On an autumn day in 1940, four boys chased their dog into a tunnel and accidentally stumbled upon the Lascaux Caves, revealing a network of chambers covered in vibrant Stone Age cave art from 17,000 years ago. This is just one of the many gripping tales of archaeology found within this immersive history encyclopedia for kids aged 9+.

Award-winning author Matt Ralphs brings the excitement of rediscovery to life, showing children exactly how these stunning artefacts were recovered and what they teach us about our ancestors.

Perfect for aspiring historians and archaeologists, inside you will find:

• Journey through time: Spanning from three-million-year-old human fossils to the 12th-century Lewis Chessmen, readers will uncover secrets from Mesopotamia, Roman and Aztec history.
• Explore iconic artefacts: Dive into the fascinating world of Egyptology with a close look at Tutankhamun’s throne, and marvel at a towering archer from China’s Terracotta Army.
• Striking visual learning: Filled with large, detailed photographs and colourful illustrations that perfectly capture the imagination of readers aged 9+.
• The ultimate present: Featuring a beautiful hardback finish and a huge scope of knowledge, this makes one of the most treasured gifts for history lovers.

A brilliant gift for curious kids who love adventures, history and discovering ancient cultures. The Secrets of History Revealed offers an unforgettable adventure into the mysteries of our past.

Blood, Guts, and Nasty Cuts is a whistle-stop tour of the grisly, glorious, and ingeniously inventive history of medicine, all the way from the ancient world right up to the twenty-first century. Immerse yourself in blood, boils, and bandages as you uncover how to treat tumours, battle bacterial infections and rustle up home remedies. Plus, along the way, meet swashbuckling surgeons, mad physicians, cunning lady herbalists, and – most importantly – some very brave patients!

Dipping into history’s major medical events (move over COVID 19, the Black Plague is here), this book covers ancient operations, medieval maladies, and wartime cures. You’ll uncover the medicine made by mistake, the out-there experimenters who used themselves as test subjects, and how some crazy cures have actually been shown to really work today. It’s a journey not for the faint-hearted!

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the human beings who lived hundreds of thousands of years ago? What stories did they tell one another? What stories would they want to tell us?

One day in 1940, a young boy named Marcel Ravidat was walking his dog, Robot, near his home in southwestern France. When Robot found a strange hole near an upturned tree, Marcel and his friends rushed in to explore and find some hidden treasure. But the treasure they found was like nothing they had ever expected – prehistoric paintings and carvings that covered the walls of an underground cave, and that told the story of the palaeolithic people that had once called this place home.

This rediscovered cave was an important historical find, and the artefacts and paintings inside helped archaeologists and anthropologists piece together what life must have been like for humans living hundreds of thousands of years ago. Little did Marcel know that the mystery of why these paintings were created and what stories the artists were depicting would continue to capture our imaginations as we still debate their meaning today.

Beautifully illustrated by winner of the Klaus Flugge Prize 2024, Kate Winter, with incredible panoramic fold-out pages, this is a book to treasure and to read again and again, perfect for all fans of natural history and curious young explorers.

With more than 50 fascinating case studies uncovering the mysteries surrounding shipwrecks beneath the waves, The Shipwreck Atlas offers a captivating journey through maritime history and discovery. Written by Jo Arnold, a trusted voice in children’s books, this immersive guide provides an expert yet accessible look at what lies hidden on the seabed.

For example, readers will learn about:

• The Mary Rose, a shipwreck which left historians scratching their heads for centuries.
• The SS Gairsoppa which sank in just twenty minutes.
• The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror which were trapped in ice before sinking in Arctic Waters in 1848.
• SS Sultana’s deadly explosion on the Mississippi River.
• . . . and many more extraordinary stories from across the world’s waters.

Each spread features full-bleed artwork and engaging annotations, bringing the drama and mystery of each wreck to life. Discover the ships in their glory days and their resting places on the ocean floor, zoom in on remarkable artefacts and learn fascinating facts through ‘Did you know?’ bubbles and ‘In numbers’ lists.

Perfect for curious minds, The Shipwreck Atlas combines adventure, history and science in a visually stunning package. This is the ultimate book for young explorers, budding historians and anyone fascinated by the secrets that lie beneath the sea. 

The fates of nations, outcomes of wars and general sweep of history have often hinged upon the deciphering of devilishly difficult codes and devious deceptions by spymasters.

In Spydle, The National Archives and Britain’s leading puzzle masterminds, Dr Gareth Moore and Laura Jayne Ayres, have drawn on five centuries of British spycraft and cryptography to compile an unputdownable history of real-life codebreaking and espionage through a series of addictive puzzles.

Using original documents, maps, ciphers, plans, letters and telegrams from plots and espionage relating to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Gunpowder Plot, Mata Hari, Agent Zigzag and dozens more, Spydle’s puzzles are based on real codes and conundrums.

Packed with fiendish puzzles covering over 500 years of espionage, could you be a code-cracking spymaster and untangle history’s most cryptic mysteries?

Play Spydle to find out . . .

Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized and he struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-white illustrations, this book unveils a true portrait of the artist!

Put on your blue suede shoes and get ready for another addition to the Who Was…? series! The King could not have come from humbler origins: Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Depression, he grew up with the blues music of the rural South, the gospel music of local churches, and the country-western classics. But he forged a sound all his own—and a look that was all his own, too. With curled lip, swiveling hips, and greased pompadour, Elvis changed popular music forever, ushering in the age of rock and roll. Geoff Edgers’s fascinating biography of this icon of American pop culture includes black and- white illustrations on nearly every spread.

Learn about how beloved designer Vera Wang first got her start in the world of fashion! Explore her amazing career creating beautiful wedding gowns and dressing Hollywood stars for the red carpet in this book for young readers.

Today, Vera Wang is one of the most famous fashion designers in the world. But did you know that she didn’t start designing until she was thirty-eight years old? Before she got her start in fashion, Vera was first a little girl who dreamed of being an Olympic ice skater. Then, she was an editor for Vogue magazine where she worked for seventeen years. It wasn’t until the age of forty that Vera began designing her own line of wedding gowns. Now, she is a beloved designer who dresses some of the most famous people in the world for their weddings and red carpet appearances. Learn her story in this perfect nonfiction book for young readers interested in fashion.