History

A Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains what happened at the very beginning of the universe, and how we know, in this popular science classic.  Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from the...

From Simon & Schuster, Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy is Donald Kagan's, 20th century history of Athenian democracy, exploration of one of history's greatest subjects.An incisive portrait of Pericles is set against the shifting...

Uniting thirty years of authoritative scholarship by a master of textual detail, Machiavelli's Virtueis a comprehensive statement on the founder of modern politics. Harvey Mansfield reveals the role of sects in Machiavelli's politics, his advice on how...

Hero to millions who loved him as Robin Hood and Captain Blood, Errol Flynn lived a life that surpassed any adventure he ever filmed. Many of his exploits were made public for the first time in this autobiography, completed just a few months before his...

When Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in Manila for their third fight, their rivalry had spun out of control. The Ali-Frazier matchup had become a madness, inflamed by the media and the politics of race. When the "Thrilla in Manila" was over, one man was...

Certain lives are at once so exceptional, and yet so in step with their historical moments, that they illuminate cultural forces far beyond the scope of a single person. Such is the case with Coco Chanel, whose life offers one of the most fascinating...

A masterwork of history and cultural studies, Marvelous Possessions is a brilliant meditation on the interconnected ways in which Europeans of the Age of Discovery represented non-European peoples and took possession of their lands, particularly in the...

'Study me reader, if you find delight in me...Come, O men, to see the miracles that such studies will disclose in nature.'Most of what we know about Leonardo da Vinci, we know because of his notebooks. Some 6,000 sheets of notes and drawings survive,...

"A considerable work of assimilative scholarship and common sense...races along merrily."—The Boston GlobeA lively biography of the high genius of the renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci.French writer Serge Bramly's classic work of biography portrays...

Buckminster Fuller, the brilliant and eccentric futurist philosopher best known as the inventor of the Geodesic Dome, was one of the most creative contributors to innovative thought and technology in the twentieth century. Incomparable designer,...

From critically acclaimed journalist Valerie Boyd comes an eloquent profile of one of the most intriguing cultural figures of the twentieth century—Zora Neale Hurston.A woman of enormous talent and remarkable drive, Zora Neale Hurston published...

The City and the Wilderness recounts the journeys and microhistories of Indo-Persian travelers across the Indian Ocean and their encounters with the Burmese Kingdom and its littoral at the turn of the nineteenth century. As Mughal sovereignty waned under...

In Aztec Philosophy, James Maffie shows the Aztecs advanced a highly sophisticated and internally coherent systematic philosophy worthy of consideration alongside other philosophies from around the world. Bringing together the fields of...

For more than forty years Miles Davis has been in the front rank of American music. Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles is one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. The subject of several biographies, now Miles speaks...

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice."[Calasso's] flow of associations leaves you feeling not out of your depth, but smarter and better read." —The New York Times Book Review.The eighth part of Roberto Calasso’s monumental series on...

Unlock the secrets of the Eleusinian Mysteries: A deep exploration of secret rites, psychedelic sacraments, and spiritual revelations that captivated ancient Greek society for nearly two millennia.Uncover the evocative history of The Road to Eleusis...

In a bracing work of memoir, philosophy and social commentary, Naomi Klein, author of the seminal No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, mines the paradoxes of modern culture—a wild-west world of avatars, conspiracy theories and baffling alliances between...

Embark on a captivating journey with Love & Whiskey. New York Times bestselling author Fawn Weaver unveils the hidden narrative behind one of America’s most iconic whiskey brands. This book is a vibrant exploration set in the present day,...

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, the CEO of Starbucks recounts the story and leadership lessons behind the global coffee company's comeback and continued success.In 2008, Howard Schultz decided to return as the CEO of Starbucks to help restore its...

An “important and deeply researched” (The Wall Street Journal) exploration of allergies, from their first medical description in 1819 to the cutting-edge science that is illuminating the changes in our environment and lifestyles that are...