Books published by Basic Books

The story of the woman who, with unprecedented enthusiasm and openness, helped forge a new foreign policy for America.

A powerful account of the tragic and brutal consequences of the Communist Party/KBG control over Soviet scientists and intelligentsia

A Holocaust survivor and sociologist sheds light on, and celebrates, the motivations behind the benevolent actions of ordinary people

A veteran art critic helps us make sense of modern and contemporary art

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger-now Pope Benedict XVI-joins Marcello Pera, President of the Italian Senate, to offer a provocative critique of the spiritual, cultural, and political crisis afflicting the West

The noted civil rights activist uses allegory and historical example to present a radical vision of the persistence of racism in America. These essays shed light on some of the most perplexing and vexing issues of our day: affirmative action, the disparity between civil rights law and reality, the racist outbursts" of some black leaders, the temptation toward violent retaliation, and much more.

A "bracingly iconoclastic" (New York Times) critique of global development that points a way toward respect for the poor and an end to global poverty

A groundbreaking history of the Apollo program as a stunning achievement in space and a brilliant Cold War gambit here on Earth

A leading doctor unveils the groundbreaking potential of virtual medicine

A preeminent physicist unveils a field-defining theory of the origins and purpose of life

From Aristotle's Physics to quantum teleportation, the story of the pursuit of causes that happen faster than the speed of light

An award-winning sociologist reveals the unexpected link between overwork and inequality

A parenting expert reveals the four biggest threats to girls' psychological growth and explains how parents can help their daughters develop a healthy sense of self

The definitive history of presidential lying, revealing how our standards for truthfulness have eroded -- and what makes Trump's lies especially dangerous

A physician reveals how right-wing backlash politics have mortal consequences--even for the white voters they promise to help

A leading conservative intellectual defends charter schools against the teachers' unions, politicians and liberal educators who threaten to dismantle their success

The groundbreaking examination of the construction of sexual identity -- now updated to reflect the latest research

Reissued with a new preface: the Pulitzer Prize-winning book that is "quite simply the best book ever written on the Scopes Trial and its place in American history and myth."

A dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King that transforms our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leaders

How the idea of the West drove twentieth-century US foreign policy, how it fell from favor, and why it is worth saving