Anthropology

In this classic work, often described as "The History of the Rise, Decline, and Fall of the Love Affair," Denis de Rougemont explores the psychology of love from the legend of Tristan and Isolde to Hollywood. At the heart of his ever-relevant inquiry is...

George Ewart Evans, who wrote the classic Ask the Fellows Who Cut the Hay, was one of the pioneers of oral history. This anthology is drawn from his writings about the memories of men and women of a past era - farm labourers, shepherds, horsemen,...

Have you ever wondered whether we are alone in the universe, or if life forms on other planets might exist? If they do exist, how might their languages have evolved? Could we ever understand them, and indeed learn to communicate with them? This highly...

Masterfully blending narrative and interpretation, and R.F. Foster's Modern Ireland: 1600-1972 looks at how key events in Irish history contributed to the creation of the 'Irish Nation'. 'The most brilliant and courageous Irish historian of his...

At a new age festival in Byron Bay, Australia, German journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman - a survivor of the Centrepoint cult - who will change the course of her life and career. Over the next ten years,...

Man has always been fascinated by Equus caballus, recasting horse power into many forms: a hunk of meat, an industrial and agricultural machine, a luxury good, a cherished dancer, a comrade in arms and a symbol of a mythical past. From the wild tarpans...

Bringing together their unique vantage points as leaders of Church and State, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Marcello Pera challenge us to imagine what can be the future of a civilization that has abandoned its moral and cultural history. They call on the...

In this entertaining and accessible exploration of love, Oxford anthropologist Dr Anna Machin dives into the science behind the myriad types of love that exist in the world, including romantic love, parental love, friendships, love for pets, football...

Drawing on more than twenty years of fieldwork, this book explores the professional, social, and cultural world of Burgundy wines, the role of terroir, and its transnational deployment in China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand. It demystifies the...

The author is committed to psychoanalysis as part of a wider cultural conversation, and this unique collection of essays on a wide range of relatively unexplored subjects combines literary and philosophical commentary with vivid clinical vignettes.'Like...

Drawing on his own experiences and inspirations - from staging his first exhibition in his tiny Zurich kitchen in 1986 to encounters with artists, exhibition makers and thinkers - Hans Ulrich Obrist looks to inspire all those engaged in the creation of...

A New Scientist Book of the Year Prehistory is all around us. We just need to know where to look. Juan Jose Millas has always felt like he doesn't quite fit into human society. Sometimes he wonders if he is even a Homo sapiens at all. Perhaps he is a...

In Britain alone, more than 20% of the adult population take a psychiatric drug in any one year. This is an increase of over 500% since 1980 and the numbers continue to grow. Yet, despite this prescription epidemic, levels of mental illness of all types...

Barthes shares his passionate, in-depth knowledge and understanding of photography. ...

An extraordinary and vivid introduction to the country of Nicaragua and its politics from the Booker-winning author of Midnight's Children.In this brilliantly focused and haunting portrait of the people, the politics, the land, and the poetry of...

*As heard on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour* *A Blackwell's and Waterstones Best Popular Science Book of 2022* 'Excellent ... one of those rare pop-science books that make you look at the whole world differently' The Daily Telegraph ***** 'Riveting' Mail...

"Mutant Message Down Under" is the gripping fictional account of the spiritual odyssey of an American woman in Australia. Summoned by a remote tribe of nomadic Aboriginals to accompany them on a walkabout through the outback, she makes a four month long...

After two government bailouts of the American economy in less than twenty years, free market thought is due for serious reappraisal. Free Market: The History of an Idea shows how the idea became so powerful, why it succeeded, and why it has failed so...

The definitive history of the iconic football club: the glory, the scandal, the stars and its enduring influence on Italian life.Juventus utterly dominates the Italian game. Home to some of the biggest names in sport, it has won title after title, trophy...

Critics have attacked the foolishness of some of today's elite thought from many angles, but few have examined the real-world consequences of those ideas. In The Burden of Bad Ideas, Heather Mac Donald reports on their disastrous effects throughout our...

An expansive look at how culture shapes our emotions-and how we can benefit, as individuals and a society, from less anger and more shameThe world today is full of anger. Everywhere we look, we see values clashing and tempers rising, in ways that seem...

From the award-winning author of The Whisperers, Orlando Figes Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia is a dazzling history of Russia's mighty culture. Orlando Figes' enthralling, richly evocative history has been heralded as a literary...

Feminist Theory established bell hooks as one of international feminism's most challenging and influential voices. This edition includes a preface by the author, reflecting on the book's impact and the development of her ideas since it was first...

Two of the biggest design problems in Artificial Intelligence are how to build robots that behave in line with human values and how to stop them ever going rogue. One under-explored solution to these alignment and control problems might be to examine how...

'Marvellously clear... playfully persuasive' Richard Dawkins'Full of Fascinating details. A delight to read.' Tim Harford'Highly original and convincing ... a delight to read!' - Daniel EverettWhat is language?Why do we have it?Why does that...

'Fascinating' Guardian'Brilliant' Evening Standard'Electrifying' Financial Times'So interesting I literally couldn't put it down' Sunday TimesWe are living in an age of heightened individualism. Success is a personal responsibility. Our culture tells us...

This book, one of the first in English about everyday life in the Republic of Georgia, describes how people construct identity in a rapidly changing border region. Based on extensive ethnographic research, it illuminates the myriad ways residents of the...

Does what's in your bathroom or on your desk reveal what's on your mind? What's the best way to find out what your partner is really like? For ten years, ingenious academic Sam Gosling has been studying how people project (and protect) their inner selves...

WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INSIGHT INVESTMENT SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE, JULY 2020How proteins, machine learning and molecular chemistry can teach us about the complexities of human behaviour and the world around usHow do we understand the people around us?...

WINNER OF THE FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST COLLECTIONChosen as a Book of the Year by New Statesman, Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, Rough Trade and the BBCShortlisted for the Rathbones Folio PrizeLonglisted for the Jhalak Prize'Restlessly inventive,...

A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion is a collection of some of the most significant classic and contemporary writings in the field. Updated in its second edition, this volume examines numerous aspects of religion in a diversity of cultures and...

In this, his most famous work, Marcel Mauss presented to the world a book which revolutionized our understanding of some of the basic structures of society. By identifying the complex web of exchange and obligation involved in the act of giving, Mauss...

What lies behind the human attraction to violence? Why do we glorify war, seeing it as an almost sacred undertaking? Barbara Ehrenreich is known for the originality and clarity of her thinking, and in Blood Rites she proposes a radical new theory about...

Apologies but we at Booksplease don't have a full description for this book.Book InformationISBN 9780307462978Author Scott WallaceFormat PaperbackPage Count 528Imprint Broadway Books (A Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc)Publisher...

Postcolonialism explores the political, social, and cultural effects of decolonization, continuing the anti-colonial deconstruction of western dominance. This Very Short Introduction discusses both the history and key debates of postcolonialism, and...

Sonic fiction is everywhere: in conversations about vernacular culture, in music videos, sound art compositions and on record sleeves, in everyday encounters with sonic experiences and in every single piece of writing about sound. Where one can find...

Introduction by Neal AschersonIn our globalised but increasingly polarised age, Kapuscinski shows how the Other remains one of the most compelling ideas of our times.In this reflection on a lifetime of travel, the renown travel writer takes a fresh look...

Culture Smart guides help travellers have a more meaningful and successful time abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on values, attitudes, customs, and daily life will help you make the most of your visit, while tips on...

WINNER OF A SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD 2021 A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE A SUNDAY TIMES AND FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Marks the birth of a new star of non-fiction' William Dalrymple 'A beautiful...

The story of Britain's fish and chips obsession 'A lyrical, amiable and educational celebration of what may be our greatest achievement: the chippy.' Stuart Maconie Step inside and unwrap this deliciously entertaining...