The official tie-in book to the wildly popular Facebook page, featuring brand-new crazy, off-the-wall, outrageously funny, and downright "awesome" pearls of wisdom from real-life drill sergeants and instructors from all branches of the military.Sweat dries. Blood clots. Bones heal. Suck it up, buttercup.After his deployment in Afghanistan, Dan Caddy began swapping great drill sergeant stories by e-mail with other combat veterans—an exchange with friends that would ...

From the Trojan Horse to a photograph snapped in Vietnam, world history has been shaped as much by chance and error as by courage and heroism. Despite impossible odds, invincible armies fall in bitter defeat to weaker opponents. How and why does this happen? What decides the fate of battle? In this fascinating book, Erik Durschmied takes us through the major conflicts of history-from Agincourt to the Civil War, from Crimea to the Gulf War-and reveals how, in war, it is the improbable and t...

“Damn, this book is good.”—**Jon Stewart“A biting, darkly hilarious collection of personal essays that begs to be read aloud.”—Chicago Tribune**Emmy Award–winning writer Adam Resnick began his career at Late Night with David Letterman before honing his chops in movies and cable television, including HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show. While courageously admitting to being “euphorically antisocial,” Resnick plunges readers deep into his ...

"[A] menacingly illustrated book . . . nerdily gushes over the design and use of 130+ historical instruments of combat." — ThrillistOne day a prehistoric guy picked up a rock and threw it at something. And the history of weapons began. Comedy writer and weapon nerd John O'Bryan relays the freaky highlights of man's centuries-old obsession with weaponry. He hilariously explains the mace, the morning star, and the man catcher, while conveying factual informat...

An entertaining seat at the table of ten power meals that shaped history—including the menus and recreated recipes!Some of the most consequential decisions in history were decided at the dinner table, accompanied-and perhaps influenced-by copious amounts of food and drink. This fascinating book explores ten of those pivotal meals, presenting the contexts, key participants, table talk, and outcomes of each. It offers unique insight into the minds and appetites of so...

From one of our most acclaimed and original colonial historians, a groundbreaking book tracing the critical "long year" of 1774 and the revolutionary change that took place from the Boston Tea Party and the First Continental Congress to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEARIn this masterly work of history, the culmination of more than four decades of research and thought, Mary Beth Norton ...

Longlisted for the Cundill History PrizeProfiled in The New YorkerNew York Times Book Review • Editors’ ChoiceVivid and magisterial, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen reconfigures the rise of a modern world through the advent and spread of written constitutions.A work of extraordinary range and striking originality, The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen traces the global history of written constitutio...

Learn about the most important legal milestones in history in The Law Book.Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Law in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Law Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams...

"A truly thrilling expose of the previously unknown Nazi assassination plot that could have changed history." — Edward Jay Epstein, New York Times bestselling author of The Assassination ChroniclesThe New York Times bestselling author returns with a tale as riveting and suspenseful as any thriller: the true story of the Nazi plot to kill the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and the U.S.S.R. during World War II.

A historian's "revealing and much-needed retelling of the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the events that led up to it" (William D. Watkins, author of The New Absolutes).Tying American history to our current political climate, The Founders' Revolution is designed to help readers understand the principles embedded in the Declaration of Independence. The book unpacks the intent of the Founding Fathers in drafting the document, and the...

The acclaimed historian presents a "beautifully perceptive and dynamic reassessment of Henry VIII…in this highly engrossing biography" ( Booklist, starred review).Henry VIII is best known for his tempestuous marriages and the fates of his six wives. But his reign and reputation were hugely influenced by his confidants, ministers, and even occasional rivals—many of whom have been underplayed in previous biographies. Exploring these relationships in depth, T...