History & Society

Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of the classics Genome and Nature via Nurture, turns from investigating human nature to investigating human progress. In The Rational Optimist Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better. Over 10,000 years ago there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than 6 billion, 99 per cent of whom are better fed, better sheltered, better entertained and better protected against disease than their Stone Age ancestors. The availability of almost everything a person could want or need has been going erratically upwards for 10,000 years and has rapidly accelerated over the last 200 years: calories; vitamins; clean water; machines; privacy; the means to travel faster than we can run, and the ability to communicate over longer distances than we can shout. Yet, bizarrely, however much things improve from the way they were before, people still cling to the belief that the future will be nothing but disastrous. In this original, optimistic book, Matt Ridley puts forward his surprisingly simple answer to how humans progress, arguing that we progress when we trade and we only really trade productively when we trust each other. The Rational Optimist will do for economics what Genome did for genomics and will show that the answer to our problems, imagined or real, is to keep on doing what we've been doing for 10,000 years - to keep on changing.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, share the stories of the gutsy women who have inspired them-women with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done.

The life of one of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

Arguing that traditional feminism is wrong to look to a natural notion of the female, or indeed of sex or gender, this book questions the category 'woman' and continues in this vein with examinations of 'the masculine' and 'the feminine'. It considers gender as a reiterated social "performance" rather than the expression of a prior reality.

A work of sonic history that covers the rainforests of amazonas to virtual Las Vegas, from David Lynch's dream house, high in the Hollywood hills to the megalopolis of Tokyo. It begins in 1889 at the Paris Exposition when Debussy first heard Javanese music performed. It comprehensively maps a century of ambient music and its legacy.

';Bernays' honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies.'Noam Chomsky';The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.'Edward Bernays, PropagandaA seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays (18911995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed ';engineering of consent.' During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would ';Make the World Safe for Democracy.' The CPI would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon.Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population. His 1928 bombshell Propaganda lays out his eerily prescient vision for using propaganda to regiment the collective mind in a variety of areas, including government, politics, art, science and education. To read this book today is to frightfully comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become in regards to organized manipulation of the masses.This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years and features an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder.

During its 1500-year Golden Age, Atlantis was at the height of its spiritual strength. Its inhabitants enjoyed incredible gifts including healing, levitation, clairvoyance and telepathy.Now, for the first time, world-renowned spiritual author Diana Cooper presents us with the first comprehensive guide to understanding the Golden Age of Atlantis. Discover the history and society of this most spiritual place and time, from the origins of Atlantis to the forces that finally caused its destruction. As well as revealing how to understand and use the Atlanteans' spiritual powers, Diana shows us how they lived, with new information about their homes, work, and their religious and social life.Diana reveals new information on the Temple of Poseidon, the Great Crystal of Atlantis and the original Sphinx, as well as on the awesome wisdom of the famous crystal skulls.There are easy-to-follow exercises to develop your spiritual powers, some of which were used by the High Priests and Priestesses themselves.Accessible yet inspirational, this book is the only guide you will need to understand the history of Atlantis - and how to harness its unique powers for yourself.

Robert Bly writes that it is clear to men that the images of adult manhood given by popular culture are worn out, that a man can no longer depend on them. Iron John searches for a new vision of what a man is or could be, drawing on psychology, anthropology, mythology, folklore and legend. Robert Bly looks at the importance of the Wild Man (reminiscent of the Wild Woman in Women Who Run With the Wolves), who he compares to a Zen priest, a shaman or a woodman.'This book needs to be read, I believe, not as a dry work of scholarship to be judged coolly by the mind, but as the work of a poet struggling to convey an emotional experience and lead us to what he has found within himself' Guardian'Eclectic and unclassifiable. Iron John is a work whose mentors are the prophetic poets and crazies, William Blake and Walt Whitman' Sydney Morning Herald'Important.timely.and powerful' New York Times

For every fan of manga, anime, J-pop, or Zen, A Geek in Japan is a hip, smart and concise guide to the land that is their source. Comprehensive and well informed, it covers a wide array of topics in short articles accompanied by sidebars and numerous photographs, providing a lively digest of the society and culture of Japan. Designed to appeal to the generations of Westerners who grew up on Pokemon, manga and video games, A Geek in Japan reinvents the culture guide for readers in the Internet age.Spotlighting the originality and creativity of the Japanese, debunking myths about them, and answering nagging questions like why they're so fond of robots, author Hector Garcia has created the perfect book for the growing ranks of Japanophiles in this inspired, insightful and highly informative guide.

A brilliant, sweeping history of diplomacy that includes personal stories from the noted former Secretary of State, including his stunning reopening of relations with China.The seminal work on foreign policy and the art of diplomacy. Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how Americas approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations. Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is vital reading for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.

A landmark manifesto New York TimesThe ground-breaking, international bestseller with over two million copies sold that launched a new movement to empower women everywhere. Sheryl Sandberg s Lean In has ignited global conversations about gender roles and ambition. Ask most women whether they have the right to equality at work and the answer will be a resounding yes. But ask the same woman if they'd feel confident asking for a raise, promotion, or equal pay, and reticence can creep in.In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg Facebook COO and one of Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business draws on her own experience of working in some of the world's most successful businesses to show how women can empower themselves, unlock top leadership roles and achieve their full potential.

'Of the "e;Great Powers"e; that dominated Europe from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, Prussia is the only one to have vanished Iron Kingdom is not just good: it is everything a history book ought to be The nemesis of Prussia has cast such a long shadow that German historians have tiptoed around the subject. Thus it was left to an Englishman to write what is surely the best history of Prussia in any language' Sunday Telegraph

'Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity' Martin Luther King, Jr, in Nobel Peace Prize nomination It was under the bodhi tree in India 2500 years ago that Buddha achieved the insight that three states of mind were the source of all our unhappiness: ignorance, obsessive desire and anger. All are equally difficult to control but, in one instant of anger, lives can be ruined, and our spiritual development can be destroyed. Twenty-five centuries after the Buddha's insight, medical science tells us that the Buddha was right: anger can also ruin our health. It is one of the most powerful emotions and one of the most difficult to change. Thich Nhat Hanh offers a fresh perspective on taking care of our anger as we would take care of a baby crying - picking it up, talking quietly to it, probing for what is making the baby cry. Laced with stories and techniques, Anger offers a wise and loving look at transforming this difficult emotion into peace and for bringing harmony and healing to all the areas and relationships in our lives that have been affected by anger.

The classic foraging guide to over 200 types of food that can be gathered and picked in the wild, Food for Free returns in its 40th year as a sumptuous, beautifully illustrated and fully updated anniversary edition.Originally published in 1972, Richard Mabey's classic foraging guide has never been out of print since. Food for Free is a complete guide to help you safely identify edible species that grow around us, together with detailed artwork, field identification notes and recipes.In this stunning 40th anniversary edition, Richard Mabey's fully-revised text is accompanied by photographs, new recipes and a wealth of practical information on identifying, collecting, cooking and preparing, history and folklore. Informatively written, beautifully illustrated and produced in a new, larger format, Food for Free will inspire us to be more self-sufficient and make use of the natural resources around us to enhance our lives.

An equal parts haunting and hilarious deep-dive review of history's most notorious and cold-blooded serial killers, from the creators of the award-winning Last Podcast on the Left.

An illustrated guide to the origins and meanings of more than two-thousand signs and symbols, and how they have been interpreted in mythology, religion, art and folklore.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY BENJAMIN MARKOVITSIn 1845 Thoreau, a Harvard-educated 28-year-old, went to live by himself in the woods in Massachusetts.

A groundbreaking and authoritative examination of Israel by one of the most influential columnists writing about the Middle East today.Facing unprecedented internal and external pressures, Israel today is at a moment of existential crisis. My Promised Land tells the story of Israel as it has never been told before, and asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? And can Israel survive?Through revealing stories of significant events and lives of ordinary individuals ¿ the youth group leader who recognised the potential of Masada as a powerful symbol for Zionism; the young farmer who bought an orange grove from his Arab neighbour in the 1920s, and helped to create a booming economy in Palestine; the engineer who was instrumental in developing Israel¿s nuclear program; the religious Zionists who started the settler movement ¿ Israeli journalist Ari Shavit illuminates the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing and uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present.The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today¿s global political landscape.

How should we treat non-human animals? In this book, the author addresses this simple question with trenchant, dispassionate reasoning. Accompanied by the disturbing evidence of factory farms and laboratories, his answers triggered the birth of the animal rights movement.

Fables, folklore, and fantasy-this compendium of all things alchemical and mystical gathers centuries of esoteric mythology in the form of writings, drawings, paintings, and prints. From early Christian mystics to the illustrations of William Blake and the Romantics, this collection spans science, philosophy, and otherworldly mystery over the ages.

Falling Upward, a captivating book penned by the renowned author Richard Rohr, is a true gem in the literary world. Published by SPCK Publishing in 2013, this book has been a source of inspiration and enlightenment for many. The genre of the book is hard to pin down, as it seamlessly blends elements of spirituality, self-help, and philosophy. Rohr masterfully guides the reader through the journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth, challenging conventional wisdom and encouraging readers to 'fall upward' into a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world. SPCK Publishing is proud to have been part of bringing this transformative work to the public. Written in English, Falling Upward is a must-read for anyone seeking to expand their horizons and deepen their understanding of life's journey.