When the explorer René Caillié returned to France from Africa in 1828, he published a sketch of the legendary city he had discovered - Timbuctoo. But neither that simple drawing nor his matter-of-fact description gave Caillié's countrymen a sufficiently colorful picture to match their preconceptions of how Africa should look. They turned their backs on the young explorer, ignored his accomplishments, and let him die neglected. Here are the epic adventures of the European explorers who open...

When curious storytellers Rowlan and Vespera uncover dusty guidebooks in their museum attic, they embark on a whirlwind pilgrimage to the world’s most famous landmarks. At each site—from Pisa’s tilted tower to Dubai’s sky-scraping Burj Khalifa—they spin playful legends of wind gods, water sprites, and stone guardians, while weaving in real engineering marvels and cultural facts. Along the way, they befriend local children, collect family tales, and post illustrated adventures on their Land...

On the eve of the Twilight Festival, the legendary Silver Lantern vanishes from the town’s shrine, threatening to cast the celebration into darkness. Resourceful twins Soren and Avia volunteer to retrieve it, following elusive chimes through moonlit alleys, starlit rooftops, and hidden garden mazes. Along the way they learn to listen for secret melodies from a mysterious wind-whistler and to express stories through silent dance with a dusk-dancer’s graceful steps. When they finally track t...

In the fog-covered town of Mistvale, Ava and her friends set out to create a lantern that can cut through the thick fog that has been growing year after year. With teamwork, creativity, and a little bit of humor, they build a lantern that not only guides the way but also lights up new paths to unity, understanding, and innovation. The Lanterns That Led the Way is a fun and inspiring story about leadership, problem-solving, and the power of working together to bring clarity to unce...

Performance Computing: Modern Systems and Practices is a fully comprehensive and easily accessible treatment of high performance computing, covering fundamental concepts and essential knowledge while also providing key skills training. With this book, students will begin their careers with an understanding of possible directions for future research and development in HPC, domain scientists will learn how to use supercomputers as a key tool in their quest for new knowledge, and practicing e...

High Performance Computing: Modern Systems and Practices is a fully comprehensive and easily accessible treatment of high performance computing, covering fundamental concepts and essential knowledge while also providing key skills training. With this book, domain scientists will learn how to use supercomputers as a key tool in their quest for new knowledge. In addition, practicing engineers will discover how supercomputers can employ HPC systems and methods to the design and simulation of ...

#1 New York Times Bestseller: Timeless investing basics by the host of the Emmy Award–winning show Adam Smith's Money World ."The best book there is about the stock market." — The New York Times Book ReviewThis essential book takes readers to the Street to learn about the intricacies of money and how the stock market impacts ev...

Here, from New York Times bestselling author Robert Wernick, is the unforgettable story of the Byzantine Empire, which dominated the world for more than 1,000 years. Here, too, are the stories of the extraordinary emperors and generals who brought the empire into being and ultimately presided over its demise. We witness the glittering city of Constantinople from its rise to greatness through its deadly conclusion. Though Byzantium has faded away, its everlasting contributions to our world ...

We remember Thomas Alva Edison as the craggy, rumpled inventor of the light bulb and the phonograph - a prodigy, the affable "Wizard of Menlo Park." But he also was a visionary entrepreneur who changed the world. What Edison invented was the modern age. Here is his unforgettable story.

Critics said Ferdinand de Lesseps's ambitious scheme to link the waters of the Mediterranean and Red seas - thus cutting 5,800 miles off the India to Europe ocean voyage - was impractical, unwise, and even foolish. The hostile, empty desert of the Isthmus of Suez posed a seemingly insurmountable geographical challenge to the builder's ingenuity and persistence. During the ten years of its construction, from 1859 to 1869, the Suez Canal was the focus of worldwide attention. Around the globe...

Out of the division and strife of the Middle Ages, Spain emerged from behind the Pyrenees to straddle the stage of European politics like some new colossus. Discoverer of a New World, it became the greatest power on earth and created a Golden Age of culture breathtaking in its quality and achievement. Within 150 years, Spain was in a state of decay and fast being left behind by more progressive European nations. Here, from award-winning historian Malveena McKendrick, is the dramatic story ...

Introduction by David McCullough. The first truly comprehensive history of America's most compelling symbol, the Statue of Liberty, is the result of more than three years of research. The authors, Christian Blanchet and Bernard Dard, sought out original sources, interviewed over 1,000 people, and combed through more than 100 museums, collections, and libraries to compile this definitive history. Here is the little-known story of the statue's origins and the people who brought it to complet...