Opium and its derivatives morphine and heroin have destroyed, corrupted, and killed individuals, families, communities, and even whole nations. And yet, for most of its long history, opium has also been humanity's most effective means of alleviating...

Since his first appearance in "Action Comics" Number One, published in late spring of 1938, Superman has represented the essence of American heroism. "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in...

For many enlightened, liberal-minded thinkers today, and for most on the political left, evil is an outmoded concept. It smacks too much of absolute judgements and metaphysical certainties to suit the modern age. In this witty, accessible study, the...

In this title, international relations scholar Allison Stanger shows how contractors became an integral part of American foreign policy, often in scandalous ways – but also maintains that contractors aren't the problem; the absence of good government...

A critical edition of Vico's original Latin text and a faithful translation of this early work on metaphysics. It also includes an introduction that offers guidance in understanding this challenging text and assessing its significance.

Over the past decade, states and international organizations have shifted a surprising range of foreign policy functions to private contractors. But who is accountable when the employees of foreign private firms do violence or create harm? This timel...

This beautiful book presents one hundred great works from the National Gallery Collection, each by a different artist. Arranged in chronological order and accompanied by Louise Govier's lively text, full-page reproductions of these selected highlight...

Considered the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, the Olmec developed an iconic and sophisticated artistic style as early as the second millennium B. C. This pre-Columbian civilization, which flourished in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco bet...

"What is so striking about Morris' work as a historian is that it does not flatter anyone's prejudices, least of all his own", David Remnick remarked in a New Yorker article that coincided with the publication of Benny Morris' "1948: A History of the...

Set at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when idleness was still looked upon by Russia's serf-owning rural gentry as a plausible and worthy goal, Ivan Goncharov's "Oblomov" follows the travails of an unlikely hero, a young aristocrat incapable...