Books published by Basic Books

The leading authority on self-mutilation has added a new introduction to the classic text that defined the syndrome for a generation of patients, therapists, and family members

In 1610, the English mariner Henry Hudson set off on a journey to find the Northwest Passage, the water route that Europeans hoped would speed the time of travel to East Asia. But Hudson's search for the Northwest Passage did not go well. This book tells the full story of Hudson and the other 23 men who set sail from London in April 1610.

On August 26, 1835, a fledgling newspaper called the Sun brought to New York the first accounts of remarkable lunar discoveries. A series of six articles reported the existence of life on the moon,including unicorns, beavers that walked on their hind legs, and four-foot-tall flying man-bats. In a matter of weeks it was the most broadly circulated newspaper story of the era, and the Sun , a working-class upstart, became the most widely read paper in the world. An exhilarating narrative history of a divided city on the cusp of greatness, and tale of a crew of writers, editors, and charlatans who stumbled on a new kind of journalism, The Sun and the Moon tells the surprisingly true story of the penny papers that made America a nation of newspaper readers.

Why Marriage? is a tour de force of historical analysis and explanation, essential for anyone eager to understand current political arguments. Los Angeles Times Book Review

"In a Burkean manner, Mr. Levin enriches through wisdom rather than prescription. He gives us something more than a manual of past lessons-namely, the historical framework to achieve greater understanding."-Wall Street Journal

"Pearl Harbor...is short and moves forward like a rocket, propelled by readable prose and a laser-sharp focus.... Gillon digs deep into the details that humanize FDR."- Christian Science Monitor

"Elizabeth Gregory has discovered the real truth behind all the false alarms over delayed motherhood: that older mothers tend to be very happy with their decision to have children later in life. A positive, optimistic message for women: you can wait until you are ready to be a good parent."-Ann Crittenden, author of The Price of Motherhood

A new Tie-in edition of the acclaimed biography of Masters and Johnson, to coincide with the forthcoming Showtime series based on the book.

The story of our world, how it got that way, and where it is going-using only the thousand most common words in English

A wonderful new book, Milanovic, who has made international inequality his life's work, shows, with devastating logic, just how far we still have to go.', Globe and Mail (Toronto)

From the President of the American Enterprise Institute, the follow-up to the hugely influential The Battle: a candid assessment of how mainstream America can take the philosophy of free enterprise and translate it into political action--restoring b

Traces the discovery, evolution, and interrelationships of the great numbers that define our world. This title reveals the manner in which certain cosmic numbers came to light, the dramatis personae involved, and the developments associated with these numbers.

"Balanced without being bland, lucid in the telling, Thomas Kidd's chronicle corrects the excesses both of those who overstate the degree to which America was founded as a 'Christian nation' and of those who seek to minimize the formative role of religion in the new nation's character."--Christianity Today

"Offley skillfully blends history and statistics and analysis as well as heart-pounding narratives of sea-battles that have the immediacy of a good novel, only they tell of real people and real events."--The American Spectator

An acclaimed historian uncovers the story behind the massacre at Wounded Knee, demonstrating how party politics in Washington, D.C. made the South Dakota catastrophe inevitable

"Engrossing... The prospect of using the structures an animal builds to extrapolate its cognitive capability is irresistible. Fortunately for readers, the levelheaded Goulds prove wonderful guides through these shadowy corridors, at once skeptical and reverent."--Boston Globe

Essential advice on problem solving from physics' clearest teacher

"Breezy and engaging...a book that debunks our intuitive justifications for our behaviour.... will not fail to entertain." -New Scientist

A perspective on urban culture in the latter part of the 20th century through the lens of the World Trade Center.

From the cutting-edge young historian and reporter Christian Parenti, a vivid, chilling history of surveillance in American life-from the antebellum South to the computerized landscape of the futuristic present.

Why are controversies about such issues as abortion, welfare, persistent poverty, and environmental destruction so intractable? As anyone who has ever engaged in or tried to settle an argument on highly charged issues knows, facts rarely persuade in such situations. This innovative approach to intractable policy controversies shows how "reframing" the issues can succeed where simply appealing to facts often fails. In "Frame Reflections", two of his country's leading organizational theorists and policy analysts show how disputes that in abstract debate or negotiation seem insoluble can sometimes be resolved pragmatically by those who actually have to design and implement the specific programs. The authors illustrate their theory through a detailed examination of three specific programs: the evolution of early retirement programs in Germany; a statewide project for the homeless in Massachusetts; and the development of Project Athena, a large-scale experiment in the use of computers in undergraduate education at MIT. Policy stalemates are inevitable. Yet we know that people sometimes do change their minds, even in situations that at first appeared hopeless. How that happens is the subject of this pathbreaking book.

A psychiatrist's haunting memoir of her mother's suicide illuminates our understanding of family tragedy.

The world's response to climate change has been deeply flawed. The Climate Fix is where we begin to get it back on track, as science policy expert Roger Pielke, Jr. dissects the disastrous climate debate and offers a solution: expanding energy access and increasing energy security while lowering costs through technological innovation.

The renowned AIDS researcher Robert Gallo tells his story of scientific breakthrough in a riveting portrait of the people, the politics, and the pace of modern scientific discovery.

First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These blood diamonds are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York. This title presents a portrait of the global network of blood diamonds.

This book not only brings home the imminence of climate change but also examines the campaign of deception by big coal and big oil that is keeping the issue off the public agenda. It examines the vari

A unique glimpse into the remarkable life, and fascinating mindset, of the woman who broke records-and boundaries-for female athletes everywhere

The most comprehensive history yet of the last years of Russia's imperial family

A true adventure story that mixes personal anecdote and fascinating facts to bring women's recent political history to life, concluding with guidance to inspire a new generation of women risk takers.