A Quick History of (共4本平裝本)

Maths + history + jokes - boring bits = A Quick History of Maths. This book begins around 43,000 years ago with a notched baboon leg, the Lebombo bone (the very first mathematical object in the world) and rushes us past Hindu numerals and the invention of zero, via Pythagoras, Pascal and probability, right up to the present day, with big data and the maths that rules our digital lives. Geometri-cool
You will discover:

How to count on your fingers (there are more ways than you might think )
Why we have 60 seconds in a minute (hint: it's to do with the ancient Babylonians)
How to count like an Egyptian (using hieroglyphs)
Why it's hip to be square using square numbers
A Pythagorean party trick
The naked truth of Archimedes' bath time mathematics
How to do matha-magic with magic squares
...and much more.

In chronological order from pre-history to present day, this is the story of maths itself. It's 43,000 years of human mathematical endeavor squeezed into one book for your reading pleasure. Illustrated with funny cartoons and packed with fascinating facts, you'll be laughing and learning how to be a better mathematician.
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A Quick History of Money: From Cash Cows to Crypto-Currencies
ISBN13：9780711262751

A Quick History of Money takes us from barter to Bitcoin, packed with facts and jokes about how and why money works… and sometimes doesn’t.
Why is a $5 note worth $5? Where do coins come from? What do banks actually do? All this and so much more is answered in A Quick History of Money, a crash course from cash cows to cryptocurrency.
 
Money might sound all grown-up and serious, but the history of buying, selling, saving, and stealing is full of crazy stories and unbelievable facts. A Quick History of Money is here to show you the silly side, as well as give you the lowdown on the important stuff like interest, stocks and shares, and wealth inequality.
 
You will discover:

How the earliest societies got by without a penny in their pockets.
Why gold gets all the glory.
How the first banks started making money from money.
Who invented the first banknotes and the concept of ‘fiat’ money.
The craziest money-making cons of all time, from shaving coins to selling the Eiffel Tower… twice.
How wealth is measured in the modern-day.
History’s most expensive money mistakes.
What money might look like in the future.
Great tips for slick saving and smart spending.
Plus, read about the world’s weirdest wonga, from the four-tonne stones used as currency on the island of Yap, to teacups and sea shells in ancient Asia, to beaver pelts in colonial Canada. Learn how hyperinflation leads to some mind-blowing money math, like the Bitcoins used to buy two pizzas in 2010 that would be worth over $90 million today. Test your knowhow with a quiz at the back of the book.
 
Packed with facts and jokes, the latest in the Quick Histories series takes us on a chronological tour from cashless societies to… cashless societies, proving that while it might make the world go round, money sure is funny.
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A Quick History of Politics: From Pharaohs to Fair Votes
ISBN13：9780711262744

A Quick History of Politics takes us from pharaohs to fair votes, packed with facts and jokes about the many faces of politics through time.
How did ancient people make decisions? How do the people in power stay in power? Why did Karl Marx have to go without trousers? A Quick History of Politics answers these questions and more, taking a ride through time from plutocrats to people power.
 
What do you think of when you hear "politics?" Is it grey-haired men in suits, shouting at each other in a weird room? Well, you’re partly right… but there’s also a whole lot of crazy stories and weird history in the political world. A Quick History of Politics takes a look at the silly side of government, big and small, throughout the ages, and also explains the important stuff, like suffrage, elections and getting your voice heard.
 
You will discover:

How the earliest tribes got by without a leader.
How the first ever kings and queens ruled their people.
When and how democracy was invented, and what it actually means.
Why there are so many different ways of governing people, with no one right answer.
What ‘gerrymandering’ means (no, we didn’t make that up).
How empires, wars, and revolutions have shaped the world we live in today.
How elections work today.
How countries work together (and sometimes fall out).
How young activists can use their voice to call for change, before they’re even old enough to vote!
Plus, read about the women who used ju-jitsu to campaign for equal rights, the dictator who banned beards, and the rhino that became a council member in Brazil. Learn how the media can swing things in modern elections and get savvy to fake news. Test your knowhow with a quiz at the back of the book.
 
Packed with facts and jokes and perfect for introducing young readers to big concepts, the latest in the Quick Histories series is here to make politics funny again.
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A Quick History of the Universe: From the Big Bang to Just Now
ISBN13：9780711262737

Strap in for a rip-roaring ride through the history of the universe, starting with the Big Bang, and bringing us right up to present day. What was the universe like when it was a few seconds old? How had it changed by its millionth birthday? And when did time even start, for that matter? The story of the last 13.8 billion years in one handy volume, you can read about the start of stars, the growth of galaxies and the production of planets. Plus, there are some great dad jokes. Hold on tight...

Read the story of how the universe developed, and discover:
In the beginning there was... what exactly? What was the beginning of the universe actually like?
Some suns have just got that star quality... but which stars are really hot stuff?
Who's who in the galactic zoo? There are several different types of galaxy in the universe. How do they form?
The tragic death of the star - how do stars die, and why?
What's blacker than black... a black hole
Peek into the future - what will the universe be like in the next few billion years?
How do we even know this stuff? Read about the scientists who are figuring it all out.

Packed with fun cartoons and facts, A Quick History of the Universe tackles the biggest topic in the universe - literally - in chronological order. Before you know it, you'll be an expert on the history of space, the universe and everything.