🧠Because truth is often stranger—and funnier—than fiction.
Memoirs, essays, and deep dives into everything from psychology to platypuses. Smart reads for curious minds.
Get to grips with the concepts that shaped the way we think about ethics, politics, and our place in the universe.Explaining the big ideas and groundbreaking theories of key philosophers clearly and simply, The Philosophy Book is the perfect one-stop guide to...
In this seminal series of lectures by the noted British philosopher, J.L. Austin explores the profound ways in which language is not just a vehicle for conveying information but also a tool for performing actions. He introduces the concept of the performative...
The history of pi, says the author, though a small part of the history of mathematics, is nevertheless a mirror of the history of man. Petr Beckmann holds up this mirror, giving the background of the times when pi made progress -- and also when it did not, because...
This “must-read for anyone interested in understanding American history” reframes how we think about slavery, reparations, 19th-century medical education—and the value of life and death (Sven Beckert, author of Empire of Cotton).“A brilliant resurrection of the...
This history of the four humours "may excite passions and tempers . . . as a good work of intellectual history should. You will learn a lot from its pages." (Washington Post). Physicians in ancient Greece believed four humours—blood, phlegm, black bile, and...
An updated edition of the ultimate hardware shopping guide and reference book: "Organized, accessible and cheerfully reassuring." —Publishers Weekly Tired of making multiple trips to the hardware store because you purchased the wrong item? Or wandering the aisles...
"Funniest guy in the Outdoor Life and Field and Stream gang, McManus here offers another bag of whimsey in the Great Outdoors" —Kirkus Reviews In this collection of thirty zany stories, spoofing camping, fishing, and other outdoor recreational activities, McManus...
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A powerful memoir of a love that leads two people to find a courageous way to part—and a woman’s struggle to go forward in the face of loss—that “enriches the reader’s life with urgency and gratitude” (The Washington Post)“A pleasure to...
Jetpack Dreams chronicles the colorful pop history and science of that most amazing and mysterious of machines, the jetpack. While exploring our collective fascination with flight, the tale takes readers from the first flimsy, shoulder-mounted wings to Bill Suitor's...
A deep exploration of modern life that examines our cities, public places, and homes Following How Architecture Works, Witold Rybczynski casts a seasoned critical eye over the modern scene with Mysteries of the Mall. His subject is nothing less than the broad setting...