The first known reference to a card game comes from China in AD868. By the middle of the 15th century, Ming Dynasty players were using packs with four suits. Some people used wooden tiles instead, which led to the introduction of dominoes and rummikub. Games spread across Asia into Europe. The Saracens and Moors were playing an ancient game called naib in the 14th century, and Egyptian decks with 52 cards survive from the same period. The suits were traditionally swords, clubs, cups and co...

Now that we are re-assessing the devasting effect of aggressive and predatory European colonialism, particularly by Britain, this book provides a timely review of how the indigenous population of North America was virtually wiped out by the end of the 19th century. It's estimated that between two and ten million Native Americans farmed the plains in the northwest of the continent before the arrival of Columbus in the New World. Unfortunately, the aggressive, land grabbing Europeans brought...

On 31st August 1939, German SS Troops in Polish uniforms launched a false attack on a German radio station on the border. The following day, Hitler used this as his pretext for invading Poland with two enormous pincer movements. He believed Britain and France wouldn't react but he was mistaken and both declared war on Germany on 3rd September. Appeasement had given way to abject betrayal and the whole of Europe was plunged into war once more. The Germans believed they had a secret weapon t...

The D-Day landings on June 6th 1944 were part of the largest military operation in history. An airborne assault in Northern France was followed by amphibious landings on five Normandy beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The Allied invasion was designed to breach the fearsome defences of the Atlantic Wall, push inland to secure towns and villages, and drive German forces south and east.Despite beginning the assault with more than 7,000 ships and nearly 200,000 men, US, Briti...

This new ebook combines both concise histories of WWI and WWII in one book, written by Pat Morgan and Liam McCann respectively. WWI On 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo, a Bosnian Serb student shot the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The assassination plunged the world into a global conflict that was to scar human history and redefine the meaning of the word 'war'. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand provided the spark that ignited smouldering enmities, but World War I ...

Growing vegetables and herbs at home is easy and rewarding as long as you choose the best time to plant the right seeds. Some require a little TLC while others will happily look after themselves. You don't need to tend a dedicated area in your garden as most vegetables herbs will thrive next to flowers or in containers on balconies or windowsills, or preferably in a plot or on an allotment. This informative little ebook looks at the origins and history of many of the world's most popular v...

Growing flowers at home is easy and rewarding and as long as you follow the simple guidance in this handy ebook you should achieve some outstanding displays in the garden or else cut for display in the home. You don't always need to tend a dedicated area in your garden as most plants are quite happy in borders or in containers on balconies or windowsills. Most species will also grow alongside vegetables in a plot. Follow the tips in this book to help pick the plants and flowers that will e...

In 1886 German engineer Karl Benz invented a petrol-powered automobile that became the first production motor vehicle. Steam and electric cars already existed but they were slow and cumbersome, and the internal-combustion engine revolutionised the industry. Only a decade or so later, drivers of all three types of car were battling for the outright speed record but progress was slow and it took until 1904 before Frenchman Louis Rigolly reached 100mph.By the 1920s, motor racing had entered a...

Irish Rugby Player by Player is a compilation of the 50 greatest Irish rugby players in the sport's history. Re-live the glorious careers of Jack Kyle and Brian O'Driscoll, examine Eric Elwood's contribution to the game, and marvel at the genius of Simon Geoghegan and Keith Wood. Enjoy the careers of Irish stalwarts like Jeremy Davidson and Rory Best, and cast your mind back to the epic Lions tours that saw Tom Kiernan, Willie John McBride, Ollie Campbell (who writes a foreword for the boo...

Many of us have grown up with James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan as our heroes, but these spies live and work in a fictional world that bears little resemblance to reality. Secret agents have existed for as long as humans have been in conflict, and this book tells the stories of the people and agencies responsible for some of the most daring and disastrous exploits in the history of intelligence gathering, warfare and espionage.We'll examine the lives of Nathan Hale, the man ex...

The offensive on the Somme took place between July 1 and November 18 1916 and is arguably the most iconic battle of the Great War. Kitchener's infamous Pals Battalions were first sent into the battlefield en masse and it was a here where many of the dreams and aspirations of a nation, hopeful of victory, were agonizingly dashed. More than three million men fought in the battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in history.

Ireland has produced some of the world's most popular comedians. This ebook explores the lives and professions of its finest exports, such as Jimmy O'Dea, Cork's favourite son Niall Tóibín, Dublin-born Maureen Potter, Hal Roach who spent 26 of his 60 years in showbusiness performing at Jury's Irish Cabaret and Frank Kelly, a comedian who graduated from a bit part in the original Italian Job to the outrageous Father Jack Hackett in Father Ted, a series that also introduced Dermot Morgan a...