Bookshelf

| browse books |
books
 

| book details |

That Was Genius: Lost Knowledge and Incredible Inventions from History

By (author) Emily Dodd, Illustrated by Christian Gralingen

| on special |

normal price: R 556.95

Price: R 528.95


| book description |

Discover the unbelievable inventions and innovations of ancient people from across the world.     This technological treasury of hidden histories uncovers gadgets and gizmos from the ancient and recent past to change the way you think about history and science.     See inside steam-powered robots from ancient Greece, learn the secrets of medieval alchemy and marvel at an earthquake detector from ancient China. Forget your dusty history books – this is a book of marvels that are stranger than fiction!    Spanning five continents and thousands of years, That Was Genius includes:  Incredible innovations from the ancient world, including razor-sharp obsidian tools, a mystical Viking compass and Aboriginal Australian songlines.  Enormous libraries that once housed knowledge now lost to time, such as those of Alexandria and Baghdad.  Spotlight inventors whose wildest dreams went unrealised – ranging from the original Renaissance Man, Leonardo da Vinci, to computing pioneer Ada Lovelace.  Each spread is packed with fascinating details on the science behind each invention, as well as puzzlebox illustrations which invite you to solve the mysteries of the distant past yourself . . .     Perfect for curious minds and budding inventors, That Was Genius invites you to rethink what ancient people knew, built and imagined – and to see the modern world with fresh eyes.

| product details |



Normally shipped | Available from overseas. Usually dispatched in 14 days
Publisher | Quarto Publishing PLC
Published date | 3 Sep 2026
Language |
Format | Hardback
Pages | 96
Dimensions | 310 x 256 x 15mm (L x W x H)
Weight | 950g
ISBN | 978-0-7112-9480-6
Readership Age |
BISAC | juvenile nonfiction / history / ancient


| other options |


| your trolley |

To view the items in your trolley please sign in.

| sign in |

| specials |

Broken Country: AMAZON'S BOOK OF THE YEAR - THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER

Clare Leslie Hall
Paperback / softback
320 pages


Enquiries only

An epic love story with the pulse of a thriller that asks: what would you risk for a second chance at first love?

The Quality of Mercy

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Paperback / softback
384 pages
was: R 340.95
now: R 299.95
Stock is usually dispatched in 6-12 days from date of order

This is indeed a story of mercy and the redemption it offers.

The History of Man

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
Paperback / softback
288 pages
was: R 360.95
now: R 316.95
Stock is usually dispatched in 6-12 days from date of order

Emil Coetzee, a civil servant in his fifties, is washing blood off his hands when the ceasefire is announced.