Uncle Tom, Topsy, Sambo, Simon Legree, little Eva: their names are American bywords, and all of them are characters in Harriet Beecher Stowe's remarkable novel of the pre-Civil War South. Uncle Tom's Cabin was revolutionary in 1852 for its passionate indictment of slavery and for its presentation of Tom, "a man of humanity," as the first black hero in American fiction. Labeled racist and condescending by some contemporary critics, it remains a shocking,...

Relates the causes, events, and aftermath of the witchcraft trials which took place in Salem, Massachusetts, in the early 1690's and resulted in the deaths of more than nineteen people.

Discusses new materials being developed to conduct energy more efficiently and the possible impact of this development on future technology.

Discusses animals with no backbones, including protozoans, sponges, worms, mollusks, arachnids, and arthropods.

Provides information about traumatic brain injuries, including causes, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, how to decrease their risk, and how to help people affected.