American William “Count” Basie was a wildly popular composer, pianist, and bandleader for decades, and his work is still celebrated today. American guitarist and singer B. B. King helped develop the blues as a popular musical artform, inspiring musicians who followed him. Readers will explore these and many other musical biographies inside this book. The informative and engaging text is supported by photographs and primary sources.

English scientist William Harvey experimented and made great discoveries about the circulatory system in the 1600s. Around 1800, French zoologist George Cuvier made influential fossil discoveries and contributed to the founding of paleontology. The fascinating profiles of these and many other notable scientists are collected in this volume, and are supported by related photographs and primary sources. Readers are sure to be inspired for years to come.

Mira Bai was a Hindu mystic and poet. She was a follower of the Hindu god Krishna, and today some people celebrate her as a saint. The legacy of Marie-Antoinette can be problematic. As queen of France, she was not well liked by many, but she held a considerable amount of power in Europe. These and many other fascinating biographies fill this book and are guaranteed to inspire readers of all ages.

Marie Stopes was a British paleobotanist and writer who made great strides in some women’s rights and established the first birth control clinic in Britain. The Albanian-Indian Catholic nun known as Mother Teresa established Missionaries of Charity to help people who, in her own words, “feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.” These figures are just two of the biographies of influential women who have helped shape the world we live in.

American composer and pianists Charles Ives was renowned during his life for his musical innovations. Egyptian singer Umm Kulthūm mesmerized audiences with her voice for half a century, and she is still celebrated in the Arab world to this day. These are just two of the fascinating musical profiles in this guide to musicians of the early 1900s. This comprehensive and entertaining volume is supported by captivating photographs and primary sources.

During the mid-1880s, the first black regiments of the US Army were formed. These soldiers served on the western frontier, as well as conflicts in Cuba, the Philippines, and Mexico. They were nicknamed “buffalo soldiers,” by Native Americans. Despite their upstanding service, these courageous men faced prejudice in their own country. In this educational text, readers will learn all about the history of the buffalo soldiers. Photographs bring the information to life and a timeline highlights important historical moments.

German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt helped popularized science texts with his book Kosmos, published in five volumes between 1845 and 1862, which gives an understandable account of the structure of the universe as known at the time. Around the same time, Gregor Mendel famously studied pea plants and laid the foundation for the modern science of genetics. Readers will be amazed by the detailed biographies of these and many other notable scientists, which are supported by amazing photographs and primary sources.

During his life, Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt was celebrated for his unique style and solo piano pieces—his work is still celebrated today! Austrian American composer Arnold Schoenberg ushered in a new era of composition by introducing the concept of atonality. Readers will explore the biographies of these two and many other accomplished musicians of the 1800s. The engaging text is paired with photographs and primary sources to create a well-rounded learning experience.

During the late 1940s, American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer dazzled audiences with his jazz music, and people still celebrate his contributions to the music to this day. Similarly, American guitarist and composer Bob Dylan has moved generations of fans with his mix of folk, rock, and poetic lyrics. Davis and Dylan are just two of the inspiring musician profiles inside this book. Readers are presented with photographs and primary sources to produce a well-rounded approach to musician biographies.

In this volume, detailed biographies are complemented by photographs of eminent philosophers from the late 20th century. The book begins with the political thinker Hannah Arendt and her ideas about morality, then chronicles the concepts of Simone de Beauvoir, John Rawls, Michel Foucault, Noam Chomsky, Jacques Derrida, and others. It ends with the Australian philosopher Peter Singer, highlighting his work in bioethics and animal rights. Readers will be enthralled by the stories of these philosophers and their answers to persisting questions about human existence and the meaning of life.

French painter Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was born in 1755. She created many landscapes but is most well-known for painting more than 600 portraits, including many for Marie-Antoinette and her family. Florence Nightingale had an enormous impact on the field of nursing, perfecting her skills while helping wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. These are just two of the fascinating profiles of influential women within this volume. Readers are sure to be engaged by these colorful biographies.

After escaping from enslavement, Harriet Tubman went on to become a vocal abolitionist and “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Her legacy as a social activist is undeniable. She worked alongside many other important historical figures, including Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. Anna Pavlova is remembered as the first prima ballerina to establish her own ballet company and perform all over the world. These and other inspiring biographies will keep readers enthralled from cover to cover.

The research and discoveries made by French chemist and microbiologist in the 1800s have benefitted mankind well into the 21st century. He proved microorganisms cause diseases, and developed vaccines. American scientist Henrietta Swan Leavitt contributed to the science of astronomy, specifically regarding the brightness of stars. Inside this guide, readers will explore the lives and discoveries of these historical figures as well as many other notable scientists, The text is supported by stunning photographs and images.

Hans Bethe—German-born American theoretical physicist—helped increase understanding of quantum physics and the atomic processes of matter. He earned a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1967. Steven Pinker is a Canadian-born American experimental scientist who has made great strides in understanding of the evolutionary interpretation of language acquisition in humans. Informative text is paired with revealing photographs and primary sources to help make this an enjoyable and educational guide to modern scientists. Readers will be fascinated and inspired for years to come.

As an ancient Roman hero and the god of medicine, Asclepius is one of the first healing figures in recorded history. Today we are reminded of him through the medical symbol of a staff with intertwined serpents. Hundreds of years later, German astronomer Johannes Kepler discovered three major laws of planetary motion. Detailed profiles of these and many other notable scientists are thoughtfully collected within these pages, and are supported by stunning photographs and images. Readers will be fascinated and inspired for years to come.

The first African American flying unit in the US military were called the Tuskegee Airmen. They trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and flew more than 1,500 missions. During World War II, these men became some of the most decorated servicemen of the Army Air Forces. In this informative book, readers will learn about all about the Tuskegee Airmen, the missions they accomplished, and the prejudice and discrimination they faced at home. Eye-catching photographs, fascinating sidebars, and a helpful timeline add dimension to the comprehensive text.

New Zealand-born British physicist Ernest Rutherford was essential to the study of radioactivity, and he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, among other awards. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical theorist who is well-known as the inventor of the atomic bomb, but is also remembered as a leader in training a new generation of U.S. physicists. Inside this volume, readers will explore these two fascinating biographies, as well as the biographies of many other notable scientists. Biographies are supported by stunning photographs and primary sources.

This catalogue of the world’s most influential philosophers begins with Pythagoras. Best known today as a mathematician, Pythagoras claimed that numbers underpin the harmonious structure of the world. He developed a set of principles that guided his fellow Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, among others. The volume ends with the contributions of the Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, who expanded the idea of the “middle way” between the extremes of existence and nonexistence. Detailed biographies of these philosophers—as well as Confucius, Socrates, Zhuangzi, and others—introduce readers to the early discipline of philosophy and its enduring ideas.

Beginning with the ancient philosopher Plotinus, this volume surveys the great thinkers of the world from late antiquity into the Middle Ages. In his treatises, Plotinus commented on the religious beliefs of his day, including the use of magic. Readers will also find the life stories of the Christian Saint Augustine, the Muslim philosopher Avicenna, the Buddhist teacher Shinran, and the Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides. The book ends with a biography of John Dus Scotus, a Scottish philosopher and Franciscan friar. Readers are sure to gain an appreciation of the influential ideas that secured these philosophers a place in history.

The late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Age of Enlightenment produced a wealth of great thinkers whose ideas have endured through time. Beginning with William of Ockham, this volume is filled with the works of philosophers and theologians from around the world. Detailed biographies of Niccolò Machiavelli, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, John Locke, and others give readers an appreciation of these influential figures and the ways they searched for meaning, purpose, and order in the world. The volume ends with Montesquieu, a French philosopher whose contributions to political theory continue to shape modern democracies.

From the Scottish economist David Hume to the German scholar Friedrich Nietzsche, this book brings together the most prominent philosophers of the 18th and 19th centuries. It covers the works and ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Moses Mendelssohn, Jeremy Bentham, Arthur Schopenhauer, Soren Kierkegaard, Karl Marx, and many others. An in-depth biography of each philosopher offers a look at their personal life and the historical context of their most stimulating ideas. Readers can closely examine the way these philosophers grappled with timeless questions of morality, human nature, and social order.

Swim with the sharks alongside Eugenie Clark. Build bat houses with Amanda Lear. Protect endangered seahorses with Amanda Vincent and Heather Koldewey. Featuring 25 mini biographies of brave and compassionate scientists, veterinarians, and activists, this collection will take readers all around the world to meet women who fight for animal rights and conservation. Now in library binding, this book is sure to inspire animal lovers everywhere. Includes a foreword by zoologist Lucy King and activities curated by Bindi Irwin. The exciting stories are paired with bold, full-page portraits created by female and nonbinary artists from around the world.

Guido d’Arezzo was a medieval music theorist who set the stage for modern Western musical notation. The Polish French composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin was, and still is, wildly popular for his concertos and original playing style. These are just two of the musical profiles presented in this volume, and readers are sure to be fascinated by the biographical narratives of accomplished musicians. The text is supplemented by photographs and primary sources.

Fascinating philosophies from the late 19th and early 20th century continue to provoke and inspire the thinkers of today. This volume takes a close look at important developments of the era, beginning with the work of Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege, a German philosopher and mathematician, and ending with the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, who argued for the primacy of perception. Other notable philosophers from the period include John Dewey, Alfred North Whitehead, Bertrand Russell, Martin Buber, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Martin Heidegger. Their lives and works are explored in this volume and paired with photographic portraits.