Books published by Basic Books

The synthesis of forty years of pioneering work by the world's leading authority on the emotional aspects of eating disorders."The definitive book on eating disorders....It is a classic."- Shervert H. Frazier, M.D., Harvard Medical School

"Dr. Dyson has done an extraordinary job of sharing his heartfelt commitment and honor of Black women. I, for one, am proud and glad to know that such love exists."Iyanla Vanzant

A compelling and sweeping argument that complexity theory can build a bridge between science and religion

Explains how scientists who study complexity are convinced that certain constant processes are at work in all kinds of unrelated complex systems.

Combining armchair travel, stunning photography, and a keen historical sense, James Charles Roy takes us on a moving journey through the tragic past, present, and, very likely, future of Eastern Europe.

A critical look at the United States' criminal justice system, raising an obvious question: If crime rates aren't going up, why is the prison population?

A first-hand account of the horrors World War II inflicted upon children around the world, based on journals, diaries, and letters.

After their liberation in April 1945, the inmates of Buchenwald told their stories to a special team of U.S. Army intelligence officers. One of the most important and unique documents of the Holocaust, this priceless eyewitness account was nearly lost forever and appears here in published form and in English for the first time.

Edelman links genetics, development, behavior, and evolution.

In the spirit of Girl, Interrupted and An Unquiet Mind, an award-winning writer's powerful and intimate chronicle of her long journey through psychotherapy and her eventual escape from it

From Napster to Total Information Awareness to flash mobs, the debate over information technology in our lives has revolved around a single question: How closely do we want cyberspace to resemble the real world?

This is the first book to provide a carefully designed clinical approach to supportive psychotherapy that is rigorously connected to psychodynamic theory.

The most impressive idea to emerge from the recent World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland: a new approach to identifying and managing the world's twenty most pressing problems

A widely acclaimed reassessment of the remarkable life, art, struggles, and death of an American icon, from the celebrated author of Holler If You Hear Me.

A riveting account of how Christian fundamentalists, Orthodox Jews, and conservative Catholics have joined forces in a battle against their progressive counterparts for control of American secular culture.

Based on a scientifically large-scale study, this book presents the most convincing evidence to date that we have grossly underestimated both the incidence and the consequences of incest.

What does it mean to be a man in a world where women are almost as likely as men to shoulder the responsibilities of supporting a family? Why do some men still choose to be traditional breadwinners wh

This magisterial work traces the history of our most cherished value. Patterson links the birth of freedom in primitive societies with the institution of slavery, and traces the evolution of three forms of freedom in the West from antiquity through the Middle Ages.

"Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, The Brighter Side of Human Nature makes a powerful case that caring and generosity are just as natural as selfishness and aggression. This live"

A social history of one of the most tragically botched military campaigns in modern European history--and the most immediate precedent to the American Civil War.

For over twenty years Nancy Hartsock has been a powerful voice in the effort to forge a feminism sophisticated and strong enough to make a difference in the real world of powerful political and econom

"Where do our rights come from? Does "natural law" really exist outside of what is written in constitutions and legal statutes? If so, why are rights not the same everywhere and in all eras? On the oth"

Integrating developmental and systems theories, the authors propose an original scenario by which to understand and treat the family unit. Under study here is the primary triangle" of mother-father-infant. The authors provide a complex research paradigm for examining the interactional triangles formed in the family during the early years.

"Is the emergence of life on Earth the result of a single chance event or combination of lucky accidents, or is it the outcome of biochemical forces woven into the fabric of the universe? And if inevit"

"Reader-friendly...it does move our understanding of the 2000 vote beyond the 'urgent trivia' of classic campaign books."--Washington Post

This work argues that the failure of the US judicial system is judges who are too lenient, who fail to protect children and battered spouses, and allow the abuse of the civil justice system, especially in liability cases that ruin businesses and deprive the public of valuable goods and services.

"A useful and relentless reminder of the scourge of fire--a weapon of terror long before 2001--and the routine heroism of the city's firefighters."-- New York Times

Enormously important and timely...a 'must read' book for policymakers at all levels of government.--Roderick Kramer, Stanford University Graduate School of Business

From the best-selling social thinker, Riane Eisler, a new model for childhood education and a healthier, more humane world.