The Samurai are the legendary warrior class of Japan. They played a crucial role in the country's history, politics and religion and their legacy continues to hold immense sway over popular culture.In this fascinating history, author Rod Johnson takes us through the rise and fall of the Samurai in Japanese society from the emergence of the new class in the eighth century through the turbulent periods of the Mongol invasions and the civil wars of the Sengoku period to the attempts o...

Get up to speed quickly with this comprehensive guide to SpringBeginning Spring is the complete beginner's guide to Java's most popular framework. Written with an eye toward real-world enterprises, the book covers all aspects of application development within the Spring Framework. Extensive samples within each chapter allow developers to get up to speed quickly by providing concrete references for experimentation, building a skillset that drives successful...

The Samurai are the legendary warrior class of Japan. They played a crucial role in the country's history, politics and religion and their legacy continues to hold immense sway over popular culture.In this fascinating history, author Rod Johnson takes us through the rise and fall of the Samurai in Japanese society from the emergence of the new class in the eighth century through the turbulent periods of the Mongol invasions and the civil wars of the Sengoku period to the attempts o...

A History of the Americas is an extraordinary narrative weaving together common threads of history of the two continents from the end of the ice ages until the present day.Covering the breadth of one of the world's largest and most important landmasses, A History of the Americas takes you from the emergence of the first civilizations of Norte Chico in Peru and the Olmecs in Mesoamerica to the rise of the Maya, Aztecs and Inca during the Middle Ages, as wel...

Declassified explores some of the most remarkable revelations to have emerged from top secret documents brought to light in recent years. It ranges from revelations of spies and sleeper agents, such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, to the frankly bizarre Acoustic Kitty project, in which the US government trained cats to spy on the Kremlin, to the murky tale of the 'disappeared' citizens during Argentina's military dictatorship.In this book, the author explores these remarkable projec...

Declassified explores some of the most remarkable revelations to have emerged from top secret documents brought to light in recent years. It ranges from revelations of spies and sleeper agents, such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, to the frankly bizarre Acoustic Kitty project, in which the US government trained cats to spy on the Kremlin, to the murky tale of the 'disappeared' citizens during Argentina's military dictatorship.In this book, the author explores these remarkab...

Did Henry VIII really plan to have Anne Boleyn's beloved dog thrown out the window? Was Elizabeth I secretly a man? Who were the Grey sisters, and why is theirs one of the saddest Tudor stories of all? From Henry VII to Elizabeth I, Bloody, Brilliant Tudors answers all these questions and more. Come with us as we delve into the people and places behind the world-famous Tudor myths and legends. Through various tales exploring the whole of the glittering dynasty, we'll learn about the lesser...

In his new book The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack, human paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall argues that a long tradition of "human exceptionalism" in paleoanthropology has distorted the picture of human evolution. Drawing partly on his own career—from young scientist in awe of his elders to crotchety elder statesman—Tattersall offers an idiosyncratic look at the competitive world of paleoanthropology, beginning with Charles Darwin 150 years ago, and continuing through the Le...

Learn about the origins of our species and all things revolution in The History Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about History in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The History Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching gra...

A gripping, often startling biography of the Founding Father of an America that other Founding Fathers forgot--an America of women, African Americans, Jews, Roman Catholics, Quakers, indentured workers, the poor, the mentally ill, and war veteransNinety percent of Americans could not vote and did not enjoy rights to life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness when our Founding Fathers proclaimed, "all men are created equal." Alone among those who signed the Declarat...

For readers of What an Owl Knows and The World Without Us, this infectiously impassioned tour of the five New York City boroughs offers jaded city dwellers and bird lovers everywhere an unexpected, delightful new view of the concrete jungle – through its surprisingly enormous and diverse bird populationRyan Goldberg came to birding unexpectedly, but as many first timers do after seeing their “spark” bird, he fell hard. Enamored by the incredible v...

In the exhilarating spirit of Wild and A Walk in the Park, an adventure-filled memoir of one woman’s struggle to succeed as a wildland firefighter on an elite, male-dominated crew as they battle some of the fiercest wildfires in the West.When Kelly Ramsey drives over a California mountain pass to join an elite firefighting crew, she’s terrified that she won’t be able to keep up with the intense demands of the job. Not only will she be the only wom...