Man, John

A biography of the sultan Saladin who formed the Islamic Empire and fought off the Crusaders in the twelfth century.

Blends mythology and anthropology to trace the history of ninjas, warriors with extraordinary skills in combat, climbing, deception, disguise, and camouflage from their first appearance in feudal Japan to the present.

A portrait based on popular history explores the Hun king's pivotal role in the final demise of the Roman empire, describing how his barbarian forces employed brutal battlefield tactics and held Western Europe in sway for some fifteen years in the mid-fifth century.

John Man recalls the experiences he had while traveling through the Gobi desert and describes the Gobi's national parks, mountains, sandstone canyons, and wildlife.

In Samurai, celebrated author John Man provides a unique and captivating look at their true history, told through the life of one man: Saigo Takamori, known to many as 'the last samurai.' In 1877, Takamori led a rebel army of samurai in a heroic 'last stand' against the Imperial Japanese Army, who sought to end the 'way of the sword' in favor of firearms and modern warfare.

In the fifteenth century, when Europe was not long out of the medieval age, the two halves of the Roman Empire were spiritually divided. Within Europe, the church was plagued by infighting among different factions of the clergy. The Renaissance had just begun. Europe was on the brink of a cultural revolution when a catalyst named Gutenberg invented the printing press. In this study, the author puts Gutenberg and the printing press in historical context by giving detailed pictures of the political situation in Europe at the time, on an international scale all the way down to a city level. He gives technical details on how a printing press works, and how to craft the movable type. In addition he gives a biography of the man, and attempts to construct a chronology of his publications.

Discusses some of history's most significant battles, focusing on how geography affected the outcomes of the conflicts, and features transparent overlays of ten sites that show how the fields looked during the battles and how they look in modern times.

Presents the history of the construction and modern discovery of the Terra Cotta Army, a group of full-size figures of warriors and horses buried with the First Emperor of China. Draws on history and personal travel in China to tell the story of how and why the Terra Cotta Army of more than 8,000 figures was created. Includes numerous color photos.