Books published by Pennsylvania State University Press

A major figure of the English Enlightenment, Joseph Priestley, although best known as a chemist, was involved in theology, electricity, politics, English grammar, rhetoric and educational philosophy. This biography covers the first 40 years of his life; the foundation for many of his achievements.

A cultural history of the reforming power of language, based on a study of non-fiction prose of the 1830s - 1850s, in particular orations and lectures. Practices that crossed boundaries of gender, race and class show how diverse sectors of American society valued the word as a means toward reform.

This text developes Hume's critique of rationalism, referring to the section of the "Treatise" that deals with the continuing existence of bodies and to his neglected essay, "The Sceptic".

A tale of the author's journey from the Lower East Side of New York to some of the greatest centres of higher learning. Morton, a philosopher and historian of ideas, includes discussion of his contact with such influential thinkers as John Dewey, G.E. Moore and Isaiah Berlin.

Medieval Europe, with its crusading fervour, is not generally thought of as a place of tolerance; divergence from the norm, whether social, political or religious, was not acceptable.

An account of the introduction of gas and electricity to the "instant cities" of Kansas and Denver in the late 19th century. The book describes how the technology spread quickly to homes, urged on by the prevailing attitudes of cleanliness, comfort and gender.

An analysis of how Mexico, under the leadership of Carlos Salinas, succeded in avoiding political upheaval while transforming its economy, unlike the USSR under Gorbachev. This text examines the role neoliberal ideology and technocratic vision played in Mexico's economic revival.