Books in Landmark Books series

Edward Drinker Cope was a charming man with a passion for old bones. Othniel Marsh was a stickler for procedure when he studied his fossil finds. They started as friends, sharing ideas and information, but after Marsh tried to poach Cope's digging site, they became bitter enemies. Their decades-long feud fueled their desire to dig up more bones, to discover new species, and to find ever bigger and more unusual dinosaurs. Through their competition, the two men laid a far-reaching foundation for the brand-new field of palentology.A fascinating story told with an engaging narrative technique, and well complemented by period photographs and drawings, a map, a time line, and an author's note.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Maya Angelou spent her childhood moving between two homes. She was often lonely, and when she was abused by her mother’s boyfriend, sensitive Maya felt guilty and more alone than ever. But with time and a new friend, Maya began to share her thoughts and feelings with other people. Poet, playwright, actress, singer, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou is a role model for women, African Americans, and all Americans. A sensitive yet accessible approach to difficult subjects as well as an introduction to a great figure in our recent history, this book is sure to motivate discussion.

On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered a small nugget of gold in a stream near Sutter's Mill, California. Though he tried to keep it a secret, word spread through the country like wildfire. Before the year was out, the great American Gold Rush had begun. Here's a true-life story that re-creates a time when people from all walks of life dropped what they were doing and headed west with picks and shovels in the hope of finding riches--and added a brand-new chapter to our country's history.

Meet the amazing women of the American Revolution. From Nancy Morgan Hart, who captured enemy soldiers, to 15-year-old Betty Zane, who dodged bullets while running for gunpowder to save patriot lives—Patriots in Petticoats celebrates 24 of America’s most daring and overlooked patriots!Written with a compelling, light touch and packed with photographs, period art, maps, and timelines, Patriots in Petticoats is young nonfiction at its best—entertaining, engaging, and empowering!From the Hardcover edition.

How the Revolutionary War BeganThe American colonists were fed up with British law. They refused to buy English goods. They formed a militia of tradesmen and farmers ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Most importantly, they joined together. All 13 colonies sent representatives to decide whether they should form a new country. That group wrote the Declaration of Independence, the document that summed up a revolution.