The notion of 'representative democracy' seems unquestionably familiar today, but how did the Victorian era - the epoch when the modern democratic state was made - understand democracy, parliamentary representation, and diversity? In the famous nineteenth-century debates about representation and parliamentary reform, two interlocked ideals were of the greatest importance: descriptive representation, that the House of Commons 'mirror' the diversity that marked society, and deliberation with...

**A New York Times BestsellerThe first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory conveys the spirit of a people through 10 unforgettable stories of resilience and humanity.**Francesca Albanese is the most lucid voice against Israel’s apartheid policies in Gaza and the West Bank, a voice that has been heard around the world when it comes to speaking the truth about the Palestinian genocide. In the wake of October 7, 2...

An award-winning writer travels the eastern front of Europe, where the push/pull between old empires and new possibilities has never been more evident. Paolo Rumiz traces the path that has twice cut Europe in two—first by the Iron Curtain and then by the artificial scaffolding of the EU—moving through vibrant cities and abandoned villages, some places still gloomy under the ghost of these imposing borders, some that have sought to erase all memory of it and jump with both feet into the Wes...

With fun, fascinating vignettes, a renowned neurobiologist illuminates the interconnectedness of plant life and how we can learn from it to better plan our communities.We animals account for a paltry 0.3% of the planet’s biomass while plants add up to 85%. And when, with just a little training, we are able to look at the world without seeing it solely as humanity’s playground, we cannot help but notice the ubiquity of plants. They are everywhere, and their stories ...

**Named a Best Book of the Year for the Know-It-All by The Globe and MailIn this richly illustrated volume, a leading neurobiologist presents fascinating stories of plant migration that reveal unexpected connections between nature and culture.**When we talk about migrations, we should study plants to understand that these phenomena are unstoppable. In the many different ways plants move, we can see the incessant action and drive to spread life that has led plants t...

A young Venetian man and woman face hardship and high seas adventure across the Mediterranean in this prize-winning novel set during the Renaissance.Venice of the late sixteenth century is an unforgiving city. The Doge rules with an iron fist and the Holy Office of Inquisition harbors suspicions about everything and everyone. It is a place where even the walls have eyes. So when a recently married stonemason by the name of Michele is accused of a crime he didn't com...

A recent college graduate accompanies a reclusive middle-aged writer on a chaotic road trip to Milan in this hilarious, heartwarming novel about love, friendship, and the pitfalls of nostalgiaIn 1995 Vittorio Vezzosi rose to worldwide acclaim with his debut novel, The Wolves Inside. Unfortunately for his adoring fans—and his publisher—he wouldn’t write another word. Instead, the great author shut himself away in a farmhouse overlooking Florence.Aft...

Gorgeous illustrations enrich this ode to nature and sustainability inspired by St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Creatures”—from the acclaimed botanist and author of The Incredible Journey of Plants.The oldest poetic text in Italian literature, St. Francis’s 13th-century song offers a surprisingly timely message. Taking inspiration from the Laudes creaturarum in his latest book, Stefano Mancuso highlights its revolutionary ecological visio...

In this playful yet informative manifesto, a leading plant neurobiologist presents the eight fundamental pillars on which the life of plants—and by extension, humans—rests.Even if they behave as though they were, humans are not the masters of the Earth, but only one of its most irksome residents. From the moment of their arrival, about three hundred thousand years ago—nothing when compared to the history of life on our planet—humans have succeeded in changing the c...

A mysterious murder in present-day Milan intertwines with a cold case from the 1940s in this thrilling novel about film, freedom, censorship, and the persistent threat of fascism.An acclaimed director, Manlio Parrini, decides to return behind the camera. Having abandoned cinema at the height of his success because he found the industry to be “a place without truth,” he now, in his 70s, has a special story in mind: a film about Augusto De Angelis, a pioneer of Itali...

A renowned plant expert explains how we can make urgent, positive changes to our cities that protect against and reduce global warming.The conquest of new lands has been the greatest occupation of our species: for hundreds of thousands of years, humans have searched for new territories to inhabit, finding in the city the best place to live in the last hundred years. Looking at the parabola of our geographical expansion, it appears that humans have gone from being a...

A sweeping history of the Italian Jewish experience from antiquity to todayJews arrived in ancient Rome before Christianity existed, and they have maintained a continuous and influential presence in Italy for more than twenty centuries—the longest in Western Europe. The Jews of Italy is an engaging history of Jewish life in Italy, from ancient times to the present. Anna Foa’s vivid and authoritative chronological narrative traces this remarkable history th...