Best Selling Books by Michael Fry

This new edition of Michael Fry''s remarkable book charts the involvement of the Scots in the British empire from its earliest days to the end of the twentieth century. It is a tale of dramatic extremes and craggy characters and of a huge range of concerns - from education, evangelism and philanthropy to spying, swindling and drug running. Stories of Scottish regiments on the rampage, cannibalism and other atrocities are contrasted with the deeds of heroic pioneers such as David Livingstone and Mary Slessor. Above all it tells how the British empire came to be dominated and run by the Scots, and how it truly became a Scottish empire. As the empire transformed Scotland beyond recognition, so was the Empire shaped by the Scots - a remarkable achievement from the population of so small a country, which was itself neither nation nor fully province, neither fully colonizer nor fully colonized. Michael Fry''s energetic and colourful account is one of the classics of modern Scottish history.

War opened and closed Scotland''s greatest century: a pitiless part in the defeat of Naploeon in 1815, a huge blood-sacrifice for the sake of victory from 1914. In between came the greatest contributions to the progress and happiness of the rest of mankind that the Scots have ever made - in everything from the combine harvester to the mackintosh to anaesthesia. It was a supremely successful achieving society yet one not without deep flaws, in its urban poverty, its destruction of the environment, its religious intolerance, its moral hypocrisy, its crushing of Highland culture. Michael Fry shows, with an emphasis always on the human story, how a succession of deep crises undermined the usually tranquil and prosperous surface of life in Victorian Scotland to leave a legacy of paradox that the modern nation has even today yet to overcome.

From the best-selling author of the How to Be a Supervillain series comes this laugh-out-loud, heavily illustrated story of a shy boy, his best-friend-turned-ghost, and their bucket list of adventures and dares. Perfect for fans of the Timmy Failure and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Larry''s got a few problems. In school, he''s one of those kids who easily gets lost in the crowd. And Grimm, Larry''s best friend in the whole world, has ghosted him. Literally. One minute Grimm was saving a cat in a tree during a lightning storm, and the next, he''s pulling pranks on Larry in his new ghostly form. When the two best friends realize that there''s something keeping Grimm tethered to their world, they decide that finishing their Totally To-Do bucket list is the perfect way to help Grimm with his unfinished business. Pulling hilarious pranks and shenanigans may be easier with a ghostly best friend, but as Larry and Grimm brave the scares of seventh grade, they realize that saying goodbye might just be the scariest part of middle school.

In this rollicking middle-grade adventure and national bestseller, Michael Fry''s witty text and hysterical artwork combines superhero action with classic fish-out-of-water humor. Victor Spoil comes from a long line of famous supervillains and he''s fully expected to join their ranks one day. But to his family''s utter disappointment, Victor doesn''t have a single bad-guy bone in his body. He won''t run with scissors, he always finishes his peas, and he can''t stand to be messy. Hopeless! As a last-ditch effort before they give up and let him be a -- gasp! -- civilian, Victor''s exasperated parents send him to apprentice under a disgraced supervillain called The Smear. This matchup starts off as a complete disaster, but Victor and The Smear eventually find that they have a lot to learn from each other. When the stakes get high as Victor is forced to choose between his mentor and his family morals (or lack thereof) . . . what will the world''s nicest bad guy do?

The late poet laureate, Sir John Betjeman, said that Edinburgh was the most beautiful city in Europe. Like some other great cities it is set on seven hills. But only one of these, Rome, rivals Edinburgh in matching the beauty of its setting with the stateliness of its buildings. Edinbrugh, too, provides the backdrop to much of the dark drama of the Scottish past, from Mary Queen of Scots to Bonnie Prince Charlie and beyond. Michael Fry, who has lived and worked there for nearly forty years, provides a compellingly readable account of this great city, from the earliest times to the present, balancing Edinburgh''s cultural, political and social history, and painting a vivid portrait of a city - that like Stevenson''s Dr Jekyll - is both dark and light, both dark and light, both ''Auld Reekie'' and ''Athens of the North''. ‘Impressive ... in the style of Peter Ackroyd’s history of London’ Magnus Linklator, Spectator ''No one interested in the history of Edinburgh, and indeed Scotland, should be without it’ Allan Massie,Scotsman

Ever since they first set foot in the new world alongside the Viking explorers, the Scots have left their mark. In this entertaining and informative book, historian Michael Fry shows how Americans of Scottish heritage helped shape this country, from its founding days to the present. They were courageous pioneers, history-changing revolutionaries, great Presidents, doughty fighters, inspiring writers, learned teachers, intrepid explorers, daring frontiersmen, and of course buccaneering businessmen, media moguls, and capitalists throughout American history. The Scots'' unflappable spirit and hardy disposition helped them take root among the earliest settlements and become some of the British colonies'' foremost traders. During the Revolution, the teachings of the great Scottish philosophers and economists would help to shape the democracy that thrived in America as in no other part of the world. America may have separated from the British Empire, but the Scottish influence on the young continent never left. Armed with an inimitable range of historical knowledge, Fry charts the exchange of ideas and values between Scotland and America that led to many of the greatest achievements in business, science, and the arts. Finally, he takes readers into the twentieth century, in which the Scots serve as the ideal example of a people that have embraced globalization without losing their sense of history, culture and national identity. Scottish Americans have been incomparable innovators in every branch of American society, and their fascinating story is brilliantly captured in this new book by one of Scotland''s leading historians. How the Scots Made America is not only a must-read for all those with Scottish ancestry but for anyone interested in knowing the full story behind the roots of the American way of life.

Nick, Molly, and Karl have nowhere to turn but to each other in the latest Odd Squad adventure, and they''ll need every ounce of wit, resourcefulness, and help they can get in order to rise above their biggest challenge yet.

From the author of How the Scots Made America, this is a definitive history of the Highlands, ranging from the depths of bloody clan warfare to the heights of Gaelic poetry. "This formidable, superb, spectacularly audacious history of the Highlands," wrote The Times, focuses squarely on its people. Michael Fry traces the ironies of their fate as emigration, forced clearances, and the breakdown of feudal relations undermined traditional customs. Fry''s groundbreaking reassessment of the Highlands is not, however, the usual eulogy for a dying era. He argues that modernization simply had to happen, and he traces the many inventive ways in which Gaelic culture withstood decline. "Outstanding...best of all, deliciously written." (The Literary Review) The author of four previous books on Scotland, Michael Fry has also contributed to many major newspapers.

“Engaging and very readable . . . an essential read for those wanting to get under the skin of modern Scottish history” from the author of Glasgow (Scottish Field). Michael Fry here applies his uniquely wide-ranging procedures of Scottish historical analysis to the eighteenth century, which gave this small nation its one era of truly global significance. He adds: “Never again was it to be so exemplary: unless, perhaps, in the twenty-first century.” In his journey from the Union of 1707 to its centenary and beyond, Fry takes in vivid scenes from all over the country, ranges up and down the social scale from peeresses to prostitutes, from lairds to lunatics, and covers every major aspect of national life from agriculture to philosophy. Most other Scottish histories published in recent times concentrate on social and economic history, but Fry insists that any true understanding of the nation, in the past as in the present, needs to pay at least as much attention to politics and culture. The social history and the economic history show us how Scotland was integrated into Britain. The political history and the cultural history show us why the integration was never complete. In this book readers will see both sides surveyed. In that way they will come also to understand how the nation’s rebirth in our own day remained possible. “Has the usual Fry merits of being elegantly written and the product of an incisive and original mind.” —The Herald “Ambitious and well produced.” —The Scotsman

As a RAF Chinook crewman, Mick Fry’s exposure to Afghanistan spanned over 10 years and countless deployments, from watching 9/11 unfold in Australia, leaving the deck of HMS Ocean off the coast of Pakistan under the cover of darkness all the way through numerous fighting seasons and the chaos of Helmand Province. The Chinook helicopter was the workhorse of the British Military operations in Afghanistan, and the crews from RAF Odiham were confronted by their own mortality on an almost daily basis as they worked tirelessly and skillfully to support the troops on the ground. Whether it was taking part in air assault missions against a determined enemy, or extracting casualties from the battlefield under fire, and in a life or death race against time, Mick witnessed both the best and worst of humanity on a daily basis. His story is both gripping and confronting. It takes the reader on a journey through combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Author paints a gritty picture of repeated operational deployments, balancing harrowing scenes and the ever present threat of death with the humor and camaraderie of comrades and the exhilaration of surviving Taliban RPG’s and AK47 fire.

Join oddball outsiders Nick, Molly, and Karl in a hilarious middle-school illustrated novel adventure full of awkwardness and missteps as they strive to be seen in a world that would prefer they stay invisible. Nick is the shortest seventh-grader in the history of the world (he’s pretty sure), he doesn’t fit in with any groups or clubs (who needs ’em?), and he spends more time inside than outside his locker (they’re roomier than you’d think). Things only get worse when a well intentioned guidance counselor forces Nick to join the school’s lamest club—along with fellow misfits Molly and Karl—in her quest to cure all three of their “peer allergies.” What starts off as a reluctant band of hopeless oddballs morphs into an effective and empowered team ready to face whatever middle school throws at them, including bullies, awkward romance, zany adults, and a brave new world of surprising friendships. Renowned cartoonist Michael Fry brings an unforgettable cast of characters to life in this illustrated novel brimming with honesty, humor, and heart. This ebook was previously published as Odd Squad: Bully Bait.

Landmark Experiments in Molecular Biology critically considers breakthrough experiments that have constituted major turning points in the birth and evolution of molecular biology. These experiments laid the foundations to molecular biology by uncovering the major players in the machinery of inheritance and biological information handling such as DNA, RNA, ribosomes, and proteins. Landmark Experiments in Molecular Biology combines an historical survey of the development of ideas, theories, and profiles of leading scientists with detailed scientific and technical analysis. - Includes detailed analysis of classically designed and executed experiments - Incorporates technical and scientific analysis along with historical background for a robust understanding of molecular biology discoveries - Provides critical analysis of the history of molecular biology to inform the future of scientific discovery - Examines the machinery of inheritance and biological information handling

The First World War was in many ways the most formative experience for the western world in the twentieth century. Little if anything of importance escaped its influence. For those who helped shape foreign and deference policies in Britain, the United States, and Canada, the war and the consequent peacemaking raised perplexing political, ideological, and racial problems. In their search for solutions, some among the anglophone elites of these three countries arrived at the idea of Atlanticism. To them it seemed possible that the British empire and the United States, the core of the victorious allied coalition, could create a global hegemony, an amended version of the Pax Britannica, which might provide a panacea for the ills of the postwar world. As their views became known, the Atlanticists met with some enthusiasm and much outright hostility. Deliberations for and against Atlanticism focused on renewal of the Anglo-Japanese alliance and on two vital postwar conferences, the Imperial Conference of 1921 and the Washington Conference of 1921-2. Initial prospects for Atlanticism seemed encouraging, but hopes were dashed in real political issues of war debts and European recovery by the end of 1922. The Atlanticist thesis languished and despite periods of co-operation it never regained its appeal throughout the interwar years. Michael Fry relates in fascinating detail the history of these deliberations and of the statesmen who worked for and against Atlanticism. His study sheds light on the evolution of foreign policy in Britain, the dominions, and the United States, and yields insights into relations between these governments during an important time in history.

"A great story, lively drawings, and a cast of unforgettable characters. What else could you want for Christmas? The Naughty List is a book for all seasons!" —Lincoln Peirce, bestselling author of the Big Nate series "Will keep kids laughing from start to finish." —Publishers Weekly Fans of the Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will love this laugh-out-loud funny Christmas adventure packed with comic illustrations. When Bobbie''s hilariously bumbling efforts to save her brother''s Christmas actually land him on Santa''s Naughty List, she must travel to the North Pole to make things right again and save Christmas. Bobbie suddenly finds herself on an epic holiday adventure complete with rogue elves, dysfunctional reindeer, a lazy Santa, and more.

Don’t restrict your creative property to one media channel. Make the essential leap to transmedia! From film to television to games and beyond, Storytelling Across Worlds gives you the tools to weave a narrative universe across multiple platforms and meet the insatiable demand of today’s audience for its favorite creative property. This, the first primer in the field for both producers and writers, teaches you how to: * Employ film, television, games, novels, comics, and the web to build rich and immersive transmedia narratives * Create writing and production bibles for transmedia property * Monetize your stories across separate media channels * Manage transmedia brands, marketing, and rights * Work effectively with writers and producers in different areas of production * Engage audiences with transmedia storytelling Up-to-date examples of current transmedia and cross-media properties accompany each chapter and highlight this hot but sure-to-be enduring topic in modern media.

In this highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling How to Be a Supervillain, Victor Spoil must save the world from an evil scheme to enslave the superheroes and villains -- to his parents'' utter disappointment. A sequel has never been this good . . . at being bad! Victor Spoil hates the Junior Super Academy. It makes him cranky -- and his parents couldn''t be prouder, because supervillains aren''t meant to be nice. Until Victor confesses he wants to leave and become a librarian. The horror! But when superheroes and villains -- including his parents -- start disappearing, only a dedicated do-gooder like Victor can track them down. He discovers that the supers are being captured to square off against aliens in gladiator-like shows. And unlike the scripted fights that the supers usually sign up for, these battles are to the death! Victor and his fellow super students must join together and harness their super powers to battle this dastardly mega-villain. But to be a hero, Victor finally has to embrace his inner villain. Will he be able to stoop that low?

Victor Spoil realizes he''s not cut out for life as a supervillain and instead decides to be...a librarian. Little does he know that librarians are a kick-butt secret society who will stop at nothing to control---and shush---the world! It''s time for Victor Spoil to hang up his cape. After trying to be the supervillain his diabolical parents always wanted, it''s time he followed his own dream to become a librarian. As a nice guy who likes quiet and order, Victor knows he''ll be happy reading books for the rest of his life. But when his library is suddenly attacked by robot ninjas and he sees his boss leap into battle, Victor learns that librarians are actually a secret league working to bring order to the whole world. It all sounds wonderful to Victor...until he finds out that his friends are planning to destroy the librarians'' plan for peace. Who''s right and who''s wrong? Sometimes it''s hard to tell if you''re a good guy...or a supervillain.

This is the first comprehensive and up-to-date biography of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811) and his son Robert, 2nd Viscount Melville (1771-1851). Aided by other members of their family, they ruled Scotland from the 1770s to the 1830s in a period of government later dubbed ''the Dundas Despotism''. Using a mass of new primary and secondary material culled from England, Scotland, Ireland and the United States, Michael Fry here challenges the traditional view that theirs was a corrupt and authoritarian regime. He shows that both father and son sought to achieve good government within the accepted political conventions of the age, and that many of the principles they set out to apply were owed directly to Scottish Enlightenment ideas. The Dundases were also of fundamental importance in drawing Scotland more fully into the United Kingdom and enabling the Union of 1707 to work. This is a sparkling reassessment of a crucial period of Scottish, British and imperial history. The Dundas Despotism was previously published by Edinburgh University Press.

"I''ve been reading the strip for a decade, and now I view the world through RJ and Verne colored glassess . . . . This outdoor odd couple holds up a fun-house mirror to our obsessions.".

“The brevity, pacing, and humor are likely to appeal to reluctant readers. Fun for fans of fantasy and flatulence." —Kirkus Reviews Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Hilo! Author-illustrator team Michael Fry and Bradley Jackson return with a hilarious and heartfelt adventure starring the characters from The Naughty List. Some nasty imaginary creatures have just escaped into the real world, and it’s an emergency! Bobbie and her friends must take on unicorns, farting spiders, a giant nightmare squid, and a scary Viking bounty hunter who is determined to land the whole gang in Trans-Dimensional prison. But Bobbie will learn that sometimes the things that scare us most aren''t actually so terrifying once you''ve faced them. This zany, laugh-out-loud sequel packed with comic illustrations is sure to have kids laughing!

"The story of modern Britain began 300 years ago, with the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland in 1707. In this fresh and challenging look at the origins of the United Kingdom, the first full study for four decades, Michael Fry focuses on the years which led up to the Union, setting the political history of both countries against the backdrop of war in Europe and the emergence of imperialism. In comparing the fate of Scotland with that of other small nations he reconstructs the human as well as the political story - in the voices of the people, in plots and conspiracies, in reports from battlefields and in the impassioned debates of the Scots Parliament." "In doing so he rejects the long-held assumption that the economy was of overwhelming importance in the Scots'' acceptance of the terms of the Treaty, showing how they were in fact able to exploit English ignorance of and indifference to Scotland - as evident now as then - to steer the settlement in their own favour. Thus the future of Scotland, England and Britain remained open, not closed. The implications of this, Fry argues, have influenced the dynamics of the Union ever since, and are only being fully worked out in our own time."--BOOK JACKET.

In this volume, Michael Fry brings together research on the political history of Scotland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He traces the distinctively Scottish course of liberalism, socialism, nationalism, industry and trade unionism, as well as the effects of church politics. His starting point is 1832, though he refers to much before then: he takes his story up to the 1980s.

Camm/Cochran/Fry/Ohlmann''s DATA VISUALIZATION: EXPLORING AND EXPLAINING WITH DATA, 2nd Edition, is designed to introduce best practices in data visualization to undergraduate and graduate students. This is one of the first books on data visualization designed for college courses. The book contains material on effective design, choice of chart type, effective use of color, how to both explore data visually and how to explain concepts and results visually in a compelling way with data. The book explains both the "why" of data visualization and the "how." That is, the book provides lucid explanations of the guiding principles of data visualization through the use of interesting examples.

Parental Fantasy No. 1: Six Ways to Eliminate Barney. So begins one of Michael Fry''s hilarious installments of Committed, the strip that epitomizes the trials of parenting on the run. From microwave dependence to quality time on the couch, from abbreviated fairy tales to Sunday drives on the information superhighway, Committed celebrates the experiences of harried parents everywhere.Send in the Stunt More lampoons everything working parents face, from having daughters who want to grow up to be Barbie to kid logic: Stop brushing our teeth, they rot, fall out...and bingo! We''re rich! Thanks, Tooth Fairy! Parents suffer from job envy and attempt to track their kids'' progress in school while trying to keep up with the neighbors next door. Wry and irreverent, Committed blends wild cynicism and warm humor into a strip that speaks to families across the nation.Committed first appeared in the alternative newspaper the Houston Press, and began national syndication in 1994 by United Feature Syndicate. Its edgy and offbeat take on the fiascoes of modern family life has been hailed as cutting-edge humor ever since. Last year''s What I Want to Be When THEY Grow Up was a hit with parents and non-parents alike, and this year''s Send in the Stunt More promises to be every bit as enthusiastically received.

"Like good reporters, Mike Fry and T Lewis have revealed to us at last what lies just beyond those well-groomed hedges."--Jim Cox, producer of the upcoming Over the Hedge movie RJ, the mischievous raccoon, and Verne, his philosophical turtle pal, don''t have time to be inconvenienced by the suburban sprawl that''s washed up against their woodland home. They''re in too big a hurry to embrace it and make it their own. They fly-fish for hot dogs, set up bleachers to watch big-screen TV, and sip virgin Banana Boomerangs while soaking in a Jell-O-filled hot tub. And if the joie de pirating isn''t enough fun for these two bon vivants, there''s always the local homeowner''s association on which to inflict a coup d''etat. In Knights of the Picnic Table, their next Over the Hedge anthology, RJ and Verne are not just spectators to suburbanity, but also to the pregnancy of Noreen, whose home also happens to be their favorite fast-food franchise. When Noreen''s husband, Nate, has to deliver their baby at home, RJ and Verne, personifying noblesse oblige, lead him through the harrowing birth. Then, as newborn Baby Clara''s self-appointed au pairs, they take up the crusade of teaching her the finer points of their world while squiring her about in a Harley Davidson motorized stroller. It may not be Camelot, but there''s not a more congenial spot than Over the Hedge.

If stressed-out parents of the ''90s are looking for something to get them through the day, then Committed--a strip appearing in more than 100 newspsper in North America--should be at the top of the list. This hilarious, all-too-true cartoon perfectly captures the chaos of life in many two-career families. From Barney overdoses to looking for lost romance, this clever collection keeps the chuckles coming fast and furiously.

Fry analyses the astonishing contribution made by Scots to the development and continued success of the United States. Their philosophy, education and entrepreneurism, as well as their sheer grit, have been central to American history.