The 2,500 year old Yi-jing or I Ching, translated as the 'Book of Changes', is an ancient Chinese work of divination and prophesy. Dating from the 4th century BC, it is traditionally consulted by performing complex routines of dropping bundles of dried grass stalks. The particular patterns formed when six stalks are dropped are represented by 64 symbols called hexagrams, which show every possible combination of broken and unbroken stalks. The Book of Changes tells how to interpret the hexagrams to decide which is the best approach or action in a given situation. I Ching: The Ancient Chinese Book of Changes features the 64 hexagrams and their successive interpretations, including the Judgment, written by King Wen in the 12th Century BCE, The Commentary and The Image (both attributed to Confucius, 6-5th Century BCE), and The Lines, written by King Wen's son. Accompanying The Lines are present-day interpretative texts. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding and with a timeless design, this book will allow anyone fascinated by the traditional philosophies of the East to follow in the footsteps of Confucius and use the I Ching to predict their destiny.

'America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.' - Abraham Lincoln Is the story of the United States that of George Washington, John Adams and Barack Obama? Or of slave rebel Nat Turner, of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King? Or Sitting Bull and Al Capone? Or Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and OJ Simpson? Of course, it is the story of all these, of both civil war and world war, of gold rush and dust bowl, of the Pilgrim Fathers and religious cults, of Prohibition and the Mafia, of the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy-era witch-hunts. From the Iroquois and early European settlers to the Revolutionary War and Civil War, from slavery to segregation, from the frontier to the Reservations, The History of America is a chronological examination of the United States through politics, labour, big business, crime and culture. Featuring such varied characters as Thomas Jefferson and John Brown, Bugsy Siegel and J P Morgan, Calamity Jane, Chuck Berry and Bonnie & Clyde, it tells the story of the first 'new nation', the first major colony to revolt successfully against colonial rule, and how it became the world's most powerful country. Extensively researched and illustrated with 180 black-&-white artworks and illustrations, The History of America is a lively and fascinating account of the darker side of the story of the United States.

The names of dinosaurs are some of the first impressively long words that children learn. From Apatosaurus to Tyrannosaurus rex to Zephyrosaurus, The A-Z of Dinosaurs presents 26 fun dinosaurs to learn the names of. Each dinosaur is illustrated with an outstanding colour artwork, while a short description outlines the animal's main characteristics. Also, there is a guide to the pronunciation of each animal's name. Whether huge or tiny, famous or lesser-known, ferocious or gentle, each featured dinosaur is explored over one page. The A-Z of Dinosaurs is informative fun about the most fantastic beasts ever to roam the Earth.

Ruined cities overgrown by jungle. Towns buried beneath the ground. Statues lying half- hidden in the sand. Why do civilisations collapse? Why are towns abandoned? And how do once mighty cities come to be forgotten about? From the pyramids of Egypt to the ruins at Angkor in Cambodia and on to the mysteries of the Easter Island moai statues, Abandoned Civilisations is a brilliant pictorial work examining lost worlds. What emerges is a picture of how vast societies can rise, thrive and then collapse. We admire how whole cities develop, but equally fascinating is what happens when their moment has passed. From the 9th century temples at Khajuraho in India which were lost in the date palm trees until stumbled across by European engineers in the 19th century to Mayan pyramids in the Guatemalan jungle to Roman cities semi-buried - but consequently preserved - in the North African desert, the book explores why societies fall and what, once abandoned, they leave behind to history. With 150 striking colour photographs exploring 100 worlds, Abandoned Civilisations is a fascinating visual history of the mysteries of lost societies.

Steam trains half-buried in the desert, roller coasters entangled in trees, hulks of ships perched high and dry miles from water - images like these are bound to make us wonder: what happened here? From forgotten railway stations to flooded shopping malls, from secret Cold War bunkers to radiation zones, Abandoned Places explores more than 100 fascinating lost worlds from all around the globe. Surveying the ruins of industrial sites and military bases, ghost towns, holiday resorts and airports, the book explains the story of how each place came to be abandoned - whether through natural or chemical disaster, war, economic collapse, or changing tastes and customs. Throughout, though, a picture emerges, not only of what has been lost, but of what remains. Left to the elements but ignored by humanity, these ramshackle settlements and dilapidated structures illuminate times and designs that we thought were long gone. With 150 outstanding colour photographs exploring hauntingly beautiful locations, Abandoned Places is a brilliant and moving pictorial examination of worlds we have left behind.

An ancient hilltop fortress. A crusader citadel in the West Bank. A fairytale medieval castle fallen into ruin. From ancient times to the end of the nineteenth century, Abandoned Castles explores more than 100 forts, castles and defensive strongholds from all around the globe. From medieval Japanese castles to Spanish colonial forts in West Africa to Norman stone keeps, the book ranges widely across history. Many have long ceased to serve a purpose, but then, like the crusader castle Krak de Chevaliers in Syria today, their impenetrable walls become the site of more fighting centuries later. Others, such as the Cathar Chateau de Queribus in southern France, stand high above peaceful coastlines, testament to the wars of the past. Some are beautiful, others brutal, but each tells a story about the way we fought and defended ourselves, and how the building has survived and aged, long after the people it was built by are gone. With 150 outstanding colour photographs, Abandoned Castles is a brilliant pictorial examination of castles, forts, keeps, and defensive fortifications from the ancient world to the end of the nineteenth century.