Books with author Neil Kagan

From the dawn of humankind to today's global complexities, this monumental volume presents world history from an original perspective that provides fresh insights with every colorful spread. Few references are as invaluable, all-inclusive, and satisfying to browse. For readers of all ages, world history is easily accessible, depicted as never before—so that events occurring simultaneously around the world can be viewed at-a-glance together. For example, Texas Instruments launched the pocket calculator the same year the Soviet Union launched the first manned space station, in 1971. Columbus sailed from Spain the year Martin Behaim constructed a terrestrial globe in Nuremberg. The California Gold Rush followed the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, and the Greek dictatorship of Papadopoulos is overthrown the same year Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed and U.S. president Nixon resigns, in 1974. The book's innovative time line truly sets it apart, allowing readers to scan across a spread and explore a single area or compare contemporary societies across the globe. This remarkable resource also contains dozens of maps; scores of sidebars; hundreds of illustrations; and thousands of events, milestones, personalities, ideas, and inventions. Throughout, vivid illustrations depict artworks, artifacts, portraits and dramatic scenes, while sidebar topics range from local customs and lifestyles to the effect of climate change on human migration. Drawing on National Geographic's vast resources, this concise yet comprehensive, one-of-a-kind work is as rewarding as it is compulsively readable.

From the dawn of humankind to today's global complexities, this monumental volume presents world history from an original perspective that provides fresh insights with every colorful spread. Few references are as invaluable, all-inclusive, and satisfying to browse. For readers of all ages, world history is easily accessible, depicted as never before—so that events occurring simultaneously around the world can be viewed at-a-glance together. For example, Texas Instruments launched the pocket calculator the same year the Soviet Union launched the first manned space station, in 1971. Columbus sailed from Spain the year Martin Behaim constructed a terrestrial globe in Nuremberg. The California Gold Rush followed the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s, and the Greek dictatorship of Papadopoulos is overthrown the same year Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is deposed and U.S. president Nixon resigns, in 1974. The book's innovative time line truly sets it apart, allowing readers to scan across a spread and explore a single area or compare contemporary societies across the globe. This remarkable resource also contains dozens of maps; scores of sidebars; hundreds of illustrations; and thousands of events, milestones, personalities, ideas, and inventions. Throughout, vivid illustrations depict artworks, artifacts, portraits and dramatic scenes, while sidebar topics range from local customs and lifestyles to the effect of climate change on human migration. Drawing on National Geographic's vast resources, this concise yet comprehensive, one-of-a-kind work is as rewarding as it is compulsively readable.

Join National Geographic's quest to find the heart and soul of Mexico. Journey through a land of incredible biodiversity: from the Rio Grande to the Sierra Madre. Visit Mexico City, the vast metropolis built on an ancient lakebed. Study the country's history of earthquakes and volcanoes and its current struggles to protect animal habitats. Explore Mexico's history as the center of the Olmec, Maya and Aztec civilizations in Beth Gruber's lively text. Learn how Mexico's borders once extended north to southern Wyoming, west to California, and east to Louisiana. Witness the cultural and political aftereffects of Spanish Catholicism and discover how the hacienda system of agriculture led to revolution. The author also explains the importance of family and traditions in Mexican culture and the country's rich artistic heritage. Finally, readers will come to understand the disappointments of the Revolution, the limits of the single-party system, social inequalities, the economy, emigration to the United States, and the effects of the tourist boom on the environment.

National Geographic invites you to journey through China in a vibrant book that profiles the country's extensive geography, its storied history, and its rich culture. You'll also examine the growing role modern China plays in today's global economy. Travel with the experts deep into this land of diverse people and see the wide range of landscapes, from vast plateaus to the great timber forests. Witness the Yangtze River in the east, yaks and gazelle in the wilderness of the west, and rare pandas as they prowl their natural habitat. Wander through the past, along the Great Wall of China, built to ward off enemies of a mighty empire. Experience the effects of Mao's Cultural Revolution, and learn how political tensions with neighbors like Taiwan and the recently acquired Hong Kong, play against China's policy of welcoming tourists. Finally, examine how modern industrial China is balancing the traditions of the past with the demands of the future.

Welcome to Kenya, land of light and infinite variety. National Geographic will be your guide in Nairobi, and into the bush beyond. Kenya's busy capital bustles with crowds, traffic and markets selling produce from the heartlands. Out in the bush, a myriad of tribal peoples, including the Maasai, live more traditional lives. Your African odyssey will take you to the soaring Mount Kilimanjaro. A climb to its snow-capped peak will lead you through five different ecosystems. Such diversity is common to Kenya's landscapes and is also reflected in the country's stunning array of wildlife. Lions, zebras, and wildebeest roam the land, while the great rivers teem with hippopotami and crocodiles. The human history of Kenya is no less diverse. From the first footprints of humans, to the colonial rule of the British and the Germans, major change has been a constant in the progress towards independence in the 1950s and prosperity in the 1960s. The book concludes with a look at the modern-day challenges facing Kenya.