This book is part of a book series called Big Books .

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

There are 40 pages in this book. This book was published 1994 by Hachette Children's Group .

Peter Bull graduated from art college in 1979 and has worked as a freelance illustrator for over 25 years. He creates both traditional and digital art for publishers worldwide, and also runs the Peter Bull Art Studio, based in Kent, UK, which he founded in 1975.

This book has the following chapters: Words and writing - how many languages are spoken in the world?, what did the first writing look like?; farming - how did the ancient Egyptians farm their land? who invented barbed wire?; eating and drinking - find out how people used to eat their food before there were forks, and who discovered chocolate; making a home - what happens to mud bricks when it rains?, how did the Mongols move house?; dressing up - what did Cleopatra use sheep fat and red clay for?, who was Gideon Sundback?; getting better - discover why doctors used blood-sucking leeches, and how the Black Death spread; cleaning - why did Romans go to public baths?, what did people use a mangle for?; working - why did small children work in the mills?, what were guilds?; learning - find out what lessons were like in a Sumerian school, and where the first university was opened; travelling on land - why did a man with a red flag have to travel in front of the first trains?; travelling on water - what were the first boats made out of?, who were the first people to use sails on their boats?; travelling in air - what was the name of the first aeroplane?, why is the "Hindenburg" famous?; fighting - what was a pot-de-fer?, what kind of weapon was a rapier?; inventing - who invented the wheel?, what was the first telephone message?