"A wholly original cultural history of Greek and Roman warfare . . . often brilliant in interpretation, elegantly constructed and wonderfully written." —Hans van Wees, author of Greek Warfare: Myths and RealitiesWhat set the successful armies of Sparta, Macedon, and Rome apart from those they defeated? In this major new history of battle from the age of Homer through the decline of the Roman empire, J. E. Lendon surveys a millennium of wa...

Sparta, Macedon, and Rome-how did these nations come to dominate the ancient world? What set their armies apart? Noting this was an age that witnessed few technological advances, J. E. Lendon shows us that the most successful armies were those that made the most effective use of cultural tradition. Ancient combat moved forward by looking backward for inspiration-the Greeks, to Homer; the Romans, to the Greeks and to their own heroic past. The best ancient armies recruited soldiers from soc...

Song of Wrath tells the story of Classical Athens' victorious Ten Years' War (431-421 BC) against grim Sparta -- the first decade of the terrible Peloponnesian War that turned the Golden Age of Greece to lead. Historian J.E. Lendon presents a sweeping tale of pitched battles by land and sea, sieges, sacks, raids, and deeds of cruelty and guile -- along with courageous acts of mercy, surprising charity, austere restraint, and arrogant resistance. Recounting the rise of democratic A...

How rhetorical training influenced deeds as well as words in the Roman EmpireThe assassins of Julius Caesar cried out that they had killed a tyrant, and days later their colleagues in the Senate proposed rewards for this act of tyrannicide. The killers and their supporters spoke as if they were following a well-known script. They were. Their education was chiefly in rhetoric and as boys they would all have heard and given speeches on a ubiquitous set of themes—incl...

**“An inspiring book.… American Visions beautifully shows how remarkably resilient dreams of a better republic remained even in the darkest of times.” —Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street JournalA revealing history of the formative period when voices of dissent and innovation defied power and created visions of America still resonant today.**With so many of our histories falling into dour critique or blatant celebration, here is a welcome departure: a book tha...

New York Times Bestseller * A New Yorker Best Book of the Year * A Washington Post Notable Book of the Year * A New York Times Editors' Choice"No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win Weiner a second Pulitzer." —The GuardianA masterpiece of reporting based on-the-record interviews with six former CIA directors and scores of spies, statio...

A captivating exploration of how underwater animals tap into sound to survive, and a clarion call for humans to address the ways we invade these critical soundscapes—from an award-winning science writer“Sing Like Fish is that rare book that makes you see the world differently.”—Mark Kurlansky, New York Times bestselling author of Salt and CodLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE ...

From the bestselling author of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, the fascinating story of how images of Roman autocrats have influenced art, culture, and the representation of power for more than 2,000 yearsWhat does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this book—against a background of today’s “sculpture wars”—Mary Beard tells the story of how for more than ...

**Winner of the Civil War Round Table of New York’s Fletcher Pratt Literary Award, the Austin Civil War Round Table’s Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize, and the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award“A superb account” (The Wall Street Journal) of the longest and most decisive Civil War campaign—the Siege of Vicksburg in Vicksburg, Mississippi—which opened the Mississippi River, split the Confederacy, freed tens of thousands of slaves, and made Ulysses...

**New York Times BestsellerA Wall Street Journal Top Ten Book of the YearA True West Magazine Best Historical Non-Fiction Book and Best Author of the YearWestern Heritage Award for "Outstanding Nonfiction Book"Winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Historical NonfictionWinner of the Will Rogers Medallion AwardFrom the author of The Apache Wars, the true story of the American West, revealing how ...

A landmark collection of Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert's most important pieces about climate change and the natural worldA NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR"To be a well-informed citizen of Planet Earth," Rolling Stone has advised, "you need to read Elizabeth Kolbert." From her National Magazine Award-winning series The Climate of Man to her Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Sixth Extinction, Kolbe...

**A masterful new translation of Suetonius' renowned biography of the twelve Caesars, bringing to life a portrait of the first Roman emperors in stunning detailA Penguin Classic**The ancient Roman empire was the supreme arena, where emperors had no choice but to fight, to thrill, to dazzle. To rule as a Caesar was to stand as an actor upon the great stage of the world. No biographies invite us into the lives of the Caesars more vividly or intimately than those by Gaius Suet...