"An excellent study of evangelicalism" from the award-winning sociologist and author of Souls in Transition and Soul Searching ( Library Journal).Evangelicalism is one of the strongest religious traditions in America today; twenty million Americans identify themselves with the evangelical movement. Given the modern pluralistic world we live in, why is evangelicalism so popular?Based on a national telephone survey and more than thr...

A history of the world's first democracy from its beginnings in Athens circa fifth century B.C. to its downfall 200 years later.The first democracy, established in ancient Greece more than 2,500 years ago, has served as the foundation for every democratic system of government instituted down the centuries. In this lively history, author Thomas N. Mitchell tells the full and remarkable story of how a radical new political order was born out of the revolutionary move...

A new edition of the "brilliantly original and highly sophisticated" study of saint worship after the fall of the Roman Empire ( Library Journal).In this groundbreaking work, Peter Brown explores how the worship of saints and their corporeal remains became central to religious life in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period, earthly remnants served as a heavenly connection, and their veneration is a fascinating window into the...

"Traces the history of abolition from the 1600s to the 1860s . . . a valuable addition to our understanding of the role of race and racism in America."— Florida CourierReceived historical wisdom casts abolitionists as bourgeois, mostly white reformers burdened by racial paternalism and economic conservatism. Manisha Sinha overturns this image, broadening her scope beyond the antebellum period usually associated with abolitionism and recasting it as a radic...

The celebrated poet behind such classics as "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "This Is Just to Say" presents a collection of essays about North American history.In the American Grain is, as William Carlos Williams said, "a study to try to find out for myself what the land of my more or less accidental birth might signify." Although Williams wrote poetry and prose—and was a doctor—he was not a historian. In this book, he applies a fresh, lyrical perspective to mome...

The timeless stories of Greek mythology come to life in these reimagined tales written in the voices of Zeus, Oedipus, Odysseus, and many others.Though the gods are featured prominently in Greek mythology, there is nothing sacred about it. Anyone is free to bring their own interpretation to these stories, just as Homer, Sophocles, and Euripides did centuries ago. In this volume, classicist and author Robert Garland presents nearly forty Greek legends as told by the ...

This "magisterial history" presents a new perspective on Thomas Morton, his colonial philosophy, and his lengthy feud with the Puritans ( Wall Street Journal).Adding new depth to our understanding of early New England society, this riveting account of Thomas Morton explores the tensions that arose from competing colonial visions. A lawyer and fur trader, Thomas Morton dreamed of a society where Algonquian peoples and English colonists could coexist. Infamou...

**From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, a research expedition to an alien planet takes a treacherous turn for married scientists in this sci-fi fantasy.As the first humans granted permission to explore Tslamaina, Etienne and Lyra Redowl should have been ecstatic. The planet's massive river valley is like no other in the known universe, with three intelligent species living along its waters—a dream expedition for the geologist–anthropologist duo. But the into...

The thinkers who built the Western mind—and still shape your own.This is the best book on philosophy I have ever read. —Philip van Heusen for Readers' FavoriteThree men. Three rival visions of reality. And together, the hidden framework behind how you think about truth, morality, happiness, and meaning.Much of Western philosophy can be traced back to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle—figures whose ideas continue to shape not o...

Leah Elson draws upon her wildly popular web series, 60 Seconds of Science, in this highly entertaining and visually appealing giftable book of real-world scientific questions and answers.How does DNA work?Does chicken noodle soup actually help with being sick?When cats purr, what is actually making the noise?Does singing to plants really help them grow?Is it possible to clone a woolly mammoth?In the vein of Randall Munr...

"In his lively, vivid history of pirates, Lehr finds some striking continuities from ancient to modern times." — Foreign AffairsA Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the YearIn the twenty-first century, pirates have regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to an odd combination of a blockbuster film franchise and a dramatic rise in piracy around the Horn of Africa. In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime te...

Have you always wanted to write a novel?Emily Winslow will help you develop the mindset and skills to get you started, keep you going, and see you through. Time to Write is a creative writing guide aimed at anyone who wants to write a novel and could use some support.It contains 49 lessons, each easy to read and packed with insights based on experience. Emily has taken her own work to high levels with major publishers, and has learned from teaching...