The fabulous beauty of Helen of Troy is legendary. But some say that Helen was never in Troy, that she had been conveyed by Zeus to Egypt, and that Greeks and Trojans alike fought for an illusion. A fifty-line fragment by the poet Stesichorus of Sicily...

In this captivating, insightful book, acclaimed physicists Alan Lightman and Martin Rees illuminate the life and work of numerous scientists in order to demystify the scientific process and show that scientists are concerned citizens, just like the rest...

How users experience and influence technological change--when so much of that change feels out of our control Every day, we casually employ one of the most complex tools ever created, using it to read the news, plan our day, and connect with friends. In...

With the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence, both existential fears and uncritical enthusiasm for AI systems have surged. In this era of unprecedented technological growth, understanding the profound impacts of AI — both positive and...

In the 1100s most Pueblo peoples lived in small, dispersed settlements and moved frequently, but by the mid-1400s they had aggregated into large villages. The majority of these villages were still occupied at Spanish contact and conquest, by which time...

In 13 essays, the great poetry critic offers her final word on the poets who have meant the most to her, from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to Wallace Stevens and Sylvia PlathHelen Vendler was our greatest reader of poetry, a scholar who illuminiated...

"This book is filled with brilliant dialogue, unexpected turns, some very dirty talk with sudden bursts of hilarity, and then fierce sadness. It exudes dark energy. It is highly original. It gives pleasure on every page." --Colm Tóibín, author of...

A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thoughtJohann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was a poet, a novelist, a scientist and an essayist on a dizzying range of topics. In the nineteenth century, he was widely regarded as one...

From Poirot to Miss Marple, from The Mousetrap to Witness for the Prosecution, this a fascinating look at the life and work of Agatha Christie, the world's most successful and popular crime writer.Agatha Christie was not only the most successful author...

"Inge Lehmann is one of the most important female scientists in history, yet it's likely that interested readers have never heard of her. She was a Danish seismologist and geophysicist who made the groundbreaking discovery in 1936 that Earth has a solid...

In Becoming Trustworthy White Allies, longtime antiracist facilitator Melanie S. Morrison outlines the actions white people must undertake to become partners in the work of racial justice. In this collection of essays, lectures, and real-life stories,...

"Written just over two thousand years ago, Ovid's Metamorphoses is one of the key works of Western culture. Nevertheless, it is also a work that challenges some of the fundamental assumptions of the culture it belongs to, namely that the human is the...

An Oprah Daily Best Book of Fall An Indie Next Pick for October A LibraryReads Pick for September The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World returns with a stunning coming-of-age novel about girls,...

"Friendships, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience-this was the 'glue' that held us together."These were the principles that the greatest Mafia "Boss if Bosses," Joseph Bonnano, lived by. Born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Bonnano...

The Adriatic is ‘the small Mediterranean’ – a sea within a sea, part of the Mediterranean and at the same time detached from it, a largely enclosed sea with stunning coastlines and a long history of commercial, political and cultural exchange. Silent...

Throughout the world, schizophrenia is a diagnosis now in decline, representing a radical shift in our historical and medical understanding of madness and mental distress. But what does this medical term, first coined by a Swiss psychiatrist in 1908,...

“The best kind of thriller. . . . Suspenseful, sentimental, and ultimately redemptive, Assassins Anonymous is a can’t-miss novel.” — S. A. Cosby, author of All the Sinners BleedIn this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the renowned astronomer and author of Cosmos comes a “powerful [and] stirring defense of informed rationality” (The Washington Post Book World) in a world where fake news stories and Internet conspiracy theories play to a...

“It chimes eerily with the times we are living through now.” ―Margaret Atwood, The New York Times Book ReviewHendrik Hofgen is a man obsessed with becoming a famous actor. When the Nazis come to power in Germany, he willingly renounces his Communist past...

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom communication expert Jefferson Fisher, the definitive book on making your next conversation the one that changes everythingNo matter who you’re talking to, The Next Conversation gives you immediately actionable...