Geschichte

'The best book on games I've read in years' G.T. KARBER, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of MURDLE'Clare is a fabulous tour guide through the history of table games' Tom Brewster, presenter of Shut Up & Sit DownWhy is playing games a universal human instinct?Why did the same games evolve across wildly different civilisations?And how can those games make your life happier, healthier and more fulfilled?The history of board games is really the history of human civilisation. Through it we see how our species has learned to live with one another, make deals, take on different roles and manage the ups and downs of luck.In this entertaining and thought-provoking look at games through the ages, Tim Clare explores the legal highs of a good dice roll, the thrills of a predatory race game and the tactile pleasures of the games that age with us through our lives to discover how, through play, we become fully ourselves.Drawing on Roman anti-cheating devices, organised crime card syndicates and the combative domestic bonding ritual of Monopoly, The Game Changers explains why games are more popular now than ever, and how playing them helps us learn to be better losers, make smarter decisions and become more human.

In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists organized a picnic on the border of Hungary and Austria. But this was not an ordinary picnic-it was located on the dangerous militarized frontier known as the Iron Curtain. Tacit permission from the highest state authorities could be revoked at any moment. On wisps of rumor, thousands of East German "vacationers" packed Hungarian campgrounds, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by lurking Stasi agents. The Pan-European Picnic set the stage for the greatest border breach in Cold War history: hundreds crossed from the Communist East to the longed-for freedom of the West.Drawing on dozens of original interviews-including Hungarian activists and border guards, East German refugees, Stasi secret police, and the last Communist prime minister of Hungary-Matthew Longo tells a gripping and revelatory tale of the unraveling of the Iron Curtain and the birth of a new world order. Just a few months after the Picnic, the Berlin Wall fell, and the freedom for which the activists and refugees had abandoned their homes, risked imprisonment, sacrificed jobs, family, and friends, was suddenly available to everyone. But were they really free? And why, three decades since the Iron Curtain was torn down, have so many sought once again to build walls?Cinematically told, The Picnic recovers a time when it seemed possible for the world to change. With insight and panache, Longo explores the opportunities taken-and the opportunities we failed to take-in that pivotal moment.

Is it possible that what we see taking place at the end of the age is the answer to ancient revelation--and that we are now seeing it unfold? Like Jonathan Cahn's other eight New York Times best sellers, The Dragon's Prophecy is explosive and mind-blowing. Readers will discover how the events of our times are dramatically shifting our world into the fulfillment of ancient prophecies and revelations. THE DRAGON'S PROPHECY--Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days--by JONATHAN CAHN Is there more to this world than meets our eyes? Is there an ancient vision that reveals what is now taking place in our world? Is there an ancient prophecy that tells us what the future holds? Is there an ancient force that operated in ancient times that is now operating in the modern world, determining the course of current events, from Israel to that which threatens a Third World War, and touching each of our lives? What is the dark resurrection? What is the mystery of the dragon?Are we in the midst of a war we don't even realize is being waged against us?What is the most accurate timepiece signaling the last days?Who are the Sea Peoples?Can we uncover its plans and strategies, even those directed against our own lives? Is there a little-known secret to overcoming the evils of our day and the conflict of our lives? Was there a three-thousand-year-old revelation that determined the attack of Hamas on Israel, down to the year, the month, the week, and the exact day?What is the End of Days, and are they here?What lies ahead?And much, much moreAfter eight New York Times best sellers, Jonathan Cahn now releases his newest blockbuster, THE DRAGON'S PROPHECY: Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days, the stunning and mind-blowing revelation that opens up the mystery of our times, the events shaking our world, and what lies in store for us in the days to come. Jonathan Cahn's latest book will open up the mysteries of what has been, what is now happening, and what is yet to take place--even the end of the age--unlocking shocking revelations that will enable you to see what is taking place in your world in an entirely new way. THE DRAGON'S PROPHECY will reveal...The mystery of Israel and how it is now unfolding before our eyesThe other ancient people that were resurrected at the same time as Israel's resurrection--more than 2,000 years after they perishedThe Return of the Sea PeopleThe Day of the DragonThe Countdown of DaysHow all this relates to end-time prophecyAnd much, much moreTHE DRAGON'S PROPHECY--Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days. As explosive and mind-bending as the other books of Jonathan Cahn--it will open your eyes and change the way you see the events of our times and your world. The book you can't afford not to read! Prepare to be blown away!

Did the ancient Greeks and Romans have conspiracy theories? Did they come close to an industrial revolution? Did they drink beer?In a series of fast-paced essays, this book answers forty questions that ancient historian Garrett Ryan has been asked in the classroom and through his popular YouTube channel ToldinStone. As in Dr. Ryan's previous book. Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants, the emphasis is on the fascinating details of daily life in the classical world.Discover the answers to: Did the ancient Greeks and Romans have tattoos?Did they practice Buddhism?Did they know when the Pyramids were built?Did a tsunami inspire the story of Atlantis?How deadly was the eruption that destroyed Pompeii?What was it like to live through the fall of the Roman Empire?Why are ancient cities buried?What happened to the treasures of the Roman emperors?How much was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned?

Introducing the Pink Premium Imitation Leather Giant Print King James Version Bible - a heartfelt tribute to, and elegant gift for, the women who have shaped your life. This exquisite Bible features a new crisp, easy-to-read 14-point type print that eases strain on their eyes. Perfectly designed to make their quiet time with the Lord more enjoyable and comfortable. A soft pink satin ribbon marker and thumb-indexing tabs make navigation effortless. Designed with convenience in mind, the flexcover opens completely flat without damaging the spine. Elegantly packaged, this pink cover is designed with a subtle elegance to create the perfect gift, one both you and she will be proud of. If you're seeking a unique gift to honor the special woman in your life, consider the Pink Premium Imitation Leather Giant Print Full-size King James Version Bible. Its simple framed design, pink cover, and thoughtful features make it a cherished and practical gift for Mother's Day or any special occasion. Features include:   •            Red letter edition: Discover the words of Christ in striking red text. •            Subheadings: To help you navigate the text effortlessly. •            Bible reading plan: Thoughtfully designed one year plan. •            Double-column format: For added reading clarity. •            Dedication page: To personalize your Bible. •            Gilt edges: Enjoy the elegance of the pages. •            Ribbon marker: Easily locate your place. •            Thumb-index: Access specific sections swiftly using the tabs. •            14-point font: Read comfortably with enhanced legibility.

The Instant New York Times Bestseller“Engaging and entertaining… a glimpse of the economy of the future.” —Tim Wu, New York Times Book ReviewFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Signal and the Noise, the definitive guide to our era of risk—and the players raising the stakes   In the bestselling The Signal and the Noise, Nate Silver showed how forecasting would define the age of Big Data. Now, in this timely and riveting new book, Silver investigates “the River,” the community of like-minded people whose mastery of risk allows them to shape—and dominate—so much of modern life. These professional risk-takers—poker players and hedge fund managers, crypto true believers and blue-chip art collectors—can teach us much about navigating the uncertainty of the twenty-first century. By immersing himself in the worlds of Doyle Brunson, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sam Altman, and many others, Silver offers insight into a range of issues that affect us all, from the frontiers of finance to the future of AI. Most of us don’t have traits commonly found in the River: high tolerance for risk, appreciation of uncertainty, affinity for numbers—paired with an instinctive distrust of conventional wisdom and a competitive drive so intense it can border on irrational. For those in the River, complexity is baked in, and the work is how to navigate it. People in the River have increasing amounts of wealth and power in our society, and understanding their mindset—and the flaws in their thinking— is key to understanding what drives technology and the global economy today. Taking us behind the scenes from casinos to venture capital firms, and from the FTX inner sanctum to meetings of the effective altruism movement, On the Edge is a deeply reported, all-access journey into a hidden world of power bro­kers and risk-takers.

"What would you do if you grew up repeatedly seeing your home raided? Your parents arrested? Your mother shot? Your uncle killed? Try, if just for a moment, to imagine this was your life. How would you want the world to react?" Ahed Tamimi's father was born in 1967, the year that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank began, and every aspect of their family's life has been touched by it. One of Ahed's earliest memories is visiting her father in prison, poking her three-year-old fingers through the fence to touch his hand. The ubiquitous security checkpoints and armed guards even found their way into her childhood fairytales and playdates. Her grandmother regaled her not with nursery rhymes, but with the sage of her family and its tragedies. Instead of cops and robbers, there was Jaysh o 'Arab, or "Army and Arabs," where children roleplayed as Israeli soldiers opposing a community of Palestinians. She recounts all of this and more in her vivid and riveting memoir, one of the first to deal directly with what life in occupation actually means for the people in it, beyond geography or policy. It brings readers into the daily life of the young woman seen as a freedom-fighting hero by some and a naèive agitator by others. Beyond recounting her well-publicized interactions with Israeli soldiers, there is her unwavering commitment to family and her fearless command of her own voice, despite threats, intimidation, and even incarceration"--

In Ihya 'Ulum ad-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), the author explores the spiritual depth of virtually every aspect of Islam. The book presents Imam al-Ghazali's profound insights regarding man's lifelong struggle to draw closer to Allah in a simple framework, providing the reader with a step-by-step tried and proven method for spiritual development. The result is an essential guide to improving one's relationship with both the Creator and the creation and a perfect introduction to Imam al-Ghazali's other great works.About the AuthorThe Proof of Islam Imam Abu Hamid Müammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (d. 1111)-jurist, legal theorist, logician, theologian, and mystic was a master of both the outer and inner sciences of the Shari'ah who is regarded by many as the greatest Muslim thinker to have lived after the Pious Predecessors. Credited with dealing a death blow to Aristotelian philosophy in the Muslim world and bringing authentic Islamic spirituality into the mainstream, his life and thoughts were highly influential in shaping medieval society's spiritual values and practices and are no less relevant today.

For almost five million years, humans have been locked in a relationship with morality, inventing and reinventing the concepts of 'Good' and 'Evil', and weaving them into our cities, laws and customs.Morality is often associated with restraint and coercion; restriction and sacrifice; inquisition, confession and a guilty conscience. Joyless and claustrophobic, it is a device used to shames us into compliance. This impression is not entirely incorrect, but it is certainly incomplete.Using our past as a basis for a new understanding of our future, Hanno Sauer traces humanity's fundamental moral transformations from our earliest ancestors through to the present day, when it seems we have never disagreed more over what it means to be good. Our current political disagreements may feel like the end of the world, but where will the evolution of morality take us next?

An epic new novel of Ancient Egypt, from the Master of Historical Adventure, Wilbur Smith.FROM THE RUINS OF BATTLEA HERO MUST RISEFOR THE GLORY OF EGYPTYears of Hyksos rule have seen the plunder of once-mighty Egypt. Though the two kingdoms have now been reunited by the armies of the true Pharaoh, his position is perilous, his rule under threat from those who seek to take advantage of the turmoil created by the overthrow of the Hyksos. Desperate to keep Egypt united, Taita the Magus summons his protégé, Piay, to solve a millennia-old riddle which has the power to secure Egypt's future forever.But in the tumult of war, an evil has thrived. Malevolent followers of Seth, the god of chaos, are determined to claim this power and usher in a new age of darkness.The fate of Egypt is at stake. Can Piay prevent their land falling into the hands of those who would see its ruin?Book 3 in The New Kingdom Sequence and book 9 in the Ancient Egyptian series from the master historical adventure writer, Wilbur Smith. Don't miss House of Two Pharaohs, the next action-packed Egyptian adventure from Wilbur Smith. Coming August 2025.

"In How Economics Explains the World, Harvard-trained economist Andrew Leigh presents a new way to understand the human story. From the dawn of agriculture to AI, here is story of how ingenuity, greed, and desire for betterment have, to an astonishing degree, determined our past, present, and future."--

Tracing the history of capitalism in England and beyond, Karl Polanyi's landmark 1944 classic brilliantly exposed the myth of laissez-faire economics. From the great transformation that occurred during the industrial revolution onwards, he showed, there has been nothing 'natural' about the market state. Instead, the economy must always be embedded in society, and human needs and relations. Witnessing the 'avalanche of social dislocation' of his time - from the Great Depression, to the rise of fascism and communism and the First and Second World Wars - Polanyi ends with a rallying cry for freedom, and a passionate vision to protect our common humanity.

In her old house by the fjord, Signe lies on a bench and sees a vision of herself as she was more than twenty years earlier: standing by the window waiting for her husband Asle, on that terrible late November day when he took his rowboat out onto the water and never returned. Her memories widen out to include their whole life together, and beyond: the bonds of family and the battles with implacable nature stretching back over five generations, to Asle's great-great-grandmother Aliss. In Jon Fosse's vivid, hallucinatory prose, all these moments in time inhabit the same space, and the ghosts of the past collide with those who still live on. Aliss at the Fire, is a visionary masterpiece, a haunting exploration of love and loss that ranks among the greatest meditations on marriage and human fate.

In this acclaimed bestseller, an explorer and Neanderthal hunter takes us on a riveting journey of discovery'With the style of a poet and imagination of a philosopher, Ludovic Slimak probes the minds of Neanderthals. . . This fun and provocative book is a reminder that we still have a lot to learn about biological intelligence' Steve BrusatteWhat if we have completely misunderstood who the Neanderthals truly were?For over a century we saw them as inferior to Homo Sapiens. Today, Neanderthals are seen as fully human, different from us only because of their distant cultural traditions. But does the truth lie somewhere else entirely?Neanderthal hunter and paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak understands these enigmatic creatures like no one else after studying them for three decades. Taking us on a fascinating archaeological investigation from the Arctic Circle to the deep Mediterranean forests, he traces their steps, deciphering their stories through every single detail they left behind.In this stunning, bold book, he argues that Neanderthals should be understood on their own terms. They had their own history, their own rituals, their own customs. Their own intelligence. A remarkable intelligence, for sure, but an intelligence that may have been very different from ours - although it can still teach us much about ourselves.A thought-provoking detective story, written with wit and verve, The Naked Neanderthal shifts our understanding of deep history - and in the process reveals just how much we have yet to learn.

"An epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook's death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day ... On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment? Hampton Sides' bravura account of Cook's last journey both wrestles with Cook's legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science--the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment. Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain's imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook's intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook's overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter"--

Memory is far more than a record of the past. In this groundbreaking tour of the mind and brain, one of the world’s top memory researchers reveals the powerful role memory plays in nearly every aspect of our lives, from recalling faces and names, to learning, decision-making, trauma and healing.A new understanding of memory is emerging from the latest scientific research. In Why We Remember, pioneering neuroscientist and psychologist Charan Ranganath radically reframes the way we think about the everyday act of remembering. Combining accessible language with cutting-edge research, he reveals the surprising ways our brains record the past and how we use that information to understand who we are in the present, and to imagine and plan for the future.Memory, Dr. Ranganath shows, is a highly transformative force that shapes how we experience the world in often invisible and sometimes destructive ways. Knowing this can help us with daily remembering tasks, like finding our keys, and with the challenge of memory loss as we age. What’s more, when we work with the brain’s ability to learn and reinterpret past events, we can heal trauma, shed our biases, learn faster, and grow in self-awareness.Including fascinating studies and examples from pop culture, and drawing on Ranganath’s life as a scientist, father, and child of immigrants, Why We Remember is a captivating read that unveils the hidden role memory plays throughout our lives. When we understand its power-- and its quirks--we can cut through the clutter and remember the things we want to remember. We can make freer choices and plan a happier future.