Books in the Who Was? series

Born into wealth in 1860's London, Beatrix Potter always had a vivid imagination. Her early interests included natural history and archaeology, and Potter delighted in sketching fossils and fungi. Potter wrote and illustrated her well-known book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit and his animal friends have become cultural touchstones.

He spent twenty seven years in prison and emerged as the inspiring leader of the new South Africa. He became the country's first black president and went on to live his dream of change. This is an important and exciting addition to the Who was...? Series.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor Pierre Curie, and they got married. Together they discovered two elements and won a Nobel Prize in 1903. This book tells her story.

In this exciting new WHO WAS...? Biography, children will learn of Christopher Columbus' early life at sea, which led him to seek fortune by sailing west in hopes of creating new trade routes with the Indies. Readers will learn why he called himself the "Great Admiral of the Seas" and learn of his struggles to find financial support for his voyage.

When the plague broke out in London in 1665 he was forced to return home from college. It was during this period of so much death, that Newton gave life to some of the most important theories in modern science, including gravity and the laws of motion. This book tells his story.

Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name. A name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era's great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope with which he was able to observe the heavens.

A series of biographies which introduce readers to key figures in history.

Did you know that Bell''s amazing invention--the telephone--stemmed from his work on teaching the deaf? Both his mother and wife were deaf. Or, did you know that in later years he refused to have a telephone in his study? Bell''s story will fascinate young readers interested in the early history of modern technology!

Learn more about Napoleon Bonaparte, the decorated French military leader who conquered much of Europe in the early nineteenth century.

How did an Irish schoolboy become the lead singer of a world-famous rock band and the founder of several humanitarian groups? Track Bono's rise to fame in this exciting addition to the Who Was? series.