Discusses the lives and careers of twenty-four of the world's greatest composers.

Masters of Music: The World's Greatest Composers

Teen & Young Adult

Jim Whiting

Biographies

Mitchell Lane Pub Inc

Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, was one of the world’s greatest military leaders. He became the leader of the Franks (who lived in modern-day France) in 768. Under his command, Frankish armies conquered most of Western Europe in the following decades. In 800, he was crowned emperor by Pope Leo XII. His greatness rested on more than military prowess. He was always interested in education, both for himself and for his subjects. He assembled many of the most noted scholars in Europe at his capital in Aachen, Germany and began the Carolingian Renaissance. This was a period of heightened learning, innovations in architecture, and the preservation of many priceless books from earlier centuries.

The Life & Times Of Charlemagne (Biography from Ancient Civilizations)

Children's Books

Mitchell Lane Publishers

As a young man in England, Charles Darwin had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Then he was asked to go on a long ocean voyage. Boarding the ship Beagle in 1831, he spent nearly five years sailing around the world. He returned with one of the most important ideas in the history of science: the theory of evolution. It took him more than 20 years to publish a book about his theory. When his book, The Origin of Species, appeared in 1859, it aroused a great deal of controversy. It directly challenged many of the beliefs in the Bible. Darwin’s theory of evolution remains controversial today in the United States. Many Americans believe that what is in the Bible is true. There are numerous challenges to teaching evolution in schools.

Charles Darwin and The Origin of the Species (Uncharted, Unexplored, and Unexplained)

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most famous American writers of all time. Yet he was almost ignored while he was alive. He spent much of his life in desperate struggle trying to earn enough money to support himself. As a child, he was an excellent athlete. As he grew older, he was subject to fits of depression and became an alcoholic. He was thrown out of the U.S. Military Academy. He had a hard time holding a steady job. He married his 13-year-old cousin. His problems may have been a result of losing both his parents when he was very young. Poe's turmoil is reflected in his stories and poems. They show the horror and anguish that he almost always felt.

Edgar Allan Poe (Classic Storytellers)

The Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was one of the worst defeats in U.S. military history. It began a string of Japanese successes that seemed to threaten the security of the United States. Many U.S. citizens and government leaders were on the verge of panic. But the attack was probably the greatest mistake the Japanese made during World War II. At that time, many Americans didn't want to go to war. The anger and outrage that followed the attack swept away those objections. It unified the country and made the United States detemined to win the war. From a strategic point of view, the attack probably wasn't necessary. The United States military was not prepared to fight a war. The Japanese probably could have achieved their goals if they hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor. They concentrated on the wrong targets. They sank or damaged ships that would play a minor role in the conflict to follow.

The Story of the Attack on Pearl Harbor (Monumental Milestones: Great Events of Modern Times)

History

The United States and the Soviet Union were the two main nations that defeated Nazi Germany in World War II. Yet their systems of government were completely different. These differences soon developed into the Cold War. Both sides became bitter enemies. But there was no actual fighting. That situation nearly changed in 1961. The Soviets secretly installed missiles with nuclear warheads in Cuba. These missiles could reach many cities in the United States. When President John F. Kennedy learned about these weapons, he confronted Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. The world teetered on the brink of a nuclear war. This is the story of that chilling event.

The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Cold War Goes Hot (Monumental Milestones: Great Events of Modern Times)

Paul Revere (Profiles in American History)

When the Great War began in August 1914, many people thought it would be over by Christmas. Instead it lasted for more than four years and claimed millions of lives. One dominant feature of the conflict was the seemingly endless miles of trenches that faced each other, often just a few hundred yards apart. The only way of attacking was through brutal frontal assaults. Often thousands of men died in a few hours. When they weren t fighting, men lived in subhuman conditions in the trenches. Many people hoped that the horrors of the Great War would make it the  war to end all wars.  It wasn t. The victorious Allies imposed very harsh terms on the defeated Germans. These terms led directly to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World War II just twenty years later.

An Overview of World War I (Monumental Milestones: Great Events of Modern Times)

Annie Oakley had a difficult childhood. Her father died when she was six. She had to live with other people. One family mistreated her. They even threw her out of the house in the middle of a snowstorm. But Annie had a natural gift for shooting. She used this gift to defeat a traveling marksman named Frank Butler. Soon she married him. She also became his partner in shooting exhibitions. Then she joined Buffalo Bill s Wild West Show. This was a traveling show featuring acts that showcased the Western frontier. Annie soon became one of the most famous acts. People were amazed that a woman was such a good shot. Annie was proud of her accomplishments. She knew that many women looked up to her. She always set a good example for them.

Annie Oakley (Robbie Readers) (What's So Great About...?)

In the middle of the fourteenth century, a terrible and mysterious plague swept across Europe and Asia. One in every three Europeans died during the five years that it terrified the continents. People tried all sorts of ways to avoid catching the Black Death. They carried flowers, burned incense, fired cannons, and rang church bells. They nailed whole families in their homes to try to keep the disease from spreading. Nothing seemed to help. The death rate continued to mount. Finally the plague ran its course, and people stopped dying in large numbers. But the bubonic plague never went away. Every so often, this painful disease breaks out again. Find out how and where this deadly disease traveled, and whether the chances of survival are any better today than they were so many centuries ago.

Bubonic Plague (Robbie Readers)

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Books by Jim Whiting