One of the most enduring and influential of all human institutions, the Papacy has also been among the most controversial. From the founding of the Christian Church in the first century AD to the coll
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 story?
Hookup culture dominates the lives of college students today, and many feel great pressure to engage in it. This pressure comes from all directions?from peers, the media, and even parents. But how do
Intellectuals and Race is a radical book in the original sense of one that goes to the root of the problem. The role of intellectuals in racial strife is explored in an international context that put
In the wrong hands, math can be deadly. In Math on Trial, mathematicians Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez tell the story of ten trials in which mathematical arguments were used?and disastrously misuse
A criminologist highlights the flaws of the status quo and advocates for the return of flogging as a favorable form of punishment when compared to our broken and dysfunctional prison system that incur
The late Leszek Kolakowski was one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. A prominent anti-communist writer, Kolakowski was also a deeply humanistic thinker, and his empathy, wit, and e
No one can escape a sense of awe when reflecting on the workings of the mind: we see, we hear, we are aware of the world around us. But what is the mind?In Physics in Mind, eminent biophysicist Werner
The founder of social evolutionary psychology argues that many apparently ingrained human behaviors--including one-night stands, prejudice, over-consumption, religious devotion and more--are actually
Biologists have long dismissed mathematics as being unable to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of living beings. Within the past ten years, however, mathematicians have proven that they ho
After the unprecedented destruction of the Great War, the world longed for a lasting peace. The victors, however, valued vengeance even more than stability and demanded a massive indemnity from Germa
The biggest science story of our time, Massive spans four decades, weaving together the personal narratives and international rivalries behind the search for the ?God" particle, or Higgs boson. A stor
As the income gap between developed and developing nations grows, so grows the cacophony of voices claiming that the quest to find a simple recipe for economic growth has failed. Getting Better, in sh
Did the arms race of the 1930s cause the Second World War?In Cry Havoc, historian Joseph Maiolo shows, in rich and fascinating detail, how the deadly game of the arms race was played out in the decade
At the beginning of 1965, the U.S. seemed on the cusp of a golden age. Although Americans had been shocked by the assassination in 1963 of President Kennedy, they exuded a sense of consensus and opti
Friends of Liberty tells the remarkable story of three men whose lives were braided together by issues of liberty and race that fueled revolutions across two continents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the fou
Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called December 7, 1941, ?a date which will live in infamy.” History would prove him correct; the events of that day?when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor?ended the Grea
In the years following World War II, medicine won major battles against smallpox, diphtheria, and polio. In the same period it also produced treatments to control the progress of Parkinson’s, rheumato
Life is an enduring mystery. Yet, science tells us that living beings are merely sophisticated structures of lifeless molecules. If this view is correct, where do the seemingly purposeful motions of c
As the Allies struggled inland from Normandy in August of 1944, the fate of Paris hung in the balance. Other jewels of Europe?sites like Warsaw, Antwerp, and Monte Cassino?were, or would soon be, redu
A thoughtful exploration of the role genes play in human behavior concludes that many of the big human concerns--body image, money, addiction, violence, and the search for happiness--are influenced by
The medieval Catholic Church, widely considered a source of intolerance and inquisitorial fervor, was not anti-science during the Dark Ages?in fact, the pope in the year 1000 was the leading mathemati
Francis of Assisi is Catholicism’s most popular saint. Tens of millions of spiritual seekers summon his name and example. But the real Francis-both his complicated personality and his complex theology
Despite its venerated place atop American law and politics, our written Constitution does not enumerate all of the rules and rights, principles and procedures that actually govern modern America. The
Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis, Asperger's: All of these syndromes have one thing in common--lack of empathy. In some cases, this absence can be dangerous, but in other
Offers a thrilling account of the first stage of the Peloponnesian War, also known as the Ten Years' War, between the city-states of Athens and Sparta, detailing the pitched battles by land and sea, s
As timely now as it was when it was first published in 1997, Darwin Among the Machines tells the story of humankind’s long journey into the digital age. Historian of technology George Dyson traces the
Consciousness is our gateway to experience: it enables us to recognize Van Gogh’s starry skies, be enraptured by Beethoven’s Fifth, and stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain. Yet consciousness is subj
China has traditionally been viewed as a source of inexpensive exports and a potential market for multinationals. But now it's experiencing an unexpected rise in entrepreneurship and the emergence of
Drawing on both statistical and anecdotal evidence, a critical study of American women who had their first child after age thirty-five discusses the benefits of later motherhood, including greater fam
No matter what efforts we make to halt global warming, sea level rise will be an unavoidable part of our future. In The Flooded Earth, species extinction expert Peter D. Ward describes in intricate d
The only person in the history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its highest honors chronicles his life, from his impoverished upbringing to his tenure as a Harvard re
Part travelogue, part history, Let Our Fame Be Great tells the stories of the forgotten peoples of the Caucasus region, an incredible cultural crossroads where Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Turkey and
Company town: the very phrase sounds un-American. Yet company towns are the essence of America. Hershey bars, Corning glassware, Kohler bathroom fixtures, Maytag washers, Spam?each is the signature
?Balanced without being bland, lucid in the telling, Thomas Kidd’s chronicle corrects the excesses both of those who overstate the degree to which America was founded as a ?Christian nation’ and of th
Drawing the Map of Life takes the story of the Human Genome Project from its origins, through the race to its accomplishment, and on to today’s vast efforts to exploit the complete, ordered sequence o
"Be original. See what happens." So Todd Gitlin advises the young mind burning to take action to right the wrongs of the world but also looking for bearings, understanding, direction, and practical ex
A biologist presents the natural history of feathers, applying the findings of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers, and art historians to answer questions about the origin of feathe
In Interop, technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser explore the immense importance of interoperability?the standardization and integration of technology?and show how this simple principle will
