First Century History

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement, transforming our understanding of the...

INTO THE AMERICAS (A novel based on a true story) is a gritty, real-life adventure based on one of history’s greatest survival stories. It was inspired by the diary entries of young English blacksmith John Jewitt during his time aboard the brigantine The Boston and also during his sojourn at Nootka Sound, on North America's western seaboard, from 1802 to 1805. Written by father-and-son writing team Lance & James Morcan (authors of The World Duology and The Orphan Trilogy), INTO THE AMERICAS is a tale of two vastly different cultures – Indigenous North American and European civilization ...

When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed. Miraculously, she...

The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge—a renowned historian who writes with “maximum vividness” (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker)—covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious...

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of No god but God comes “a lucid, intelligent page-turner” (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus. “Riveting . . . [Reza] Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account...

The Birth of the Church. The Shadow of an Empire. The Fire That Ignited the World. Jerusalem, 33 AD. Beneath a cloudless sky, the bustling streets of the holy city are overflowing with pilgrims from every corner of the known world. But the ordinary cadence of the ancient city is shattered when a blinding, celestial fire descends upon a modest upper room, crowning the men inside with unwavering, liquid light. For the diverse crowd watching in paralyzed awe—including rugged craftsmen, distinguished Hebrew scholars, and wealthy Roman patricians—the world will never be the same. The ...

In The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, seasoned defense analyst Edward N. Luttwak reveals how the Romans were able to combine military strength, diplomacy, and fortifications to effectively respond to changing threats. Rome's secret was not ceaseless fighting, but comprehensive strategies that unified force, diplomacy, and an immense infrastructure of roads, forts, walls, and barriers. Finally, as barbarians began to penetrate the empire, Rome filed large armies in a strategy of "defense-in-depth," allowing invaders to pierce Rome's borders.

Washington, DC, was in the grips of a historic snowstorm on January 13, 1982 that gridlocked the city when Air Florida 90 crashes into a bridge jammed with traffic and plunges into the iced-over Potomac River. 6 people survive the crash, clinging to wreckage in the icy river as a Park Police helicopter risks a daring rescue in nearly whiteout conditions. As the rescue is taking place, DC’s Metro system suffers its first fatal derailment nearby, with dozens injured.

Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands narrates the fierce debate over America's role in the world in the runup to World War II through its two most important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who advocated intervention, and his isolationist nemesis, aviator and...

BEFORE GOLD. BEFORE SILVER. THERE WERE PEARLS. In 1498, Christopher Columbus made a discovery that would change the world forever. Not gold. Not silver. 👉 Pearls. Hidden beneath the Caribbean lay unimaginable wealth — and the beginning of a system built on exploitation, slavery, and human suffering. A STORY ROOTED IN REAL HISTORY Blood for Pearls is inspired by true events and reveals a forgotten chapter of history: 👉 the first economic engine of the Americas — powered by pearls. Through the lives of: Charaima, an Indigenous boy torn from his world Dembe, an African forced into ...

From the author of Caroline, a revealing retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved Little Women, from the perspective of Margaret “Marmee” March, about the larger real-world challenges behind the cozy domestic concerns cherished by generations of readers. In 1861, war is raging in the South...

"Hamilton's novel centers on a fascinating, little-known figure from history - Elisabeth Samson emerges as intriguing and distinctive. An intriguing fictionalization of circumstances with an ample romantic angle. Hamilton's prose style is warm, even, and voice-driven." - The BookLife Prize In the 18th century Dutch plantation colony of Suriname, where wealth is measured by the number of slaves one owns, the educated Free Negress Elisabeth Samson, owner of several flourishing coffee plantations, desires the one thing her wealth cannot buy: a legal marriage with her consort, a White colonial ...

From the acclaimed military historian, a new history of the outbreak of World War I: the dramatic stretch from the breakdown of diplomacy to the battles—the Marne, Ypres, Tannenberg—that marked the frenzied first year before the war bogged down in the trenches. In Catastrophe 1914, Max...

Michael Crichton, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Jurassic Park, returns to the world of paleontology in this recently discovered novel a thrilling adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting. The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate...

“Crichton’s ultimate adventure.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Pirates Latitudes has the loot: Gore, sex, action….A lusty, rollicking 17th century adventure.” —USA Today “Riveting….Great entertainment….The pages and minutes fly by.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer #1 New York Times...

In a book that “sets a new standard in economic history” (Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist), acclaimed economic historian Victoria Bateman tells the story of how women made the world rich How many female entrepreneurs, economic revolutionaries, merchants, and industrialists...

From the bestselling author of Apollo 13 comes the thrilling untold story of the pioneering Gemini program that was instrumental in getting Americans on the moon. Without Gemini, there would be no Apollo. After we first launched Americans into space but before we touched down on the moon’s...

Your ticket from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians. A listenable, two-volume introduction placing the entire New Testament and early Christianity in its original context, written by distinguished scholar and author N. T. Wright. An ideal guide for students...

“Delightful.” —The Guardian “Cheeky.” —The New York Times “Insightful.” —Marie Claire A not-so-saintly self-help book that dives into the wild, wise, and unconventional lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns and proves one thing: no matter the century, nuns know best...