Every March, the NCAA men's basketball tournament blankets newspapers and the Internet, and attracts millions of television viewers over the course of three weeks. Will a perennial favorite like Duke win? Or will it be a dark horse like Gonzaga? The phenomenon known as March Madness galvanizes a nation of viewers as few other sports events can. The reason? Bracketology. America eagerly watches as 64 teams become 32, then 16, then 8, then 4, then 2, and finally #1.Now it's time to us...

What do belly dancing, pickleball, mountain biking, metabolism, the food pyramid, yoga, the Greek Olympiad, Charles Atlas, broccoli, and tongue twisters have in common? Answer: they are all explained in Let’s Get Infografit, drawn in graphic detail.The book has a quick and easy exercise program, but it’s also a how-to-show-it graphics manual, with examples from Greek vases through 19th and 20th century exercise plans, as well diagrams that explain how to prepare for sports...

In Joyful Infographics: A Friendly, Human Approach to Data, one of the leading graphic designers of recent times shows how a judicious use of humor can make infographics more understandable. Written in non-academic, easy-to-understand language, and with historical and contemporary visual examples presented throughout, this small book provides a short history of light-hearted graphics. The text outlines nine clear ways to make graphics more understandable, explores the impo...

Throughout British history rivers have been of profound economic, social and cultural importance – yet as we see with increasing frequency they have the potential to wreak great destruction.This book describes the natural and not-so-natural changes that have affected British rivers since the last ice age and looks at the many plants and animals that live along, above and within them. Detailed case studies of the Meon, Dee and Endrick illustrate the incredibly varie...

The authors cut through party bias to present the quantifiable facts about how modern presidents have performed on critical national issuesPoliticians and the media spend a lot of time telling Americans how the presidents and their administrations are performing, but this analysis always skews along party lines. In Presimetrics, Kimel and Kanell take a fresh look at modern politics by gathering data from numerous government sources in order to compare and rank presi...

A skilled storyteller, Holmes presents a riveting account of the wars, intrigues and personalities that contributed to Rome's decline, with entire chapters devoted to single battles.' Kirkus ReviewsWhy did Rome Fall?In this gripping retelling of one of the most momentous chapters in history, Nick Holmes presents a new interpretation of an old story. The fate of Rome was decided not just by emperors, soldiers, and barbarians but also by an ...

It was a time of revolution. The Roman Revolution describes the little known "crisis of the third century", and how it led to a revolutionary new Roman Empire. Long before the more famous collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, in the years between AD 235-275, barbarian invasions, civil war, and plague devastated ancient Rome. Out of this ordeal came new leaders, new government, new armies, and a new vision of what it was to be Roman. Best remem...

How did a remote desert people change the course of world history?In the seventh century AD, the Eastern Roman Empire collapsed—defeated by the rising power of Arabia. How did this happen? And why then?In this gripping new history, Nick Holmes offers a fresh view of the end of the Ancient World and the rise of Islam—it wasn't just religion and war that shaped history, but a hidden force also played a vital role—cli...

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER ROME FELL?In The Inheritors of Rome**, Nick Holmes concludes his series on the Fall of the Roman Empire** with a bold and thought-provoking examination of the world that followed the fall.From the collapse of Roman civilization to the rise of Charlemagne's empire, from the explosive expansion of early Islam to the resilience of Byzantium, and from the devastation of the Vikings ...

"A skilled storyteller . . . Holmes presents a riveting account of Rome's decline" —Kirkus ReviewsAttila is a household name. But his true character and impact on the Roman Empire have always remained elusive. Until now.In the first major work written about Attila in decades, Nick Holmes rewrites the story of Attila and Rome. Contrary to his brutal legend, Attila was a complex and captivating personality. A great warlord who despis...

IT WAS AN AGE OF GLORY . . . BUT ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD.The sixth-century AD witnessed a remarkable turn-around in the Roman Empire's fortunes. Justinian's general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. An impressive new law code was inaugurated that would endure to this day. Astonishing building projects rivalled the great monuments of Old Rome.But rather than restoring Rome's greatness did Justin...

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. A few pages can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.In this series we try to offer up tried and trusted ‘Top Tens’ across many different themes and authors. But any anthology will immediately throw up the questions – Why that story? Why that author?The theme ...