In the winter of 1417, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties plucked a very old manuscript off a dusty shelf in a remote monastery, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. He was Poggio Bracciolini, the greatest book hunter of the Renaissance. His discovery, Lucretius' ancient poem On the Nature of Things, had been almost entirely lost to history for more than a thousand years. It was a beautiful...

Prizewinning historian Chris Wickham defies the conventional view of the Dark Ages in European history with a work of remarkable scope and rigorous yet accessible scholarship. Drawing on a wealth of new material and featuring a thoughtful synthesis of historical and archaeological approaches, Wickham argues that these centuries were critical in the formulation of European identity. Far from being a middle period between more significant epochs, this...

Chronicles the development and spread of the theory of evolution, from Darwin's "Origin of Species" to the Human Genome Project and beyond, and explains how the process works.

A turtle carved in rock on a bluff over the Hudson River by Indians long ago watches with sadness the changes man brings over the years.

A definitive retrospective of Friends incorporates interviews, history, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to offer a critical analysis of how a sitcom about six twenty somethings changed television forever.

"The definitive biography of the most dangerous demagogue in American history, based on first-ever access to his personal and professional papers, medical and military records, and recently-unsealed transcripts of his closed-door Congressional hearings."--

"A young adult nonfiction book on how Albany High School handles a racist social media incident that incurs lasting and devastating consequences"--

"In this highly acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini-the seminal expert in the field of influence and persuasion-explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these principles ethically in business and everyday situations"--

"What do record players, batteries, and movie cameras have in common? All these devices were created by the man known as The Wizard of Menlo Park: Thomas Edison. Edison is most famous for inventing the incandescent light bulb, but at his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park & West Orange, New Jersey, he also developed many other staples of modern technology. Despite many failures, Edison persevered. And good for that, because it would be very difficult...

Harry Houdini. Say his name and a number of things come to mind. Escapes. Illusions. Magic. Chains. Safes. Live burials. Close to a century after his death, nearly every person in America knows his name from a young age, capturing their imaginations with his death-defying stunts and daring acts. He inspired countless people, from all walks of life, to find something magical within themselves. This is a book about a man and his extraordinary life,...