History's Worst Predictions
And the People Who Made Them
| Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages Item: 180669 ISBN: 9780785828136 SpecsSize: 6.7 x 8.9 Weight: 1.938 lb. Published: April 25th 2011 DC: BK List Price: $12.99 $9.74All discounts based on list price. No trade discounts available from sale price. In Stock |
History’s Worst Predictions is a lighthearted look at fifty of the grandest predictions the world has seen—and how they proved to be spectacularly wrong. The book asks why we are still here, given that the end of the world has been foretold over 200 times, including: for 1833 by William Miller, who claimed to be in direct contact with god, and for 1997 by Nostradamus, king of the poor prediction. Also looks at now-infamous gaffes that are in fact fake, such as Charles H. Duell, former Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, who is wrongly credited with saying, in 1899, that “there is nothing left to invent.” |
Eric Chaline is a professional journalist and writer specializing in history, philosophy, and religion. A graduate of Cambridge University and The School of African and Oriental Studies, London, he lived in Tokyo for seven years where he was English-language editor for Kodansha Publishers. His book credits from that time include Martial Arts for Fitness and Tai Chi for Mind, Body and Spirit, which have been translated into several languages. More recently, he has published titles on philosophy, including The Book of Zen, and on history, including Traveler’s Guide to the Ancient World: Ancient Greece, History’s Worst Inventions, and History’s Worst Deceptions. He now lives and works in London, where he is conducting doctoral research in sociology at South Bank University. |