Andrew Robinson

An updated edition of this acclaimed book, now with a new preface and published to tie in with the bicentenary of Champollion's breakthrough in 1822. Cracking the Egyptian Code is the first biography in English of Jean-François Champollion, the impoverished, arrogant and brilliant child of the French Revolution who made the vital breakthrough in deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphs. This account...

Albert Einstein visited Oxford in 1931, to receive an honorary degree and to lecture on relativity and the Universe. While lecturing, he naturally chalked equations and diagrams on several blackboards. One of these is today the most popular object in Oxford's History of Science Museum. Yet Einstein tried to prevent its preservation because he was modest about his legendary status....

Pithy, admirable ... a most refreshing resumé The Times Literary Supplement India has had many histories. To pilgrims from ancient China, it was the birthplace of the Buddha; to Alexander the Great it was a land of clever naked philosophers and indomitable, elephantine armies. At the height of the Mughal empire, India boasted nearly a quarter of the world economy,...

From deep beneath the surface of Azeroth, a mysterious voice cries out for heroes. But before these brave souls heed the call, they must answer to their own voices within... Anduin's wanderings at last lead him to the solitude he seeks until his peace is shattered in a heartrending tale by Christie Golden. Andrew Robinson takes Gazlowe to a struggling...

After witnessing the fall of Dalaran and braving the depths beneath Khaz Algar, the heroes of Azeroth face an uncertain future. Across the world, old hatreds are rising and Xal’atath remains at large, at work on her own machinations. But even amidst a tide of chaos and fear, hope remains. Join Thrall, Jaina Proudmoore, Renzik the Shiv, Faerin Lothar, Alleria...

In an absorbing text, Andrew Robinson explains the interconnection between sound, symbol and script. He discusses each of the major writing systems in turn, from cuneiform and Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs to the scripts of China and Japan, as well as others such as the Cherokee 'alphabet' and the writing of runes. Full coverage is given to the history of...

Beginning with the stories of three great decipherments—Egyptian hieroglyphs, Minoan Linear B and Mayan glyphs—Lost Languages moves on to dissect the most well-known and enigmatic undeciphered scripts from around the world. These include the Etruscan alphabet of Italy, the Indus Valley seal script, Rongorongo from remote Easter Island, the Zapotec script of Mexico (probably the first writing system in the...