This incisive and witty collection from humor writer Eli Burnstein unpacks commonly misunderstood and enigmatic quotations, revealing what they really mean—and why they still matter.Designed for the curious reader who wants to understand big ideas without the jargon, this is a sharp and light-footed stroll through the world of philosophy, literature, and language.In Phrased & Confused, Burnstein (contributor to publications including the The Ne...

"This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it. It resolves a great deal of puzzlement over confusable terms, and its endearing illustrations and lighthearted explanations multiply the satisfaction." —Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and RationalityWhat’s the difference between mazes and labyrinths? Proverbs and adages? Clementines and...

A humorous and philosophical trip through life, from the New York Times–bestselling coauthor of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . .Daniel Klein’s fans have fallen in love with the warm, humorous, and thoughtful way he shows how philosophy resonates in everyday life. Readers of his popular books Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . and Travels with Epicurus come for enlightenment and stay for the entertainment.As a young college student studying...

"A burst of delight on every page!"Mignon Fogarty, host of the Grammar Girl podcastDid you know that an "astronaut" is literally a "star sailor," that a thesaurus is, in fact, a "treasuretrove" of words, and that someone who is "sinister" is actually just "left-handed"?Have you ever wondered why English isn't considered a Romance language if 60% of ourwords are Latin-derived?Did Shakespeare really...

In "Why Math isn't an Awful Nerd" Jason Marshall, the guy behind the incredibly popular Math Dude's Quick and Dirty Tips podcast, shows readers how insanely easy and downright elegant math can be. Marshall focuses on perfect squares and patterns (hint: they're called perfect squares for a reason), and clearly—and most importantly concisely—explains step-by-step how numbers work. Multiple games and puzzles re-enforce the concepts Marshall presents, making for a crazy fun, accidenta...

In his bestselling The Soul's Code, James Hillman restored passion and meaning to the concept of identity, arguing that each of us is born with an innate character, the "daimon" or "spirit" that calls us to what we are meant to be. Now, in The Force of Character, Hillman brings the idea of character full circle, offering a revolutionary new vision of life's most feared and misunderstood chapter: old age."Aging is no accident," Hillman writes. "It is necess...

"For language lovers, this book, with all its verbal tangles and wit, is sure to, in its own words, 'pass mustard'" ( Poets & Writers).Inspired by Daniel Menaker's tenure at the New Yorker, this collection of comical, revelatory errors foraged from the wilds of everyday English comes with commentary by the author, illustrations by Roz Chast, and a foreword from Billy Collins.During his time at the renowned magazine, Menaker happened acros...

"Zapruder is the ideal narrator to debunk mistaken ideas about the art and claim that the ways we teach poetry are what prevent us from enjoying it." — San Francisco ChronicleIn Why Poetry, award-winning poet Matthew Zapruder takes on what it is that poetry—and poetry alone—can do. Zapruder argues that the way we have been taught to read poetry is the very thing that prevents us from enjoying it. In lively, lilting prose, he shows...

This accessible and thought-provoking introduction to philosophy shows how the eternal questions can shed light on our lives and struggles.These days, we generally leave philosophical matters to professional philosophers. Scott Samuelson thinks this is tragic, for our lives as well as for philosophy. In The Deepest Human Life, he restores philosophy to its proper place at the center of our humanity, rediscovering it as our most profound effort toward unders...

"Secular-minded readers seeking an alternative to The Purpose-Driven Life have an excellent starting point here."— Publishers WeeklyFor readers who are serious about confronting the big issues in life—but are turned off by books which deal with them through religion, spirituality, or psychobabble, this is an honest, intelligent discussion by a philosopher that doesn't hide from the difficulties or make undeliverable promises. It aims to help the r...

Existentialism For Beginners is an entertaining romp through the history of a philosophical movement that has had a broad and enduring influence on Western culture. From the middle of the Nineteenth Century through the late Twentieth Century existentialism informed our politics and art and still exerts its influence today. Tracing the movement's beginnings with close-up views of seminal figures like Kierkegaard Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche Existentialism For Beginners follows its intellectual...

To draw a caricature is to simply draw an image that is very distinguishable to your model/subject's identity with or without being photographically identical. In early forms of this genre, the type of figures used was animals to represent a certain person. A painting or any type of artwork cannot be called a caricature if the piece does not involve an actual person, because involving a real person as a model is the critical part of this genre.TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction