Books published by Yale University Press

"Undoing is just as much a democratic right as doing."---Gordon Matta-Clark

A brilliant new translation of Ó Cadhain's modern Irish literature masterpiece, meant to spark debate and comparison with Alan Titley's Dirty Dust, now with bonus materials on its history, reception, interpretations, adaptations, and more "Gloriously attuned to the energy, copiousness, invective and ribaldry of the original Cre na Cille."--Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement "Corrosively satirical and darkly comic. . . . A tour de force of a gabfest."--Mark Harman, Los Angeles Review of Books In critical opinion and popular polls, Máirtín Ó Cadhain's Graveyard Clay is invariably ranked the most important prose work in modern Irish. This bold new translation of his radically original Cré na Cille is the shared project of two fluent speakers of the Irish of Ó Cadhain's native region, Liam Mac Con Iomaire and Tim Robinson. They have achieved a lofty goal: to convey Ó Cadhain's meaning accurately and to meet his towering literary standards. Graveyard Clay is a novel of black humor, reminiscent of the work of Synge and Beckett. The story unfolds entirely in dialogue as the newly dead arrive in the graveyard, bringing news of recent local happenings to those already confined in their coffins. Avalanches of gossip, backbiting, flirting, feuds, and scandal-mongering ensue, while the absurdity of human nature becomes ever clearer. This edition of Ó Cadhain's masterpiece is enriched with footnotes, bibliography, publication and reception history, and other materials that invite further study and deeper enjoyment of his most engaging and challenging work.

A fascinating guide to Van Gogh's itinerant life, with vibrant images and stories about the many places where he lived and worked

An accessible survey on a genius artist, published to accompany the 500th anniversary of Bosch's death

A founder of soundscape ecology offers a pioneering field guide for listening to and recording the sounds of the wild

The demand for spices in medieval Europe was extravagant and was reflected in the pursuit of fashion, the formation of taste, and the growth of luxury trade. It inspired geographical and commercial exploration ,as traders pursued such common spices as pepper and cinnamon and rarer aromatic products, including ambergris and musk. Ultimately, the spice quest led to imperial missions that were to change world history. This engaging book explores the demand for spices: why were they so popular, and why so expensive?  Paul Freedman surveys the history, geography, economics, and culinary tastes of the Middle Ages to uncover the surprisingly varied ways that spices were put to use--in elaborate medieval cuisine, in the treatment of disease, for the promotion of well-being, and to perfume important ceremonies of the Church. Spices became symbols of beauty, affluence, taste, and grace, Freedman shows, and their expense and fragrance drove the engines of commerce and conquest at the dawn of the modern era. 

Surveying three decades of the British painter Cecily Brown’s career, with its vibrant mixture of gestural expression, canonical and pop references, and subversive themes

A detailed study of the role and legacy of weaving at the legendary Black Mountain College

A copiously illustrated global history of magic books, from ancient papyri to pulp paperbacks

A fresh perspective on collaboration, collectivity, and conflict in the women's art movement of the 1970s

Now back in print, this seminal publication offers an unexpected discussion of cutting-edge fashion in the 1990s and its relation to deep cultural anxieties

Alexander the Great (356-323 B C E) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. This title traces Alexander's influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later literatures of east and west.

The years since World War II have seen rapid shifts in the relative positions of different countries and regions. Leading political economist Mancur Olson offers a new and compelling theory to explain these shifts in fortune and then tests his theory against evidence from many periods of history and many parts of the world.[T]his elegant, readable book. . . sets out to explain why economies succumb to the British disease, the kind of stagnation and demoralization that is now sweeping Europe and North America. . . . A convincing book that could make a big difference in the way we think about modern economic problems.Peter Passell, The New York Times Book ReviewSchumpeter and Keynes would have hailed the insights Olson gives into the sicknesses of the modern mixed economy.Paul A. Samuelson, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyOne of the really important books in social science of the past half-century.Scott Gordon, The Canadian Journal of EconomicsThe thesis of this brilliant book is that the longer a society enjoys political stability, the more likely it is to develop powerful special-interest lobbies that in turn make it less efficient economically.Charles Peters, The Washington MonthlyRemarkable. The fundamental ideas are simple, yet they provide insight into a wide array of social and historical issues. . . . The Rise and Decline of Nations promises to be a subject of productive interdisciplinary argument for years to come.Robert O. Keohane, Journal of Economic LiteratureI urgently recommend it to all economists and to a great many non-economists.Gordon Tullock, Public ChoiceOlsons theory is illuminating and there is no doubt that The Rise and Decline of Nations will exert much influence on ideas and politics for many decades to come.Pierre Lemieux, ReasonCo-winner of the 1983 American Political Science Associations Gladys M. Kammerer Award for the best book on U.S. national policy

';A fascinating account of the gathering and dissemination of news from the end of the Middle Ages to the French Revolution' and the rise of the newspaper (Glenn Altschuler, The Huffington Post). Long before the invention of printing, let alone the daily newspaper, people wanted to stay informed. In the pre-industrial era, news was mostly shared through gossip, sermons, and proclamations. The age of print brought pamphlets, ballads, and the first news-sheets. In this groundbreaking history, renowned historian Andrew Pettegree tracks the evolution of news in ten countries over the course of four centuries, examining the impact of news media on contemporary events and the lives of an ever-more-informed public. The Invention of News sheds light on who controlled the news and who reported it; the use of news as a tool of political protest and religious reform; issues of privacy and titillation; the persistent need for news to be current and for journalists to be trustworthy; and people's changing sense of themselves and their communities as they experienced newly opened windows on the world. ';This expansive view of news and how it reached people will be fascinating to readers interested in communication and cultural history.' Library Journal (starred review)

An essential exploration of Nordic composers and musicians, and the distinctive culture that continues to shape them

The story of the diverse communities of Eastern Europe's borderlands in the centuries prior to World War II

The first account of the new Cold War-revealing how today's renewed era of global great power competition could threaten us all

An unparalleled reassessment of Pierre Bonnard, exploring his paintings, drawings, photography, and prints

A fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator

The first book to publish the entirety of Franz Kafka's graphic output, including more than 100 newly discovered drawings

The desire for dignity is universal and powerful. The author explains what the elements of dignity are, how to recognize dignity violations, how to respond when we are not treated with dignity, how dignity can restore a broken relationship, why leaders must understand the concept of dignity, and more.

A groundbreaking introduction to the photographic work of an iconic modern artist