“In its less dramatic versions,” writes author Dan Palmer, “structuralism is just a method of studying language, society, and the works of artists and novelists. But in its most exuberant form, it is
Join Michael LaMonica, author of French Revolutions For Beginners, as he takes you on a journey through the ins and outs of an amendment that means so much more than just freedom of speech. First Amen
As the most famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, escaped slave Harriet Tubman earned the nickname “Moses of her People” for leading scores of men, women, and children from bondage to freedo
Have you heard the terms structuralism and deconstruction and postmodernism but aren’t really sure what they mean? Have you taken a whole course on literary criticism but are still feeling lost? Here’
Many people have heard of Freemasonry, but few have any idea what it is, what it does, or why it exists. Freemasonry is not a religion, but rather a spiritual self-help society whose declared purpose
The father of modern-day electricity and considered by some to be the ultimate "mad scientist," Nikola Tesla filed nearly 300 patents in his lifetime. Many of these patents resulted in functioning inv
Many people consider Morrison's novels difficult to read. Most of her readers have at least one book on their shelves that they couldn't finish or, when they did finish one, just scratched their heads
As the heyday of the Chicano Movement of the late 1960s to early 70s fades further into history and as more and more of its important figures pass on, so too does knowledge of its significance. Thus,
Abstract Expressionism was the defining movement in American art during the years following World War II, making New York City the center of the international art scene. But what the heck did it mean!
Prison Industrial Complex For Beginners is a graphic narrative project that attempts to distill the fundamental components of what scholars, activists, and artists have identified as the Mass Incarcer
Mormonism For Beginners is a balanced, richly engaging introduction to the history, tenets, practices, traditions, and yes, debates and controversies of this uniquely American Protestant movement. Des
In a combination of witty text and crisp illustrations, U.S. Constitution For Beginners takes a tongue-in-cheek look at America's most critical legal document. Author and lawyer Steve Bachmann has wri
Marx’s Das Kapital cannot be put into a box marked “economics.” It is a work of politics, history, economics, philosophy and even in places, literature (yes Marx’s style is that rich and evocative). M
Dante For Beginners takes the reader on a magical trip through Heaven and Hell. Well, this isn't exactly true. After an introduction to Dante Alighieri and his background, the reader meets a sweet la
Everyone recognizes Benjamin Franklin as a great founding father, but the range of his expertise and accomplishments is more astonishing than most peaople realize. Scientist, Inventor, Businessman, Bu
A profusely illustrated, popularly-written volume with original comic art, FDR and The New Deal For Beginners will shed new light upon a story now regaining visibility thanks to the recent economic cr
Poetry is one of those subjects almost impossible to define as it can be so many things at once. It can be: kids whispering limericks on the playground; secret languages used by revolutionaries and sp
As we humans have expanded our horizons to see things vastly smaller, faster, larger, and farther than ever before, we have been forced to confront preconceptions born of the human experience and crea
From Paleolithic cave-painting to postmodernism, Art Theory For Beginners is a concise and entertaining survey of the major historical and current debates on art. Painters, theorists and philosophers
Jacques Lacan is probably the most influential psychoanalyst since Freud (of the roughly 20,000 psychoanalysts in the world, about half are ‘Lacanians’) yet most people know nothing about him. The 10,
Ayn Rand, author of the best-selling novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, is beloved by millions of readers, and equally despised by a significant number of detractors. Her novels and her revo
Zinn For Beginners describes the life and work of the most vital historian of our time. Howard Zinn led a revolution in the writing of history by telling the story not from the standpoint of conqueror
Barack Obama For Beginners: An Essential Guide is the most concise and reliable short biography available on the 44th President of the United States – from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, educa
With all the talk about “democracy” these days, it’s surprising how little time is spent concentrating on the concept of democracy itself, its history and justification as a form of political governan
The science is in: Global warming is for real. But what does it all really mean, and what can or should we do about it? This clear, fluid narrative by a leading scientist and educator takes a scrupulo
During the second half of the Twentieth Century, the ideas of leading anarchist thinkers such as Proudhon, Bakunin, and Kropotkin seemed destined to fade into history. But today they are finding new e
Existentialism For Beginners is a lighthearted romp through the history of a philosophical movement that had broad-reaching influence on Western culture, politics and the arts during the period of mid
Despite the reshifting of values that has affected every aspect of life in the 21st century, William Shakespeare still stands as the greatest writer the English language has ever produced. Even so, ma
All philosophy is a footnote to Plato. No other person so shaped the Western world and the way we think about it. Plato’s questions remain as real for us today as they were 2500 years ago, and as hu
If you are like most people, you’re not sure what Postmodernism is. And if this were like most books on the subject, it probably wouldn’t tell you. Besides what a few grumpy critics claim, Postmoder
Derrida is one of those annoying geniuses you can take a class on, read half-a-dozen books by and still have no idea what he’s talking about. Derrida’s ‘writing’ is definitely confusing (it’s like he
The ideas of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger have been described as an intellectual time bomb, as some of the most revolutionary thought in western history. Despite the enormous amount of sec
In Malcolm X For Beginners, Bernard Doctor, reveals the teacher, the leader, and the revolutionary voice of change that Malcolm X was, and continues to be. Powerful narrative and graphics tell the st
The unorthodox life and ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche come alive in this documentary history. Here is a clear picture of the time in which this revolutionary philosopher lived and worked. We meet the
