Although recommended for 8-12 year olds, I found this book interesting and informative as an adult. Visually, this book is attractive with photographs of actual artifacts and drawings. Examples in today's hunter-gatherer civilizations are provided in addition to the historical and archeological information related to the Stone Age. The timelines included are easily read and informative, as are the maps. Most appealing for parents and schools is the inclusion of 15 step-by-step projects which demonstrate the creation of products used daily from this period in prehistory. An index and glossary are included, and chapter headings deal with a single aspect of life at that time, eg. "Shelter," "The Arts," "Warfare and Weapons," etc.

I thought this was an excellent book. It was a good source of info for my report on tidal pools. Buy this book! It is great!

The illustrations are wonderful. The language is simple enough for even my not-quite-four-year-old to answer. But every culture in the world, from Incas to Arabs to Englishmen, get at least one illustration and one explanation. There's an illustration of a church, a minaret and a Moslem school. The word "Jew" appears in the book twice. You're kidding, right? Apparently, all cultures in the world, including ones that sacrificed children, are equal except for the Jewish one. Ironically, Jews were a strong presence in the Middle Ages throughout the world, so the omission is glaring, and offensive.

Both my children (ages four and nine) love this book! It has great visuals and excellent explantions about questions kids ask. Of course, they loved reading about how people didn't bath and threw their waste out the windows! They argue over who gets to read it in the car. We paid much more for the book in England! I would also recommend this book for older students (grades 4-8) with limited reading abilities

This thin book is certainly very attractive with its many graphics and easygoing style and probably in the end does stimulate interest for younger readers to try to find out more. It would have been nice however if some controversial conclusions about Roman history were not presented as fact. For example, it is not universally agreed that Romulus was an historical person or that 753 BC is the actual date of the founding of the city. While I fully realize that the conceit of the book is that it is supposed to be a view of the world as the Romans themselves saw it, that does not excuse giving wrong information. Anyway, the Romans certainly did not use the term BC which is freely used here. And these are not the only cases. It would have been nice if the Colosseum were also given its proper name for example, the Flavian Amphitheater. It is surprising to see Diocletian criticized for dividing the empire as this is not universally considered harmful by historians. And so on. I'm not entirely sure I agree with the ordering of the book either. Initially it goes in chronological order and then this is totally abandoned as one skips ahead to Constantine, then back to Vespasian, forward to Hadrian, etc. Overall, the book is worth buying, but an annotated guide to go with it would be quite helpful.

This book imitates the typical newspaper format. An index indicates the various events that were pivotal for the development of Roman culture and government.

The events portion is set up chronologically, but the other sections cover societal topics such as sports, political life, women's pages, food pages.

The graphics are colorful and include illustrations, charts, and maps in imitation of modern newspapers and magazines.

It was interesting to us and it is our belief that the similarity to modern print media will intrigue students.

The book highlights the ancient rites and beliefs in the art of mummification. It covers the people, the science and the process involved. For a beginner to an intermediate reader, the knowledge about this ancient art becomes a great learning experience in "The Best Book of Mummies". This book is enjoyed and well read by the children who received it.

This was a great book. I used it along with my studying of Greek History in school. I would read out of my textbook and other books then find a section in this book to read about. It helped me understand Greece a lot better. I enjoy the little cartoons and fake advertisements put in. The articles are written in many different forms including: interviews, traveling reporters and submitted articles. It is a fun book to read and I really loved it. This book is great for anyone either studying Greece or just interested in the subject. Age 13

The ancient city of Machu Picchu is to Peru what the pyramids are to Egypt. Each year hundreds of thousands of tourists visit this archaeological site.

Though juvenile literature, this short book holds interest even for adults. After Philip Steele discusses the archaeological discovery of Machu Picchu by Hiram Bingham in 1911, he goes on to talk about the life the Incas must have led, using Machu Picchu as the example to illustrate what the Inca civilization was like. He starts off with the strict social classes that the Inca society had: the rulers, government, priests, religion, warriors and the farmer, the commoner and everyday life.

The Inca civilization (1200 - 1532 ) had phenomenal architects, builders and engineers. Even today, their stone work is unsurpassed in history. Steele, also covers, ever so briefly, the unique and advanced skills that the Incas had as craftsman, especially in pottery and jewelry. However, he elevates the society more than is justified. He makes statements like "the Incas were skilled doctors and surgeons" when actually they were homoeopathists that used natural plants as remedies. Regarding surgery, they sought to relieve pain in the head by tapping holes in the skull. Even though he points out that the Incas did not use money, only a barter system; he fails to point out that the Incas also did not write, read or use the wheel. And though he mentions their religious beliefs (pantheistic), he did not point out that while worshiping their Sun God, they did regularly sacrifice humans as part of the ceremony.

In "The Incas and Machu Picchu" Philip Steele has given children and adolescents an excellent primer to both the Inca civilization and this remarkable site. His writing is both entertaining and educational. The many color and b&w photographs are excellent, and with each picture, an informative caption makes this book and excellent tool.

Poorly researched, poorly writen, this could have been a great book. It deals with two interesting and misrepresented characters, but in a way that sheds no new information or insight into the men or the time they lived in. A great many factual errors in the book.

I'm so glad I ran across this book about Christie and Procter. This is fascinating Cherokee history. I recommend it!

Phillip W. Steele's engaging volume documents the lives and struggles of Ned Christie and Ezekiel Proctor, who fought to preserve their Indian heritage and culture against the wave of white men and the power of the United States government.
Steele's powerfully written documentary of this turbulent era in America's history reveals the factual,specific, and somewhat obscure details of the lives of Proctor and Christie and their eventual demise. Steele has written difinitively and interestingly, weaving the facts with the emotional impact that only truth can evoke. "The Last Cherokee Warriors" is a book you will not want to put down!

Each country (or group of countries) has a 2-page spread, and each map is centered on the spine, making that area of the map virtually unreadable. It was so unworkable, I had to return the book. Quite a disappointment.

This is a wonderful Atlas for an elementary school aged child. It lists languages, currency, religion, population, etc etc for each country clearly. Great information on rivers and mountains as well. Colorful, clearly displayed information makes it easy to use. My son reads atlas this for fun!

I found the text of this book to be too simple with very basic information but the photographs are great. It is suitable for those in grades 3-5. The simplicity of this book is compensated with the 60 step-by-step projects it includes which are a learning experience in themselves, quite easy to do and great for school projects. To list a few models one can make: Pyramid,Harpoon,Axe,Bow drill,Parthenon, Wooden Henge,Temple,Canoe and Boat. Other interesting projects include ancient food recipes,dyeing cloth,tiles mosaics,masks and clothing