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A Compendium of Curious Contraptions

£14.99

Guess what some of the most unusual objects from history were used for in this book by archaeologist Anna Goldfield!

In Stock

ISBN: 9781916745032 Category: Children's - Non-Fiction Tags: Children's / Teenage general interest: General knowledge & trivia, Children's / Teenage general interest: Machines & how things work, Educational: Social sciences, social studies
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Description

An illustrated guide to some of the most bizarre objects from history by archaeologist Anna Goldfield, including a guessing game for kids to play!

Each page contains a mystery item from the past, with a set of clues as to what it was used for. Readers can take a guess before unfolding a giant flap to reveal the answer. Without giving too much away, the book contains Inuit snow goggles, designed to protect eyes from the blinding glare of the ice, an ancient Chinese earthquake detector featuring several metal frogs, and err.. the Royal fistula – an item used to perform delicate surgery on the rear end of King Louis XIV of France.

Kids will delight in trying to work out the purpose of the beautiful objects, brought to life by Mexican illustrator Paula Zamudio, and will learn a lot about the cultures that created them – from ancient Rome to Polynesia, and Mesopotamia to Viking Scandinavia.

Additional information

Weight 0.68 kg
Dimensions 28.8 × 23.6 × 1.8 cm
Author

Goldfield, Anna

Publisher

Neon Squid

Imprint

Neon Squid

Cover

Hardback

Pages

64

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

909 (edition:23)

Readership

Children – juvenile / Code: J

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How about a non-fic read? Bookseller Ethan recommends 'We Were There' by Lanre Bakare

Bakare brings together a collection of often overlooked voices that feel deeply personal and rooted in place. Moving across different lives and perspectives, explore identity, community, and what it means to grow up in spaces that are often misunderstood. Reading this book, you feel like you’re listening closely to real stories, admiring resilience, and recognising elements of yourself in them, even when the experiences are not your own. It’s a celebration Black Britain beyond London.📚🤓🎶

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**’girlhood’ in this sense is gender neutral – what aspects of your youth do you wish to hold onto? What do you think you had to ‘leave behind’ as you entered adulthood?

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