Two simple yet tremendously powerful ideas that shaped virtually every aspect of civilizationThis book is a breathtaking examination of the two greatest ideas in human history.
This book takes a fascinating look at the iconic figure of the Native American in the British cultural imagination from the Revolutionary War to the early twentieth century, and examining how Native Americans regarded the British, as well as how they challenged their own cultural image in Britain during this period.
A landmark history that traces the creation, management, and sharing of information through six centuriesThanks to modern technological advances, we now enjoy seemingly unlimited access to information.
The first book to address the historical failures of philosophy-and what we can learn from themPhilosophers are generally unaware of the failures of philosophy, recognizing only the failures of particular theories, which are then remedied with other theories.
A groundbreaking biography of Milton's formative years that provides a new account of the poet's political radicalizationJohn Milton (1608-1674) has a unique claim on literary and intellectual history as the author of both Paradise Lost, the greatest narrative poem in English, and prose defences of the execution of Charles I that influenced the French and American revolutions.
How transatlantic thinkers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries promoted the unification of Britain and the United StatesBetween the late nineteenth century and the First World War an ocean-spanning network of prominent individuals advocated the unification of Britain and the United States.
A powerful portrait of the greatest humanitarian emergency of our time, from the director of Human FlowIn the course of making Human Flow, his epic feature documentary about the global refugee crisis, the artist Ai Weiwei and his collaborators interviewed more than 600 refugees, aid workers, politicians, activists, doctors, and local authorities in twenty-three countries around the world.
An incisive history of the controversial Google Books project and the ongoing quest for a universal digital libraryLibraries have long talked about providing comprehensive access to information for everyone.
How the history of racism without visible differences between people challenges our understanding of the history of racial thinkingRacial divisions have returned to the forefront of politics in the United States and European societies, making it more important than ever to understand race and racism.
The first ethnographic exploration of the contentious debate over whether nonhuman primates are capable of cultureIn the 1950s, Japanese zoologists took note when a number of macaques invented and passed on new food-washing behaviors within their troop.
How China is using the US-led war on terror to erase the cultural identity of its Muslim minority in the Xinjiang regionWithin weeks of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the Chinese government warned that it faced a serious terrorist threat from its Uyghur ethnic minority, who are largely Muslim.
How political protests and activism influence voters and candidatesThe "e;silent majority"e;-a phrase coined by Richard Nixon in 1969 in response to Vietnam War protests and later used by Donald Trump as a campaign slogan-refers to the supposed wedge that exists between protestors in the street and the voters at home.
The racist legacy behind the Western idea of freedomThe era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
A vivid look at China's shifting place in the global political economy of technology production How did China's mass manufacturing and "e;copycat"e; production become transformed, in the global tech imagination, from something holding the nation back to one of its key assets?
The story of how Arab editors of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries revolutionized Islamic literatureIslamic book culture dates back to late antiquity, when Muslim scholars began to write down their doctrines on parchment, papyrus, and paper and then to compose increasingly elaborate analyses of, and commentaries on, these ideas.
A sociologist and former fashion model takes readers inside the elite global party circuit of "e;models and bottles"e; to reveal how beautiful young women are used to boost the status of menMillion-dollar birthday parties, megayachts on the French Riviera, and $40,000 bottles of champagne.
An in-depth look at how democratic values have widened the American arts scene, even as it remains elite and cosmopolitanTwo centuries ago, wealthy entrepreneurs founded the American cathedrals of culture-museums, theater companies, and symphony orchestras-to mirror European art.
How creative freedom, race, class, and gender shaped the rebellion of two visionary artistsPostwar America experienced an unprecedented flourishing of avant-garde and independent art.
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 increasingly having to govern under the scrutiny of a 24-hour news cycle, hyperpartisan political oversight, and a restless populace that is increasingly distrustful of the people who govern them.
A comprehensive account of the origins, evolution, and behavior of South and Central American primatesNew World Monkeys brings to life the beauty of evolution and biodiversity in action among South and Central American primates, who are now at risk.
A vivid look at how India has developed the idea of entrepreneurial citizens as leaders mobilizing society and how people try to live that promiseCan entrepreneurs develop a nation, serve the poor, and pursue creative freedom, all while generating economic value?
The first modern English edition of diverse Enlightenment-era writings by Prussian monarch Frederick the GreatFrederick II of Prussia (1712-1786), best known as Frederick the Great, was a prolific writer of philosophical discourses, poems, epics, satires, and more, while maintaining extensive correspondence with prominent intellectuals, Voltaire among them.
How parents approach the task of passing on religious faith and practice to their childrenHow do American parents pass their religion on to their children?
How British authorities and Indian intellectuals developed ideas about deviant female sexuality to control and organize modern society in IndiaDuring the colonial period in India, European scholars, British officials, and elite Indian intellectualsphilologists, administrators, doctors, ethnologists, sociologists, and social criticsdeployed ideas about sexuality to understand modern Indian society.
An engaging look at how debates over the fate of literature in our digital age are powerfully conditioned by the nineteenth century's information revolutionWhat happens to literature during an information revolution?
A firsthand look at efforts to improve diversity in software and hackerspace communitiesHacking, as a mode of technical and cultural production, is commonly celebrated for its extraordinary freedoms of creation and circulation.
How craigslist champions openness, democracy, and other vanishing principles of the early webBegun by Craig Newmark as an e-mail to some friends about cool events happening around San Francisco, craigslist is now the leading classifieds service on the planet.
An enlightening account of the entwined histories of knowledge and nationhood in Latin America-and beyondThe rise of nation-states is a hallmark of the modern age, yet we are still untangling how the phenomenon unfolded across the globe.
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 fascinating untold story of digital cash and its creators-from experiments in the 1970s to the mania over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrenciesBitcoin may appear to be a revolutionary form of digital cash without precedent or prehistory.
A look at the revolution in game live streaming and esports broadcastingEvery day thousands of people broadcast their gaming live to audiences over the internet using popular sites such as Twitch, which reaches more than one hundred million viewers a month.
A guide to the latest research on how young people can develop positive ethnic-racial identities and strong interracial relationsToday's young people are growing up in an increasingly ethnically and racially diverse society.
Discover the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi alongside the wit of Groucho Marx in a collection of great and memorable quotations from across the centuries: an entertaining compendium of themed quotes from the most notable minds, orators, celebrities, writers and politicians that ever lived.
'Joan Didion at a startup' Rebecca Solnit'Impossibly pleasurable' Jia Tolentino'This is essential reading' StylistAt twenty-five years old, Anna Wiener was beginning to tire of her assistant job in New York publishing.
A perfect introduction to the world of Scottish dance written by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, including a short history of Scottish dancing.
The compelling autobiography of one of the great and most committed newsmen of our time: full, frank, and occasionally very funny, Jon Snow's memoirs are as revealing about the great and the not-so-good as about his own passionate involvement in the reporting of world affairs.