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Aiming to help children become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, each workbook in the engaging Brain Boosters series comprises interactive puzzles and brainteasers to teach numeracy and logic skills and practice questions to test the learning. Age 6+ The two titles included in this set are: Times Tables and Multiplication Activity Book (Read more...) Adding and Subtracting Activity Book (Read more...)

This profoundly influential literary-philosophical experiment – a book of aphorisms put into the mouth of the Persian sage Zarathustra – contains the kernel of Nietzsche's thought: his famous proclamation that 'God is dead', and the much-misinterpreted theory of the rise of the Übermensch that has attained a higher, enhanced humanity. First published in four parts in 1883–85.

‘Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains’, so begins one of the most profoundly influential works of Western political philosophy. Written in 1762, The Social Contract puts forward Rousseau’s theory of the general will and the sovereignty of the whole citizen body – ideas that were taken up by the French revolutionaries and political thinkers as far-flung as Jefferson in America and Tolstoy in Russia.

Translated, with an introduction by the Oxford classicist Benjamin Jowett (1817–1893), Plato’s Republic is widely regarded as the finest of the Socratic dialogues, bringing together political thought and philosophy. Among the issues debated in the dialogue are the meaning of justice and the just man, immortality of the soul, the theory of Forms, and the ideal state ruled by its philosopher king.

This collection of writings by René Descartes (1596–1650) begins with the short, yet tremendously important Discourse on the Method, with the famous assertion cogito ergo sum within the discussion of knowledge, the existence of God and the distinction between mind and body. The Meditations then expand on Descartes’ metaphysical arguments, and selections from The Principles of Philosophy complete the volume.

Published in 1878, two years after Nietzsche broke with German Romanticism and his former friend, Richard Wagner, this is his first philosophical book written in aphoristic style. Here he describes the ‘free spirits’ that will transcend traditional Christianity, challenges the Christian notions of good and evil, and introduces the concept of the will to power.

Written around the time that Aristotle (384–322 BCE) established his own school in Athens, this is a guide to what was a critical skill in ancient Greece: the art of arguing persuasively in debate and public speaking. A seminal text that has shaped theory and practice down to modern times, the book sets out the contexts and types of rhetoric, the strategies of persuasion, and the style of delivery.

From preparing canvas to framing and storing finished artwork, this source book is a practical, up-to-date guide to materials for artists, amateur and professional. Starting with oils, the book covers acrylic, encaustic and tempera painting, watercolours, gouache and drawing materials; there are chapters on pigments, colour mixing, brushes and other applicators and, finally, guidance on working safely with artists’ materials.

Designed to hone skills, build confidence in your drawing and widen its scope, this practical workbook presents over 100 subjects, progressing from a still life of two pears to much more ambitious projects including a village scene, a sports car, and people on the beach. For each subject, Barrington Barber’s drawing is broken down into five steps, with his works-in-progress sketches and notes on techniques.

Both a religious order and a private army, the Templars were answerable only to the Pope and dominated the politics of the Middle East during the tumultuous age of the Crusades. This book traces the history and changing fortunes of the order, from its foundation in 1119 to its suppression amid accusations of heresy less than two centuries later.

For devotees of recreational mathematics, Tim Sole presents 28 numbers, starting with .301 (concerning Newcomb’s formula for the proportion of naturally occurring numbers beginning with the digit N) and ending ‘Beyond Infinity’ with Cantor’s amazing discovery that there are an infinite number of numbers bigger than infinity. Among chapters on topics such as the fundamental constant of music (1.059) and Euler’s identity, there are 38 conundrums (with answers) for the mathematically inclined.

The rings of Saturn or Jupiter’s Great Red Spot are familiar images, although they are invisible to the naked eye: this book explains how we know what they look like. After a chapter describing the mapping of planetary orbits, it discusses each planet and its moons, from Earth’s near neighbours to the distant ice giants Neptune and Uranus, showing how their surfaces have been mapped and depicted, and examining the range of scientific information that different types of imaging provide.

Produced in association with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, Mapping the Oceans records millennia of human efforts to navigate and chart the seas, first for trade and more recently for research. Illustrated with historic maps, paintings and prints, it explores the development of navigational instruments, the principles of latitude and longitude, marine biology, and the new technologies that have allowed scientists to probe the oceans’ depths.

Reflecting how science is ‘as complex and multifaceted as the problems it seeks to unpick’, this very accessible, illustrated history approaches the subject both chronologically, from around 3000 BCE to the 21st century, and in the context of 16 different disciplines. Starting with mathematics, medicine and philosophy in antiquity, it follows the discoveries that heralded new branches of science, with a final chapter looking ahead to the possibilities of environmental science, medicine, AI and space exploration.

Through chapters discussing the Big Bang, the creation of matter, the lifecycle of stars and how planets and moons are formed, Anne Rooney narrates the story of our universe and how generations of scientists and philosophers have sought to understand it.

Acknowledging the roots of science in natural philosophy, this book follows the endeavours of physicists since the Renaissance in developing a rational understanding of the world and looks at topics including optics, energy, atoms and space-time.

In the Apology Plato quotes Socrates as saying, at his trial for impiety, ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’. For those new to philosophy, this very accessible, illustrated survey of the development and various strands of Western thought offers a guide to starting that philosophical examination of life, tackling the big questions, including Is there a God? What can we know? and How should we live?

From the creation of Stonehenge to the invention of telescopes and the emerging field of astrobiology, this volume traces humanity’s fascination with the cosmos and our place in it, recording the advances in technology that have expanded our knowledge but also revealed new areas to explore.

Covering the story of Britain in eight chronological sections – on prehistory, Roman Britain, the age of invaders and settlers, medieval, early modern, Georgian and Victorian Britain and the 20th century up to and beyond the millennium – Richard Dargie offers a rapid and very accessible survey of these islands’ history, with timelines, text boxes on special topics and illustrations.

This introduction outlines the history and practices of Freemasonry, from its legendary origins to modern incarnations around the world. The author argues that, although the Craft has frequently been viewed with suspicion, Masonic ideals are a force for good.

Suitable for beginners as well as artists with some experience, this complete guide builds on basic techniques and exercises to explore topics including perspective, composition and anatomy. Each skill is introduced in relation to drawing still life, figures, landscapes or portraits, with numerous examples of each and comprehensive instructions.

Using easy-to-follow illustrations and practice exercises, Barrington Barber guides students of all levels through the fundamental steps of still life drawing. He offers advice on materials and techniques, ways of representing different objects and textures, composition, and choosing a theme.

Using famous examples from the history of art as well as his original drawings, the artist and teacher Barrington Barber provides inspiration and encouragement as well as practical information on materials and techniques, and he offers insights into the possibilities and the pitfalls of portraiture. After the basics of proportion and composition, the course covers topics including group portraits, dress and props, animals, self-portraits and the art of caricature.

The artist and teacher Barrington Barber presents a lucid and well-illustrated guide to the basics of drawing landscape, covering fundamental techniques of perspective and composition and tricky elements such as water, mountains, sky and vegetation.

Designed for artists of all abilities, this course focuses on the human figure and the techniques required to draw the human body, clothed or unclothed, at rest or in motion. Barber begins with anatomy, from the skeleton to elements such as hands and feet, and goes on to explain how to tackle clothes, various poses, action and facial features, using his own drawings as step-by-step examples and gradually building up to more advanced techniques of figure drawing.

Using a range of media, including coloured pencils, watercolours and pen and ink, the artist Peter Gray presents a series of step-by-step illustrated tutorials on how to draw an array of nature-inspired fairies, goblins and other fantasy creatures.

From Scandinavia to the Pacific Islands, ancient cultures around the world have developed rich mythologies to answer humans’ most fundamental questions. This abridgement of Coleman’s sizeable reference work focuses on recurring themes, such as the significance of twins, dogs and rainbows in different belief systems. It also covers the mass of stories clustered around specific legendary figures, especially King Arthur, and events including Creation and the Trojan War.

Jason’s quest for the golden fleece, Echo’s doomed love for Narcissus and the visits to Hades by Ulysses and Aeneas are among the 49 Greco-Roman myths retold here by expert storytellers of the 19th and early 20th century. Inspired by the versions of ancient authors, they recreate an age when mortal heroes mixed with vengeful gods and faced such dangerous creatures as the Sirens and the Minotaur.

Beneath an amiable, bumbling exterior, Father Brown has a razor-sharp mind and deep understanding of the human capacity for evil. This collection sees the genial priest solve a dozen bizarre crimes, aided by his former adversary Flambeau.

HG Wells' thrilling 'scientific romance' about the Martian landings in Woking and the terrifying alien conquest of London has captured imaginations since 1898, not least in 1938 when Orson Welles' radio dramatization caused panic in New York.