From the very first hand axe to the ubiquitous credit card, each item has a story to tell; together they relate the larger history of mankind. Handsomely designed, with more than 150 color photographs throughout the text, "A History of the World in 100 Objects" is a gorgeous reading book and makes a great gift for anyone interested in history.

In this brilliant work of historical reconstruction Neil MacGregor and his team at the British Museum, working together in a landmark collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC, bring us twenty objects that capture the essence of Shakespeare's universe and the Tudor era of Elizabeth I.

"The story is disarmingly simple: the author and his young son take a motorcycle trip across America. Their experiences become the springboard from which Robert Pirsig dives into his brilliant, often beautiful meditations on the concept of value -- and finally, on the author's own troubled past. Few books invite comparison with Moby Dick, but since Mr. Pirsig's book appeared nearly 20 years ago, critics have found the analogy unavoidable. Like Ishmael's...