A squared plus b squared equals c squared. Itsounds simple, doesn't it? Yet this familiar expression is a gatewayinto the riotous garden of mathematics, and sends us on a journey ofexploration in the company of two inspired guides, acclaimed authorsRobert and Ellen Kaplan. With wit, verve, and clarity, they trace thelife of the Pythagorean theorem, from ancient Babylon to the present,visiting along the way Leonardo da Vin...

A witty, conversational, and accessible tour of math's profoundest mysteries.Mathematical symbols, for mathematicians, store worlds of meaning, leap continents and centuries. But we need not master symbols to grasp the magnificent abstractions they represent, and to which all art aspires. Through language, anyone can come to delight in the works of mathematical art, which are among our kind's greatest glories.Taking the concept of infinity, in its countless...

It is easy to be wary of mathematics - but as this book shows, drawing on science, literature and philosophy, its patterns are evrywhere. In witty and eloquent prose, Robert and Ellen Kaplan take mathematics back to its estranged audience, bringing understanding and clarity to a traditionally difficult subject, and revealing the beauty behind the equations. Only by letting loose our curiosity can we learn to appreciate the wonder that can be found in mathematics - an 'art' invented by huma...

“In this sparkling narrative, mathematics is indeed set free.” -Michael Shermer, author of The Believing BrainIn classrooms around the world, Robert and Ellen Kaplan's pioneering Math Circle program, begun at Harvard, has introduced students ages six to sixty to the pleasures of mathematics, exploring topics that range from Roman numerals to quantum mechanics.In Out of the Labyrinth, the Kaplans reveal the secrets of their highly successful approac...

A compelling journey through history, mathematics, and philosophy, charting humanitys struggle against randomnessOur lives are played out in the arena of chance. However little we recognize it in our day-to-day existence, we are always riding the odds, seeking out certainty but settling-reluctantly-for likelihood, building our beliefs on the shadowy props of probability. Chances Are is the story of mans millennia-long search for the tools to manage the r...

A reporter and **abortion access correspondent investigates the secret killers and hidden motives behind the death of abortion rights. "**Haunting, riveting and built around some of the most complex characters you’ll ever meet..." (Rebecca Traister)They are going to kill people, investigative reporter for The Nation Amy Littlefield knew, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. After a decade coveri...

'Incredibly well sourced . . . One of the most plugged-in voices in modern warfare'TELEGRAPH'Blends vivid reporting with shrewd analysis'ECONOMIST'Truly excellent . . . a gripping tour de force. Every politician and military expert needs to read this book'IAIN DALE'Reads like a real-life geopolitical thriller . . . The fact it doesn't feel like scaremongering says a lot about t...

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • The “exhilarating” (The Boston Globe) story of the legendary Random House founder, whose seemingly charmed life at the apogee of the American Century afforded him a front-row seat to literary and cultural history in the making“[A] big, beautiful biography . . . There’s a new Power Broker in town.”—The New York Times“Feldman depicts a lost world, at ti...

**A “magnificent” (Science) exploration of how genetics complicates our ideas about blame, punishment, and moral responsibility, from acclaimed psychologist and author of The Genetic Lottery Kathryn Paige Harden.“Not a dry, restrained, contained scientific inquiry but a daring, complex, sometimes confounding and ultimately powerful tapestry of a book.”—The New York Times Book Review**As one of the world’s leading scientists examining how our DNA s...

LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND SCHRODERS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD"One of those books that changes the way you see the world. Gripping, urgent, important."ED CONWAY**"This wonderful book is as welcome as it is overdue ... shines a much-needed light on this essential topic."RORY SUTHERLAND"A deftly written tale."LEWIS BASTON**__________Our obsession with land is the driving force beh...

**A major new history from our most trusted voice on the Revolutionary era, the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award winner American Sphinx, and featured in THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, on PBS.An astounding look at how America’s founders—Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Adams—regarded the issue of slavery as they drafted the Declaration of Independence and th...

An irresistible and enchanting journey through human history—from mankind’s earliest fires to the latest smart phones—that tells the surprising and untold story of storytelling.Joan Didion told us, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” And yet, the story of stories has never been told until now. MIT technology pioneer Kevin Ashton was at the forefront of the digital revolution that led to the invention of the smartphone, the ultimate storytelling device. Th...