Rakuten Kobo

How to Kill a Language

Power, Resistance, and the Race to Save Our Words

by Sophia Smith Galer ...

An urgent, globe-spanning exploration of languages at risk, from Kichwa to Ukrainian, that asks: What do we lose—culturally, politically, and personally—when a language is silenced?“Fascinating . . . Galer casts a bright light on the massive linguistic diversity that the world seems set to lose.”—John McWhorter, The New York TimesLanguages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis, ... Read more

Was $13.99 USD Now $2.99 USD

An urgent, globe-spanning exploration of languages at risk, from Kichwa to Ukrainian, that asks: What do we lose—culturally, politically, and personally—when a language is silenced?“Fascinating . . . Galer casts a bright light on the massive linguistic diversity that the world seems set to lose.”—John McWhorter, The New York TimesLanguages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis,
... Read more
The Library

A Fragile History

by Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen ...

A history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age.**“Engaging [and] ambitious” —**The Washington PostFamed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes, or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings—the history of the library is rich, ... Read more

Was $15.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

A history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age.**“Engaging [and] ambitious” —**The Washington PostFamed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes, or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings—the history of the library is rich,
... 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

Was $11.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

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
Tamed

From Wild to Domesticated, the Ten Animals and Plants That Changed Human History

by Alice Roberts ...

An "epic and joyous" (Adam Rutherford) history of our species, using recent scientific discoveries to explore humanity's domestication of the plants and animals that have allowed human civilization to thrive."An excellent point of entry for anyone who wants to understand the new deep human history and what it portends." —The GuardianDogs became our companions.Wheat fed booming populations.Cattl... ... Read more

$1.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

An "epic and joyous" (Adam Rutherford) history of our species, using recent scientific discoveries to explore humanity's domestication of the plants and animals that have allowed human civilization to thrive."An excellent point of entry for anyone who wants to understand the new deep human history and what it portends." —The GuardianDogs became our companions.Wheat fed booming populations.Cattl...
... Read more
Salt

A World History

by Mark Kurlansky ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | THE BOOK BEHIND THE VIRAL TIKTOKOne tiny rock. One epic history.**"A must-have for any serious cook or foodie."—Anthony Bourdain"This is a "wow!" book: roving, startling, engaging.” —Washington Post“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt.”—New York Times Book ReviewAn unlikely world history from the bestselling author of Milk! and Cod**... ... Read more

$9.99 USD

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | THE BOOK BEHIND THE VIRAL TIKTOKOne tiny rock. One epic history.**"A must-have for any serious cook or foodie."—Anthony Bourdain"This is a "wow!" book: roving, startling, engaging.” —Washington Post“Kurlansky finds the world in a grain of salt.”—New York Times Book ReviewAn unlikely world history from the bestselling author of Milk! and Cod**...
... Read more
China

A History

by John Keay ...

An authoritative account of five thousand years of Chinese history.**"Exquisitely written." —**GuardianMany nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past.Keay's ... Read more

Was $16.99 USD Now $2.99 USD

An authoritative account of five thousand years of Chinese history.**"Exquisitely written." —**GuardianMany nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past.Keay's
... Read more
The WEIRDest People in the World

How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous

by Joseph Henrich ...

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern wor... ... Read more

$12.99 USD

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020A Bloomberg Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2020A Human Behavior & Evolution Society Must-Read Popular Evolution Book of 2020A bold, epic account of how the co-evolution of psychology and culture created the peculiar Western mind that has profoundly shaped the modern wor...
... Read more
Pockets

An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close

by Hannah Carlson ...

“Who knew the humble pocket could hold so much history? In this enthralling and always surprising account, Hannah Carlson turns the pocket inside out and out tumble pocket watches, coins, pistols, and a riveting centuries-long social and political history.” ―**Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United StatesPockets "showcases the best features of cultural history: a lively ... Read more

Was $16.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

“Who knew the humble pocket could hold so much history? In this enthralling and always surprising account, Hannah Carlson turns the pocket inside out and out tumble pocket watches, coins, pistols, and a riveting centuries-long social and political history.” ―**Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United StatesPockets "showcases the best features of cultural history: a lively
... Read more
After Nations

The Making and Unmaking of a World Order

by Rana Dasgupta ...

**“A brilliant and visionary book.” —Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New AmericaWhat has happened to the nation-state? From a prize-winning writer, a sweeping history of this most unquestioned of modern structures and a bold imagining of its future**Until recently, the system of nation-states appeared settled and eternal. Not anymore. As American hegemony unwinds and Western countries slide into ... Read more

$18.99 USD

**“A brilliant and visionary book.” —Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New AmericaWhat has happened to the nation-state? From a prize-winning writer, a sweeping history of this most unquestioned of modern structures and a bold imagining of its future**Until recently, the system of nation-states appeared settled and eternal. Not anymore. As American hegemony unwinds and Western countries slide into
... Read more
The Notebook

A History of Thinking on Paper

by Roland Allen ...

A Globe 100 Best Book of 2024 • A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2024The first history of the notebook, a simple invention that changed the way the world thinks.We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this ... Read more

$12.39 USD

A Globe 100 Best Book of 2024 • A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2024The first history of the notebook, a simple invention that changed the way the world thinks.We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this
... Read more
Four Lost Cities

A Secret History of the Urban Age

by Annalee Newitz ...

**Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Science FridayA quest to explore some of the most spectacular ancient cities in human history—and figure out why people abandoned them.**In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world, ... Read more

$12.29 USD

**Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Science FridayA quest to explore some of the most spectacular ancient cities in human history—and figure out why people abandoned them.**In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world,
... Read more
On Book Banning

Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy

by Ira Wells ...

Series Book 9 - Field Notes
A Finalist for the 2026 Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing • A Winnipeg Free Press Best Book of 2025The freedom to read is under attack.From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. In a survey of legal cases, literary controversies, and ... Read more

$10.69 USD

A Finalist for the 2026 Writers' Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing • A Winnipeg Free Press Best Book of 2025The freedom to read is under attack.From the destruction of libraries in ancient Rome to today’s state-sponsored efforts to suppress LGBTQ+ literature, book bans arise from the impulse toward social control. In a survey of legal cases, literary controversies, and
... Read more
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

A New History of a Lost World

by Steve Brusatte ...

"THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR BIOGRAPHY," hails Scientific American: A thrilling new history of the age of dinosaurs, from one of our finest young scientists."A masterpiece of science writing." —Washington PostA New York Times Bestseller • Goodreads Choice Awards Winner • **A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Smithsonian, *Science Friday,***The Times (London), <st... ... Read more

$8.99 USD

"THE ULTIMATE DINOSAUR BIOGRAPHY," hails Scientific American: A thrilling new history of the age of dinosaurs, from one of our finest young scientists."A masterpiece of science writing." —Washington PostA New York Times Bestseller • Goodreads Choice Awards Winner • **A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Smithsonian, *Science Friday,***The Times (London), <st...
... Read more
Fifth Sun

A New History of the Aztecs

by Camilla Townsend ...

In November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story--and the story of what happened afterwards--has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards. After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the ... Read more

$16.19 USD

In November 1519, Hernando Cortés walked along a causeway leading to the capital of the Aztec kingdom and came face to face with Moctezuma. That story--and the story of what happened afterwards--has been told many times, but always following the narrative offered by the Spaniards. After all, we have been taught, it was the Europeans who held the pens. But the Native Americans were intrigued by the
... 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

Was $17.99 USD Now $15.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

**"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
Against the Grain

A Deep History of the Earliest States

by James C. Scott ...

An account of all the new and surprising evidence now available for the beginnings of the earliest civilizations that contradict the standard narrativeWhy did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today’s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle ... Read more

$18.79 USD

An account of all the new and surprising evidence now available for the beginnings of the earliest civilizations that contradict the standard narrativeWhy did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today’s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle
... 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

$9.77 USD

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
The Age of Voltaire

The Story of Civilization, Volume IX

by Will Durant, Ariel Durant ...

Series series The Story of Civilization
The Story of Civilization, Volume IX: A history of civilization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with special emphasis on the conflict between religion and philosophy. This is the ninth volume of the classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning series. ... Read more

$2.99 USD

The Story of Civilization, Volume IX: A history of civilization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with special emphasis on the conflict between religion and philosophy. This is the ninth volume of the classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning series.
... Read more
Capitalism

A Global History

by Sven Beckert ...

**A New York Times Notable Book • A Financial Times Best Book of the Year*"*A learned, formidable and vivid story… Readers around the world will study and ponder this monumental work of history, agreeing and arguing with it, all the while affirming its generational importance, for decades to come." — Marcus Rediker, The New York Times“Epic… Read this book and you will learn innumerable things you ... Read more

$24.99 USD

**A New York Times Notable Book • A Financial Times Best Book of the Year*"*A learned, formidable and vivid story… Readers around the world will study and ponder this monumental work of history, agreeing and arguing with it, all the while affirming its generational importance, for decades to come." — Marcus Rediker, The New York Times“Epic… Read this book and you will learn innumerable things you
... Read more
21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari ...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the world’s most innovative thinkers explores what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment—now updated with new material.**“Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.”—The New York Times Book Review<... ... Read more

$10.99 USD

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Sapiens, he explored our past. In Homo Deus, he looked to our future. Now, one of the world’s most innovative thinkers explores what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment—now updated with new material.**“Fascinating . . . a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the twenty-first century.”—The New York Times Book Review<...
... Read more
Fingerprints of the Gods

The Evidence of 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 Ancient Apocalypse, a Netflix original docuseries.“A fancy piece of historical sleuthing . . . intriguing and entertaining and sturdy ... Read more

$12.99 USD

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 Ancient Apocalypse, a Netflix original docuseries.“A fancy piece of historical sleuthing . . . intriguing and entertaining and sturdy
... 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

$16.99 USD

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
Sapiens

A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari ...

#1 New York Times Bestseller • New York Times Readers’ Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century • The Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama and Bill GatesOfficial U.S. edition with full color illustrations throughout.From renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari comes a landmark work of big history, a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller ... Read more

$19.99 USD

#1 New York Times Bestseller • New York Times Readers’ Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century • The Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama and Bill GatesOfficial U.S. edition with full color illustrations throughout.From renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari comes a landmark work of big history, a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller
... Read more
The Last Days of the Incas

by Kim MacQuarrie ...

The epic story of the fall of the Inca Empire to Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, and the recent discovery of the lost guerrilla capital of the Incas, Vilcabamba, by three American explorers.In 1532, the fifty-four-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to ... Read more

$13.99 USD

The epic story of the fall of the Inca Empire to Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in the aftermath of a bloody civil war, and the recent discovery of the lost guerrilla capital of the Incas, Vilcabamba, by three American explorers.In 1532, the fifty-four-year-old Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro led a force of 167 men, including his four brothers, to the shores of Peru. Unbeknownst to
... Read more

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