Charles Manson was an unlikely messiah. Freshly paroled, he stumbled into San Francisco in 1967 just as thousands of impressionable young people were streaming into town for the Summer of Love.

Using skills of manipulation he gained in prison, Manson moved to LA and built his own commune cult of hippies, three-quarters of whom were women. He began to control...

Between 1939 and 1945, many deeply mysterious events took place in the fog of war.

In this fascinating book, the topics covered include the Battle of Los Angeles, when US aircrews believed they had sighted hostile Japanese aircraft; the mysterious death of band leader Glenn Miller; The Man Who Never Was - a corpse dressed in military uniform and kitted out...

In recent decades, mass shootings worldwide have increased in their savagery and frequency. David J. Krajicek's important, riveting book explores the troubled minds of these killers through their own words.

Nearly all mass killers are male - and many of them are bound together by misogyny, misanthropy, and racism. They do not just "snap." They plan their...

Throughout the course of World War II, the Allies engaged in elaborate deceptions to help ensure the success of their troops in battle. From tanks made out of rubber to entire divisions consisting of nothing more than a few wireless operators, these heroic individuals made armies appear out of thin air and kept the German armed forces unsure where the real...

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 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...

From Socrates' fascinating discussions of morality and virtue to Pythagoras' attempts to understand the arrangement of the cosmos, the thinkers of the ancient world provided us with an astonishing array of ideas that has helped to shape the modern world.

Ranging across Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy from Anaximander to Plotinus, Classical Philosophy in...

From Descartes' famous line 'I think therefore I am' to Kant's fascinating discussions of morality, the thinkers of the Enlightenment have helped to shape the modern world. Addressing such important subjects as the foundations of knowledge and the role of ethics, the theories of these philosophers continue to have great relevance to our lives.

Ranging...

A perfect introduction for students and laypeople alike, A Degree in a Book: Philosophy provides you with all the concepts you need to understand the fundamental issues.

Filled with helpful diagrams, suggestions for further reading, and easily digestible features on the history of philosophy, this book makes learning the subject easier than ever. Including...

A perfect introduction for students and laypeople alike, A Degree in a Book: Psychology provides you with all the concepts you need to understand the fundamental issues.

Filled with helpful diagrams, suggestions for further reading, and easily digestible features on the history of psychology, this book makes understanding the human mind easier than ever...

Few events have matched the landing of the first man on the Moon for drama and excitement. Watched live on television by 600 million people, Neil Armstrong floated down from the final step of the Eagle's ladder onto the powdery surface of the Moon, uttering the famous line, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

The Apollo Missions...

Have you ever wondered what makes your work colleagues tick? Is your boss a firebrand, a visionary or someone you can always turn to? Are your colleagues creative or intensely practical? Do you want to find the best way to manage your team or how to put a great team together?

World-renowned astrologer, Penny Thornton, offers a refreshing assessment of great...

Have you ever wondered what was going on in Adolf Hitler's mind during his final hours in the Führerbunker? What were his thoughts as radio contact with the outside world grew faint, Soviet explosions became louder and louder, and he began to feel his unassailable power ebbing away? Did Hitler repent of his crimes against humanity or was he obsessed with...

From the earliest numbers carved onto bones to the discovery of quantum mechanics and chaos theory - mathematics has certainly come a long way.

Fully illustrated and augmented with helpful timelines and simple diagrams, Problem Solved! reveals how these fascinating breakthroughs have brought us to the world we live in today.

Covering the first inklings of...

Throughout the ages, human beings have shown an astonishing capacity to adapt to their environments. Creating great cities, establishing remarkable civilizations, and developing new modes of communication, we have accomplished remarkable feats. At the same time, warfare, discrimination, and poverty reveal the darker side of human nature.

From history's most...

Abridged and retold in modern English by respected children's authors, this collection of sixteen classic stories makes them accessible to readers as young as si, while retaining all the charm, atmosphere, and sense of adventure that made the original tales world-famous. These dramatic, easy-to-follow stories, charmingly illustrated with verve and humour by...

Ever wondered what it's like to study at Oxford University? Former student and famous blogger Tilly Rose, a.k.a. 'that Oxford girl', gives you all the insider tips on what to expect at one of the world's top universities.

Follow Tilly as she steers you through everything - from applying to Oxford, choosing a college, and preparing for interviews, to college...

For millennia, the silk roads have been the arteries of international trade. Today, these ancient routes still play a key role. Over the ages, the passages across the region have shifted and evolved due to changing political circumstances, environmental forces, and the prevalence of deadly illness. Despite this, the ceaseless flow of goods and culture...

In 1945, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker as the Third Reich collapsed and the Red Army swamped Berlin. But what was it like to live in Germany after World War II?

This is the story of Germany after the Nazis, a time when two separate states rose from the ashes to face each other across the Iron Curtain. Meanwhile, the people struggled to come to terms...

Travel back to a time when divine beings mixed with mortals, when heroes battled sorcerers, and nature was a mysterious realm ruled by beautiful and dangerous deities.

These gods of Classical antiquity were far from ideal role models, their jealous pride and vengeful egos wrought havoc on the world, reflecting very human passions - and making for some truly...

As the Nazi advance across Europe stalled, Adolf Hitler repeatedly told his military advisers and inner circle that Germany possessed Wunderwaffen - miracle weapons - that would turn the tide and bring the Germans ultimate victory. But was he simply boasting out of desperation, or were the 'miracle weapons' real?

Ideas that other governments considered too...