Books published by Yale University Press

The first history of childhood in Tudor England

A powerful new history of the Great Strike in the miners’ own voices, based on more than 140 interviews with former miners and their families

A deeply researched and poignant reflection on the practice of forgiveness in an unforgiving world

A great theater critic brings twentieth-century playwright Arthur Miller’s dramatic story to life with bold and revealing new insights

Who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of New York City shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War?

Groundbreaking research that utilizes archaeological discoveries and ancient texts to revolutionize our understanding of the beginnings of Judaism

"A myth-busting explanation of inflation, the desperate gullibility of central bankers and finance ministers--and our abject failure to learn from history."--

A spirited defense of the Enlightenment against assaults from both the left and the right that explains its urgent implications for our contemporary politics

An unflinching investigation of the false promises of land sparing, exposing how its illusory successes mask the failures of green capitalism

Now back in print, a revealing look at the visionary French furniture designer and architect, highlighting his virtuoso designs and versatile creativity

Why did England’s one experiment in republican rule fail?

A compelling biography of Sheikh Abdullah, the charismatic, combative, and controversial Kashmiri politician

How bankers created the modern consumer credit economy and destroyed financial stability in the process

An indispensable illustrated source of information for hundreds of species of North American trees

A deeply personal yet broadly relevant exploration of the ephemeral life of the classic in art, from the eighteenth century to our own day

A bold rereading of Augustine of Hippo’s political thought in the wake of Black Lives Matter

The story of the sixteenth-century’s epic contest for the spice trade, which propelled European maritime exploration and conquest across Asia and the Pacific

Drawing is at the heart of human creativity. It is the most democratic form of art-making, requiring nothing more than the stub of a pencil, piece of chalk or ink brush, and a surface. Our prehistoric ancestors drew with natural pigments on the walls of caves, and every subsequent culture has practised drawing—whether on papyrus, parchment, or paper.   Virtually all artists have used drawing as part of the creative process. However, by stepping back and surveying the long history of drawing, Susan Owens reveals an alternative history of art. While art forms such as painting and sculpture have been shaped heavily by money and influence, drawing has always offered exceptional creative latitude. Drawing is where we can encounter the artist at his or her most unguarded.  The Story of Drawing offers a glimpse over artists’ shoulders as they work, think, plan, innovate, and either scrutinise the world or retreat into their imaginations.

The first biography of Gilbert Spencer, recounting the life and career of a long-overlooked twentieth-century British artist

This latest volume in The Met’s acclaimed How to Read series explores the meaning of portraiture across time and cultures—from funerary masks to realism to abstraction

A major new examination of the Indian Ocean, revealing how the region has become a hotly contested geopolitical flashpoint

The story of William Waters, Black street performer in Regency London, and how his huge celebrity took on a life of its own

A close look at failed U.S. policies in the Middle East, offering a fresh perspective on how best to reorient goals in the region

The most up-to-date account of the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s masterwork

The definitive guide to the stone circles of Britain and Ireland

The oboe is an instrument with a long and rich history. In this book two distinguished oboist-musicologists trace that history from its beginnings to the 21st century, discussing how and why the oboe evolved, what music was written for it, and which players were prominent.

The extraordinary story behind Degas’s groundbreaking painting of the biracial circus performer Miss La La

Highlighting the creativity and symbolism of covered portraits, this volume explores an intriguing but largely unknown aspect of Italian and Northern European Renaissance art

A reminder that war is not always, or even generally, good for long-term growth

A renowned scientist and environmental advocate looks back on a life that has straddled the worlds of science and politics