Book Description
Golf instruction has never been this easy, or as much fun! An attractive, illustrated question-and-answer format presents true-to-life difficulties and traps that golfers regularly encounter, and then shows how to get out of them. It also shows many typical lies and demonstrates the correct ways to play them. Here's an example. "Question: When chipping from just off the green, should you set up with your weight (1) Evenly distributed on both feet? (2) Mainly on the left? (3) Mainly on the right? Answer: This shot calls for a slightly descending angle of attack so the ball can be "pinched" off the turf, especially if you have a tight lie. Setting up with your weight mainly on your left foot promotes a steeper angle into the ball." Detailed drawings accompany each question to show both the right and the wrong way to play a given lie, and to demonstrate why the wrong way is wrong. Major topics covered include equipment, golf fundamentals, the long and mid game, the short game, getting out of trouble, playing against the elements, and making strategic decisions. A summary of golf rules concludes the volume. Here is a book that will improve the games of experienced amateurs as well as beginners. More than 250 color illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description
Jack and Annie continue their quest for the secrets of happiness–secrets they need if they’re going to save Merlin. But when the magic tree house leads them to a tiny deserted island in the middle of the ocean, they’re not sure who needs help more–Merlin or themselves! The brother and sister team are soon rescued by a ship of explorers and scientists. But the crew isn’t looking for the secrets of happiness. The crew is looking for . . . a sea monster! ... Read more

Book Description
This volume considers the geological processes at and biological colonization of, deep ocean spreading centres from both a modern, for example Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the East Pacific and the South West Indian Ridge, and an ancient perspective, such as in the UK, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece and the Urals.The book is one of the first attempts to bring together researchers from disciplines as diverse as geophysics and biology studying modern active hydrothermal systems and the fossilized remains of long-extinct hydrothermal systems that are now locked in the geological record.By using new knowledge of how hydrothermal systems function we can aid the understanding and prediction of mineral deposits now found on land. ... Read more

Book Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Outstanding work!
This reference book is precisely what its title says it is, in that it is a concise view of history. Very concise.If you want detail, this is certainly not the book to get, as this book covers thousands of years.Sidebars give more a little detail on specified subjects, but even these do not delve too deeply into the subject matter.

That being said, National Geographic has done an admirable job of putting together history on a visual timeline which makes the book very accessible, and easy to pick up for any casual reader.Optimally, this book would be used in conjunction with a more detailed book on history or archaeology, or something such as The Encyclopedia of World History or The Oxford Companion to Archaeology.

Admittedly, it is not perfect, as the (re)discovering of Machu Piccu in Peru in 1911 by Hiram Bingham is not on the timeline of the Americas.And it mentions the first year for cartoons in newspapers, but mentions neither the newspaper or the city in which they were published.Even given these provisos, this is a remarkable and highly visual book which is a great reference and should have a place on your bookshelf.

**** 1/2 stars.

A very good book, but...
A very good book but inadequate packaging from Amazon resulted in me having to give my father a damaged book on Father's Day.

Not What I Was Expecting
This book does not give a very deep look into any of its historical events.It is merely a visual time line.It's not deep.You won't get much history from reading it.You will simply get a better undersanding of how world history events overlap each other.I wouldn't buy it if I had it to do over.

birds-eye view
This is an excellent source for obtaining a quick, clear, and coherent context for an event or a period. For example, if you want to know what the rest of the world was doing when the Conquistadors sailed onto the shores of South America, this book is the best first step in your research.The entries are concise and the layout is attractive.

Very good book but I have to take issue with something important
I like the way the book covers things like the cave man section. It mentions that humans learned to walk upright about 4 million years ago. Then it proceeds on to describe the ice age of only thousands of years ago and mentions things like the domestication of dogs by humans. In the world at a glance section of the book it talks of Homo Erectus nad Neanderthals. It also covers recorded ancient, medieval, and modern history all pretty well too. Now for the thing I take issue with. When describing Saddam Hussein's illegal (according to the UN)invasion of Kuwait--the book actually gives the wrong year. It gives 1989 as the year of his invasion rather than 1990. Then it gets something important right when desccribing his use of chemical weapons against Kurdish civilians. This is referring to his deadly, genocidal Anfal Campaign he conducted in the 1980's against Kurds (more than 100,000 kurds killed by him in just one year!). ... Read more