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That Was Genius
Lost Knowledge and Incredible Inventions from History
Brief Description
That Was Genius shines a spotlight on the unbelievable inventions and innovations of ancient peoples from across the world, and will change how you think about history and science. This technological treasury of hidden histories uncovers gadgets and gizmos from the ancient and recent past, creating...
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See moreThat Was Genius is an eye-popping showcase of the unbelievable inventions of our ancestors that will make you rethink the past and future.
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Description
That Was Genius shines a spotlight on the unbelievable inventions and innovations of ancient peoples from across the world, and will change how you think about history and science.
This technological treasury of hidden histories uncovers gadgets and gizmos from the ancient and recent past, creating a richly detailed gift-book perfect for budding historians looking for a fresh take on the non-fiction they know and love.
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. Each entry is linked to a real, up-to-the-minute STEM topic to show just how much we can learn from the ancient world. Discover what the Rosetta Stone has in common with A.I. and what a shipwrecked artefact from ancient Greece can tell us about modern-day computers.
Spanning five continents and thousands of years, That Was Genius covers:
- 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.
Did-you-know historical narratives meet in-depth detail on the science behind each invention, with text written by science communicator and children's non-fiction author Emily Dodd. The technologies, inventors, and artefacts are reimagined in Christian Gralingen's puzzlebox illustrations, which open up these machines and invite readers of all ages to solve the mysteries of the distant past.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780711294806
Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 03 September 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Wide Eyed Editions
Contributors:
- Illustrated by Christian Gralingen
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 256.0mm
Height: 310.0mm
Weight: 950g
Pages: 96
About the Author
Emily Dodd loves science and wildlife. She is the author of picture books and non-fiction science books, a screenwriter for CBeebies, a singer-songwriter and a BBC radio playwright. Emily travels widely, taking her interactive science events to schools, libraries and festivals. Her books for children include DKFindOut! Energy (DK, 2018), the Tell Me About series (Templar) and That Was Genius (Wide Eyed Editions, 2026).Christian Gralingen was born in Essen, Germany and now lives and works as an Art Director and Illustrator, as well as teaching Illustration and Communication Design, in Berlin. His client list includes design agencies, publishing houses, magazines, academic institutions and foundations. His aesthetics have many influences but are particularly inspired by the imagery of scientific publications, construction plans and technical drawings.
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