Books with author David C. Downing

Triangle Histories introduce a new concept to American history series. Each title in this collection interweaves and overlaps with others in its own unique way. And each title provides a different perspective on the subject. For example, The Battle of Vicksburg, the biography Ulysses S. Grant, and the biography Abraham Lincoln, overlap and intersect at a number of points. Grant was the Union commander at Vicksburg at a time when Lincoln was under great pressure to replace the general. Because the Triangle Histories provide a format in which major subjects and themes can be considered from various angles, each collection offers a truly unique way to learn and understand the topic more completely. Each book stands alone, but as a set, the Civil War collection forms a powerful and engaging way in which to learn about one of the most painful eras our nation has ever endured.

Find out what life was like in colonial America from the people who lived it!This first book in the American Heritage American Voices series will give you a rare glimpse into the day-to-day experiences of early Americans. You'll learn from fourteen-year-old George Washington about his Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour (such as "Do not laugh too much or too loud in public."); you'll read the testimony of an accused witch from the Salem witch trials; and you'll hear about the terrible conditions African slaves suffered when they were brought to America, from one of the slaves who survived. You'll also find out about what led up to the Boston Tea Party, what happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the daring mission of the first submarine (in 1776!).From Columbus's letter describing his first voyage to America to the Constitution of the United States, Colonies and Revolution presents a wealth of period documents, including diaries, letters, articles, advertisements, speeches, and more, from both famous figures and ordinary citizens. Find out how all of these American voices working together helped to make this country what it is today.

Over uncounted millennia, telepathic Glieseians have assumed the roles of observers, investigators, and interventionists, helping determine the developmental pathways taken by inhabitants of other planets in the Milky Way. With mollusk-like bodies and frail arms that move on lubricated, muscular feet, their brains account for nearly sixty percent of their body weight, As Observers, Mxpan and Zerpall are expected to perform only that role―contact with natives of planets to which they are assigned is unacceptable. However, since M and Z are the Frick and Frack of the Glieseian Ministry of Observation, Investigation, and Intervention (MOII), they are imprisoned twice, banished from two solar systems, threatened with selective destruction by targeting their DNA, trapped in android bodies after a faulty brain essence transfer, and forced into an ethically convoluted situation after uncovering a secret about their distant predecessors. The Observers is a comic sci-fi trip across the solar system that will keep you thinking and laughing. (Chuck Downing)