civilization

"In the second 'Sapiens' volume, Yuval Noah Harari tells the story of how we took over the world; how an unlikely marriage between a god and a bureaucrat created the first empires; and how war, famine, disease, and inequality became a part of the human condition. The origins of modern farming are introduced through Elizabethan tragedy, the changing fortunes of domesticated plants and animals are tracked in the columns of the Daily Business News, and the story of urbanization is told as a travel brochure offering discount journeys to ancient Babylon and China"--OCLC.

"From a lowly mixture of stone, sand, water, and cement have sprung sidewalks, streets, and skyscrapers, . . . lighthouses and . . . palaces, long bridges and massive dams. In ancient building practices, in modern engineering, and in the architecture of the future, humble concrete plays a mighty role in the creation of the human-made world. With facts and . . . running narrative in the form of repartee-filled speech bubbles, [this book] is . . . informative and visually sweeping"--Provided by publisher.

Did you know the umbrella and toilet paper were both invented in China? Or that many ancient emperors believed they were descended from dragons? How about that kites were first used as warning signals in ancient China? Walk along miles and miles of the Great Wall, take a peek into terrific tombs, and stroll through some of the most amazing palaces ever built as you discover extreme facts about ancient China in this fun and kooky book.

"Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time--war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race--in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all"--Provided by publisher.

Explores the history and culture of the Maya Civilization.

"Turns back time to reveal realistic reconstructions of the most incredible locations and exciting moments in history. You'll feel the roar of the crowd in the Roman Colosseum, walk the ramparts of the Great Wall of China, and ride the first railways. Each story begins with an archaeological site or artifact. You'll learn when and how it was discovered, and what it teaches us about how the people who lived at the site might have spent their days. Then, you'll see the location recreated in 3D detail. Using archaeological evidence, the people and places of the past will be brought back to life before your very eyes"--Provided by publisher.

In this last volume of the "Foundation" trilogy, a secret Second Foundation competes with the First Foundation and threatens the victories of a new civilization.

"Beginning in 2030, a grieving archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika crater, where researchers are studying long-buried secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus. Once unleashed, the Arctic Plague will reshape life on earth for generations to come, quickly traversing the globe, forcing humanity to devise a myriad of moving and inventive ways to embrace possibility in the face of tragedy. In a theme park designed for terminally ill children, a cynical employee falls in love with a mother desperate to hold on to her infected son. A heartbroken scientist searching for a cure finds a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjects--a pig--develops the capacity for human speech. A widowed painter and her teenaged granddaughter embark on a cosmic quest to locate a new home planet"--Provided by publisher.

"The year is 1873, and a buffalo hunter named Samson travels the Kansas plains. The year is 1975, and an adolescent girl named Bea walks those very same plains. The year is 2024 and, after a series of devastating storms, an engineer named Paul has left behind his suburban existence to build a floating city above the drowned streets that were once New Orleans. The year is 2073, and Moon has heard only stories of the blue planet--Earth, as they once called it, now succumbed entirely to water. A sweeping family epic, told over seven generations as America changes and so does its dream, [this book] is a novel that explores ancestry, legacy, motherhood, the trauma we inherit, and the power of connection in the face of our planet's imminent collapse"--Provided by publisher.

Special feature guide readers through the rise and fall of this great civilization, focusing on the people and accomplishments that made it unique.