Adam Murphy

Short little biographies of some very impressive women.

I really enjoy having books from this series on hand to read a few pages at a time between other books. I've read all the ones my local library has, but they're missing a couple, so I'm going to put in a purchase request to see if they'll fill the gaps in their collection.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Hatshepsut: Pharaoh, 1507-1458 BCE
• Hypatia: Mathematician & Philosopher, 360s-415
• Irene of Athens: Empress of Byzantium, 752-803
• Khutulun: Wrestling Princess, 1260s-1300s
• Joan of Arc: Saint, 1412-1431
• Elizabeth I: Queen of England, 1533-1603
• Julie d'Aubigny: Swashbucker, 1670-1707
• Granny Nanny: Resistance Fighter, 1686-1755
• Jane Austen: Novelist, 1775-1817
• Ching Shih: Pirate Queen, 1775-1844
• Princess Caraboo: Con Artist, 1791-1864
• Harriet Tubman: Abolitionist, 1822-1913
• Emily Davison: Suffragette, 1872-1913
• Nellie Bly: Journalist, 1864-1922
• Amy Johnson: Aviator, 1903-1941
• Anne Frank: Diarist, 1929-1945
• Josephine Baker: Entertainer, 1906-1975
• Glossary… (more)

A fun presentation of some often gruesome history. Beheadings abound as the featured rulers press for conquest and scrabble to maintain their rule while everyone around them engages in the intrigue around who will succeed the current king, queen, emperor, empress, or pharaoh.

This book consists of 18 short chapters -- about half of which are about English royalty -- and is packed with trivia, so I like to just dip into it here and there over the course of several weeks, sneaking in a chapter or two between the main books I'm reading.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Ramesses II: Pharaoh of Egypt, 1303 BCE - 1213 BCE
• Qin Shi Huang Di: Chinese Emperor, 259 BCE - 210 BCE
• Cleopatra: Pharaoh of Egypt, 64 BCE - 30 BCE
• Nero: Roman Emperor 37 - 68
• Justinian II: Byzantine Emperor, 669 - 711
• Alfred the Great: King of Wessix, 849 - 899
• Harold Godwinson: English King, 1022 - 1066
• Empress Matilda: English Queen, 1102 - 1167
• Saladin: Sultan of Egypt and Syria, 1137 - 1193
• Richard the Lionheart: English King, 1157 - 1199
• Moctezuma II: Aztec Emperor, 1466 - 1520
• Henry VIII: English King, 1491 - 1547
• Henry VIII's Wives: English Queens, 1480s - 1500s
• Charles II: British King, 1630 - 1685
• Marie Antionette: French Queen, 1755 - 1793
• Catherine the Great: Russian Empress, 1729 - 1796
• Shaka Zulu: Zulu King, 1787 - 1828
• Queen Victoria: British Queen, 1819 - 1901
• Glossary… (more)

Fun little profiles of some prominent rebels throughout history. As the authors are English, more than half of the rebels have their conflicts with whoever is in charge of the British Isles at the time.

The creators keep it light and throw in lots of jokes, but many of these rebels end up dying for their cause and the humor gets a little dark when it comes to outlining the violence of their deaths. Not to mention that the concept of the book has author Adam Murphy interviewing the animated corpses of the historical figures. Sensitive youngsters should be steered away, but those kids that like a little gruesome in the mix will probably find themselves enjoying history for the first time.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Spartacus, Gladiator 111 BCE - 71 BCE
• Boudicca, Iceni Queen 30-61
• Thomas Becket, Saint 1118-1170
• Simon de Montfort, Rebellious Earl 1208-1265
• William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland 1270-1305
• Owain Glyndŵr, Welsh Ruler 1359-1415
• Jane Grey, English Queen 1537-1554
• Gráinne Ní Mháille, Pirate Queen 1530-1603
• Guy Fawkes, Conspirator 1570-1606
• Oliver Cromwell, Military Dictator 1599-1658
• Maximilien de Robespierre, Revolutionary 1758-1794
• George Washington, U.S. President 1732-1799
• Toussaint L'Ouverture, Rebel Leader 1743-1803
• Sitting Bull, Sioux Leader 1831-1890
• Emmeline Pankhurst, Suffragette 1858-1928
• Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi, Indian Activist 1869-1948
• Frida Kahlo, Mexican Artist 1907-1954
• Martin Luther King Jr., Minister & Activist 1929-1968
• Glossary… (more)

I just cannot resist history graphic novels. This one zips through the lives of 19 remarkable scientists. The format is fun, with the author playing talk show host interviewing a string of reanimated corpses. Why corpses? Because everyone loves zombies, I guess.

Humorous and informative.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Aristotle, Philosopher 384-322 BCE
• Archimedes, Mathematician 287-212 BCE
• Al-Haytham, Natural Philosopher 965-1040
• Galileo Galilei, Astronomer 1564-1642
• Maria Sibylla Merian, Entomologist 1647-1717
• Isaac Newton, Natural Philosopher 1642-1727
• Edward Jenner, Physician 1749-1823
• Mary Anning, Paleontologist 1799-1847
• Lovelace & Babbage, Mathematicians 1815-1852 & 1791-1871
• Von Humboldt, Explorer, Naturalist, Geographer, Etc. . . . 1769-1859
• James Barry, Doctor 1790s-1865
• Charles Darwin, Naturalist 1809-1882
• Dmitri Mendeleev, 1834-1907
• Marie Curie, Chemist & Physicist 1867-1934
• George Washington Carver, Botanist & Inventor 1860s-1943
• Nikola Tesla, Inventor 1856-1943
• Alan Turing, Computer Scientist 1912-1954
• Albert Einstein, Physicist 1879-1955… (more)