David Long (4) (1961–)

I liked this book all right - I learned a few interesting tidbits which I didn't know before. The artwork was good, and fun. Except for the following, I think it'd be a great book for kids to read about the moon missions and landings. But I was very disappointed to only see white people in the big art spread of the work done to save the Apollo 13 astronauts, given that we know there were black computers working at NASA. I also think a discussion about how the astronauts were chosen and WHY show more they were all men, and white, would be good so children don't assume upon reading that white men were just intrinsically better at being astronauts. These things matter.

Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Browsing the shelves of my local library, I came across an attractive hardback copy of Bizarre London - Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises by David Long. I was convinced to take it out on loan after browsing the contents page and spying enticing chapter headings like: Gruesome London, Ghostly London and Dead London alongside Shopping London, Working London and Parliamentary London.

The content was short and sharp with plenty of easily digestible facts from history one after the other. show more Bizarre London is easy to dip into although I chose to read it straight through.

I think I've mentioned my fascination with the freezing over of the Thames river before, but I enjoyed this tidbit:

"Overall, London's coldest ever year was almost certainly 1684, when the Thames froze in central London from bank to bank, to a depth of 11 in., and remained that way for nearly two months. (Albeit for shorter periods this happened a further fifteen times, the last being in 1814, which was the year of the final 'Frost Fair'. Page 121

The introduction of better bridges means this no longer happens in central London, and in fact the last time the Thames froze over was the year 1963 and it happened at Kingston-upon-Thames.

Continuing with the theme of London's weather and another of my favourite London facts, the period of intensely dense fog in December 1952:

"Since then [1873's record-breaking run of seventy-four foggy days], the worst pea-souper was in December 1952, which led to as many as 12,000 deaths - from respiratory illness as well as accidents involving people who couldn't see traffic - and some 100,000 cases of medical illness." Page 122

These kinds of conditions are hard to imagine, although viewers of Season 1 of The Crown might remember the scene.

Some interesting facts from this century included the chapter entitled Eating by Numbers, where we learn that during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games:

"...deliveries to the athletes' village included 25,000 loaves of bread, 232 tons of potatoes and 82 tons of seafood, more than 100 tons of meat, 19 tons of eggs and 21 tons of cheese. Fruit and veg accounted for another 360 tons of deliveries." Page 137

Wow, now that's impressive!

Published in 2013, much of the content within Bizarre London - Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises by David Long was dry and factual but doesn't date, however I'm sure an updated edition will be of interest to future readers. show less

Kid's book, my left ear! This is for EVERYONE (maybe not archaeologists and similar) who just might find themselves interested in the ancient things they do not know about from the Tigris and Euphrates all the way into China. The info is comfortable comprehensive and the detailed illustrations (think Where's Waldo) are delightfully intricate. I am really looking forward to the print version (it'll be easier on older eyes) and sharing it with the kidz.
I requested and received a free temporary show more ebook from Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions via NetGalley. Thank you! show less

Explorers, Adventurers, and Survivors -- Oh My! This book is a simply delightful collection of real-life stories. Some sought out their own adventure, some were thrust into it through no fault of their own, but in the end they all survived.

Was there a common thread that tied these individuals together? Could some of these calamities been avoided? How would I have reacted in the same circumstances? The book does not attempt to answer questions, rather it just presents the stories and lets show more you the reader draw your own conclusions and lessons.

High quality paper with 1-2 original color sketches to illustrate each story. High recommended for elementary education teachers looking to promote discussion with their students. If ever there was a book meant to be read aloud in small installments, this is it. show less