Arcturus The Story of America in Cartoons

Julius Caesar is recorded as having routinely used ciphers, and evidence of secret writing and coded messages dates back further to the ancient civilizations of China, India and Greece. This illustrated history explains the development of setting and cracking codes from simple substitution ciphers in use in medieval Europe to the decoding of the incendiary Zimmerman telegram in 1917, Alan Turings breakthrough in mechanized analysis at Bletchley Park and modern computer-generated systems of encryption and decryption

От великолепия Высокого Возрождения в Италии до эмоциональных видений романтиков, от новаторских техник импрессионистов до радикальных полотен абстрактных экспрессионистов - в этой книге представлен увлекательный взгляд на основные течения в истории западной живописи • Книга на английском языке • From the glories of the High Renaissance in Italy to the emotional visions of the Romantics, and from the groundbreaking techniques of the Impressionists to the radical canvases of the Abstract Expressionists, this book provides a fascinating look at the major movements in the history of western painting

When was art's first kiss? Who painted the first ever smile and the first self-portrait? When did Western art first depict a Black person or approach feminism? And why were each of these firsts so important? This book answers all these fascinating questions and more • Art Firsts explores 30 groundbreaking works to piece together an original approach to looking at and appreciating art, as well as understanding where it has come from and how it relates to you. Each first is approachable and engaging, while each work is simply and satisfyingly explained. Every work is also fully illustrated, and its significance is shown through images of the subsequent artists directly inspired by them • This book offers a refreshing and fascinating narrative for those curious about why so-called 'masterpieces' are so important and how the story of art can be boiled down to flashes of fascinating brilliance

This richly illustrated hardback chronicles the rise and fall of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, accompanied by full-colour images of artefacts, artwork, maps and more • From palace-based societies in Minoan Crete to the Germanic invasion of Rome, this beautiful jacketed hardback tells the story of these classical civilisations, covering their political development, the rise of the city state and the growth of their empires. Also included are insights into the architectural, artistic and cultural impact of early Greece and Rome and vignettes of key political and cultural figures • Accompanied by feature boxes, maps and superb photographs this is a fascinating introduction to the two great empires that shaped the modern world

Moral character, so to say, constitutes the most effective means of proof • In ancient Greece, rhetoric was at the centre of public life. Many writers attempted to provide manuals to help improve debating skills, but it was not until Aristotle produced The Art of Rhetoric in the 4th century bc that the subject had a true masterpiece • As he considered the role of emotion, reason, and morality in speech, Aristotle created essential guidelines for argument and prose style that would influence writers for more than two millennia. Brilliantly explained and carefully reasoned, The Art of Rhetoric remains as relevant today as it was in the assemblies of ancient Athens

The Essence of Kabbalah explains the mysticism of the Torah and the other books in the Hebrew Bible, and presents an overview of the historical trends that have shaped Kabbalah as it is known today. It examines the interpretative methods that are viewed as unlocking the secrets of the Torah - those teachings that point to the inner fabric of creation • Acclaimed author Brian Lancaster explores key extracts from the seminal works of Kabbalah - the Sefer Yetsirah, the Bahir and the Zohar, and presents the major teachings of influential kabbalists. He places Kabbalah in the context of Judaism as a whole, and illustrates the ways in which Judaism's teachings, prayers and rituals express a concealed inner tradition • Further, he shows how contemporary scholarship and science are enabling a creative dialogue with the ancient teachings preserved within Kabbalah, leading to a twenty-first century renaissance in the importance of mysticism for providing a much-needed and profound sense of connectedness and purpose in our world

The poems of Wilfred Owen have shaped our remembrance of World War I. The power of his writing arises not only from his role as witness but due to his poetical prowess and the strength of his descriptions. His work conveys the sheer range of suffering experienced during the war, from the graphic depiction of a gas attack in 'Dulce et Decorum Est' and the blinding of a soldier in 'The Sentry' to the reflections on madness in 'Mental Cases' and 'The Chances' to the nightmarish visions of a haunted psyche in 'Strange Meeting'. Owen's poems capture the physical, mental and emotional toll of the war with devasting clarity. A leading voice for a lost generation, he was killed in November 1918, one week before the war's end

In the midst of the exploding shells and flying bullets of World War I, soldiers took pen to paper to record their terrifying experiences in the form of poetry. Poignant verses tell us of the true horror of war but also remind us of the strength of human courage and virtue. This collection of poems features the most forceful and evocative of the poets of the Great War, including Rupert Brooke, Wildred Owen, Charles Sorley, and Ivor Gurney, and stands as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made in those years

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a chilling tale presenting Sherlock Holmes with one of his most challenging cases. The young Sir Henry Baskerville, the new master of the Baskerville estate, is haunted by a phantom beast 'with blazing eyes and dripping jaws' which roams the mist-enshrouded moors around isolated Baskerville Hall on Dartmoor. Is this fiendish spectre the manifestation of the family curse Or is Sir Henry the victim of a scheming murderer Sherlock Holmes' arch enemy, the criminal genius Professor Moriarty, is back! But the solution to the riddle, found after many surprising twists and high drams, lies far away, half across the world in a location known as 'The Valley of Fear'. This is Conan Doyle's last Holmes novel and in the opinion of many of his fans, it is his best!

'The rain set early in to-night, • The sullen wind was soon awake, • It tore the elm-tops down for spite, • And did its worst to vex the lake • I listened with heart fit to break, • When glided in Porphyria...' • Robert Browning was one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era. This collection includes his a selection of his most famous works. Dramatic monologues such as 'My Last Duchess' and 'Porphyria's Lover' show Browning's masterful ability to inhabit the minds of others and render them poetically, while his equally renowned narrative poetry, including such favourites as 'The Pied Piper of Hamlin', have become some the most frequently anthologized poems. There's no simple way of summing up Browning because his work is so varied, but there is no one better when it comes to describing the complexity of love

The Art of War - is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician, and kindred to the Realpolitik of his time, termed in China as Legalism. The text is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is commonly thought of as a definitive work on military strategy and tactics. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics, and "for the last two thousand years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name." It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond

The Battle of the Bulge was the largest land engagement of World War II. The German counter-attack, spearheaded by three Panzer armies, found the Allies unprepared and ill-equipped. As the fighting raged across the frosty forests of the Ardennes, it was left to a few untested US Infantry divisions to hold the Allied lines. Written by one of the world's leading experts on the subject, this account provides an essential introduction to the events of winter 1944-5 and to the many soldiers who risked their lives in defence of freedom • Drawing on personal interviews, extensive research, and an unparalleled knowledge of the region, Martin King explores one of the most important battles of World War II