David Long

Largely forgotten for centuries, the ancient Maya were incredible. Their cities across Central and South America featured astonishing pyramids and palaces, while they were also successful farmers and highly creative artists. The Maya were the first people in the Americas to learn how to read and write, and they invented things like rubber, chocolate and chewing gum. They had a deep understanding of astronomy, mathematics and timekeeping, though they...

For those who would sooner seek out 10 Rillington Place, 39 Hilldrop Crescent or Whitechapel's infamous Blind Beggar than pay a visit to Westminster Abbey or the National Gallery, LONDON MURDERS pinpoints the exact locations of scores of the bloodiest, most intriguing and sinister murders in London's last 100 years. Featuring names such as Crippen, Kray, Haigh, Christie and Ellis, whose terrible crimes shocked the world, this compelling guide divides...

Commodore David Dixon Porter made history when he took the Essex into the Pacific and crippled the British whaling industry in the War of 1812. He was the first to suggest that the U.S. Navy force open Japan. He was also court-martialed and convicted on charges arising out of his unauthorized invasion of Spanish Puerto Rico. He later sought to reverse his fortunes in the Mexican Navy, and consistently suffered chaos in his personal and financial affairs....

Did You Know? • In 1884 the Circle Line opened and was described in The Times as 'a form of mild torture which no person would undergo if he could conveniently help it.' • According to one psychologist, Tube commuters can experience greater levels of stress than a police officer facing a rioting mob or even a fighter pilot going into a dogfight. • Underground trains have only twice been used to transport deceased people in coffins: William...

London is full of extraordinary, enigmatic and, above all, unexpected buildings: a pirate castle in Camden, an art gallery made of shipping containers, underground ghost stations, and much more. Here David Long reveals the very best of the capital's extraordinary buildings, some of which are passed by every day, hidden in plain sight.

The bustling metropolis of London is home to scores of unusual and unique places and spaces. In this feast of peculiarities, author David Long guides you off the beaten path and allows you under the skin of the hidden city that is modern-day London, revealing a new side to the capital you thought you knew.

Published to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the launch of the HMS Beagle, this beautifully illustrated narrative non-fiction book tells the story of Charles Darwin, and shows how his revolutionary research changed the world forever. At the age of 22, Charles Darwin clambered up the steps of HMS Beagle armed with enough notepads to last him for several years and set sail on a journey of exploration that would change his life and how we view the...

Uncover the incredible true story of Howard Carter's world-changing discovery in this fun and informative retelling of the secrets of Tutankhamun's tomb. On 4 November 1922, a young Egyptian boy working on Howard Carter's archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings stumbled across a strange piece of rock. On closer inspection it turned out to be a stone step that would lead Carter to a long-lost tomb – and to treasures beyond his wildest dreams. ...

It is an unfortunate reality that many who know Jesus as Savior have missed the command to know Jesus as Lord. Knowing Jesus as Savior implies that we are going to accept and seek to live by God's standard. To do so means to live lives that are radically reoriented from our old human nature and from the destructive tendencies of the world in which we live. It is both a journey and the highest calling on the life of a follower of Jesus. There is nothing...

What does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus? How is the ungodly nature within us to be transformed into the image of God? These are among the questions that have stirred serious believers since the early days of the church, leading to the template of seven sins and their counterparts: seven virtues. How is pride seen in our life, and how is this replaced by the virtue of humility? How does the follower of Jesus grow from anger to patience,...