(Paperback)

A work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a view of the world as it was understood in the first century AD, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first water-clock, or the use of asses' milk to remove wrinkles.

(Paperback)

The Arabic alphabet has a fascinating history, one that is entwined with the development of culture and society in the Middle East. This book traces the origins of the Arabic alphabet back to Aramaic, a descendant of Phoenecian, which itself gave rise to the Hebrew and Greek alphabets.