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
The Abolition of Man

by C. S. Lewis ...

C.S. Lewis’s Classic Work that Is Number 7 on National Review’s List of “100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century”In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis’s ... Read more

Was $14.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

C.S. Lewis’s Classic Work that Is Number 7 on National Review’s List of “100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Twentieth Century”In The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis sets out to persuade his audience of the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. Both astonishing and prophetic, The Abolition of Man is one of the most debated of Lewis’s
... 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
The Lost Voices of Pompeii

Life and Death on Pompeii’s Final Day

by Dr. Jess Venner ...

Award-winning ancient historian, archaeologist, and social media sensation Dr. Jess Venner re-creates Pompeii’s final day before Mount Vesuvius’s eruption, revealing not just how its people died but how they lived.While today the ruins of Pompeii stand silent and preserved in ash and stone, they were once home to a vibrant, bustling community made up of thousands of people whose lives were forever ... Read more

Was $14.99 USD Now $2.99 USD

Award-winning ancient historian, archaeologist, and social media sensation Dr. Jess Venner re-creates Pompeii’s final day before Mount Vesuvius’s eruption, revealing not just how its people died but how they lived.While today the ruins of Pompeii stand silent and preserved in ash and stone, they were once home to a vibrant, bustling community made up of thousands of people whose lives were forever
... 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

$11.99 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
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

$16.99 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
A History of the World in 100 Objects

by Neil MacGregor ...

**"An enthralling and profoundly humane book that every civilized person should read."--The Wall Street JournalThe blockbuster New York Times bestseller and the companion volume to the wildly popular radio series**When did people first start to wear jewelry or play music? When were cows domesticated, and why do we feed their milk to our children? Where were the first cities, and what made them ... Read more

Was $14.99 USD Now $2.99 USD

**"An enthralling and profoundly humane book that every civilized person should read."--The Wall Street JournalThe blockbuster New York Times bestseller and the companion volume to the wildly popular radio series**When did people first start to wear jewelry or play music? When were cows domesticated, and why do we feed their milk to our children? Where were the first cities, and what made them
... Read more
The End Is Always Near

Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses

by Dan Carlin ...

Now a New York Times Bestseller.The creator of the wildly popular award-winning podcast Hardcore History looks at moments of societal collapse and other apocalyptic events from the past as a way to frame the challenges of the future.Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human technology or capabilities ever peak or ... Read more

$9.99 USD

Now a New York Times Bestseller.The creator of the wildly popular award-winning podcast Hardcore History looks at moments of societal collapse and other apocalyptic events from the past as a way to frame the challenges of the future.Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human technology or capabilities ever peak or
... Read more
A Fabulous Debt

The Epic Story of How Bonds Built the Modern World

by Robin Wigglesworth ...

From veteran Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth, an epic history of the debt that built the modern world.Long considered the "boring" corner of finance, bonds are anything but. They have funded everything from the Crusades to climate tech, Netflix series to AI data centers. They are now bigger than the stock market and rival even the global banking system in influence. They are also ... Read more

$18.99 USD

From veteran Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth, an epic history of the debt that built the modern world.Long considered the "boring" corner of finance, bonds are anything but. They have funded everything from the Crusades to climate tech, Netflix series to AI data centers. They are now bigger than the stock market and rival even the global banking system in influence. They are also
... 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
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
The Perfectionists

How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

by Simon Winchester ...

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review)The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and ... Read more

$15.99 USD

“Another gem from one of the world’s justly celebrated historians specializing in unusual and always fascinating subjects and people.” — Booklist (starred review)The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and
... Read more
The Ascent Of Man

by Jacob Bronowski ...

Dr Jacob Bronowksi's The Ascent of Man traces the development of human society through our understanding of science.First published in 1973 to accompany the groundbreaking BBC television series, it is considered one of the first works of 'popular science', illuminating the historical and social context of scientific development for a generation of readers. In his highly accessible style, Dr ... Read more

$17.99 USD

Dr Jacob Bronowksi's The Ascent of Man traces the development of human society through our understanding of science.First published in 1973 to accompany the groundbreaking BBC television series, it is considered one of the first works of 'popular science', illuminating the historical and social context of scientific development for a generation of readers. In his highly accessible style, Dr
... Read more
The Silk Roads

A New History of the World

by Peter Frankopan ...

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next."A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world.” —The Wall Street JournalFrom the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast ... Read more

$13.99 USD

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next."A rare book that makes you question your assumptions about the world.” —The Wall Street JournalFrom the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast
... 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
Material World

The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization

by Ed Conway ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future. • Finalist for the Financial Times ... Read more

$12.99 USD

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future. • Finalist for the Financial Times
... Read more
Native Nations

A Millennium in North America

by Kathleen DuVal ...

**PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A magisterial overview of a thousand years of Native American history” (The New York Review of Books), from the rise of ancient cities more than a thousand years ago to fights for sovereignty that continue todayWINNER OF THE BANCROFT PRIZE, THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE, AND THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE**Long before the colonization of North America, ... Read more

$6.99 USD

**PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A magisterial overview of a thousand years of Native American history” (The New York Review of Books), from the rise of ancient cities more than a thousand years ago to fights for sovereignty that continue todayWINNER OF THE BANCROFT PRIZE, THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE, AND THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE**Long before the colonization of North America,
... Read more
The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

by David Graeber, David Wengrow ...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free ... Read more

$12.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state, democracy, and inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free
... Read more
House of Rain

Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest

by Craig Childs ...

An eye-opening historic guidebook that draws on the latest scholarly research as well as a lifetime of exploration to put a light on the extraordinary Anasazi culture of the American Southwest.The greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest is the fate of the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the eleventh century converged on Chaco Canyon (in today's southwestern New Mexico) and built ... Read more

$10.99 USD

An eye-opening historic guidebook that draws on the latest scholarly research as well as a lifetime of exploration to put a light on the extraordinary Anasazi culture of the American Southwest.The greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest is the fate of the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the eleventh century converged on Chaco Canyon (in today's southwestern New Mexico) and built
... 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

$12.99 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
Rousseau and Revolution

The Story of Civilization, Volume X

by Will Durant, Ariel Durant ...

Series series The Story of Civilization
Winner of the Pulitzer PrizeA history of civilization in France, England, and Germany from 1756, and in the remainder Europe from 1715 to 1789. ... Read more

$14.99 USD

Winner of the Pulitzer PrizeA history of civilization in France, England, and Germany from 1756, and in the remainder Europe from 1715 to 1789.
... Read more
Bible and Sword

England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour

by Barbara W. Tuchman ...

From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August, comes history through a wide-angle lens: a fascinating chronicle of Britain’s long relationship with Palestine and the Middle East, from the ancient world to the twentieth century.Historically, the British were drawn to the Holy Land for two major reasons: first, to translate the Bible into English and, later, to control ... Read more

$4.99 USD

From Barbara W. Tuchman, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Guns of August, comes history through a wide-angle lens: a fascinating chronicle of Britain’s long relationship with Palestine and the Middle East, from the ancient world to the twentieth century.Historically, the British were drawn to the Holy Land for two major reasons: first, to translate the Bible into English and, later, to control
... Read more
The Museum of Lost Things

True Tales of Fabled Treasures, Legendary Cities, and Mythical Creatures That Vanished From History

by Sam Kean ...

Discover the astonishing story of the world's greatest lost treasures in this enthralling narrative by a writer with "the anecdotal flourishes of Oliver Sacks and the populist accessibility of Malcolm Gladwell." (Entertainment Weekly)Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in these pages include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have ... Read more

$14.99 USD

Discover the astonishing story of the world's greatest lost treasures in this enthralling narrative by a writer with "the anecdotal flourishes of Oliver Sacks and the populist accessibility of Malcolm Gladwell." (Entertainment Weekly)Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in these pages include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have
... Read more

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