Born during the Civil War into a slaveholding family that included black, white, and Cherokee forebears, Adella Hunt Logan dedicated herself to advancing political and educational opportunities for the African American community. She taught at Alabam...

"People and the Land through Time", first published in 1997, remains the only introduction to the field of historical ecology from the perspective of ecology and ecosystem processes. Widely praised for its emphasis on the integration of historical in...

Today we tend to think of polygamy as an unnatural marital arrangement characteristic of fringe sects or uncivilized peoples. Historian Sarah Pearsall shows us that polygamy's surprising history encompasses numerous colonies, indigenous communities,...

<p>A trailblazing exploration of the poetic power of popular songs, from Tin Pan Alley to the Beatles to Beyonce and beyond. Encompassing a century of recorded music, this pathbreaking book reveals the poetic artistry of popular songs. Pop songs are...

A best-selling author and world-renowned bibliophile meditates on his vast personal library and champions the vital role of all libraries. In June 2015 Alberto Manguel prepared to leave his centuries-old village home in France's Loire Valley and ree...

In the twenty-first century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and th...

This expansive study of color illuminates the substance, context, and meaning of five centuries of European painting. Between the mid-15th and the mid-19th centuries, the materials of painting remained remarkably unchanged, but innovations in their u...

The Victorians invented mass entertainment. As the nineteenth century's growing industrialized class acquired the funds and the free time to pursue leisure activities, their desires were satiated by determined entrepreneurs building new venues for po...

Play It Loud celebrates the musical instruments that gave rock and roll its signature sound – from Louis Jordan's alto saxophone and John Lennon's Rickenbacker to the drum set owned by Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Lady Gaga's keytar, and beyond. Seven en...

What do ordinary Russians think of Putin? Who are his supporters? And why might their support now be faltering? Alive with the voices and experiences of ordinary Russians and elites alike, Sam Greene and Graeme Robertson craft a compellingly original...