Civilization in History & Nonfiction eBooks

Nexus

A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

by Yuval Noah Harari ...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation ... Read more

Was $15.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sapiens comes the groundbreaking story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world.For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation
... Read more
The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

by David Graeber, David Wengrow ...

NATIONAL BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERRenowned activist and public intellectual David Graeber teams up with professor of comparative archaeology David Wengrow to deliver a trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution--from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state," political violence, and social ... Read more

$8.99 CAD

NATIONAL BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERRenowned activist and public intellectual David Graeber teams up with professor of comparative archaeology David Wengrow to deliver a trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution--from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state," political violence, and social
... Read more
Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari ...

**NATIONAL BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERDestined to become a modern classic in the vein of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Sapiens is a lively, groundbreaking history of humankind told from a unique perspective.**100,000 years ago, at least six species of human inhabited the earth. Today there is just one.Us.Homo Sapiens.How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ... Read more

$16.99 CAD

**NATIONAL BESTSELLERNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERDestined to become a modern classic in the vein of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Sapiens is a lively, groundbreaking history of humankind told from a unique perspective.**100,000 years ago, at least six species of human inhabited the earth. Today there is just one.Us.Homo Sapiens.How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging
... Read more
The Perfectionists

How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

by Simon Winchester ...

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review)The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review)The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and
... Read more
Goliath's Curse

The History and Future of Societal Collapse

by Luke Kemp ...

**“In the modern tradition of Big Books of human history like Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens and David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything, Goliath’s Curse provides a novel theory of civilizational development. . . . [It] feels something like reading the French economist Thomas Piketty filtered through Mad Max: Fury Road.” —Ed Simon, The New York Times Book ReviewNAMED A BEST BOOK OF ... Read more

Was $18.99 CAD Now $1.99 CAD

**“In the modern tradition of Big Books of human history like Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens and David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything, Goliath’s Curse provides a novel theory of civilizational development. . . . [It] feels something like reading the French economist Thomas Piketty filtered through Mad Max: Fury Road.” —Ed Simon, The New York Times Book ReviewNAMED A BEST BOOK OF
... Read more
Proto

How One Ancient Language Went Global

by Laura Spinney ...

Named a Best Book of 2025 by the Guardian and Scientific American"The story of how one language left the steppes of Ukraine and became the earth's dominant language family has become clearer and more exciting than ever before. Hooray for a book where the author's curiosity, diligence, and literary craft gets it all down in what will stand as the go-to source for a generation.” - John McWhorter, ... Read more

$22.39 CAD

Named a Best Book of 2025 by the Guardian and Scientific American"The story of how one language left the steppes of Ukraine and became the earth's dominant language family has become clearer and more exciting than ever before. Hooray for a book where the author's curiosity, diligence, and literary craft gets it all down in what will stand as the go-to source for a generation.” - John McWhorter,
... Read more
The Golden Throne

The Story of Suleyman the Magnificent

by Christopher de Bellaigue ...

'Wolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire . . . History at its most gripping' Daily Telegraph on The Lion House**A ground-breaking, present-tense reconstruction of the life and world of one of the most consequential figures in world history, Suleyman the Magnificent, from the author of The Lion HouseChosen by The Times as one of the Best Books of 2025‘A wonderful book – entrancing, addictive, full of ... Read more

Was $17.99 CAD Now $12.99 CAD

'Wolf Hall for the Ottoman Empire . . . History at its most gripping' Daily Telegraph on The Lion House**A ground-breaking, present-tense reconstruction of the life and world of one of the most consequential figures in world history, Suleyman the Magnificent, from the author of The Lion HouseChosen by The Times as one of the Best Books of 2025‘A wonderful book – entrancing, addictive, full of
... Read more
This Way Up

When Maps Go Wrong (And Why It Matters)

by Map Men ...

***AN INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!**AUDIO BOOK NARRATED BY MARK COOPER-JONES AND JAY FOREMAN**An Audible Most Anticipated Listen!*The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men!**Hello, we’re the Map Men and in the following pages, we’ve selected what we believe to be some of the very best wrong maps. Some of them are decades old, some are centuries ... Read more

Was $20.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

***AN INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!**AUDIO BOOK NARRATED BY MARK COOPER-JONES AND JAY FOREMAN**An Audible Most Anticipated Listen!*The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men!**Hello, we’re the Map Men and in the following pages, we’ve selected what we believe to be some of the very best wrong maps. Some of them are decades old, some are centuries
... Read more
The Emperor of All Maladies

A Biography of Cancer

by Siddhartha Mukherjee ...

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a documentary from Ken Burns on PBS, this New York Times bestseller is “an extraordinary achievement” (The New Yorker)—a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence.Now ... Read more

$2.99 CAD

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a documentary from Ken Burns on PBS, this New York Times bestseller is “an extraordinary achievement” (The New Yorker)—a magnificent, profoundly humane “biography” of cancer—from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence.Now
... Read more
Fingerprints of the Gods

The Quest for Earth's Lost Civilization

by Graham Hancock ...

Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is.**Graham Hancock is featured in the popular Ancient Apocalypse, a Netflix original docuseries."Hancock structure his arguments through the scientific method. . . . He's ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is.**Graham Hancock is featured in the popular Ancient Apocalypse, a Netflix original docuseries."Hancock structure his arguments through the scientific method. . . . He's
... Read more
Fall of Civilizations

Stories of Greatness and Decline

by Paul Cooper ...

**"A treasure trove of myths and terror… Atmospheric as hell… Immersive."―**The TimesBased on the podcast with over one hundred million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and ... Read more

$20.99 CAD

**"A treasure trove of myths and terror… Atmospheric as hell… Immersive."―**The TimesBased on the podcast with over one hundred million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and
... Read more
From Dawn to Decadence

1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life

by Jacques Barzun ...

A stunning five-century study of civilization's cultural retreat." — William Safire, New York TimesHighly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the ... Read more

$13.26 CAD

A stunning five-century study of civilization's cultural retreat." — William Safire, New York TimesHighly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the
... Read more
Murder in the Garden of God

A True Story of Renaissance Ambition, Betrayal and Revenge

by Eleanor Herman ...

On April 17, 1581, shots ring out in a Roman garden and a young man falls dead in an ambush. Within days, a powerful baron weds the lovely widow. Everyone knows the baron ordered the hit. But how much did the victim’s wife know? Vittoria Accoramboni, the most beautiful girl in Rome, chafed under the financial limitations of her husband’s family. She waited eight years for Pope Gregory XIII to die ... Read more

$5.99 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

On April 17, 1581, shots ring out in a Roman garden and a young man falls dead in an ambush. Within days, a powerful baron weds the lovely widow. Everyone knows the baron ordered the hit. But how much did the victim’s wife know? Vittoria Accoramboni, the most beautiful girl in Rome, chafed under the financial limitations of her husband’s family. She waited eight years for Pope Gregory XIII to die
... Read more
Lost Worlds

How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World

by Patrick Wyman ...

"Lost Worlds convinces us of the value of slowing down to recognize the tremendous diversity of the human past. But he presses hard against the conclusion that there was any direction or pattern behind its complexity." —The Wall Street Journal“A spellbinding tour de force!” —Walter Scheidel, author of What Is Ancient History?“This is non-fiction storytelling at its finest.” <stron... ... Read more

$24.99 CAD

"Lost Worlds convinces us of the value of slowing down to recognize the tremendous diversity of the human past. But he presses hard against the conclusion that there was any direction or pattern behind its complexity." —The Wall Street Journal“A spellbinding tour de force!” —Walter Scheidel, author of What Is Ancient History?“This is non-fiction storytelling at its finest.” <stron...
... Read more
Humankind

A Hopeful History

by Rutger Bregman ...

Translated by Erica Moore, Elizabeth Manton ...

This instant New York Times bestseller proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species.If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

This instant New York Times bestseller proves humanity thrives in a crisis and that our innate kindness and cooperation have been the greatest factors in our long-term success as a species.If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives
... Read more
Guns, Germs, and Steel

The Fates of Human Societies

by Jared Diamond, Ph.D. ...

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize • New York Times Bestseller • Over Two Million Copies Sold“One of the most significant projects embarked upon by any intellectual of our generation” (Gregg Easterbrook, New York Times), Guns, Germs, and Steel presents a groundbreaking, unified narrative of human history.Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, ... Read more

$19.79 CAD

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize • New York Times Bestseller • Over Two Million Copies Sold“One of the most significant projects embarked upon by any intellectual of our generation” (Gregg Easterbrook, New York Times), Guns, Germs, and Steel presents a groundbreaking, unified narrative of human history.Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans,
... Read more
Dinner with King Tut

How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations

by Sam Kean ...

**Finalist for the 2026 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award | LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER | INDIE BESTSELLER | The New Yorker's Best Books of 2025From “one of America’s smartest and most charming writers” (NPR), an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind—and through all five senses—from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in ... Read more

$21.99 CAD

**Finalist for the 2026 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award | LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER | INDIE BESTSELLER | The New Yorker's Best Books of 2025From “one of America’s smartest and most charming writers” (NPR), an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind—and through all five senses—from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in
... Read more
The Mosquito

A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator

by Timothy C. Winegard ...

A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fateWhy was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has ... Read more

$9.99 CAD

A pioneering and groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that offers a dramatic new perspective on the history of humankind, showing how through millennia, the mosquito has been the single most powerful force in determining humanity’s fateWhy was gin and tonic the cocktail of choice for British colonists in India and Africa? What does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? What has
... Read more
The Breath of the Gods

The History and Future of the Wind

by Simon Winchester ...

“As our climate changes, the force of the wind is set to grow. By looking to the past and the future, Winchester examines the twinned possibilities alive in this bluster: the power of the wind to tear our world apart and its ability to help us travel farther and do more.” — The Washington Post"Epic . . . . A splendidly written account of an unseeable force." — Kirkus Reviews</e... ... Read more

$17.99 CAD

“As our climate changes, the force of the wind is set to grow. By looking to the past and the future, Winchester examines the twinned possibilities alive in this bluster: the power of the wind to tear our world apart and its ability to help us travel farther and do more.” — The Washington Post"Epic . . . . A splendidly written account of an unseeable force." — Kirkus Reviews</e...
... Read more
The Four Heavens

A New History of the Ancient Maya

by David Stuart ...

Series series Unearthing the Past
**“An extraordinary recovery of a lost world.”—Peter Brown, author of The World of Late AntiquityFrom the world-leading expert on the Maya, a monumental history of a flourishing civilization across three millennia**The Four Heavens brings to life the cultural and visual splendor of the ancient Maya, drawing on the oldest indigenous texts of the Americas and the latest archaeological discoveries to ... Read more

$38.09 CAD

**“An extraordinary recovery of a lost world.”—Peter Brown, author of The World of Late AntiquityFrom the world-leading expert on the Maya, a monumental history of a flourishing civilization across three millennia**The Four Heavens brings to life the cultural and visual splendor of the ancient Maya, drawing on the oldest indigenous texts of the Americas and the latest archaeological discoveries to
... Read more
A Short History of Nearly Everything

#1 International Bestseller

by Bill Bryson ...

**THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A wonder-filled quest to understand everything that has happened in the history of the earth, from the Big Bang theory to the rise of civilization and beyond.“Brims with strange and amazing facts . . . a modern classic of sciencewriting.” —The New York Times**From the beloved and bestselling author of the hilarious, bittersweet memoir The Life and Times of the ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

**THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A wonder-filled quest to understand everything that has happened in the history of the earth, from the Big Bang theory to the rise of civilization and beyond.“Brims with strange and amazing facts . . . a modern classic of sciencewriting.” —The New York Times**From the beloved and bestselling author of the hilarious, bittersweet memoir The Life and Times of the
... Read more
Did the Old Testament Endorse Slavery?

by Joshua Aaron Bowen ...

The God of the Old Testament commanded and endorsed many practices that we find morally reprehensible today. High on the list was the institution of slavery, which features prominently in several sections of the Hebrew Bible. Fathers could sell their daughters into slavery, masters could beat their slaves, creditors could carry off children for failure to repay a debt, and foreigners could be kept ... Read more

$13.99 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

The God of the Old Testament commanded and endorsed many practices that we find morally reprehensible today. High on the list was the institution of slavery, which features prominently in several sections of the Hebrew Bible. Fathers could sell their daughters into slavery, masters could beat their slaves, creditors could carry off children for failure to repay a debt, and foreigners could be kept
... Read more
Jungleland

A Mysterious Lost City and a True Story of Deadly Adventure

by Christopher S. Stewart ...

For fans of The Lost City of Z, The River of Doubt, and Lost in Shangri-La—a real-life Indiana Jones story, set in the mysterious jungles of Honduras."I began to daydream about the jungle...."On April 6, 1940, explorer and future World War II spy Theodore Morde (who would one day attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler), anxious about the perilous journey that lay ahead of him.Deep inside “the little ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

For fans of The Lost City of Z, The River of Doubt, and Lost in Shangri-La—a real-life Indiana Jones story, set in the mysterious jungles of Honduras."I began to daydream about the jungle...."On April 6, 1940, explorer and future World War II spy Theodore Morde (who would one day attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler), anxious about the perilous journey that lay ahead of him.Deep inside “the little
... Read more
The Malaise of Modernity

by Charles Taylor ...

Series series The CBC Massey Lectures
In Malaise of Modernity, Charles Taylor focuses on the key modern concept of self-fulfillment, often attacked as the central support of what Christopher Lasch has called the culture of narcissism. To Taylor, self-fulfillment, although often expressed in self-centered ways, isn't necessarily a rejection of traditional values and social commitment; it also reflects something authentic and valuable ... Read more

$15.19 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

In Malaise of Modernity, Charles Taylor focuses on the key modern concept of self-fulfillment, often attacked as the central support of what Christopher Lasch has called the culture of narcissism. To Taylor, self-fulfillment, although often expressed in self-centered ways, isn't necessarily a rejection of traditional values and social commitment; it also reflects something authentic and valuable
... Read more

eReaders

Apps

Accessories

Shopping Cart

You're getting the VIP treatment!

Your Shopping Cart is empty

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Available:

1 audiobook monthly

+ FREE 30-day trial

Recommended For You

Civilization eBooks

Show: