History's Great Untold Stories: The Larger Than Life Characters and Dramatic Events That Changed the World - Hardcover

Cummins, Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1426200315 ISBN 13: 9781426200311

Publisher: National Geographic, 2007

Synopsis

This eye-catching volume combines vivid first-hand accounts of pivotal events in history with authoritative commentary. Revealing startling links among events and people separated by centuries and continents, the epic struggles and bombastic personalities have been carefully chosen for their power to challenge some of the fiercest debates of our present day.

Readers encounter William the Silent, a Dutch monarch whose assassination may have triggered the 1588 launch of the Spanish Armada and led Queen Elizabeth I to create the first known attempt at gun control. Another chapter introduces Rabban Sauma, a thirteenth-century Christian monk sent by Kublai Khan to seek a Christian-Mongol alliance against Muslims. There is also the remarkable story of twelve anti-slavery activists who fought the prevailing business and political establishment of their day to outlaw slavery in England, using tactics that have become tools of the trade for every grassroots movement that has followed.

Filled with fascinating sidebars, narratives, maps, illustrations, and concise biographies, this new volume gathers up the rich details that Western history left on the cutting room floor and turns them into stories that shed light on both vanquished and victor over the ages. With its fresh, design and accessible format, History's Great Untold Stories will be welcomed by the legions of readers who are eager to uncover "history's mysteries" and explore lesser known, non-Western views of world events.

About this title

About the Author:

Joseph Cummins is the author of Cannibals: Shocking True Stories of the Last Taboo on Land and at Sea and The Greatest Search and Rescue Stories Ever Told. His book Anything for a Vote: A History of Dirty Tricks and October Surprises in America's Presidential Elections will be published in Spring 2007.

About this edition

• Publisher: National Geographic
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1426200315
• ISBN 13: 9781426200311
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368