Daily Life History

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A bold work from the author of The Black Swan that challenges many of our long-held beliefs about risk and reward, politics and religion, finance and personal responsibility In his most provocative and practical book yet, one of the foremost thinkers of our...

From “one of America’s smartest and most charming writers” (NPR), an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind—and through all five senses—from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in between. Whether it’s the mighty pyramids of...

Unlock the Secrets of the Island Nation That Shaped the Modern World From the shadowy origins of its first inhabitants to its transformation into a dazzling technological superpower, Japan’s history is a saga of warriors, emperors, artistic genius, and global power plays that changed the world forever. This book is your engaging, fast-paced journey through the legendary moments that built the spirit of Japan. Dive deep into the compelling questions that define Japan’s unique identity: Who were the mysterious Jōmon people, and what do their 10,000-year-old artifacts reveal? Was the ...

Stranded in ancient Rome? No phone, no antibiotics, no clue. Don’t panic. This is your snarky, meticulously researched handbook to surviving and thriving in the world’s greatest empire. Inside this ultimate roman empire book, you’ll master street smarts to navigate gladiator mobs, tavern scams, and chariot traffic like a true Roman. Learn to blend-in with toga etiquette, dining dos and don’ts (yes, the garum really smells), and why calling a senator “dude” is a terrible idea. Outsmart ancient health threats with low-tech first aid and hygiene hacks, dodge debt slavery and ...

Germany was a deeply divided nation when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933. As the shadow of the swastika lengthened, its citizens quickly came to realize that the Nazis' brutal programme was not optional. Everyone was expected to play their part in "national revival", especially those chosen as sacrificial victims. Life in the Third Reich draws on the recollections of those who lived through the rise and fall of one of the most vicious and sadistic regimes the world has ever seen.

A provocative, immersive medieval novel starring one of literature’s most unforgettable characters in her own words—Chaucer’s bold and libidinous Wife of Bath. “So damned readable and fun…This is the story of a woman fighting for her rights; it breaches the walls of history.”--The...

The most influential man to ever walk the earth has had his story told in hundreds of different ways for thousands of years. Can any more be said? Now, Timothy Keller, New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God and the man Newsweek called a “C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first...

Old English is the language you think you know until you actually hear or see it. Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer's Middle English, Old English—the language of Beowulf—defies comprehension by untrained modern readers. Used throughout much of Britain more than a thousand years ago, it is rich with words that haven't changed (like word), others that are unrecognizable (such as neorxnawang, or paradise), and some that are mystifying even in translation ( gafol-fisc, or tax-fish).

Imagine, if you can, the world in the year 2100. In Physics of the Future, Michio Kaku—the New York Times bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible—gives us a stunning, provocative, and exhilarating vision of the coming century based on interviews with over three hundred of the...

History tends to present the time around the birth of Jesus as quiet, sacred, and solemn. Reality was… considerably messier. The world between 10 BC and AD 50 was loud, crowded, political, dangerous, inventive, deeply religious, and sometimes unbelievably strange. Roman emperors ruled with theatrical ego. Street vendors sold questionable food. Doctors prescribed treatments that would horrify modern medicine. Religious movements collided, clashed, and spread through dusty roads and bustling ports. Meanwhile, ordinary people were navigating life in cities filled with sewage systems, ...

From beloved CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Mo Rocca, author of New York Times bestseller Mobituaries, comes an inspiring collection of stories that celebrates the triumphs of people who made their biggest marks late in life. Eighty has been the new sixty for about twenty years now. In fact...

You just woke up on the banks of the Nile. The sun is already trying to kill you. So is the river. So is the man in the gold medallion who is walking toward you very purposefully. Welcome to Ancient Egypt. Try not to die. How Not to Die in Ancient Egypt is not a history book. It is a survival manual for one of the deadliest, most fascinating civilizations ever to exist, written for readers who want the real thing: the smells, the dangers, the social tripwires, and the practical moves that keep you breathing. What's inside: Survive the heat, the Nile, the crocodiles, and the hippos that find...

Stranded in the Viking Age? This guide might just save your life. One moment you’re in the modern world—seconds later, you’re standing on a windswept Nordic shore, staring at a longship being dragged from the sea. The air smells of salt and woodsmoke. The people? Broad-shouldered, armed, and not exactly rolling out the welcome mat. In How Not to Die in Viking-Age Scandinavia, you’ll learn how to navigate a society where honor is everything, winter can kill as quickly as a sword, and one wrong word to the wrong jarl might land you in serious trouble. This isn’t a romanticized saga...

Would you like to learn about daily life in ancient Rome, but find conventional history books a bit boring? Would you like a more entertaining way to learn about Roman history, from the Republic to the Empire? We have a look at Roman sanitation, medicine, education, wine, sex, bathing, dining, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health from an accessible, non-academic perspective in this book, as well as looking at some of the perils or downsides in these advances in civilization. We discuss the developments in these aspects of daily life.

How did your grandparents clean their house? How did families enjoy time with each other in the 1950s? When did huge supermarkets become popular? How did people cook in the 1980s? Find all the answers and more in this book about how home life has changed since the 1950s.

Everyday life feels natural—until you realize it was designed. Why do we work the hours we work? Why do we shop the way we shop? Why do we accept routines that feel inevitable, unquestionable, and permanent? This book explores thirty ordinary habits that quietly shaped modern American life—and traces each one back to the moment it was born. From standardized time and the five-day workweek to self-service shopping, shopping carts, charge cards, and everyday transaction rituals, these habits didn’t emerge from culture or personality. They emerged from decisions—often practical, ...

Before modern science, survival was a long shot. What if the most gripping stories in European history weren’t wars or kings—but the quiet, relentless struggle of ordinary people trying to stay alive? History That Rattles tells the story of how Europeans lived, suffered, adapted, and survived from the Middle Ages to the dawn of modern medicine. It follows humanity at its most vulnerable, when climate turned hostile, disease spread without explanation, and the human body became a fragile experiment with no safety net. When winters grew longer and harvests failed, fear shaped belief. When...

Timeless insights from one of the most important people in church history. Some people value good works so much that they overlook faith in Christ. Faith should be first.… It is faith—without good works and prior to good works—that takes us to heaven. We come to God through faith alone...

In the Roman Empire, beneath crowded streets and busy markets, there were hidden rooms carved into stone. No windows. Low ceilings. Oil lamps flickering against carved reliefs. Here, men gathered in silence. They called their god Mithras. This audiobook takes you inside one of the most mysterious religious movements of the ancient world. Not through lectures or abstract theology, but through lived experience. Through the daily routines of soldiers on distant frontiers. Through whispered initiations. Through shared meals eaten in the glow of underground firelight. You will enter the mithraeum.

Set sail into the heart of the Viking world—not with blood and battle, but with rhythm, wind, and wonder. In The Tale of Longships, Esther Warren brings the Viking Age vividly to life through the eyes of explorers, weavers, healers, and dreamers whose lives were shaped by the sea. With lyrical prose and tender historical insight, this beautifully told heritage story travels from misty fjords to foreign shores, revealing the courage, craftsmanship, and quiet humanity behind the longships that changed history. From the building of a ship to the parting at the dock, from salted fish packed ...