Decoding Modern Consumer Societies

If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female.If the business world had a sex, it would be male. And therein lies the pickle.Women are the engine of the global economy, driving 80 percent of c

A GoodReads Reader's ChoiceBridget Jones—one of the most beloved characters in modern literature (v.g.)—is back! In Helen Fielding's wildly funny, hotly anticipated new novel, Bridget faces a few rath

Bridget Jones-one of the most beloved characters in modern literature (v.g.)-is back! In Helen Fielding's wildly funny, hotly anticipated new novel, Bridget faces a few rather pressing questions: Wh

From the Modern Library’s new set of beautifully repackaged hardcover classics by Truman Capote—also available are In Cold Blood, Portraits and Observations, and The Complete StoriesTogether in one vo

“A small-town novel of epic proportions” (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century.In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened.Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple throug

Comic Strips and Consumer Culture explores how comic strips contributed to the expansion of a mass consumer culture that was increasingly driven by visual images.

The work of counterculture artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster, whose art is a complex punk-rock take on modern consumer culture.? Enormous neon signs, intricate silhouette portraits constructed of tras

In this collection of syndicated columns, the famed consumer advocate addresses such key issues of the day as corporate abuse and consumer safety, highlighting the author's pursuit of safer lives for

A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice from the author of Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld—hailed as “one of our best contemporary chroniclers of class and caste” (Tampa Bay Time

A modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice from the author of Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld—hailed as “one of our best contemporary chroniclers of class and caste” (Tampa Bay Time

The best-selling and beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series now gives us his charming take on Jane Austen with this modern-day retelling ofEmma.The summer after she graduates from

The first book on one of the leading collections of modern industrial design. A must-have for lovers of modernism, this is an accessible but authoritative introduction to th

Drawing on examples of her own distinctive, humane modern design, celebrated architect Deborah Berke demonstrates how to create a serene haven for contemporary living.House

Why have the monotheistic religions failed to produce societies that live up to their ethical ideals? A prominent rabbi answers this question by looking at his own faith and offering a way for religio

A compilation of Julius Shulman's extraordinary images of his adopted city, ranging from residential, commercial, shops, factories, and street life of Los Angeles, a true portrait of a modern metropol

With unparalleled access to the recruits, coaches, and gurus shaping football’s future, Bruce Feldman has written a modern-day tale about the making of the next superstars in the game’s most important

An unprecedented examination of the ways in which the uninhibited urban sexuality, sexual experimentation, and medical advances of pre-Weimar Berlin created and molded our modern understanding of sexu

Mapping the boundaries between ancient societies through studies of "ethnicity," migration, or economic systems is of perennial interest to archaeologists, who typically have taken t

Mixing glamour with modern practicality, interior designer Windsor Smith’s first book celebrates her elegant, comfortable style. Windsor Smith’s aesthetic was once described as "unbuttoned el

This volume offers a profound analysis of post-socialist economic and political transformation in the Balkans, involving deeply unequal societies and oligarchical “democracies.” The contributions deco

This volume offers a profound analysis of post-socialist economic and political transformation in the Balkans, involving deeply unequal societies and oligarchical “democracies.” The contributions deco

The author of The Art of Travel presents a philosophical assessment of the role of news in today's gadget-driven societies, exploring subjects ranging from politics and crime to celebrities and the pa

Make art as modern artists do! A quirky collection of games and techniques inspired by modern art to encourage the creative impulse, from the creators of Mind Games and Psychobox. It is one of

Create modern heirlooms using vintage materials--a collection of 35 innovative projects showcasing the exceptional beauty in timeworn textiles. Vintage Made Modern is a book devoted to recyclin

Here is armed America—a land of machine-gun gatherings in the desert, lederhosened German shooting societies, feral-hog hunts in Texas, and Hollywood gun armories. Whether they’re collecting antique w

Featuring in-depth essays on plant-based medicine and indigenous science from four different Amazonian societies, this fascinating book, filled with unique botanical and cultural drawings, discusses t

In the first volume of Makers of Modern Architecture (2007), Martin Filler examined the emergence of that revolutionary new form of building and explored its aesthetic, social, and spiritual aspiratio

Pundits will argue that the 2008 financial crisis was the first crash in American history driven by consumer debt. But in this spirited, highly engaging account, Scott Reynolds Nelson demonstrates tha

America’s #1 consumer advocate for coin hobbyists, collectors, and investors is Scott Travers. Now he has created a guide that provides comprehensive facts on all U.S. coins and a complete listing of

From the author of -Isms and -Ologies and Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies, here is a deeply researched, fascinating history of the role that organized hatred has played in American politics.

Among today’s leading filmmakers, none brings to the screen such a deep awareness of how power is channeled from First to Third World societies, or exhibits such great human sensitivity, as Raoul Peck

David Wright’s classic translation brings Chaucer’s masterpiece of Middle English storytelling into clear modern prose. The Canterbury Tales has entertained readers for centuries, with its comic anima

Modern Chess Openings is the best and most trusted tool for serious chess players on the market. First published over a half-century ago, this is a completely revised and updated edition of the book t

Most people who live in open societies, especially in the West, take freedom of thought and the right to express that thought for granted. But through most of history, independent thinking, outside of

Contemporary Christians usually suppose that Christianity is quite congenial to the democratic ideals that are the basis of free, open Western societies. Among these ideals is freedom of religion, whi

The publishers of the Physician's Desk Reference offer the ninth edition of the their consumer guide based on the vital doctor's reference, with authoritative data on more than one thousand medication

Commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of India's independence with a modern portrait of the nation that celebrates its folklore, history, culture, politics, ancient traditions, and contemporary concer

Analyzes the works of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Gilbert, Boyle, and Newton to establish the reasons for the triumph of the modern scientific perspective. A criticism as well as

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Pope and Mussolini takes on a pivotal, untold story: the bloody revolution that stripped the pope of political power and signaled the birth of modern Eur

The Pulitzer-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini takes on a pivotal, untold story: the bloody revolution that spelled the end of the papacy as a political power and signaled the birth of modern E