How the notorious author of The 120 Days of Sodom inspired the surrealists and other avant-garde artists, writers, and filmmakersThe writings of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) present a libertine phi
From the Nobel Prize–winning economist, a bold new agenda for the role of economics in societyWhen Jean Tirole won the Nobel Prize in Economics, he suddenly found himself being stopped in the street b
The essential survival guide for college students Getting into college takes plenty of hard work, but knowing what your professors expect of you once you get there can be even harder. Will This Be on
A revealing look at how today’s bureaucrats are finding their public voice in the era of 24-hour mediaOnce relegated to the anonymous back rooms of democratic debate, our bureaucratic leaders are incr
A new account of the famous site and story of the last stand of a group of Jewish rebels who held out against the Roman EmpireTwo thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children—the last holdo
A compelling explanation of how the law shapes the distribution of wealthCapital is the defining feature of modern economies, yet most people have no idea where it actually comes from. What is it, exa
An essential introduction to the analysis and verification of control systems softwareThe verification of control systems software is critical to a host of technologies and industries, from aeronautic
A new, evolutionary explanation of markets and investor behaviorHalf of all Americans have money in the stock market, yet economists can’t agree on whether investors and markets are rational and effic
A surprising and revealing look at how today’s elite view their wealth and place in societyFrom TV’s “real housewives” to The Wolf of Wall Street, our popular culture portrays the wealthy as materiali
The epic story of an enormous Soviet apartment building where Communist true believers lived before their destructionThe House of Government is unlike any other book about the Russian Revolution and t
An unparalleled exploration of magic in the Greco-Roman worldWhat did magic mean to the people of ancient Greece and Rome? How did Greeks and Romans not only imagine what magic could do, but also use
Is mercy more important than justice?Since antiquity, mercy has been regarded as a virtue. The power of monarchs was legitimated by their acts of clemency, their mercy demonstrating their divine natur
An unprecedented survey of the origins and evolution of Chinese architecture, from the second millennium BCE to todayThroughout history, China has maintained one of the world’s richest built civilizat
This masterwork of interpretative history begins with a bold declaration: “The Modern Age is the Jewish Age, and the twentieth century, in particular, is the Jewish Century.” The assertion is, of cour
New historical insights into one of the most infamous episodes in the history of anti-SemitismJoseph Süss Oppenheimer—“Jew Süss”—is one of the most iconic figures in the history of anti-Semitism. In 1
An illustrated record book of theropod facts and figures—from the biggest to the fastest to the smartestThe theropod dinosaurs ruled the planet for millions of years, with species ranging from the mig
How the lives of wild honey bees offer vital lessons for saving the world’s managed bee coloniesHumans have kept honey bees in hives for millennia, yet only in recent decades have biologists begun to
How religious beliefs and practices can influence the wealth of nationsWhich countries grow faster economically—those with strong beliefs in heaven and hell or those with weak beliefs in them? Does re
How beef conquered America and gave rise to the modern industrial food complexBy the late nineteenth century, Americans rich and poor had come to expect high-quality fresh beef with almost every meal.
The gripping history of Afro-Latino migrants who conspired to overthrow a colonial monarchy, end slavery, and secure full citizenship in their homelandsIn the late nineteenth century, a small group of
A groundbreaking guide to flower flies in North America This is the first comprehensive field guide to the flower flies (also known as hover flies) of northeastern North America. Flower flies are, alo
How the obsession with quantifying human performance threatens education, medicine, business, government—and the quality of our livesToday, organizations of all kinds are ruled by the belief that the
An essential biography of one of the Bible’s most powerful and inspiring booksExodus is the second book of the Hebrew Bible, but it may rank first in lasting cultural importance. It is here that the c
On their 100th anniversary, the story of the extraordinary scientific expeditions that ushered in the era of relativityIn 1919, British scientists led extraordinary expeditions to Brazil and Africa to
How a fraying social fabric is fueling the outrage of rural AmericansWhat is fueling rural America’s outrage toward the federal government? Why did rural Americans vote overwhelmingly for Donald Trump
As a law student and young lawyer in the 1760s, Thomas Jefferson began writing abstracts of English common law reports. But even after abandoning his law practice, he continued to rely on his legal co
A masterful introduction to the key ideas behind the successes—and failures—of free-market economicsSince 1946, Henry Hazlitt’s bestselling Economics in One Lesson has popularized the belief that econ
What changes in China’s military policy since the mid-twentieth century reveal about military organizations and strategySince the 1949 Communist Revolution, China has devised nine different military s
From one of our most eminent and accessible literary critics, a groundbreaking account of how the Greek and Roman classics forged Shakespeare’s imaginationBen Jonson famously accused Shakespeare of ha
Scholars across the humanities, social sciences, and information sciences are grappling with how best to study virtual environments, use computational tools in their research, and engage audiences wit
Scholars across the humanities, social sciences, and information sciences are grappling with how best to study virtual environments, use computational tools in their research, and engage audiences wit
How the New Conspiracists are undermining democracy—and what can be done about itConspiracy theories are as old as politics. But conspiracists today have introduced something new—conspiracy without th
The close links between forgery and criticism throughout historyIn Forgers and Critics, Anthony Grafton provides a wide-ranging exploration of the links between forgery and scholarship. Labeling forge
The essential introduction to modern string theory—now fully expanded and revisedString Theory in a Nutshell is the definitive introduction to modern string theory. Written by one of the world’s leadi
How climate change and disease helped to bring down the Roman EmpireHere is the monumental retelling of one of the most consequential chapters of human history: the fall of the Roman Empire. The Fate
How Hawai‘i became an emblem of multiculturalism during its journey to statehood in the mid-twentieth centuryGateway State explores the development of Hawai‘i as a model for liberal multiculturalism a
How ancient Mediterranean trade thrived through state institutionsFrom around 700 BCE until the first centuries CE, the Mediterranean enjoyed steady economic growth through trade, reaching a level not
A new translation that captures the gripping power of one of the greatest war stories ever told—Julius Caesar’s pitiless account of his brutal campaign to conquer GaulImagine a book about an unnecessa
How the nature illustrations of a Renaissance polymath reflect his turbulent ageThis pathbreaking and stunningly illustrated book recovers the intersections between natural history, politics, art, and
A comprehensive, richly illustrated introduction to the fascinating natural history of the horse, from prehistory to the presentThere are countless books about keeping and riding horses. The Horse is
