Unsolved Mysteries of History - Hardcover

Aron, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471351903 ISBN 13: 9780471351900

Publisher: Wiley, 2000

Synopsis

A fascinating look at thirty of the mysteries that have baffled the world through the ages, by the author of Unsolved Mysteries of American History.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

"Historians make great detectives," says Paul Aron, "and history makes for great detective stories." In Unsolved Mysteries of History, Aron’s second ingenious primer on the art of historical detection, he proves that history has all the twists and turns, intellectual challenges, and surprise revelations of a great mystery story. From the origins of mankind—literally—to the present, here are the twenty-five most intriguing mysteries of all time.

• Were the Neandertals our ancestors? Or did modern Homo sapiens wipe them out?
• Why did the pharaohs build the pyramids? And if they were, in fact, tombs, why is it that nobody found any bodies?
• If Gutenberg invented the printing press, why did Johannes Fust sue him . .. and win? And why was it Fust’s name that appeared on the first printed books?
• Did Columbus discover America by accident? Or was he looking for a New World all along?
• How could Shakespeare, the uneducated son of a small-town glove-maker, have written with such familiarity about law, the classics, and court life? And if he didn’t write the plays, who did?
• Could the Titanic have been saved? Why did the Californian, just miles from the sinking ocean liner, not go to its rescue?
• Did Hitler murder his niece? And was he her lover?

For each mystery, Aron re-creates the decisive events surrounding them and presents the latest discoveries and debates. Open Unsolved Mysteries of History and join the fray.

From the Back Cover:

ADVANCE PRAISE FORUNSOLVED MYSTERIES OF HISTORY

"Aron has produced a fascinating and judicious description of historical mysteries from the Neandertals to Gorbachev. His entertaining account of historical controversies will leave every reader the wiser about the past." —Jack F. Matlock Jr., former U.S.Ambassador to the Soviet Union"With unerring good sense and in well-paced prose, Paul Aron solves as best he can the major who-done-its, did-it-happens, and did-it-have-to-happens of world history. Unsolved Mysteries of History should keep readers engaged well into the night."
— Adam Potkay, Author, A Passion for Happiness"Intriguing, fascinating, and well-written."—Robert Smith Thompson, Author, A Time for War

PRAISE FOR PAUL ARON’SUNSOLVED MYSTERIES OFAMERICAN HISTORY

"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."—Kirkus Reviews

"A welcome gateway for historical exploration."—Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0471351903
• ISBN 13: 9780471351900
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240