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Uncovers the raucous and glamourous history of English country houses between World War I and World War II through the intrigues of hunting parties and grand balls held by the Astors, the Churchills a

An eminent philosopher reflects on the nature of friendship, past and present, revealing how our friends shape who we areFriends are a constant feature of our lives, yet friendship itself is difficult

We’re often told that the United States is, was, and always has been a Christian nation. But inOne Nation Under God, historian Kevin M. Kruse reveals that the idea of Christian America” is an inventio

In Words Like Loaded Pistols, Sam Leith traces the art of persuasion, beginning in ancient Syracuse and taking us on detours as varied and fascinating as Elizabethan England, Milton’s Satanic realm, t

"Our government is failing us. Can we simply blame polarization, the deregulation of campaign finance, or some other nefarious force? What if the roots go much deeper, to our nation's start? In Relic,

An anatomy of white prejudice against African- and Native-Americans from the Revolution to the end of the Civil War, revealing how enlightenment liberals, despite deeply held beliefs in racial equalit

A global history of the 1850s, the turbulent decade that marked the peak of the Victorian era, the birth of modernity, and the beginning of the first global age

Abraham Lincoln grew up in the long shadow of the Founding Fathers. Seeking an intellectual and emotional replacement for his own taciturn father, Lincoln turned to the great men of the foundingWashin

Every two minutes, Americans alone take more photographs than were printed in the entire nineteenth century; every minute, people from around the world upload over 300 hours of video to YouTube; and i

"In Prisoners of Hope, prize-winning historian Randall Woods presents the first comprehensive history of the Great Society, exploring both the breathtaking possibilities of politics, as well as the li

A mathematical guide to understanding why life can seem to be one big coincidenceand why the odds of just about everything are better than we would think

The Way We Never Were examines two centuries of American family life and shatters a series of myths and half-truths that burden modern families. Placing current family dilemmas in the context of far-r

A penetrating, lyrical biography of John Quincy Adams, the President and politician whose experiences spannedand shapedthe most critical period in our nation’s history

Hyperpartisanship is as old as American democracy. But now, acrimony is not confined to a moment; it’s a permanent state of affairs and has seeped into every part of the political process. Identifying

A noble profession is facing its defining moment. From law schools to the prestigious firms that represent the pinnacle of a legal career, a crisis is unfolding. News headlines tell part of the storyt

"All of us are creatures of a day,” wrote Marcus Aurelius, “rememberer and remembered alike.” In his long-awaited new collection of stories, renowned psychiatrist Irvin D. Yalom describes his

We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life, supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe.

The writings of the Greeks and Romans form the bedrock of Western culture. Inventing the molds for histories, tragedies, and philosophies, while pioneering radical new forms of epic and poetry, the Gr

A prominent historian rewrites the history of gay life in 1970s America, arguing that our ignorance of the true nature of gay liberation has had harmful and lasting consequencesIn Stand by Me, Jim Dow

In the early years of the 18th century, a band of French scientists set off on a daring, decade-long expedition to South America in a race to measure the precise shape of the earth. Like Lewis and Cla

From flying pterodactyls to walking primates, the story of life as told through the evolution of locomotion

Mary Pipher's groundbreaking investigation of America's "girl-poisoning culture,"Reviving Ophelia, has sold nearly two million copies and established its author as one of the nation'

Prized as "the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, powered navies, fueled economies, and expanded frontiers. It mad

A philosopher of science examines the biggest ethical and moral issues in science today, and explains why they matter for all of usscientist and layman alike

Can a football game affect the outcome of an election? What about shark attacks? Or a drought? In a rational world the answer, of course, would be no. But as bestselling historian Rick Shenkman shows

From economic meltdowns to how people cooperate, there is much about the human world that eludes our understanding. John Miller, a leading expert in the computational study of complex adaptive systems

Home is where the heart is. Security, comfort, even love, are all feelings that are centered on the humble abode. But what if there is more to the feeling of being at home? Neuroanthropologist John S.

Look closely at any typically “American” article of clothing these days, and you may be surprised to see a Japanese label inside. From high-end denim to oxford button-downs, Japanese designers have ta

Despite its reputation for religious intolerance, the Middle East has long sheltered many distinctive and strange faiths: one regards the Greek prophets as incarnations of God, another reveres Lucifer

An illuminating biography of Alfonso X, the 13th-century philosopher-king whose affinity for Islamic culture left an indelible mark on Western civilization

I have no special talents,” said Albert Einstein. I am only passionately curious.”Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older.

Saint Augustine is one of the most influential figures in all of Christianity, yet his path to sainthood was by no means assured. Born in AD 354 to a pagan father and a Christian mother, Augustine spe

In A Just and Generous Nation, the eminent historian Harold Holzer and the noted economist Norton Garfinkle present a groundbreaking new account of the beliefs that inspired our sixteenth president to

On January 24, 1791, President George Washington chose the site for the young nation’s capital: ten miles square, it stretched from the highest point of navigation on the Potomac River, and encompasse

We assume we know our bodies intimately, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory, an enigma of bone and muscle, neurons and synapses. How many of us understand the way seizures affect the b

The Vatican’s silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed

On the night of November 9, 1989, massive crowds surged toward the Berlin Wall, drawn by an announcement that caught the world by surprise: East Germans could now move freely to the West. The Wallinfa

Why are the French such an exceptional nation? Why do they think they are so exceptional? The French take pride in the fact that their history and culture have decisively shaped the values and ideals of the modern world. French ideas are no less distinct in their form: while French thought is abstract, stylish and often opaque, it has always been bold and creative, and driven by the relentless pursuit of innovation.In How the French Think, the internationally-renowned historian Sudhir Hazareesingh tells the epic and tumultuous story of French intellectual thought from Descartes, Rousseau, and Auguste Comte to Sartre, Claude Levi-Strauss, and Derrida. He shows how French thinking has shaped fundamental Westerns ideas about freedom, rationality, and justice, and how the French mind-set is intimately connected to their own way of lifein particular to the French tendency towards individualism, their passion for nature, their celebration of their historical heritage, and their fascination w

No president looms larger in twentieth-century American history than Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and few life stories can match his for sheer drama. Following in the footsteps of his Republican cousin

From choosing the right pair of eyeglasses to properly coordinating a tie, shirt, and pocket square, getting dressed is an art to be mastered. Yet how many of us just throw on, well, whatever in the m