Books published by Yale University Press

Two acclaimed South African artists offer a cross-generational dialogue on history, memory, and the power of self-narration

In this intimate history of the extraordinary Black Plague pandemic that swept through the British Isles in 1665, Evelyn Lord focuses on the plague’s effects on smaller towns, where every death was a singular blow affecting the entire community. Lord’s fascinating reconstruction of life during plague times presents the personal experiences of a wide range of individuals, from historical notables Samuel Pepys and Isaac Newton to common folk who tilled the land and ran the shops. She brings this dark era to vivid life through stories of loss and survival from those who grieved, those who fled, and those who hid to await their fate.  

An eclectic selection of twentieth-century artwork from the collection of legendary curator and museum director Walter Hopps, some with personal reminiscences by the artists themselves

Illuminating three centuries of European artistry and ingenuity, this volume in The Met's acclaimed How to Read series provides a wide-ranging exploration of decorative arts from British writing tables to Russian snuffboxes

Culture is a defining aspect of what it means to be human. Defining culture and pinpointing its role in our lives is not, however, so straightforward. Terry Eagleton, one of our foremost literary and cultural critics, is uniquely poised to take on the challenge. In this keenly analytical and acerbically funny book, he explores how culture and our conceptualizations of it have evolved over the last two centuries-from rarified sphere to humble practices, and from a bulwark against industrialism's encroaches to present-day capitalism's most profitable export. Ranging over art and literature as well as philosophy and anthropology, and major but somewhat "e;unfashionable"e; thinkers like Johann Gottfried Herder and Edmund Burke as well as T. S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, Raymond Williams, and Oscar Wilde, Eagleton provides a cogent overview of culture set firmly in its historical and theoretical contexts, illuminating its collusion with colonialism, nationalism, the decline of religion, and the rise of and rule over the "e;uncultured"e; masses. Eagleton also examines culture today, lambasting the commodification and co-option of a force that, properly understood, is a vital means for us to cultivate and enrich our social lives, and can even provide the impetus to transform civil society.

Five decades of work by groundbreaking Indigenous artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

The first monographic publication in English on German Expressionist artist and architect Paul Goesch, whose extraordinary architectural fantasies were produced while he was institutionalized for schizophrenia

"Cancellation, scapegoating, raving on Twitter. How did the Internet, which began as a place for open thought and exchange, become a forum for cruelty and judgment? Can a whole culture become mentally ill? How do we understand and respond to this problem? Mark Edmundson views contemporary culture and discourse through Freud's concept of the super-ego, the moralistic and frequently irrational inner judge. The poet William Blake was attuned to this "dark pressure of self-condemnation," and Nietzsche knew its power as well. One way to mitigate (temporarily) the self-judgment of the super-ego is to aim it outward instead, judging and even punishing others for supposed infractions. Naturally these targets fight back, resulting in a cascade of bitterness and even hatred. Edmundson traces the destructive passion of the super-ego on politics, race, gender, class, education, and more, drawing on psychological studies, classroom experience, and the work of Adam Phillips and Slavoj }i~ek. Edmundson proposes ways to manage the super-ego and even to transform it into an affirmative power"--

Tracing the global history of the Sassoon family, entrepreneurs and patrons of remarkable art and architecture, from Baghdad to Mumbai, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and London

Delves into the clothing of one of the world's great authors based on her surviving garments and 161 letters, offering intimate insight into her life and times

A timely and compelling argument for a revitalized and restructured global politics

A thought-provoking exploration of the loss of civilizations and communities, offering compelling stories of abandoned places, the important events and fascinating characters that punctuate their history, and lessons we can learn from them today

A sweeping exploration of the shaping role of animal skins in written culture and human imagination over three millennia

An in-depth examination of the law and geopolitics of China's maritime disputes and their implications for the rules of the international law of the sea

The rediscovery of a pivotal figure in Black history and his importance and influence in the struggle against slavery and discrimination

A groundbreaking account of the Secret Gospel of Mark, one of the most hotly debated documents in Christian history