Social Science:

Moonlight At Midday

Written by Sally Carrighar

Format: eBook
On Sale: April 17, 2013
Price: $15.99

This is the real Alaska, the Alaska few outsiders know. It is the human scene, described in intimate and authentic detail. No one except a gift naturalist could have written this book, for Sally Carrighar has eyes that see, trained eyes that see what others pass by.
 
Icebound Summer was...

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The Mansion of Happiness
A History of Life and Death
Written by Jill Lepore

Format: Trade Paperback, 320 pages
On Sale: March 26, 2013
Price: $16.00

Renowned Harvard scholar and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has written a strikingly original, ingeniously conceived, and beautifully crafted history of American ideas about life and death from before the cradle to beyond the grave.
 
How does life begin? What does it mean? What happens when we die? “All anyone can...

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A Tribe Apart
A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence
Written by Patricia Hersch

Format: eBook, 416 pages
On Sale: February 6, 2013
Price: $11.99

For three fascinating, disturbing years, writer Patricia Hersch journeyed inside a world that is as familiar as our own children and yet as alien as some exotic culture--the world of adolescence. As a silent, attentive partner, she followed eight teenagers in the typically American town of Reston, Virginia, listening to their... Read more >

Language
The Cultural Tool
Written by Daniel L. Everett

Format: Trade Paperback, 368 pages
On Sale: December 11, 2012
Price: $16.00

For years, the prevailing opinion among academics has been that language is embedded in our genes, existing as an innate and instinctual part of us. In this bold and provocative study, linguist Daniel Everett argues that, like other tools, language was invented by humans and can be reinvented or lost. He... Read more >

The Stammering Century

Written by Gilbert Seldes
Introduction by Greil Marcus

Format: Trade Paperback, 452 pages
On Sale: November 6, 2012
Price: $18.95

Gilbert Seldes, the author of The Stammering Century, writes:

    This book is not a record of the major events in Ameri­can history during 
    the nineteenth century. It is concerned with minor movements, with the 
    cults and manias of that period. Its personages are fanatics, and radicals, 
    and mountebanks. Its intention is to connect these secondary...

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The Stammering Century

Written by Gilbert Seldes
Introduction by Greil Marcus

Format: eBook, 452 pages
On Sale: November 6, 2012
Price: $18.95

Gilbert Seldes, the author of The Stammering Century, writes:

      This book is not a record of the major events in Ameri­can history during
      the nineteenth century. It is concerned with minor movements, with the
      cults and manias of that period. Its personages are fanatics, and radicals,
      and mountebanks. Its intention is... Read more >

The Argument Culture
Moving from Debate to Dialogue
Written by Deborah Tannen

Format: eBook, 384 pages
On Sale: October 24, 2012
Price: $11.99

In her number one bestseller, You Just Don't Understand, Deborah Tannen showed why talking to someone of the other sex can be like talking to someone from another world. Her bestseller Talking from 9 to 5 did for workplace communication what You Just Don't Understand did for personal relationships. Now Tannen... Read more >

Way of the Ancient Healer
Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions
Written by Virgil Mayor Apostol

Format: eBook, 368 pages
On Sale: June 12, 2012
Price: $16.95

Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of Filipino healing practices, discussing their origins, world influences, and role in daily life. Enhanced with over 200 photographs and illustrations, the book combines years of historical research with detailed descriptions of the spiritual belief system that forms the...

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The Mansion of Happiness
A History of Life and Death
Written by Jill Lepore

Format: eBook, 320 pages
On Sale: June 5, 2012
Price: $11.99

Renowned Harvard scholar and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has composed a strikingly original, ingeniously conceived, and beautifully crafted history of American ideas about life and death from before the cradle to beyond the grave.

How does life begin? What does it mean? What happens when we die? “All anyone... Read more >

The Mansion of Happiness
A History of Life and Death
Written by Jill Lepore

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
On Sale: June 5, 2012
Price: $27.95

Renowned Harvard scholar and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore has composed a strikingly original, ingeniously conceived, and beautifully crafted history of American ideas about life and death from before the cradle to beyond the grave.

How does life begin? What does it mean? What happens when we die? “All anyone... Read more >

The Living Maya
Ancient Wisdom in the Era of 2012
Written by Robert Sitler, Ph.D.
Foreword by Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez and Patricio Balona

Format: eBook, 208 pages
On Sale: April 10, 2012
Price: $12.95

Author Robert Sitler’s immersion in Mayan culture began with a transformative spiritual experience more than three decades ago in the ruins of Palenque, Mexico. Led by a local to a nearby Mayan village, Sitler discovered firsthand what traditional Mayan life was like—a community of people living in peace with each other... Read more >

Language
The Cultural Tool
Written by Daniel L. Everett

Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
On Sale: March 13, 2012
Price: $27.95

A bold and provocative study that presents language not as an innate component of the brain—as most linguists do—but as an essential tool unique to each culture worldwide.
 
For years, the prevailing opinion among academics has been that language is embedded in our genes, existing as an innate and instinctual part of...

Read more >

Language
The Cultural Tool
Written by Daniel L. Everett

Format: eBook, 368 pages
On Sale: March 13, 2012
Price: $11.99

A bold and provocative study that presents language not as an innate component of the brain—as most linguists do—but as an essential tool unique to each culture worldwide.
 
For years, the prevailing opinion among academics has been that language is embedded in our genes, existing as an innate and instinctual part of...

Read more >

In the Country of Country
A Journey to the Roots of American Music
Written by Nicholas Dawidoff

Format: eBook, 384 pages
On Sale: November 2, 2011
Price: $14.99

From the author of the bestselling The Catcher Was a Spy comes an exhilarating exploration of the performers, places, and experiences which form country music--a genre which is uniquely and authentically American. 40 photos.


From the Hardcover edition. Read more >

An Uncommon History of Common Courtesy
How Manners Shaped the World
Written by Bethanne Patrick

Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
On Sale: October 18, 2011
Price: $40.00

With engaging and artfully presented text, including sidebars on media mavens throughout history, social gaffes, and archaic manners, this book is as entertaining as it is informative. Readers delve into cultural similarities and differences through lively passages, colorful photography, and sidebars on unique history. Topics include Courtesies and Greetings, Communication and... Read more >

The Virtues of Aging

Written by Jimmy Carter

Format: eBook, 160 pages
On Sale: August 24, 2011
Price: $9.99

"We are not alone in our worry about both the physical aspect of aging and the prejudice that exists toward the elderly, which is similar to racism or sexism. What makes it different is that the prejudice also exists among those of us who are either within this group or rapidly... Read more >

The Joy of Family Traditions
A Season-by-Season Companion to Celebrations, Holidays, and Special Occasions
Written by Jennifer Trainer Thompson

Format: eBook, 272 pages
On Sale: May 4, 2011
Price: $12.99

When a special activity evolves into a tradition within a family, it creates meaning, connection, and community and makes common occasions more momentous and memorable. Establishing a sense of stability and shared history has never been more important to parents than it is today, as families become more fractured and scattered... Read more >

Discovering the Folklore and Traditions of Marriage

Written by George Monger

Format: Trade Paperback, 96 pages
On Sale: April 19, 2011
Price: $9.95

The wedding is a ceremony that is surrounded by tradition and folklore, but why do we do what we do, and what lies behind the customs of marriage? What color should a wedding dress be? What is the origin of the wedding cake? Why do we throw confetti? What is so... Read more >

God of the Rodeo
The Quest for Redemption in Louisiana's Angola Prison
Written by Daniel Bergner

Format: eBook, 304 pages
On Sale: February 9, 2011
Price: $11.99

Never before had Daniel Bergner seen a spectacle as bizarre as the one he had come to watch that Sunday in October. Murderers, rapists, and armed robbers were competing in the annual rodeo at Angola, the grim maximum-security penitentiary in Louisiana. The convicts, sentenced to life without parole, were thrown, trampled... Read more >

Way of the Ancient Healer
Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions
Written by Virgil Mayor Apostol

Format: Trade Paperback, 336 pages
On Sale: December 28, 2010
Price: $19.95

Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of Filipino healing practices, discussing their origins, world influences, and role in daily life. Enhanced with over 200 photographs and illustrations, the book combines years of historical research with detailed descriptions of the spiritual belief system that forms the...

Read more >

Media Virus!

Written by Douglas Rushkoff

Format: eBook
On Sale: December 1, 2010
Price: $13.99

The most virulent viruses today are composed of information. In this information-driven age, the easiest way to manipulate the culture is through the media. A hip and caustically humorous McLuhan for the '90s, culture watcher Douglas Rushkoff now offers a fascinating expose of media manipulation in today's age of instant information.


From... Read more >

The Living Maya
Ancient Wisdom in the Era of 2012
Written by Robert Sitler, Ph.D.
Foreword by Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez and Patricio Balona

Format: Trade Paperback, 208 pages
On Sale: November 2, 2010
Price: $16.95

Author Robert Sitler’s immersion in Mayan culture began with a transformative spiritual experience more than three decades ago in the ruins of Palenque, Mexico. Led by a local to a nearby Mayan village, Sitler discovered firsthand what traditional Mayan life was like—a community of people living in peace with each other... Read more >

Discovering Pub Names and Signs

Written by David Brandon

Format: Trade Paperback, 80 pages
On Sale: August 24, 2010
Price: $13.95

Do you know where "The George and Dragon" derives from? Probably. How about "The Gloucester Flying Machine?" Probably not. Some pub names pop up time and again, others have a unique story to tell. This book untangles the meanings behind Britain's extraordinary variety of often strange pub names and signs. Providing... Read more >

The East, the West, and Sex
A History
Written by Richard Bernstein

Format: Trade Paperback, 336 pages
On Sale: July 27, 2010
Price: $16.00

In this wide-ranging history, Richard Bernstein explores the connection between sex and power as it has played out between Eastern cultures and the Western explorers, merchants, and conquerors who have visited them. This illuminating book describes the historical and ongoing encounter between these travelers and the morally ambiguous opportunities they found... Read more >

France - Culture Smart!
The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
Written by Barry Tomalin

Format: eBook, 168 pages
On Sale: June 8, 2010
Price: $9.95

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside... Read more >