Books published by Basic Books

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll

In this New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in AmericaWidespread reporting on aspects of white supremacy--from police brutality to the mass incarceration of African Americans--have made it impossible to ignore the issue of race. Still, it is a difficult subject to talk about. How do you tell your roommate her jokes are racist? Why did your sister-in-law take umbrage when you asked to touch her hair--and how do you make it right? How do you explain white privilege to your white, privileged friend? In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to "e;model minorities"e; in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race and racism, and how they infect almost every aspect of American life. "e;Oluo gives us--both white people and people of color--that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases."e;--National Book Review "e;Generous and empathetic, yet usefully blunt . . . it's for anyone who wants to be smarter and more empathetic about matters of race and engage in more productive anti-racist action."e;--Salon (Required Reading)

A child development expert shows why "unschooling" is the best way to get kids to learn

A witty, wise, biting, and completely individual meditation on what it means to think, live, and be to the contrary.

The six easiest chapters from Feynman's landmark work, Lectures on Physics-- specifically designed for the general, non-scientist reader.

A procedure to be reckoned with in psychology.'' , Washington Post

The best available English translation... [It] compels intelligent readers to come to grips with what Plato actually wrote.' , American Political Science Review

The New York Times-bestselling "skeptical environmentalist" argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good

A long-awaited compilation of exercises to accompany the Feynman Lectures on Physics

Explains why fallacies abound in economic thinking and why they have such political staying power. This title describes the essential types of fallacies - the zero-sum fallacy, which assumes that one person's gain is another's equal loss; the 'fallacy of composition', the assumption that what is true of the part is true of the whole; and, more.

Six lectures, all regarding the most revolutionary discovery in twentieth-century physics: Einstein's Theory of Relativity. No one--not even Einstein himself--explained these difficult, anti-intuitive concepts more clearly, or with more verve and gusto, than Feynman.

In this thoroughly revised and updated classic, a renowned psychologist shows that mourning is far from predictable and all of us share a surprising ability to be resilient

Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, the complete series of Feynmans landmark Lectures on Physics

A neuroscientist tells the remarkable story of how she rewired her own brain--and came to see the world anew

A bestselling author, neuroscientist, and computer engineer unveils a theory of intelligence that will revolutionize our understanding of the brain and the future of AI

Based on twenty years of clinical experience studying and treating chronic illness, a Harvard psychiatrist and anthropologist argues that diagnosing illness is an art tragically neglected by modern medical training, and presents a compelling case for bridging the gap between patient and doctor.

The groundbreaking history of how climate change transformed Europe and the world, from a renowned archaeologist -- updated with a new preface on the latest climate research

The definitive history of coffee, with a new introduction by the author.

From a rising fashion historian, the story of how Japan imitated, assimilated, perfected, and ultimately saved traditional American fashion

A preeminent geneticist hunts the Neanderthal genome to answer the biggest question of them all: what does it mean to be human?

"The Spinoza Problem is engrossing, enlightening, disturbing and ultimately deeply satisfying." --Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone

As a fundamental aspect of our knowledge of the physical world, quantum mechanics remains a vital subject in physics. This is a collection of the late Richard P Feynman's lectures. It is suitable for students of physics and those seeking an introduction to the field from the inimitable Richard Feynman.

A biologist-turned-philosopher shows how scientific discoveries can help resolve some of philosophy's longest-debated issues

Douglas Hofstadter's critically acclaimed return to the themes of Godel, Escher, Bach--an original and controversial view of the nature of consciousness and identity.