Showing titles in History & Culture

From a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist comes The Social Network for the video game industry: a riveting examination of Blizzard Entertainment's rise and shocking downfall—"A fast paced thrill ride, perfect for anyone who has ever played a video game" (Ben...

Brought to you by Penguin. A remarkable man in possession of limitless curiosity and intellect, Elon Musk makes a fascinating subject. Tech reporter Ashlee Vance has shadowed him for a year to bring us an engaging and deeply personal account of the man who wants to send us into outer space...

2015 Audie Award Finalist for Nonfiction Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson’s New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed The Innovators is a “riveting, propulsive, and at times deeply moving” (The Atlantic) story of the people who created the...

Brought to you by Penguin. How a force that’s hard to name, but which we all feel, is reshaping what it means to be human In Against the Machine, “furiously gifted” (The Washington Post) novelist, poet, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth presents a wholly original—and terrifying—account of...

April 13, 1970. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert are hurtling towards the moon in the Apollo 13 spacecraft, when an explosion rocks the ship. The cockpit grows dim, the air grows thin, and the instrument lights wink out. Moments later, the astronauts are forced to abandon the...

Brought to you by Penguin. We all feel it: something is seriously wrong. Our attention—that essential ability to give our minds and senses to the world—is being trapped, gutted, and sold out from under us by an industry of immense technological and financial power. The heedless exploitation...

From the Industrial Revolution to the age of artificial intelligence, The Technology Trap takes a sweeping look at the history of technological progress and how it has radically shifted the distribution of economic and political power among society’s members.

*AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK* SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2024 LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023 A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A parable for our times' FINANCIAL TIMES, Best Books of 2023 'Gripping' THE TIMES, Best...

Brought to you by Penguin. In 2011, a 43-foot-high tsunami crashed into a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. In the following days, explosions would rip buildings apart, three reactors would go into nuclear meltdown, and the surrounding area would be swamped in radioactive water. It is now...

Brought to you by Penguin. Consumer AI has arrived. And with it, inescapable upheaval as we grapple with what it means for our jobs, lives and the future of humanity. Cutting through the noise of AI evangelists and AI doom-mongers, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick has become one of the most...

We need to regulate Big Tech. But the money and influence concentrated in Silicon Valley makes it an unfair fight. Baroness Beeban Kidron shows us what resistance looks like: inside the rooms behind closed doors, and in the halls and corridors of power. WE ARE NOT USING TECHNOLOGY. TECHNOLOGY IS...

In a world more connected than ever, we have never been more divided. The Echo Chamber Effect is a powerful and deeply thought-provoking exploration of how social media platforms quietly shape the way we think, feel, and interact. Drawing on psychology, technology, and human behaviour, Elira Fontayne exposes the subtle mechanics that transform our online experiences into self-reinforcing bubbles of belief.

Brought to you by Penguin. “Tanks are like dinner jackets”, an Australian general once commented, “you don’t need them very often, but when you do, nothing else will do.” An authoritative history of the tank and the remarkable individuals who designed them and fought in them, from a...

Audible editor Sam Danis delves into spatial audio with Dolby Atmos: what it is, what makes it so immersive, and what the future holds for audio entertainment. Featuring conversations with experts in sound design and production, as well as samples from some of the most unique Audible productions available in Dolby Atmos. Listen in to discover the storytelling magic this innovative technology can offer.

Today we take it for granted that Japan is a forge of the world's fantasies: the birthplace of Transformers and Pokémon, of food trends like ramen and artisanal whisky and cutting-edge manga and anime. But it wasn't always this way. The first Japanese products that trickled into the global marketplace after the Second World War inspired derision, not admiration. The three words Made in Japan were a punchline, a synonym for cheap trinkets from a defeated nation.

You wake up and reach for your phone. Before your day even begins, your focus is already gone. In a world of endless notifications, social media, and constant digital noise, The Art of the Digital Detox offers a practical, realistic guide to reclaiming your attention without quitting technology altogether. This book explains why screens are so addictive, how multitasking destroys focus, and how to redesign your habits, environment, and boundaries to regain mental clarity.

To live in 19th-century Britain was to experience an astonishing series of changes, of a kind for which there was simply no precedent. There were revolutions in transport, communication and work; cities grew vast; and scientific ideas made the intellectual landscape unrecognisable. This was an exhilarating time but also a horrifying one. In his new book, David Cannadine has created a bold, fascinating new interpretation of the British 19th century in all its energy and dynamism, darkness and vice.

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), credited as the inspiration for radio, robots, and even radar, has been called the patron saint of modern electricity. Based on original material and previously unavailable documents, this acclaimed book is the definitive biography of the man considered by many to be the founding father of modern electrical technology.

Bloomsbury presents Gilded Rage written and read by Jacob Silverman A searing insight into the political radicalization of Silicon Valley, from Elon Musk to Peter Thiel, JD Vance and Donald Trump, and how it will affect the future of all our lives. From the pursuit of potentially apocalyptic...

Brought to you by Penguin. The Middle Ages were a time of wonder. They gave us the first universities, the first eyeglasses and the first mechanical clocks as medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the passing of the seasons to the stars in the sky. In this book, we...