The Ladybird Expert Series

- Why did Japan decide to attack at Pearl Harbour?
- What was the Japanese vision of a Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere?
- How did the American strategy turn the tide against Japanese offensives?

Uncover the complexities of the brutal war against Japan. From the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, Oahu, to the Phillipines Campaign, the Allies were finally able to turn the tide against the onslaught of Japanese forces. Ending in Japanese surrender after the devastating atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the war in Japan was eventually won, but at the cost of civilian lives.

THE WAR THAT LED TO TWO ATOMIC BOMBINGS

Written by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, Victory Against Japan is an essential introduction to the tactics that finally brought an end to the Second World War.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Twentieth-Century Classical Music is an accessible, authoritative, and entertaining introduction to the Western classical music that captured the defining moments of the contemporary world.

Written by The Observer's classical music critic Fiona Maddocks, Twentieth-Century Classical Music will take you on an acoustic journey through history with a curated playlist on each page.

Early in the century, Schoenberg pioneered musical experiments which turned old traditions on their head. Then Stravinsky's sensational Rite of Spring, written on the eve of WWI dramatically altered the course of all classical music that followed.

From the influence of the jazz age and the sounds of cities, the nationalism of folk revival, Russian revolutions from the Bolsheviks to Stalin, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, you'll learn how Western composers painted with a new orchestral palette to capture the sentiments of their time.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Æthelflæd is an accessible, authoritative, and enlightening introduction to the most influential woman that English history forgot.

Today, few remember Æthelflæd. The daughter, sister and aunt of great kings, she was a ruler as remarkable as any of them. She planted cities, she sponsored learning, and she defeated the enemies of her people. It was on the foundations laid by Æthelflæd that a new kingdom would come to be built: a kingdom that lasts to this day.

Written by historian Tom Holland, Æthelflæd puts a spotlight on this formidable leader, pulling her out of the shadowy history of the dark ages. England owes much to her founding mother.

Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture.

For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Genetics is an accessible, authoritative and insightful introduction to the code that shapes the lives of all living things - DNA.

Written by broadcaster and geneticist Adam Rutherford, Genetics breaks down the DNA code - an alphabet of four letters and twenty-one words - that has been passed down from cell to cell for four billion years.

You'll learn how in the 150 years since DNA was first discovered, we are beginning to understand, and even radically rewrite, the code of life on Earth.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Bubbles is a clear, surprising and entertaining introduction to the science of bubbles.

Bubbles are beautiful, ephemeral, fun, fragile, jolly and slightly unpredictable. We're all familiar with them, but we don't often ask what they actually are.

The great scientists of the Western world - Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Lord Rayleigh and more - studied bubbles seriously. They recognised that they had a lot to say about the nature of the physical world, and they poked, prodded and listened to find out what it was. In the years since, we've learned that this bulbous arrangement of liquid and gas does things that neither the gas or the liquid could do by itself.

Written by the celebrated physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski, Bubbles explores how everything from the way drinks taste to the Earth's temperature are influenced by bubbles.

This book has a message: never underestimate a bubble!

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Timbuktu is a clear, simple and authoritative introduction to the land once considered one of the most important trading cities of the medieval world.

Written by curator and cultural historian Gus Caseley-Hayford, this book delves into the rise of the largest empire in West Africa and what made Timbuktu the most significant Saharan desert-port of the age.

You'll see the Mali Empire in its golden age, teeming with riches, scholars and trade. A history steeped in magicians, epic wars, story-tellers and missing ships. You'll learn what made Timbuktu so notorious and irresistible to the Emperor, and why centuries later it still enchants the Western World with its beauty, wealth, mystery, intellectual excellence and legacy.

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES

- Which is more terrifying - a monster or its mother?
- Why did Berserkers run naked into battle?
- How was the story of Beowulf almost lost forever?

PLUNGE into the adventures of Beowulf, the 6th Century hero who defeated the monster Grendel, became king of his people, and slayed a tremendous dragon. Surviving in a single, burnt manuscript, Beowulf continues to entrance readers and inspire major works of fantasy today.

WARRIORS. MONSTERS. DRAGONS. GOLD.

Janina Ramirez's Beowulf is an accessible and authoritative guide to the spellbinding world and daring feats of a poem remembered through the centuries.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Artificial Intelligence is an accessible and authoritative introduction to intelligent machines and the humans that program them.

Written by computer scientist Michael Wooldridge, Artificial Intelligence chronicles the development of intelligent machines, from Turing's dream of machines that think, to today's digital assistants like Siri and Alexa.

AI is not something that awaits us in the future. Inside you'll learn how we have come to rely on embedded AI software and what a world of ubiquitous AI might look like.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, The Battle of Trafalgar is an accessible and authoritative introduction to the battle that marked the defeat of Napoleon's plans to invade Britain.

Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture.

For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Consciousness is an accessible and authoritative introduction to one of life's most interesting questions: what does it mean to be conscious?

Written by celebrated neurologist and neuropsychologist Dr Hannah Critchlow, Consciousness will take you on a voyage to discover what allows the grey matter in our skulls to produce such complex emotions, personality traits, thoughts and memories.

Written by the leading lights and most outstanding communicators in their fields, the Ladybird Expert books provide clear, accessible and authoritative introductions to subjects drawn from science, history and culture.

For an adult readership, the Ladybird Expert series is produced in the same iconic small hardback format pioneered by the original Ladybirds. Each beautifully illustrated book features the first new illustrations produced in the original Ladybird style for nearly forty years.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, The Spanish Armada is an accessible and authoritative introduction to one of the most important naval battles in history and one of the most extraordinary historical tales ever told.

Written by award-winning British historian, archaeologist, and broadcaster Sam Willis, The Spanish Armada explores the battle that erupted in the English Channel in July 1588 when a Spanish fleet of 130 ships attempted to invade England.

You'll learn how religious tension between and piracy brought two powerful monarchs into conflict; how innovative tactics affected the battle; and how the conflict created unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Nuclear Deterrence is an accessible and authoritative introduction to the deterrent tactics employed to prevent war, drawing on the unprecedented power of nuclear weapons.

Written by celebrated historian and professor of War Studies Sir Lawrence Freedman, Nuclear Deterrence explores the history behind the world's most lethal weapon.

You'll learn about the history of the arms race, the implications of mutual assured destruction, the consequences of nuclear proliferation, and why disarmament proved to be so difficult.

Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES


- Why is it octopuses, and not octopi or octopodes?
- How did octopuses evolve to be so clever?
- How can octopuses see and speak with their skin?


EXAMINE these crafty hunters of the seabed - shape-shifting, skin-signalling and using complex tools - their remarkable abilities are still being uncovered.


BENDY BODIES, BIG BRAINS


Written by celebrated marine biologist and documentarian Helen Scales, Octopuses is an enthralling introduction to these utterly unique creatures, the myths and fiction they have inspired, and what they can tell us about the roots of intelligence.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Plato's Republic is an accessible, authoritative, and timely introduction to the influential dialogue that helped shape all Western literature and philosophy.

Written by distinguished philosopher and professor Angie Hobbs, Plato's Republic explores the age-old dilemma: Why should I be just? What is a just society, and how can it be created?

With strikingly relevant questions such as: How can women's potential be actualized? How are democracies subverted by demagogues and tyrants? How dangerous are 'alternative facts' and what can we do about them? This text is still essential reading.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series Nelson: Battle of the Nile is an accessible and authoritative introduction to the naval battle that established Nelson's fame.

Written by historian, archaeologist, and broadcaster Sam Willis, Nelson: Battle of the Nile details the British Royal Navy's glorious defeat of the French naval expedition, thwarting Napoleon's plans to invade Egypt, jeopardizing Britain's trade routes and stake in India.

The only way to stop Napoleon seemed to be at sea, and although Britain claimed victory in Aboukir Bay, the war was far from over...

You'll learn how the roots of this significant battle lie in the French Revolution, track Napoleon's rise to prominence and the effect of France's move from revolution to dictatorship on the balance of power in Europe. This book will take you though the dramatic turning points of the battle and Nelson's celebrated tactical leadership.

Part of the new Ladybird Expert series, Witchcraft is an accessible, authoritative and captivating introduction to the magical myths that have coloured the popular imagination for centuries.

Written by celebrated historian and broadcaster Dr Suzannah Lipscomb, Witchcraft explores the moment in history when witches were perceived to be especially dangerous: the famous witch hunts between 1450 and 1750.

You'll learn how the figure of the witch remains culturally relevant. In horror films, TV shows and pop culture, the figure of the witch retains her potency to attract and repel.

Witch hunts in one form or another have persisted for thousands of years. Understanding why people were and continue to be persecuted for witchcraft matters now, more than ever.