayed it. Now that story comes to its full terrible life in this gripping account by the bestselling historian Norman Davies.In August 1944, encouraged by the advance of the Red Army, the Polish Resistance poured forty thousand fighters into the streets of Warsaw to reclaim the city from the hated Germans. But Stalin condemned the uprising as a criminal venture. For sixty-three days the Wehrmacht methodically set about crushing the rebellion and destroying the city. Following the battle’s desperate progress through the cellars and sewers of Warsaw, Rising ’44 retrieves its subject from the shadows of history, revealing its pivotal importance to the outcome of World War II and the Cold War that followed.

How would a protoceratops defend itself against a pack of hungry velociraptors? Which dinosaur had the biggest skull? The longest tail? With the huge 448-page The Big Book of Dinosaurs you can uncover every trace of information--from facts an figures to 3-D illustrations--that an aspiring palentologist could ever hope to find.Ideal for both school and home, the easy-to-understand text and hundreds of full-color illustrations paint a fascinating picture of the lives of dinosaurs--their appearance, their behavior, and their environments.This book includes all these great features:An in-depth profile of hundreds of the most popular dinosaurs.Dozens of spreads describing the world when dinosaurs ruled.Dozens of pages focusing on the different features of dinosaurs.More than 30 comic book-style pages showing dinosaur discoveries or a day in the life of various dinosaurs.A gallery of 3-D dino-action sacenes and the 3-D glasses to view them.Hundreds of dinosaur facts and quizzes to tesl your knowledge.

Reconstructing the lives and anatomy of dinosaurs is an exciting and puzzling business. Dinosaurs - literally "terrible lizards" - dominated the Earth for 140 million years, and our visions of what each kind looked like and how they lived and evolved are changing as new fossils are found all over the world. This book reveals fascinating details and peculiarities of the dinosaurs themselves, and also of how the scientists find and piece together clues to their existence. Important arguments, such as why dinosaurs disappeared, and whether or not they were warm-blooded creatures, are discussed from all sides. A glossary translates the names of many of the most famous dinosaurs, and a pronunciation guide is included to make sure even the longest dinosaur name comes out right. This is a remarkable book for the dinosaur enthusiast.

“Whoever is behind all the trouble is trying to sabotage the ceremony!” After a masked figure scares Seth and Julia Ambrose in the Whacky Shack, strange things continue to happen. Some say the ride is haunted by an angry ghost. Who is causing all the trouble? Is this related to the award ceremony happening in a few days? From the ambitious journalist to the pushy salespeople, there is no shortage of suspects. Join Seth, Julia, Tyren, and Semira as they search for clues, narrow the list of suspects, and race to protect one of Waldameer’s most beloved rides in their most important mystery yet! David Gorman grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania and always had his head in a book. His family owns and operates Waldameer, meaning David’s summers were spent working at the park. David has had several jobs in education in the United States and in Vietnam. David currently lives in Richmond, where he is earning his Master’s of Education in Counseling in order to work as a school counselor. His first book is Waldameer Mystery Files: The Long-Lost Locket. Visit him at www.davidgormanbooks.com.