Books with author John Manders

In 1450, all Europe's books were handcopied and amounted to only a few thousand. By 1500, they were printed and numbered in their millions. The invention of Johann Gutenberg had caused a revolution: printing by movable type. Born in 1400 in Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg struggled against a background of plague and religious upheaval to bring his remarkable invention to light. His story is full of paradoxes: his ambition was to reunite all Christendom, but his invention shattered it; he aimed to make a fortune, but was cruelly denied the fruits of his life's work. Yet history remembers him as a visionary; his discovery marks the beginning of the modern world.

A wacky tall tale about how musicians first learned to play together.All the musicians in the kingdom are so awful that the king sends his men-at-arms to round up musicians and feed them to the royal crocodiles. Pipe and drum player Piffaro heads for the border, collecting other refugee musicians on the way. Their jam session on the road is so bad that the horse pulling the wagon figures out a way to make them all play the same music at the same time—a system of lines and hoofprints. (In fact, there was a time before musical notation was devised, but that’s the only part of this story that is true!) Includes afterword.

The name Attila the Hun has become a byword for barbarism, savagery and violence. His is a truly household name, but what do we really know about the man himself, his position in history and the world in which he lived? This riveting biography reveals the man behind the myth.In the years 434-454AD the fate of Europe hung upon the actions of one man, Attila, king of the Huns. The decaying Roman Empire still stood astride the Western World from its twin capitals of Rome and Constantinople, but it was threatened by a new force, the much-feared Babarian horde. It was Attila who united the Barbarian tribes into a single, amazingly effective army and launched two violent attacks against the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire, attacks which earned him his reputation for mindless devastation, and brought an end to Rome’s pre-eminence in Europe.Attila was coarse, capricious, arrogant, ruthless and brilliant. An illiterate and predatory tribal chief, he had no interest in administration, but was a wily politician who, from his base in the grasslands of Hungary, used secretaries and ambassadors to bring him intelligence on his enemies. He was a leader whose unique qualities made him supreme among tribal leaders, but whose weaknesses ensured the collapse of his empire after his death.

As befits its hero, the song "Señor Don Gato" springs to life in an animated read-aloud sure to spur many a rousing rendition. Meow - Meow - Meow!Oh, Señor Don Gato was a cat.On a high red roof Don Gato sat. . . . When Señor Don Gato receives an ardent love letter from the fluffy white lady cat, a dramatic chain of events is set into motion. There’s a tragic fall off the roof, a heart-rending death scene, a village thrown into mourning for its fallen hero . . . and then love, returned to life and triumphant. Lively and full of fun, John Manders’s illustrations capture delightful details of Spanish architecture and customs, while a costumed cast of cats acts out the well-known children’s song with comically melodramatic flair.

There can be only three in the Freaky Joe Club Those are the rules, set down by Freaky Joe himself in the big red book, slightly chewed on one corner and wrapped in a locked bicycle chain. The newest chapter of the Freaky Joe Club consists of Conor, Timmy, and Jack, and their mission is to solve crimes and fight evil in Ship's Cove, Texas -- if they can only convince anyone that three is evil in Ship's Cove. The gang tackles its latest case when the Ship's Cove Bullfrogs find themselves in a surprise run for the Siege of the Alamo roller hockey championship. But why does important hockey equipment keep disappearing at the worst possible moment? Why can't the league's top player score a goal? Could someone want to win badly enough to cheat? Who exactly is The Howler? And most of all,... WHO IS FREAKY JOE?

A stunning biography of history's most infamous warlord, Attila the Hun For a crucial twenty years in the early fifth century, Attila held the fate of the Roman Empire and the future of all Europe in his hands. He created the greatest of barbarian forces, and his empire briefly rivaled Rome's. In numerous raids and three major campaigns against the Roman Empire, he earned himself an instant and undying reputation for savagery. But there was more to him than mere barbarism. Attila was capricious, arrogant, brutal, and brilliant enough to win the loyalty of millions. In the end, his ambitions ran away with him. He did not live long enough to found a lasting empire―but long enough to jolt Rome toward its final fall.In this riveting biography, masterful storyteller John Man draws on his extensive travels through Attila's heartland and his experience with the nomadic traditions of Central Asia to reveal the man behind the myth.

Attila the Hun is a household name---a byword for mindless barbarism. But to most of us the man himself, his world, and his significance are all unknown. In this stunning historical narrative, John Man reveals the real Attila. For a crucial twenty years in the early fifth century, Attila held the fate of the Roman Empire and the future of all Europe in his hands. The decaying imperium, dominating the West from its twin capitals of Rome and Constantinople, was threatened by barbarian tribes from the East. It was Attila who created the greatest of barbarian forces. His empire briefly rivaled Romes, reaching from the Rhine to the Black Sea, the Baltic to the Balkans. In numerous raids and three major campaigns against the Roman Empire, he earned himself an instant and undying reputation for savagery. But there was more to him than mere barbarism. Attilas power derived from his astonishing character. He was capricious, arrogant, and brutal---but also brilliant enough to win the loyalty of millions. Huns thought him semi divine, Goths and other barbarians adored him, educated Westerners were proud to serve him. Attila was also a canny politician. From his base in the Hungarian grasslands, he sent Latin and Greek secretaries to blackmail the Roman Empire. Like other despots, before and since, he relied on foreign financial backing and knew how to play upon the weaknesses of his friends and enemies. With this unique blend of qualities, Attila very nearly dictated Europes future. In the end, his ambitions ran away with him. An insane demand for the hand of a Roman princess and assaults too deep into France and Italy led to sudden death in the arms of a new wife. He did not live long enough to found a lasting empire--- but enough to jolt Rome toward its final fall. In this riveting biography, John Man draws on his extensive travels through Attilas heartland and his experience with the nomadic traditions of Central Asia to reveal the man behind the myth.