Heidegger's Being and Time (1927) challenged earlier thinking about the basic structures of human being, our involvement in practical affairs, and our understanding of history, time, and being. Mark B
"Gershom Scholem is a historian who has remade the world. . . . He is coming to be seen as one of the greatest shapers of contemporary thought, possibly the boldest mind-adventurer of our generation."
These stories, ten in all, take place in Ireland, New York City and Washington, D.C., and Virginia, Texas, and Colorado. The characters represent the various stages of man—from boyhood and youth to th
Finance and Philosophy provides a concise and witty account of how bankers and financial regulators think, of the alleged causes of the cycles of booms and busts, of the implicit and often un-thought-
Philosopher Eva Brann describes the concept of doublethink/doubletalk as "a flanking approach toward comprehending a pervasively duplex world, a world that sometimes flashes fleeting signs of cov
“Lucid, thoughtful . . . writers and teachers will learn much from it. . . . Belongs wherever Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style finds frequent use.”—Booklist “Writers will actually learn thing
In the Republic, Socrates seeks to convince Plato’s brother Glaucon that the just life of philosophy is preferable to the unjust life of tyranny. Jacob Howland’s Glaucon’s Fate argues that he fails. T
As Zen takes root in the West, new forms continue to arise. For centuries Zen masters have tested their students with “koans” and “capping phrases.” A koan is a spiritual paradox that must be solved i
"[A] thoughtful and lucid tale of love, companionship, and heartbreaking illness." ?Lydia DavisIn 2004 Rachel Hadas's husband, George Edwards, a composer and professor of music at Columbia University,
In Feeling Our Feelings, Eva Brann considers what the great philosophers on the passions and feelings have thought and written about them. She examines the relevant work of Plato, Aristotle, the Stoic
Who sets language policy today? Who made whom the grammar doctor? Lacking the equivalent of l'Academie francaise, we English speakers must find our own way looking for guidance or vindication in sourc
Boston Boy is Nat Hentoff's memoir of growing up in the Roxbury section of Boston in the 1930s and 40s. As he grapples with anti-Semitism, he develops a passion for outspoken journalism and First Ame
“Where does happiness lie?” “What is the best life?” Aristotle ponders these abiding questions in his Nicomachean Ethics—a work which has profoundly influenced Western thinking on ethical matters. A b
An attempt to capture in writing the living activity of thoughtful meditation, Eva Brann's first essay is a friendly critique of "tolerance" leading to a suggestion of finer ways of living together in
Fifty years of reading Homer — both alone and with students — prepared Eva Brann to bring the Odyssey and the Iliad back to life for today's readers. In Homeric Moments, she brilliantly conveys the un
"Two extraordinarily talented journalists, Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish, have captured this uniquely American phenomenon with whimsy, poignancy, and utter charm." --John Grogan, author of Marley &
In A Parkinson’s Primer, John Vine starts where his education about Parkinson’s began, with his diagnosis at the age of sixty of Parkinson’s disease. With candor A Parkinson’s Primer describes the sym
Center City Philadelphia contains a concentration and diversity of religious places unmatched by any other area of similar size in the country. Sacred Sites of Center City describes the history and ar
“This inspiring guide includes places everyone means to go to some day, all described with the usual clarity of the author of On Writing Well.”—The New York Times“A fascinating take on ‘the search for
The Metalogicon, completed in 1159, is recognized as a landmark in the fields of philosophy, psychology, and education. Undertaken to defend the thorough study of the trivium against attack at the han
His senses were hot, and so he yearned for spirituality, purity, and holiness---the invisible, which seemed to him spiritual, holy, and pure.Thus Thomas Mann introduces Moses in The Tables of the Law,
Since 1955, Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff have been performing, teaching, and sharing jazz with the country and the world. William Zinsser, best-selling author of On Writing Well, follows the duo to
Tony Gorry reflects on his post-war childhood, and the lives of his parents, in upstate New York. He mulls over the mysterious ways that the past and present blend together and become distinct in memo
“A necessary manual for those interested in the perpetuation, and the possibilities, of good English prose.”—Harper’s Magazine“[Lanham’s] style is notable for its audacity, liveliness, and grace.”—The
An entertaining and adventurous story of discovery, this historical rendering presents the Japanese experience of American culture based on the records and travelogues of Japanese envoys sent to the U
"A writer distinguished for her imaginative power and fresh, vivid writing."KirkusSixteen-year-old Mel expects a dull summeruntil she gets a part in Chekhov's Three Sisters. Friendships and
To mark Eva Brann’s fiftieth year on the faculty of St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, twenty-three of her colleagues, friends, and former students have contributed essays, poems, and artwork
Since its first publication in 1567, Arthur Golding's translation of Ovid has had an enormous influence on English literature and poetry. This is the translation that Shakespeare knew, read, and borro
"At the crossroads of the Eastern and Western worlds, Salonica—now Greece's third largest city, Thessaloniki—was an oasis in a desert of conflicting powers and interests. A Turkish territory until 19
"Funny, poignant, sad and wistful…This is a very fine bookabout a person, and a city, growing up."Philadelphia Inquirer"This delightful yet poignant memoir is highly recommended for
"With its humor and its fancy and its wistfulness, [Desert Islands] is such a fountain of youth as no Ponce de Leon ever discovered." —New York Times"One of those cabinets of curiosities," Mich
"A little masterpiece of originality and clarity."—George Steiner"A necessary book."?Roberto Saviano"A wonderful little book that will delight you."?François BusnelAn international bestseller in eight
These wide-ranging conversations have an exceptionally open and intimate tone, giving us a personal glimpse of one of the most fascinating figures in contemporary world literature.Interviewer Fernando
“Another excellent book for the lay reader of mathematics . . . In explaining [infinity], the author introduces the reader to a good many other mathematical terms and concepts that seem unintelligible
“A delightfully literary and eclectic memoir about the manifold joys of birding.”—The Bloomsbury ReviewAll around the world, birds are the subject of intense, even spiritual, fascination, but relative
"A serene, lucid, and stylish essay in intellectual autobiography that at the same time commemorates a vanished world."?The Times Literary SupplementFrom Berlin to Jerusalem portrays the dual dramas o
"John Stewart is a rare combination: an artist, an adventurer, a survivor of a prison camp, a great photographer, and a rambunctious, rollicking prose writer. He's has marvelous, unlikely experiences
"Experiencing a change of aspect is characterized by our recognition that something has altered and nothing has altered." —from Fat WednesdayIn Fat Wednesday, John Verdi probes how the inexplicable co
When Alfred Fatigay returns to his native London, he brings along his trustworthy pet chimpanzee Emily who, unbeknownst to Fatigay, has become civilized: literate, literary--and in love with Fatigay h
