Spectacular Visual Guides Series

A Medieval Castle

by Fiona MacDonald and Mark Bergin

Published 15 January 1990

Text and cutaway illustrations depict how people lived and worked inside a medieval castle.

Explore a medieval monastery and discover what happened within its cloistered walls. This is a full-colour illustrated guide to all aspects of medieval monasteries, their construction, the lives of the monks and nuns who lived in them, and the various monastic orders and the disciplines they followed. This book will bring history alive!

Medieval Cathedral

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 15 January 1990

Discover a world of ornate architecture, stories told in glass and unique feats of construction and art. This guide presents the life of a Medieval Cathedral. Meet highly-skilled master craftsmen as they design ghoulish gargoyles and statues. Additional text places the construction in its wider historical and religious context. Superb cutaway illustrations and pinpoint enlargements accompany the text. Informative captions, a complete glossary and an index make this title an ideal educational text.

A 19th Century Railway Station

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 31 December 1990

Text and illustrations describe the planning, construction, and activities of a nineteenth-century railway station.

The Beagle With Charles Darwin

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 1 March 2005

Take an incredible voyage on the Beagle with Charles Darwin. Explore its relevance to the people who built it and the lives that they led. Stunning cut-away illustrations help lead the reader through the often complex historical periods. Written in a clear, concise style. Contents, glossary, and index.

The Roman Colosseum

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 15 January 1990

Step inside the Colosseum at Rome around AD80 and discover for yourself the technological wonders, the vicious weapons, the thrills and the dangers of a great Roman arena. Find out why this incredible feat of architecture was built, who paid for it and where the money came from. And then gasp at the stars, the Gladiators who fought for their lives in the ancient Roman Colosseum and made it so lucrative for those in charge of this ruthless business. Astounding architectural acheivements are explained and explored with full-colour cutaway illustrations. Pinpoint enlargements focus on the day to day lives of the people, looking at how they ate, dressed, entertained themselves and sometimes fought. Illustrations of artifacts and paintings from the era help to support the main text by providing proof which explains how we know what we know. Informative captions, maps, a complete glossary and an index make these titles ideal educational texts. Each one features a sturdy flexi-bound cover with gold foiling.

Samurai Castle

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 15 January 1990

Take an incredible tour through a Samurai Castle. Explore its relevance to the people who built it and the lives that they led. Stunning cut-away illustrations help lead the reader through the often complex historical periods. Written in a clear, concise style. Contents, glossary, and index.

African Town

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 28 August 2015

Take an incredible tour through an African Town, exploring its relevance to the people who built it and the lives that they lead. Stunning cut-away illustrations and a clear, concise writing style help lead the reader through the often complex social and historical context

A 16th Century Mosque

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 1 November 2007

"A 16th Century Mosque" tells the story of the commissioning and building of the Suleymaniye mosque in Constantinople (Istanbul), one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture. It describes the religious, educational and charitable activities carried out in the mosque, and the role of the mosque in the life of the Muslim community. It outlines the early history of Islam, and the basic features of Muslim beliefs and traditions. Superb cutaway illustrations and pinpoint enlargements accompany the text. Informative captions, maps, a complete glossary and an index enhance the book's educational value.

Spectacular Visual Guides: Viking Town

by Fiona MacDonald

Published 20 June 2024

Viking Town is an invaluable guide to one of the most important periods in history.

Step inside a Viking town and discover for yourself what it was like to live and work in this bustling centre of long-distance trade. Admire the well-built houses before joining the town's defenders as they fight off an attack by rivals from across the sea. This is a superbly-illustrated look at the daily lives of different types of Vikings.

With superb cutaway illustrations, we explore the astounding architectural achievements and day-to-day activities of the Vikings, looking at how they ate, dressed, entertained themselves and sometimes fought. Informative captions, maps, a complete glossary and an index makes this title an ideal educational aid for children aged 9 and up studying this period.