Library History

A history of libraries and the people who built them, from the ancient world to the digital age “Engaging [and] ambitious” (The Washington Post) The history of the library is rich, varied, and stuffed full of incident. In The Library, historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur...

Echo London never wanted to be the curator of the People’s Library, a digital collection of human consciousness. But when she’s assigned as its head librarian, Echo is entrusted with humanity’s greatest minds and historical figures, all of whom have been recreated through controversial consciousness-capturing technology that lets visitors interact with the dead. But an anti-tech rebellion is stirring. When a rebel attack results in tragedy, a mysterious woman wearing an ancient death mask leaves behind cryptic final words for Echo: It all begins with nothing.

In the Pacific, there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea birds abound. Karana is the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hers is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but...

Libraries are much more than mere collections of volumes. The best are magical, fabled places whose fame has become part of the cultural wealth they are designed to preserve. The Library is a celebration of books as objects, a celebration of the anthropology and physicality of books and bookish space, and an account of the human side of these hallowed spaces by a leading and passionate bibliophile.

British airman Dym Ingleford is convinced that the young German prisoner, Max Eckermann, is his brother Anthony, who was kidnapped years before. Raised in the Nazi ideology, Tony has by chance tumbled into British hands. Dym has brought him back, at least temporarily, to the family he neither remembers nor will acknowledge as his own.

Mary Doria Russell, the bestselling, award-winning author of The Sparrow, returns with Epitaph. An American Iliad, this richly detailed and meticulously researched historical novel continues the story she began in Doc, following Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday to Tombstone, Arizona, and to the...

A new holiday story set in the Scottish Highlands to warm booklovers’ hearts by Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop. Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great...

Gnosticism Explained: Ancient Secret Knowledge, The Gnostic Gospels, Dualism, Sophia, the Demiurge, and the Quest for Spiritual Awakening in Early Christianity What was Gnosticism, and why was it considered one of the most controversial movements in early Christian history? Gnosticism Explained takes readers deep into the hidden world of ancient secret knowledge, exploring the Gnostic gospels, the myth of Sophia, the mysterious Demiurge, and the radical idea that salvation comes through inner awakening rather than external authority. Drawing on historical research and the groundbreaking ...

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. ...

Ancient Civilizations – Mesopotamia History – The Cradle of Civilization – The Epic of Gilgamesh – The Code of Hammurabi – Sumer and Babylon – The Assyrian Empire – Ancient Near East History Five thousand years ago, on a scorching plain of mud between the Tigris and the Euphrates, humankind did something it had never done before: it built the first cities, invented writing, and carved the first laws — creating the world we still live in today. They called their land Mesopotamia. Their story is bloodier, stranger, and more astonishing than any myth — and almost everything ...

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 (...

Discover the secrets of our past and unlock a deeper understanding of human development. Immerse yourself in the legacies of ancient civilizations and uncover the interconnectedness and impact they still hold today. Gain a comprehensive overview of the most pivotal societies that have shaped human history. Experience the achievements, beliefs, and complexities of ancient cultures through captivating narratives. Delve into the advancements of ancient China, the diverse culture of the Persian Empire, and the enduring legacies of the Maurya and Byzantine Empires. Learn about the foundational ...

Ancient wonder. A seductive rival. A discovery to die for. Darwin Lacroix drops everything—including his fiancée, Eyrún—to pursue a new lead on the lost Library of Alexandria. The trail begins in Rome, but it belongs to Tessa Santarossa—a brilliant Italian operator who plays by her own rules and never shows her full hand. What starts as a promising discovery turns into a dangerous race across a two-thousand-year-old path. Armed militants want the truth buried, and Tessa’s agenda is as elusive as the prize itself. Eyrún sees the threat immediately—and when the hunt turns violent...

The five-hundred-year history of printed books, told through the people who created them. “Smyth breathes both books-as-objects and their creators back into life.” —Financial Times An Economist Book of the Year Books have transformed humankind, yet we know little about the individuals who...

The smoke had barely cleared from the World Trade Center. The warnings were on the President’s desk. No one acted. CIA failures, 9/11, the Iraq WMD scandal, and Putin’s war on Ukraine – the definitive account of how America’s intelligence agencies missed three of the biggest events of the 21st century. The textbooks mention the attacks, the invasion, the intelligence. They never answer the question that haunts every national security professional: how did the world’s most powerful spy services fail so completely, so repeatedly, and with such devastating human cost? The official ...

For nearly three thousand years, Homer’s Odyssey has captivated audiences with its tale of Odysseus’s perilous return journey after the Trojan War. In The Wisdom of the Odyssey, mythologist Phil Cousineau distills the epic into twenty-four chapters that mirror Homer’s original books and connect their lessons to our own lives. Listeners follow Odysseus through his ordeals and changes of heart, as he’s sustained not only by cunning and grit but by love for his wife, Penelope; his son, Telemachus; and his homeland, the island of Ithaka.

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth behind the Revolutionary War with beloved educator/author Kate Messner. Perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, shouting, "The British are...

#1 New York Times bestseller #1 Washington Post bestseller #1 Indie Bestseller USA Today Bestseller John Green, award-winning author and passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest infectious...

Myths! Lies! Failed satellite launches? Head to the launch pad with beloved educator and New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner, because the History Smashers are busting the biggest misconceptions about the Space-Race, and the facts are blasting off in 10-9-8… On April 14, 1969...

Madeleine Verchère's story is based on a true account of colonial French Canada of the 1690s. Harassed by Iroquois, the Verchère family's fort must keep a continual guard. 14-year-old Madeleine is left alone with two younger brothers and few others when the Indians attack. We follow the brave and determined stratagems of Madeleine and her small circle. Madeleine's youthful leadership, especially of her brothers, will win the reader's admiration.