Books published by Basic Books

Stanley Milgram was one of the most innovative scientists of our time. Creator of the famous Obedience Experiments carried out at Yale in the early 1960s, and originator of the 'six degrees of separation' theory, Milgram continues to be an intriguing figure in psychology and beyond. This is a biography of Milgram.

Explores the roots and causes of our increasingly voyeuristic society and argues against using the First Amendment to safeguard our right to peer into others' lives.

"Are the Japanese faceless clones who march in lockstep to the drums beaten by big business and the bureaucrats of MITI, Japan's miracle-working ministry of international trade and industry? Can Japane"

Aside from the Constitution itself, there is no more important document in American politics and law than the Federalist Papers-the series of pamphlets written by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to explain the meaning of the proposed Constitution to the American people and persuade them of its importance. These papers provide a window into the framers' thoughts on the most divisive issues of American government-the powers of the President, the dividing line between Congress's authority and that of the states, the role of the Supreme Court, and the importance of the Bill of Rights. Liberty's Blueprint offers an essential introduction to how the Federalist Papers were written, the philosophical thinking that shaped the Constitution, how the framers meant the various clauses to be understood, and why they are still vitally important today.

A fast-paced, brilliantly researched expose of the homosexuality of Hitler and his entourage

The definitive book on ancient military principles that is strikingly relevant to the War on Terror, the war in Iraq, and the rise of China as a geopolitical power

Father Neuhaus looks beyond recent controversies and proposes a forward-thinking way of being Catholic in America

The story of the discovery of America as a product of the long sweep of history

The founder and director of the Yale Repertory theatre, as well as Harvard's American Repertory theatre, and a drama critic for more than thirty years, Robert Brustein is a living legend in theatrical circles. Letters to a Young Actor not only inspires the multitudes of struggling dramatists out pounding the pavement, but also reinvigorates the very state of the art of acting itself.

An eminent teacher and writer explores an idea both simple and complex, both multidisciplinary and unifying-the story of symmetry

"Shaddock makes sense of intersubjectivity, the functional paradigm shift in highbrow psychotherapy, as both a way of thinking about our psychological lives and a way of doing clinical work. Applying i"

Carol Stack tells the story of a little-known reverse exodus of half a million black Americans in the cities of the North, who are returning to the rural South, back to "persistent poverty counties". The author interweaves the human story with wider economic and social analysis of migration.

What kind of man deliberately hurts the woman he loves? Drawing on his pathbreaking studies of more than seven hundred abusive men, as well as therapy with hundreds more, Dutton paints a dramatic and surprising portrait of the man who assaults his intimate partner.

An accessible and well-informed tour through a little-known, important aspect of race in American history

A searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina combining interviews with survivors of the disaster and the historical context that has been sorely missing from public conversation.

This concise, highly practical volume provides an essential guide of "how-to" essays for students to succeed in political internships

Filled with fascinating insights into the collective emotional life of inner-city kids, this book is also a highly original history of the erosion of urban community life since World War II.

A masterly account...Up to date, exquisitely balanced, and based on the latest research... |the best summary of the subject in a generation.-Brian Fagan, author of Floods, Famines, and Emperors

James Hunter has a talent for writing important books...With The Death of Character he has done it again.--Wilfred M. McClay, University of Tennessee

"For more than a century physicists have hoped that they were closing in on the Holy Grail of modern science: a unified theory that would make sense of the entire physical world, from the subnuclear re"

A landmark biography of the great American photographer Walker Evans, written by one of America's most esteemed biographers

"Harvey Schwartz's territory is the severe end of the child sexual abuse continuum, where victims' experiences are so unthinkable and their adaptations so bizarre that the rest of us are tempted to pro"

Filling a niche in family therapy and disability studies, this superb book offers the latest clinical knowledge about the psychological issues and practical problems faced by children with disabilities and their families throughout the lifespan.

A fascinating, controversial exploration of how self-esteem conflicts develop and are played out in all of our relationships, written by an internationally recognized expert.

A genuine understanding of how mental states arise from the structure and function of the brain would be, as William James declared in 1892, ”the scientific achievement before which all past achievements would pale.” Can a comprehensive biological theory of consciousness be constructed in 1990? Any attempt has to reconcile evidence garnered from such diverse fields as developmental and evolutionary biology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, cognitive psychology, psychiatry, and philosophy.Having laid the groundwork in his critically acclaimed books Neural Darwinism (Basic Books, 1987) and Topobiology (Basic Books, 1988), Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edelman now proposes a comprehensive theory of consciousness in The Remembered Present. Integrating findings generated by the recent explosive growth in the neurosciences with current knowledge of anatomy, cell biology, and psychology, Edelman has been able to construct a detailed model of how we become aware of our own existence.In addition to providing a scientific account of brain function and consciousness, the theory advanced in The Remembered Present will have a significant impact on a wide variety of fields. It provides a new outlook that may prompt fundamental revisions in the way linguists view language, physicians classify mental diseases, and philosophers look at the mind-body problem.

This no-holds-barred book includes a new chapter presenting a comprehensive, politically achievable, private-public solution to the health care dilemma-one that preserves the best of the present system, eliminates the worst current problems, and represents our nation's last best chance to contain costs without a government takeover of medicine.

Internationally renowned communitarian leader Amitai Etzioni presents a controversial challenge to the fundamental American belief in personal privacy at all costs

Reflecting exciting new trends in psychiatric treatment, the authors present their model of IPT, short-term psychotherapy for treating clinical depression.