A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

A panoramic global history of the nineteenth century A monumental history of the nineteenth century, The Transformation of the World offers a panoramic and multifaceted portrait of a world in transition. Jürgen Osterhammel, an eminent scholar who has been called the Braudel of the nineteenth century, moves beyond conventional Eurocentric and chronological accounts of the era, presenting instead a truly global history of breathtaking scope and towering erudition. He examines the powerful and complex forces that drove global change during the "long nineteenth century," taking readers from New York to New Delhi, from the Latin American revolutions to the Taiping Rebellion, from the perils and promise of Europe's transatlantic labor markets to the hardships endured by nomadic, tribal peoples across the planet. Osterhammel describes a world increasingly networked by the telegraph, the steamship, and the railways. He explores the changing relationship between human beings and nature, looks at the importance of cities, explains the role slavery and its abolition played in the emergence of new nations, challenges the widely held belief that the nineteenth century witnessed the triumph of the nation-state, and much more. This is the highly anticipated English edition of the spectacularly successful and critically acclaimed German book, which is also being translated into Chinese, Polish, Russian, and French. Indispensable for any historian, The Transformation of the World sheds important new light on this momentous epoch, showing how the nineteenth century paved the way for the global catastrophes of the twentieth century, yet how it also gave rise to pacifism, liberalism, the trade union, and a host of other crucial developments.

Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things.

Why economists' attempts to help poorer countries improve their economic well-being have failed. Since the end of World War II, economists have tried to figure out how poor countries in the tropics could attain standards of living approaching those of countries in Europe and North America. Attempted remedies have included providing foreign aid, investing in machines, fostering education, controlling population growth, and making aid loans as well as forgiving those loans on condition of reforms. None of these solutions has delivered as promised. The problem is not the failure of economics, William Easterly argues, but the failure to apply economic principles to practical policy work. In this book Easterly shows how these solutions all violate the basic principle of economics, that people—private individuals and businesses, government officials, even aid donors—respond to incentives. Easterly first discusses the importance of growth. He then analyzes the development solutions that have failed. Finally, he suggests alternative approaches to the problem. Written in an accessible, at times irreverent, style, Easterly's book combines modern growth theory with anecdotes from his fieldwork for the World Bank.

Tacos, pizza, wings, pasta, hearty soups, and crave-worthy greens-for some folks looking for a healthier way of eating, these dishes might all seem, well, off the table. Carleigh Bodrug has shown hundreds of thousands of people that that just isn't true. Like so many of us, Carleigh thought that eating healthy meant preparing the same chicken breast and broccoli dinner every night. Her skin and belly never felt great, but she thought she was eating well--until a family health scare forced her to take a hard look at her diet and start cooking and sharing recipes. Fast forward, and her @plantyou brand continues to grow and grow, reaching +470k followers in just a few short years. Her secret? Easy, accessible recipes that don't require any special ingredients, tools, or know-how; what really makes her recipes stand out are the helpful infographics that accompany them, which made it easy for readers to measure ingredients, determine portion size, and become comfortable enough to personalize recipes to their tastes. Now in her debut cookbook, Carleigh redefines what it means to enjoy a plant-based lifestyle with delicious, everyday recipes that anyone can make and enjoy. With mouthwatering dishes like Bewitchin' Breakfast Cookies, Rainbow Summer Rolls, Irish Stew, and Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, this cookbook fits all tastes and budgets. PlantYou is perfect for beginner cooks, those wishing to experiment with a plant-based lifestyle, and the legions of "flexitarians" who just want to be healthy and enjoy their meals"--