I regret that finding a hardcopy of this book may be a challenge, as it was printed in 1937, and while a few copies had been sent to reviewers, librarians and teachers, who universally loved it, the bulk of its print run was sitting in a warehouse in London when it was bombed and burned during the "blitz". Hutchinson declined to reprint it, on the grounds that "the first edition sold very badly". This makes it very difficult to find. Unfortunately, H.C.F. Morant never did publish the intended sequel, an exploration of the planets for children, again guided by Whirlaway, a "fire sprite", which he had written but did not complete editing, because of this insanity. So the world lost not one but two amazing teaching resources. A friend found an electronic version of this book for my husband, and I read it before both storage servers went down (thank you Alliant Energy), taking his almost complete rewrite of it with them. If you can locate it, grab it, read it to any and as many children of any age as you can. It will stay with them for life.

However, due to the enormous generosity of a friend, I now have a scan available!!! We are planning to attempt a reading of the book in the near future. In the meantime: Whirlaway.doc Whirlaway.pdf

http://books.google.com/books?id=YgX_TOK9xa4C&lpg=PA466&ots=l_r6j-Uzl1&dq=whirlaway%20morant&pg=PA466#v=onepage&q=whirlaway%20morant&f=false

Morant, H.C.F.

(m) b 1885? Dulverton, England; d. 1952 Melbourne, Vic. Other Name/s: Henry Charles Frank Morant.

Children's books include:

Whirlaway: a story of the ages (1937). For further information see ACB(1). Papers held: ANL.. Further Information: AustLit; O'Neill.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/11067828

Club & Kennel Gossip

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954) Saturday 29 May 1937 Page 32 S

The many friends of Mr. H.C.F. Morant, the official photographer for the Kennel Control Council, who, with his camera, is seen regularly at dog shows, will learn with pleasure that most flattering news has been received from England regarding the prospects of "Whirlaway," a book of which Mr Morant is the author. The English publishers, Hutchinsons, have forecast that "Whirlaway" will be the gift book in English-speaking countries for 1937.

The work, which contains remarkable illustrations by Jean Elder, deals in a way understandable to children with prehistoric animals and the world's progress since the days before civilization.

My husband used this book to get many students failing first year mathematics back on track. It takes the unusual approach to mathematics of starting with pre-history and working forwards in time, showing why things were needed, and how problems were solved, ensuring that the student has a comprehensive understanding of context, of the pre-existing foundational skills and how to approach problems unmatched by any other mathematical work. If you work through this book, you will be competent to first year calculus level, even if you never saw a single equation before beginning it. On a scale of zero to ten, this book rates a 100! Here is an Amazon review by Chris Hanks:

As important as it is exceptional., February 28, 1999

This review is from: Mathematics for the Million: How to Master the Magic of Numbers (Paperback)
In "Mathematics for the Million," Hogben takes the reader through the entire evolution of mathematics. He begins with ancient farmers whose meager math skills consisted of knowing the values 1, 2, 3, and "more than three," and shows how these skills grew out of necessity as societies became more complex. Hogben's goals are twofold. First, he means to educate the average person so that math won't remain the esoteric domain of academics. Second, he means to demonstrate that mathematical advances occur when math is used to solve real problems, and not when it's used as intellectual entertainment for an idle leisure class. Hogben succeeds on both accounts, and in doing so he (very subtly) develops a theory which anticipates the structural Marxism of the '50s and '60s, including the work of Louis Althusser, Herbert Marcuse, and Jurgen Habermas. But Hogben's real magic is that he makes all this accessible to anyone: Even those with no math background at all will be doing calculus by the end of the book, even performing calculations to measure the Earth's circumference or the distance to the moon. Never has such an opaque subject been as lucid as in "Mathematics for the Million."

Everything I said about mathematics applies to this brilliant work on science which takes a similar approach of "stepping through history" to establish a thorough comprehension - sufficient to ace the SAT. And what is really funny is that it is not only educational, it is a brilliant read. Why it is out of print I do not know, but grab a copy of it while you can. An Amazon review by a pseudonymous reviewer, heavily edited by myself:

This review is from: Science for the Citizen (Hardcover)

"Such philosophy, as shall not vanish in the fume of subtile, sublime, or delectable speculation, but such as shall be operative to the endowment and benefit of man's life;" -- Francis Bacon

This quote encapsulates the subtle eloquence of the text. I have spent many long hours reading this book which details how Natural Science is an essential part of the education of the citizen and how even then at this time, Hogben perceived the significance of scientific discoveries affecting everyone lives. Today we detail the impact of nature on humans, we must recognize that Hogben emphasized this over half a century ago. From the pole star to to the pyramids and flirting with Pompey's pillar and much much more besides along the way, it is a fascinating read. Exquisite illustrations add to the joy of this book. Truly a must have for any library.

Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down
J.E. Gordon

Google Books

My husband, a scientist and engineer, says that this book is the best pre-engineering work ever written. I don't know about that, but I'm no engineer and enjoyed it enormously. Here is a review by another engineer, J. Head:

Clear, Concise, It makes the Complex easily Understood, July 11, 2001

This review is from: Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down (Paperback)

This book could even give Stress Analysis a good name. The author does an exceedingly good job of explaining the property or behavior of a material. He then proceeds to demonstrate the direct relationship between the properties and how the material is utilized and how it affects of the overall design of the structure. The book discusses why construction steel really is the preferred material for most large structures. Comparisons of soft metal chain vs. high tensile strength suspension bridges or bi-plane vs. monoplane design are discussed. I would recommend this for anybody that wants a well rounded basic understanding of why structures are the designed the way they are. The math is at a minimum, the concepts are very well explained and real world examples are used frequently to keep it interesting. The author's career has exposed him to a multitude of design failures and successes. He readily explains them along with his philosophy of design and accident prevention. This is another one of those books that can in a few chapters explain the major goals and problems in the modern field of design and materials science.

The History of Mankind
Hendrik Willem van Loon

The Arts of Mankind
Hendrik Willem van Loon