Lapidarium


Book Description

Inspired by the lapidaries of the ancient world, this book is a beautifully designed collection of true stories about sixty different stones that have influenced our shared history The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures. Catherine the Great wore the wealth of Russia stitched in gemstones onto the front of her bodices. Through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, the story of humanity can be told through the minerals and materials that have allowed us to evolve and create. From the Taiwanese national treasure known as the Meat-Shaped Stone to Malta’s prehistoric “fat lady” temples carved in globigerina limestone to the amethyst crystals still believed to have healing powers, Lapidarium is a jewel box of sixty far-flung stones and the stories that accompany them. Together, they explore how human culture has formed stone, and the roles stone has played in forming human culture.




The Secret of the Stones


Book Description

"A tour thousand year old mystery lurks in the hills of Georgia. While investigating a strange series of ancient codes, an archaeologist vanishes, and a professor he entrusted with the secret is murdered. Former government agent, Sean Wyatt, learns of his friend's disappearance as well as the assassinations and must race against the clock to unravel the clues to the ancient mystery. But to save him, he will have to fight off highly trained mercenaries in hand to hand combat, violent shootouts, and high speed car chases through the Blue Ridge Mountains. And in the end, what he learns will change the history books as we know them."--




The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll


Book Description

Sex. Drugs. Loud music. Wild costumes. Dazzling light shows. These words can all describe a great rock concert or a hot dance club, but they were also part and parcel of the ancient cultural phenomenon known as the “Mystery religions.” In this book, author Christopher Knowles shows how the Mystery religions got a secular reincarnation when a new musical form called rock 'n' roll burst onto the scene. The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll traces the history of the Mysteries — their rise, their fall, and their survival through long centuries of repression. Knowles shows how the Mysteries prefigured subcultures as diverse as Santeria, Freemasonry, Mardi Gras and even the Holiness churches of the American frontier, and explains exactly how ancient rituals and music found their way to the New World. In the process, The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll traces the development of rock's most popular genres such as punk and heavy metal, and reveals how many of rock's most iconic artists play the same archetypal roles as the ancient gods. You'll see how many of the rituals and customs and even musical styles of our postmodern society have stunning ancient parallels. You'll meet history's first pop




The Secret History of Rock


Book Description

To amend the "official" history of Rock, the author focuses on the fascinating history and powerful influence that certain innovative, albeit generally under-appreciated, musicians have had on successive generations of bands. 50 illustrations.




The Secret Journal


Book Description

Sixteen-year-old Garrett is beginning to realize that something is very wrong. Worrying about earning money for new running shoes, dodging the school bully, and enduring his stepfather's grueling bug-out training should be enough for any boy to deal with. But when Garrett Turek and his buddies find a disintegrating journal in the basement of an old Victorian, they realize there's a lot about their small Midwestern town they never knew. Turns out Petersburg, Illinois - home of the young Abraham Lincoln - has another history. . . a history that's been hidden from the world. Since the tragic loss of her mother, Breanne Moore has focused all her energy into one passion, archaeology. When her father, world-renowned archaeologist Dr. Charles Moore, is called to a mysterious dig site in Nova Scotia, Breanne is immersed in a treasure hunt that will make her question everything she knows. Could the Knights Templar really have hidden a treasure of untold riches on Oak Island, or could there be something else hidden, something long sought and never meant to be found? Little do the Moores know someone else searches. . . Someone ravenous for revenge. He has been searching for centuries and will stop at nothing to take back what was stolen. A prophecy will unite them and now Garrett, Breanne, and their loyal band of friends must stop a powerful force threatening to destroy the world. A coming-of-age story in the vein of Goonies and Stand by Me, with elements of Indiana Jones and The Magicians, this first book in an exciting new contemporary fantasy series is perfect for readers who like their archaeology mixed with magic and their suspense deepened by stories of friendship, family, and loyalty.




The Secret Life of Stuff


Book Description

Wouldn't you like: - Products that don't damage the environment? - A better way of life without agonising about your 'footprint'? - To really know your stuff? Climate change? Biofuels? Nuclear power? Landfills? Recycling? Renewable energy? Environmental issues can feel overwhelming. But, in fact, it is simple; it all comes down to one thing - stuff. Our use of the Earth's resources - whether a crisp packet or a cargo ship, a T-shirt or a wind turbine - has an inescapable impact on our future. In The Secret Life of Stuff, Julie Hill uncovers the origins and the true cost of what we use. Her inventory of over-consumption may shock but it is the first step towards overcoming waste. The misuse of stuff is not your fault, it's a product of history. But it is only by understanding what has gone wrong, that everyone - politicians, business people and us as consumers - can create a new and better material world.




Lapidarium


Book Description

Lapidarium weaves the surprising stories of the 60 most fascinating stones into a rich cultural history: from the red ground hematite pigment our cave-painting ancestors used and the mystery behind the tuff Easter Island heads, to the columbite that caused the Playstation War and the intriguing history of the cairngorm crystal ball, to the scandalous story of Flint Jack, whose forgeries still populate many museums in the UK today. Journeying from granite and old red sandstone, rocks formed deep within the Earth's crust, to the moon rock samples that only recently revealed how Earth's only satellite was formed, and through the realms of art, myth, geology, philosophy and power, from the Stone Age onwards, Lapidarium is a dazzling, epoch-spanning story of humanity, told through the minerals and materials that have shaped us and inspired us.




The Secret Life of Space


Book Description

The Secret Life of Space is the definitive guide to understanding the key breakthroughs and discoveries mankind has made to unravel the mysteries of the Cosmos. This engaging and fast-paced narrative debunks the urban myths of astronomy, revealing the true stories behind our biggest breakthroughs. Starting with the discovery that Stonehenge was actually built to celebrate the winter solstice rather than the summer, this book leads us through history to reveal that the telescope was not invented by Galileo, Einstein did not predict the presence of black holes or the Big Bang and Copernicus’s theory that the Sun was at the centre of the Universe might have actually disappeared without a trace had it not been for the efforts of one of his fanatical disciples. Renowned scientists and authors Nigel Henbest and Heather Couper also uncover the unsung heroes and heroines who have been overlooked in the history of scientific endeavor. These stories include the computer engineer who discovered more exploding stars in his back garden than anyone else in history, the teacher who developed the basis for radio astronomy and the sanitary engineer who found evidence of life on Mars. Finally, they look to today’s increasing possibility of space travel as we push the frontiers of discovery and ask the perennial question, is there life out there?




The Star-Crossed Stone


Book Description

Throughout the four hundred thousand years that humanity has been collecting fossils, sea urchin fossils, or echinoids, have continually been among the most prized, from the Paleolithic era, when they decorated flint axes, to today, when paleobiologists study them for clues to the earth’s history. In The Star-Crossed Stone, Kenneth J. McNamara, an expert on fossil echinoids, takes readers on an incredible fossil hunt, with stops in history, paleontology, folklore, mythology, art, religion, and much more. Beginning with prehistoric times, when urchin fossils were used as jewelry, McNamara reveals how the fossil crept into the religious and cultural lives of societies around the world—the roots of the familiar five-pointed star, for example, can be traced to the pattern found on urchins. But McNamara’s vision is even broader than that: using our knowledge of early habits of fossil collecting, he explores the evolution of the human mind itself, drawing striking conclusions about humanity’s earliest appreciation of beauty and the first stirrings of artistic expression. Along the way, the fossil becomes a nexus through which we meet brilliant eccentrics and visionary archaeologists and develop new insights into topics as seemingly disparate as hieroglyphics, Beowulf, and even church organs. An idiosyncratic celebration of science, nature, and human ingenuity, The Star-Crossed Stone is as charming and unforgettable as the fossil at its heart.




The Secret Life of Kris Kringle


Book Description

The Secret Life of Kris Kringle as told by his brother, Olaf, answers the questions... Who were Santa's parents? How did he get all those amazing powers? Where did the Elves come from and why are their short and tall Elves in legend? And what about Santa's reindeer? These and some of the mysteries of the last thousand years are woven into a tale that even the Sphinx could enjoy.