Books released during the week of June 8, 2018
The Age of Questions
Or, A First Attempt at an Aggregate History of the Eastern, Social, Woman, American, Jewish, Polish, Bullion, Tuberculosis, and Many Other Questions over the Nineteenth Century, and Beyond
Holly Case
“This impressive book offers an extraordinarily original interpretation of European history that cuts across the artificial conceptual borders of segregated regions and time periods. The research and erudition are staggering.”—Michael D. Gordin, Princeton University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Beginnings of Philosophy in Greece
Maria Michela Sassi
Translated by Michele Asuni
"This elegant study shows how a variety of historical, social, and cultural questions and factors eventually led to the formation of a new discipline called ‘philosophy’ in ancient Greece. Sassi displays an admirable blend of anthropological and philosophical sensitivity that is perfectly adapted to the subject and illuminates it in many new ways."—André Laks, author of The Concept of Presocratic Philosophy
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Building the Land of Dreams
New Orleans and the Transformation of Early America
Eberhard L. Faber
"Multicultural New Orleans maintains a mystique that stems from its unique development under governments of France, Spain, and Thomas Jefferson's U.S., argues musician-turned-history teacher Faber in this remarkable and thorough history."--Publishers Weekly
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2015
eBook available
Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation
Günter P. Wagner
"Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation makes a seminal contribution to evolutionary biology. As Wagner argues, his view provides an opportunity for a major research program on the study of novelty as distinct from adaptation."--Carl Simpson and Douglas H. Erwin, Science
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2014
eBook available
Molecular Machines
A Materials Science Approach
Giovanni Zocchi
"Stimulating. Zocchi presents a new and refreshing perspective on old fundamental problems. Molecular Machines is an important book."—Anatoly B. Kolomeisky, author of Motor Proteins and Molecular Motors
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Political Hypocrisy
The Mask of Power, from Hobbes to Orwell and Beyond, Revised Edition
David Runciman
With a new afterword by the author
"A very intelligent, subtle, and learned guide to the classics and to the pre-eminent historical examples of hypocrisy from Mandeville and Hobbes to Jefferson and the Victorians."--David Martin, Times Literary Supplement
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Recursive Models of Dynamic Linear Economies
New Orleans and the Transformation of Early America
Lars Peter Hansen & Thomas J. Sargent
"This book is chock full of results that will be useful to all interested in dynamic linear models, including material that will be novel to even the experienced macroeconomist. Buy it, read it, use it."--Kenneth D. West, Journal of Economic Literature
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2013
eBook available
Southern Nation
Congress and White Supremacy after Reconstruction
David A. Bateman, Ira Katznelson & John S. Lapinski
“This ambitious book shows just how deeply entrenched white subjugation of blacks has been throughout southern political history. Southern Nation will bring new perspectives to younger generations about the seeds of racial inequality that persist in our nation today.”—Wendy J. Schiller, coauthor of Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy before the Seventeenth Amendment
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Star and the Stripes
A History of the Foreign Policies of American Jews
Michael N. Barnett
"[A]n important book that shows how American Jews struggle with and express their identities on a global scale."--Publishers Weekly
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2016
eBook available
State of Repression
Iraq under Saddam Hussein
Lisa Blaydes
“In State of Repression, Lisa Blaydes brilliantly exposes the subtleties of repressive politics. This is a formidable work that weaves an astonishing amount of data into a compelling narrative that captures the tragic reality of Ba’thist Iraq in all its complexity. An authoritative account that will remain unmatched for a long time to come.”—Hazem Kandil, University of Cambridge
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Trustworthy Men
How Inequality and Faith Made the Medieval Church
Ian Forrest
“In Trustworthy Men, we have a new, radical, and utterly compelling understanding of the Middle Ages. Ian Forrest explores the church as a ‘social church’ whose institutional workings made medieval communities enduringly unequal. As bishops reached ever more deeply into the fields and households of English parishioners after ca.1200, they came to depend on local enforcers of their interests—the eponymous trustworthy men—whose power, knowledge, and wealth coerced lesser men and women to the will and interest of prelates who were at once shepherds and landlords.”—Miri Rubin, author of The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Books released during the week of June 1, 2018
Birds of the Greater Sundas, the Philippines, and Wallacea
Norman Arlott
Birds of the Greater Sundas, the Philippines, and Wallacea is a comprehensive illustrated guide to the varied and fascinating avian population inhabiting these Southeast Asian islands, which include Indonesian territories, the Philippine archipelago, and Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. Covering more than 1,900 species, this volume contains 179 beautiful color plates and 476 maps.
Hardcover | 2018
Books released during the week of May 28, 2018
The Cosmic Web
Mysterious Architecture of the Universe
J. Richard Gott
"With an insider's insight and a storyteller's eye for detail. . . . Gott offers a thorough, vivid, and fascinating look at the cosmic web that makes up our universe."--Publishers Weekly
Hardcover | 2016
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Christianity in the Twentieth Century
A World History
Brian Stanley
"A finely crafted exploration of Christianity in the 20th century. Stanley . . . provides an ingenious and informative history of the Christian faith through the last century . . . A well-written religious history that is destined to become a standard classroom text."--Kirkus
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire
A. Wess Mitchell
"At the hands of A. Wess Mitchell, the Habsburg Empire, so long misunderstood as an empire ‘without qualities,’ receives a compelling and long-overdue analysis of its strategic imperatives and the vital role it played in a Europe that was constantly challenging its very raison d’être."--Richard Bassett, author of For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army, 1619-1918
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
How Growth Really Happens
The Making of Economic Miracles through Production, Governance, and Skills
Michael H. Best
"In How Growth Really Happens, Michael Best consolidates a lifetime of research and wisdom on alleged ‘miracles’ of rapid economic growth. The result is a masterful synthesis of historical case studies with the evolving theoretical conceptions of often-neglected economic thinkers. Strongly recommended for economic historians and policymakers alike."--Gavin Wright, professor emeritus, Stanford University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Talaat Pasha
Father of Modern Turkey, Architect of Genocide
Hans-Lukas Kieser
"In this brilliant book, Kieser moves the architect of Ottoman imperial nationalism and the Armenian Genocide to center stage in the European drama. This is the first scholarly biography of a man both revered by the beneficiaries and reviled by the victims of his drive to save an empire, only to preside over its demise."--Grigor Suny, author of "They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else": A History of the Armenian Genocide
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Totally Random
Why Nobody Understands Quantum Mechanics (A Serious Comic on Entanglement)
Tanya Bub & Jeffrey Bub
"What a delight! Totally Random explores some of the strangest features of quantum theory—and introduces some of the most important new devices that exploit quantum weirdness—in a way that is accessible, smart, and funny. An entanglement page-turner!"--David Kaiser, author of How the Hippies Saved Physics
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Books released during the week of May 21, 2018
The Analects
An Illustrated Edition
Confucius
Adapted and illustrated by C. C. Tsai
Translated by Brian Bruya
With a foreword by Michael Puett
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of The Analects, one of the most influential books of all time and a work that continues to inspire countless readers today.
Paperback 2018
eBook available
The Art of War
An Illustrated Edition
Sunzi
Adapted and illustrated by C. C. Tsai
Translated by Brian Bruya
"Praise for C. C. Tsai and his illustrated Chinese classics: "[C. C. Tsai's] books are awe-inspiring. His line is elegant; his characters are sharply drawn; his humor is sly and appropriate; and his subject is profound. This is cartooning of the highest order."--Larry Gonick, author of The Cartoon History of the Universe
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Birds of Prey of the East
A Field Guide
Brian K. Wheeler
"Brian Wheeler's new field guides are must-haves for every bird-of-prey aficionado, hawk watcher, raptor biologist, or field naturalist. The wonderfully detailed plates and text synthesize the latest knowledge on plumages for each species, including information on aging, and mark a new frontier in raptor identification books."--Laurie J. Goodrich, Hawk Mountain Reservation, Pennsylvania
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Birds of Prey of the West
A Field Guide
Brian K. Wheeler
"North American raptors, even the common ones, can be incredibly variable in appearance and a challenge to identify for many birders. In his new guides, Brian Wheeler celebrates this diversity and skillfully guides observers through steps to distinguish what they are seeing. Bravo for his approach and industry, which will assist us all in appreciating the raptors of our world!"--Gordon Court, wildlife biologist
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Sleepwalking into a New World
The Emergence of Italian City Communes in the Twelfth Century
Chris Wickham
"Wickham's expert analysis and meticulous academic approach build on previous. Limited examinations and substantial documentation to turn established research on its head, as he presents a fresh look into how communes in the mid-12th century successfully prepared Italian power structures for the cultural significance they would later have."--Publishers Weekly
Hardcover | 2015
Paperback | 2018
eBook available
Writing on the Wall
Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity
Karen B. Stern
"This beautifully written and well-researched book explores an almost uncharted world, that of the informal messages etched and painted by Jews of antiquity onto a variety of media. They constitute a wonderful contrast to the dry tomes of official historiography and the conventional formulae of monumental inscriptions, getting us closer to the everyday thoughts and feelings of their perpetrators."--Robert G. Hoyland, New York University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Books released during the week of May 14, 2018
Amazing Arachnids
Jillian Cowles
"This engaging book is beautifully written and illustrated, and should appeal to anyone interested in natural history. I enjoyed reading Amazing Arachnids."—Paula Cushing, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Broken Lives
How Ordinary Germans Experienced the 20th Century
Konrad H. Jarausch
"A revealing study of the lives of ‘ordinary Germans’ under the Third Reich and its aftermath. . . . A provocative addition to a vast literature: Jarausch's history complicates our understanding of German society during the early decades of the 20th century."--Kirkus
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Causation in Science
Yemima Ben-Menahem
"Causation in Science puts forward a new way of thinking about causality and is a shining example of intelligent and sophisticated philosophical analysis. I highly recommend this book."—Margaret Morrison, author of Reconstructing Reality: Models, Mathematics, and Simulations
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
A Culture of Growth
The Origins of the Modern Economy
Joel Mokyr
"A fine book. . . . One of our country's great economic historians has helped us better understand the greatest transformation in human welfare our planet has ever seen."--Richard Vedder, Wall Street Journal
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2016
eBook available
The Essential Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Edited and introduced by Matthew Bell
"A rich new anthology . . . which valiantly seeks to display every facet of Goethe's genius."--Adam Kirsch, New Yorker
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2016
eBook available
The Global Remapping of American Literature
Paul Giles
"In this richly provocative study, Giles posits a protean map of the American imagination."--Choice
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2011
eBook available
How Behavior Spreads
The Science of Complex Contagions
Damon Centola
"In social networks, as in media networks, content matters—the types of behaviors that propagate through networks shape the kinds of structures best able to propagate them. Clearly and elegantly written, brimming with fresh ideas, and based on cutting-edge experimental techniques, How Behavior Spreads is an essential addition to the core bookshelves of social scientists who care about networks and social change."—Paul DiMaggio, Princeton University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Idleness
A Philosophical Essay
Brian O'Connor
"This valuable book tackles an issue both timeless and urgent today: to what extent is an idle life a good life?"—Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Infinite Desire for Growth
Daniel Cohen
Translated by Jane Marie Todd
"This erudite and opinionated book keeps readers on tenterhooks: Will humanity emerge intact from the tensions between the endless desire for growth and the economy’s (and earth’s) limits? Cohen’s conclusion is elegant, hopeful, and controversial. An unputdownable masterpiece."—Esther Duflo, coauthor of Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Republic of Beliefs
A New Approach to Law and Economics
Kaushik Basu
"The Republic of Beliefs tackles one of the great unanswered questions of law—why is it that some laws are effective at changing people’s behavior, while others languish, unenforced by the state and ignored by the public? This question is an urgent one, both in developing and advanced countries. With a spare, elegant style, Basu offers a deeply satisfying game-theoretic account while educating readers with little background in economics."—Eric Posner, coauthor of Radical Markets
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Sans-Culottes
An Eighteenth-Century Emblem in the French Revolution
Michael Sonenscher
"This is intellectual history as free jazz. Sonenscher rips and riffs through the links to be made between all manner of ideas across several generations of salon conversation and erudite writing. . . . This work's contribution . . . to illuminating the complexity of eighteenth-century French intellectual history cannot be gainsaid."--David Andress, Times Literary Supplement
Paperback | 2018
Hardcover | 2008
eBook available
Small Wars, Big Data
The Information Revolution in Modern Conflict
Eli Berman, Joseph H. Felter & Jacob N. Shapiro
With Vestal McIntyre
"Berman, Felter, and Shapiro have synthesized a great deal of ‘big data’ from many recent conflicts to produce a fascinating account of how different types of armed interventions produce different kinds of results, above all in the crucial matter of the flow of information from civilians to counterinsurgents. This well-written book will greatly interest all those working in war zones and those who study warfare."—Peter Bergen, author of United States of Jihad: Who Are America’s Homegrown Terrorists and How Do We Stop Them?
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
A Theory of Global Biodiversity (MPB-60)
Boris Worm & Derek P. Tittensor
"An impressive step forward in our quest to understand the patterns of life on this planet. This book will guide future research and inform the actions that we must prioritize to conserve biodiversity."—Cristiana Pa?ca Palmer, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Unequal and Unrepresented
Political Inequality and the People's Voice in the New Gilded Age
Kay Lehman Schlozman, Henry E. Brady & Sidney Verba
"Widening inequalities of income and wealth are causing widening inequalities of political voice, and the financial investments of the wealthy weigh ever more heavily in what public officials hear. This clear and concise book summarizes decades of research by three of the nation’s leading political scientists, showing beyond question how disparities in political voice are endangering American democracy. Read, and take action."—Robert B. Reich, University of California, Berkeley
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Unfabling the East
The Enlightenment's Encounter with Asia
Jürgen Osterhammel
Translated by Robert Savage
"Osterhammel is truly a world historian—he can explain what the non-European side of the story looks like."—Suzanne L. Marchand, author of German Orientalism in the Age of Empire: Religion, Race, and Scholarship
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Books released during the week of May 7, 2018
Bible Culture and Authority in the Early United States
Seth Perry
"Perry's essential argument is elegant, compelling, and important. Early national Americans, he argues, used the Bible as an instrument of self-fashioning and for the construction of intersubjective relationships during the unstable period that followed the American Revolution. I will think about the early republic's processes of scripturalization differently and more profitably because of Perry's book. He is one of the most innovative and insightful young scholars working in the early national period today."—David Holland, Harvard Divinity School
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Black Out
Silhouettes Then and Now
Asma Naeem
With contributions by Penley Knipe, Alexander Nemerov, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw & Anne Verplanck
"Black Out . . . does the interesting work of considering the history and meaning of the evocative and possibly insidious outlined form. . . . [I]t is the older images that stand out as the most interesting. Less familiar to a majority of readers, the historical context of their creation is particularly rich. . . . In the end, it is the silhouette’s many oppositions and ambiguities that make it so compelling."--Hannah Stamler, Brooklyn Rail
Hardcover | 2018
Genetics in the Madhouse
The Unknown History of Human Heredity
Theodore M. Porter
"Fascinating but scary. Genetics in the Madhouse . . . uses date collection in psychiatric hospitals to show the stages when research straddles subjectivity and science.."--Liz Else and Simon Ings, New Scientist
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
How the Other Half Looks
The Lower East Side and the Afterlives of Images
Sara Blair
"This is an ambitious, erudite, and richly layered book, one that provides both panoramic breadth and rigorous in-depth analysis. With beautiful prose and great narrative force, Blair shows how the Lower East Side became an experimental space in which new techniques of visualizing and narrating modern America were not only tested but also generated."—Catherine Rottenberg, editor of Black Harlem and the Jewish Lower East Side
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Luxury and Modernism
Architecture and the Object in Germany 1900-1933
Robin Schuldenfrei
"This provocative book upends long-standing tropes about the egalitarian credo and industrial mantra integral to the canonic episodes of German design history. Schuldenfrei unveils modernism's guilty pleasures to confront us with the foundational paradoxes at the heart of the Werkbund, the Bauhaus, and Mies van der Rohe’s most heralded residential designs."—Barry Bergdoll, Columbia University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Neuroscience of Emotion
A New Synthesis
Ralph Adolphs & David J. Anderson
"It is not possible to comprehend biological evolution without factoring in emotions and related phenomena. Adolphs and Anderson, who have built their respective reputations on the study of human and animal emotions, have written the best and most comprehensive text yet on the subject. This is an indispensable book."—Antonio Damasio, author of The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
Scale and the Incas
Andrew James Hamilton
"This landmark study reveals a critical and previously unaddressed aspect of ancient Andean art. For readers in the field, this is a definitively important work, full of innovative ways of looking at and thinking about Inca art. For those interested in the theoretical aspects of scale, the book will delight with newfound understandings."—Joanne Pillsbury, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
The Semiclassical Way to Dynamics and Spectroscopy
Eric J. Heller
"This thought-provoking and unique presentation of the semiclassical approach to quantum physics is by a grandmaster of the subject. All the explanations are original and the illustrations are beautiful. The subject deserves to be better known to researchers in physics and chemistry."—Michael Berry, University of Bristol
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available
What Is the Present?
Michael North
"North offers an intriguing challenge to philosophers about the unity of time. We clearly use the idea of the present to pick out relevantly longer chunks of time than could be perceptual and which nevertheless are not merely gerrymandered or ad hoc. In what does this internal unity of the present consist? While North’s eventual target is modernity, the path he takes to get there is of interest to a wide range of philosophical discussions about the nature of time, the character of temporal experience, and the ontology of temporally extended social kinds."—Holly K. Andersen, Simon Fraser University
Hardcover | 2018
eBook available