Modern Library

When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she’s trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city’s labyrinthine subway system. But there’s something eerily beguiling about...

The American Revolution signalled a great change in the course of world history and progress. From this colonial revolt sprouted ideals of liberty and democracy, and all the aspirations and ambitions of a new people. In this work, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood discusses the character and consequences of the revolution, grounding the events and ideas that shaped the American consciousness.

The library of Ashurbanipal, Assyria’s last great king, held an astonishing collection at the forefront of knowledge in its day, from ancient traditions in religion and literature to the latest developments in magic and medicine. When the Assyrian empire fell, the library burned to the ground, and its contents, clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform writing, lay buried for thousands of years until a team of Victorian archaeologists discovered the remnants in modern-day Iraq. The clay had baked and hardened; the very fire that consumed the library had helped its texts to survive for millennia.

In this fascinating work, winner of the Wolfson Prize for History Mark Mazower uncovers the history of the Balkans with detail and clarity. He explores the reasons for current conflicts and examines the Balkans as a religious, cultural, and economic melting pot for Europe and Asia. Through Robert O'Keefe's articulate narration, listeners will be absorbed by this rich world.

Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER One of the greatest novels of the twentieth century is the story of a family of Southern aristocrats on the brink of personal and financial ruin. The definitive corrected text, including Faulkner's Appendix One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100...

LA Times Book Award winner and expert on the past and present Japan, Ian Buruma examines the transformation of a country. Following Japan's history from its opening to the West in 1853 to its hosting of the 1964 Olympics, Buruma focuses on how figures such as Commodore Matthew Perry, Douglas MacArthur, and Emperor Mitsushito helped shape this complex country.

From the New York Times–bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Extra Life, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas. In this illustrated history, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and...

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE The “exhilarating” (The Boston Globe) story of the legendary Random House founder, whose seemingly charmed life at the apogee of the American Century afforded him a front-row seat to literary and cultural history in the making “[A] big...

Lawrence M. Friedman is Professor of Law at Stanford University and author of 23 books about law and legal history. Hailed as American law's greatest living historian, Friedman traces the evolution of America's legal system from the colonial period to the present. A Modern Library Chronicle, this book is concise, insightful, and graced with wit.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life - Practical Stoicism - Self-Mastery & Resilience - Anti-Anxiety Toolkit - Timeless Philosophy Classics - Mindset Transformation - Inner Peace & Clarity - Emotional Resilience Guide Life will not slow down for you. But your mind can stop spinning. Two thousand years ago, three men with nothing in common — an emperor, a statesman, and a slave — discovered the same unshakable truth: peace has nothing to do with your circumstances, and everything to do with how you think. This 3-book collection puts their hard-won wisdom directly in your hands, translated into...

NEWLY REVISED AND EXPANDED: Now with 29 complete texts and updated scholarship. In 1945, a farmer in Upper Egypt cracked open a sealed clay jar and found thirteen codices buried since 367 CE. Inside were gospels, cosmologies, hymns, and visions from a rival Christianity so sophisticated it nearly won. For a thousand years, everything we knew about these texts came from the people who destroyed them. Now you can read them yourself. Twenty-nine texts in clear, modern English. No archaic phrasing. No dense scholarly apparatus. Just the words, made readable. The Gospels: The Gospel of Thomas (...

World War II History - Military History - Modern European History - Pacific War History - Holocaust and Genocide Studies - Twentieth-Century History - Geopolitics and Diplomacy - War Aftermath and Memory How did a fragile peace become the most destructive conflict in modern history? Why did democracies hesitate, dictatorships expand, and entire societies become trapped in a war that reshaped the world? World War II Made Easy offers a clear, compelling, and carefully organized journey through the causes, major fronts, decisive turning points, human suffering, and lasting consequences of the ...

Modern Philosophy — German Philosophy — Philosophical Pessimism — Schopenhauer for Beginners — The World as Will and Representation — Philosophy of Desire — Aesthetics and Music — Compassion and Ethics What if the deepest force behind human life is not reason, progress, or happiness — but restless desire? Arthur Schopenhauer looked at existence without decoration. He saw human beings chasing satisfaction, fearing loss, escaping boredom, seeking beauty, and trying to understand why happiness seems so fragile. Often remembered as the philosopher of pessimism, Schopenhauer was ...

beginner’s guide to angels - Christian spirituality - angels and archangels - self-discovery and faith - angel oracle cards - prayer and spiritual discernment - guardian angels - angels in the Bible and tradition Have you ever felt that an angel was near — yet were unsure what to do with that certainty? Perhaps you pray. Perhaps you draw a card from an angel oracle deck before going to bed. And perhaps, deep down, you worry that you might be doing something wrong. This four-book collection offers a thoughtful and welcoming response to a question that has accompanied the faith of ...

Beginner Witchcraft - Practical Magic - Kitchen Witchcraft - Herbal Witchcraft - Moon Magic - Wheel of the Year - Solitary Practice - Secular Witchcraft You do not need an inherited tradition, an expensive collection of tools, or unquestioning belief to begin a meaningful practice. What you need is a clear starting point, honest guidance, and a way to turn ordinary moments into deliberate acts of attention. Practical Witchcraft is a complete four-book journey for adult beginners who are curious about modern craft but do not want fear-based promises, rigid religion, or an endless shopping ...

Philosophy for Beginners Introduction to Philosophy History of Western Philosophy Philosophy Box Set Philosophy 101 Big Ideas Made Simple Critical Thinking & Logic Philosophy for Curious Minds You've heard the names. Socrates. Plato. Kant. Nietzsche. But have you ever actually understood what they were arguing about — and why it still matters to the choices you make today? Most people never read philosophy because they assume it's locked behind academic jargon, written for specialists, impossible to enter without a degree. This 4-book collection exists to prove that assumption wrong. ...

Hinduism for Beginners — Hindu Sacred Texts — Bhagavad Gita Explained — Indian Spirituality — Dharma and Karma — Yoga and Devotion — Hindu Gods and Goddesses — Comparative Religion What if one of the world’s oldest spiritual traditions could be understood without stereotypes, confusion, or shallow shortcuts? Hinduism is not a religion that fits neatly into one simple definition. It is a living world of sacred stories, divine forms, philosophical questions, rituals, poetry, devotion, discipline, family life, temples, festivals, and the lifelong search for dharma. For many ...

Nietzsche for Beginners — Modern Philosophy — Philosophy Made Easy — Critique of Morality — Nihilism and Meaning — Great Thinkers — Existential Philosophy — History of Ideas What if one of the most quoted philosophers in history is also one of the most misunderstood? Friedrich Nietzsche is often reduced to isolated phrases: “God is dead,” “beyond good and evil,” “become who you are,” or “what does not kill me makes me stronger.” But behind these famous expressions lies a far deeper intellectual journey: a radical investigation into morality, religion, truth, ...

Why do some leaders rise to absolute power while others crumble under pressure? History is written by the victors, and for centuries, the victors have studied Niccolò Machiavelli. This collection unites two foundational texts that changed the course of Western thought: The Prince and The Art of War. Together, they form a ruthless manual for navigating authority, competition, and survival. While The Prince shatters the illusion of virtuous leadership to explore the psychology of power, The Art of War bridges the gap between political will and military capability.