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Books in Don't Know Much series

  • Don't Know Much About the 50 States

    Kenneth C Davis, Renée Andriani

    Paperback (HarperCollins, April 13, 2004)
    Thirteen stripes-Fifty stars-And hundreds of AMAZING facts about the U.S.A.!Can you guess the names of the ten states below? 1. I have the highest waterfalls in North America. 2. I am the smallest state. 3. I am the largest state. 4. I have produced the most presidents of the United States. 5. I was the first to become a state. 6. I was the last to become a state. 7. I have the "Gateway to America." 8. I have the most kids under age ten. 9. I have the most tornadoes. 10. I am home to America's most popular vacation spot.See page 6 for answers.
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  • Don't Know Much About the Presidents

    Kenneth C Davis, Pedro Martin

    Paperback (HarperCollins, Jan. 27, 2009)
    Forty-four presidentsOne White HouseAnd hundreds of grand facts about our country’s leadersWhich president was also a movie star? (see page 56)What happened five days after the Union won the Civil War? (see page 28)What food did Americans think was poisonous until Thomas Jefferson ate some? (see page 12)Hail to the chief! Here’s your chance to learn all about the presidents’ important political achievements, their nicknames, hobbies—even what kind of foods they ate. Bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis packs fun facts and cool quotes into his signature question-and-answer format. Who knows? After you learn so much about the presidents, maybe you will want to run for office someday, too!
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  • Don't Know Much About® History

    Kenneth C Davis

    Paperback (Harper Paperbacks, May 8, 2012)
    A New York Times bestseller · More than 1.6 Million Copies Sold!“Reading him is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had!” ―People magazine From the arrival of Columbus through the historic election of Barack Obama and beyond, Davis carries readers on a rollicking ride through more than five hundred years of American history. In this revised, expanded, and updated edition of the classic anti-textbook, he debunks, recounts, and serves up the real story behind the myths and fallacies of American history.
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  • Don't Know Much About the Presidents

    Kenneth C. Davis, Pedro Martin

    Hardcover (HarperColl, Dec. 24, 2001)
    Did George Washington really chop down the cherry tree?How was James Madison a father if he didn't have any children?Where in the White House did William Howard Taft get stuck?HAIL TO THE CHIEF! The commander in chief is the leader of our nation the president of the United States. Here's your chance to learn about the presidents' inaugurations and important political achievements, as well as their nicknames, hobbies and even what kind of foods they did (and did not) eat. Discover how life in the White House has changed, and the diverse ways the First Ladies helped America.Best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis packs fan facts and coot quotes into his signature question-and-answer format. Detailed timelines make it easy to follow the major landmarks in American history. Presidential portraits and humorous illustrations make the design very inviting.Who knows? After you learn so much about the presidents, maybe you'll want to run for office someday, too!
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  • Don't Know Much About the 50 States

    Kenneth C. Davis, Renee Andriani

    Hardcover (HarperCollins, Aug. 1, 2001)
    Which Texas leader cried, "Remember the Alamo"?Where in Kentucky can you find eyeless fish and blind beetles?What Minnesotan was so big that he used a pine tree to brush his beard?Every state boasts a special claim to fame -- whether for its rich history, natural splendor, advancement of the arts, or other unique contribution to American life. Check out what's said about the place you call home -- and learn surprising facts about the rest of the country.In this delightfully designed and illustrated book, Kenneth C. Davis's lively question-and-answer format gives you lots of fascinating information. You're guaranteed to impress parents, shock friends, and even stump teachers!
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  • Don't Know Much About the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned

    Kenneth C Davis

    Paperback (Perrenial, March 15, 2001)
    With wit, wisdom, and an extraordinary talent for turning dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts, the creator of the bestselling Don't Know Much About®, series now brings the world of the Old and New testaments to life as no one else can in the bestseller Don't Know Much About® The Bible. Relying on new research and improved translations, Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says. Jericho's walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line. Moses never parted the Red Sea. There was a Jesus, but he wasn't born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child. Davis brings readers up-to-date on findings gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic Gospels that prompt serious scholars to ask such serious questions as: Who wrote the Bible? Did Jesus say everything we were taught he did? Did he say more? By examining the Bible historically, Davis entertains and amazes, provides a much better understanding of the subject, and offers much more fun learning about it.
  • Don't Know Much About The Universe: Everything You Need to Know About the Cosmos but Never Learned

    Kenneth C Davis

    Hardcover (Harper, Sept. 4, 2001)
    From the ancients who charted the stars, to Jules Verne and Flash Gordon, to The X-Files, Apollo 13, and Armageddon, subjects engaging the heavens and outer space have intrigued people through the ages. And yet so many of us look up at the night sky and have to admit that we are totally in the dark when it comes to the most basic facts about the heavens.Into the void steps Kenneth C. Davis with the latest addition to his bestselling and critically acclaimed DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT® series. Don't Know Much About® the Universe is a lively and readable guide to the discoveries, theories, and real people that have shaped space exploration, from the beginning of civilization to the present. Using the now-familiar and popular question-and-answer format that has appealed to millions of readers, Davis sets his sights on a subject that has inspired the greatest of fascinations, produced many popular misconceptions, and ultimately helped shape the course of history.From a historical overview of man's preoccupation with space to a guided tour of our solar system and beyond, Kenneth Davis seeks, as always, to entertain as he teaches. He looks at issues that go beyond the bounds of simple "Science 101" and asks the kinds of questions we may have wanted to ask back in school but didn't have the nerve.For example:Who dug those canals on Mars? Is a "blue moon" really blue?What does astronomy have to do with astrology? Will we end with a bang or a whimper?
  • Don't Know Much About Planet Earth

    Kenneth C Davis, Tom Bloom

    Paperback (Collins, July 24, 2001)
    Do sleeping volcanoes snore? (see page 12)Is the Dead Sea dead? (see page 21)How icy is Iceland? (see page 78)Join best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis on an entertaining trek across the globe as he answers some big questions about the world in the amusing style that has won millions of readers.With fascinating anecdotes about the world's most unusual places and notable quotes from world travelers throughout history, Davis leads you to the longest river, coldest desert, tallest waterfall, most powerful volcanic eruption, and much more. Humorous illustrations and amazing stories make the "boring" facts of geography come to life as you read about Marco Polo's adventures in China and discover that people in Latin America speak Spanish and Portuguese -- not Latin at all!Kenneth C. Davis brings the verve of his popular best-seller Don't Know Much About® Geography to a new audience. He makes it fun to learn more about this incredible planet we call home.
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  • Don't Know Much About the Pilgrims

    Kenneth C Davis, S. D. Schindler

    Paperback (HarperCollins, Aug. 22, 2006)
    Thirty-four children on the MayflowerThree days of Thanksgiving feastingAnd hundreds of facts about the hardworking PilgrimsPilgrims in Plymouth: True or False QuizThe Mayflower was a huge ship—nearly as large as the Titanic—with a bowling alley and a swimming pool!Squanto, an Indian who helped the Pilgrims, spoke English.Pilgrim farmers buried fish in the ground to help their corn grow better.The Pilgrims called their harvest feast Thanksgiving.Thanksgiving today is a time for families to say grace and gobble turkey. But why did the Pilgrims start this tradition? And who were these people anyway? In this latest outstanding entry in the Don't Know Much About® series by renowned author Kenneth C. Davis, you can discover all you ever wanted to know about the Pilgrims.
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  • Don't Know Much About® Geography: Revised and Updated Edition

    Kenneth C. Davis

    Paperback (Harper Paperbacks, May 21, 2013)
    Don't Know Much About Geography by New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis is a fascinating and fun exploration of our planet. Geography is the hub from which other disciplines radiate: meteorology, ecology, geology, oceanography, demographics, cartography, agricultural studies, economics, and political science. In addition to presenting geographical trivia that’ll impress your friends, Davis explores 21st-century topics of global concern, including the role of the Internet and technology in transforming the lives of people around the world, how so-called developing nations develop, sustainability, and the debates over climate change and evolutionary science. This completely revised and updated version of Don't Know Much About Geography is an entertaining and illuminating grand tour of planet Earth.
  • Don't Know Much About® Anything: Everything You Need to Know but Never Learned About People, Places, Events, and More!

    Kenneth C. Davis

    Paperback (Harper Perennial, July 31, 2007)
    In his wildly entertaining, winningly irreverent, New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, author Kenneth C. Davis has amused and edified us with fascinating facts about history, mythology, the Bible, the universe, geography, and the Civil War.Now, the sky's the limit in his latest irresistible installment—a grand tour of knowledge that carries us from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Berlin Wall, from the Salem Witch Trials to Watergate, from Michelangelo to Houdini. Brimming with busted myths, gripping true stories, and peculiar particulars about a plethora of people, places, and events, this captivating compendium is guaranteed to delight information lovers everywhere as it feeds our insatiable appetite to know everything!
  • Don't Know Much About the Solar System

    Kenneth C Davis, Pedro Martin

    Paperback (HarperCollins, Sept. 7, 2004)
    Nine planets-- More than seventy moons --And hundreds of stellar facts about theSolar System!True or False:1. Venus is the coolest planet in our solar system.2. Halley's comet returns every seventy-six years.3. The universe is 15 to 20 billion years old.Blast Off and discover the secrets of outer space! Have you ever wondered why our galaxy is called "the Milky Way," or if you could really catch a shooting star? Here's your chance to find out without ever leaving Earth. Best-selling author Kenneth C. Davis packs fascinating facts and riddles into his signature question-and-answer format. He makes exploring the solar system an out-of-this-world experience!
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