History & Literature

Jeff Kingston, Author of Contemporary Japan: History, Politics, and Social Change since the 1980s Available for Comment

Consumers need to know the true perils of purchasing artwork or luxury goods on the Internet, say statisticians in a paper published today in Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association.

Mind Games: 31 Days to Rediscover Your Brain (March 2011 U.S.) is a collection of practical and entertaining thought experiments that while stimulating the mind, can also be used as a vehicle for investigating the complexities of thought, feeling, and awareness.

This engaging, yet uniquely comprehensive exploration of Christianity illustrates the many different ways that Christians live out their faith in the world today.  The stories emerging from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and North America are all distinct.  In some regions Christians are struggling, in other regions Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds, and in still other regions the future is decidedly unclear. 

According to major investigative interviewing protocols police investigators are expected to create a comfortable environment before interviewing adult witnesses to a crime. Police often fail to spend time building rapport with adult witnesses before a criminal interview, possibly in an effort to save time. An article published in a forthcoming issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that the additional time spent on building rapport (in particular using verbal techniques) may prevent inaccuracies in witness accounts and decrease the witness’ susceptibility to post-event misinformation.

Award-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. takes an unvarnished look at the daunting challenges and incredible triumphs of his fifty-five year career.

The world consumes 500 billion cups of coffee per year. Caffeine is one of the most widely taken psychoactive drugs on earth, and coffee is its foremost delivery system. Coffee: Grounds for Debate (March 2011) asks how and why we have come to prefer the infused beverage as one of our most popular drinks and how our chief indulgence and symbol of “the good life” has become a source of full-bodied ethical, aesthetic, and environmental philosophical debate. 

Ed Fuller, President & Managing Director for Marriott International’s lodging division and author of, "You Can't Lead with Your Feet on the Desk," was at a corporate meeting at Marriott International Inc.'s Washington, D.C., headquarters on Jan. 31, 2011 when events in Egypt took a turn for the worst.

Global entrepreneur journalist Sarah Lacy’s new book, Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky explains how this new breed of entrepenuers is taking the world by storm by using the chaos around them, such as a lack of jobs or even infrastructure and government, to create opportunities for themselves and those around them. This group of global entrepreneurs are a complex, cultural mash-up, comprised in part of those 19th century, old-world immigrants who started fledgling businesses because they had no other options, as well as the 21st century Silicon Valley whiz kids backed by millions in sophisticated investor cash. 

Digital Series Based on CliffsNotes® Literature Guides Set for 2011

A new study published in the journal Clinical Cardiology reveals that a Super Bowl loss for a home team was associated with increased death rates in both men and women and in older individuals.

Many social thinkers have predicted a steady move towards the practice of secularization in our political, moral, and social realm. Instead, a resurgence of religious fanaticism and extremism now poses an immediate threat to liberal democracies in all its forms.  In his new book, The Secular Outlook: In Defense of Moral and Political Secularism (September 2010), Paul Cliteur argues that there are solutions to this dilemma. He analyzes how we, as a society, should react to the spiritual and ideological challenges that radical religious movements pose to Western liberal democracies, asking “what is the most promising reaction to these challenges”?

A modern but timeless global business story in the spirit of James Clavell, China Fortunes is a vast and sweeping tale addressing one of today's hottest topics--doing business in China. Taking readers on the ground from China's early opening up to current times, the book traces the changes of fortune and cultural edification of Jack Davis, an American financier lured by the spectacular promise of the confusing land, from early success and a meteoric IPO that seems too easy, to treachery and loss, and triumphant financial and emotional renewal.

Scientists in Connecticut have carried out one of the first psychological studies into eating disorders in Native American (NA) populations. The research, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, provides new insights into the extent to which Native American populations experience eating disorders, revealing that women are more likely to report behavioral symptoms then men, while challenging views that NA men and ethnically white men will experience different psychological symptoms. 

Interview with Author of Sherlock Holmes For Dummies.

According to conventional wisdom, if the economy is not in full recovery by the fall, President Obama will sacrifice one of his high-ranking economic advisors, most likely Tim Geithner.  However, not only is he more likely to send National Economic Council head Larry Summers on permanent vacation, it's far past time for Obama to abandon the ideology they both represent.

As Seen in Publishers Weekly

“Chris Hadnagy has penned the ultimate text on social engineering. Meticulously researched and teeming with practical applications, this brilliant book offers solutions to very real problems and ever-present dangers to your business - and even to yourself. Truly groundbreaking.” -Kevin Hogan, author of The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say ‘Yes’ in 8 Minutes or Less

The Huns, The Vikings, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan. These groups and individuals are infamous for changing history and for the methods they used to force their rule on dozens of provinces and territories. Their names are also associated with the suffering of millions and the lavish lives they lived as a result of their conquests. Sandy Franks and Sara Nunnally’s new book Barbarians of Wealth: Protecting Yourself from Today’s Financial Attilas demonstrates how these historic predators are not so different from the financial barbarian of current times, which include now historic names such as Goldman Sachs, AIG, Alan Greenspan and the U.S. banking industry, including the Federal Reserve.

This new book from the trusted insider-outsider authors of the best-selling Amish Grace explores the deep spirituality, faith, and practices of the Amish people, a group whose way of life and values continue to fascinate a wide range of readers