Penguin Paperbacks

Penguin Paperbacks

The Bed of Procrustes 'The aphorism is Taleb to a tee' Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms In a climate when iconoclasm is the smartest intellectual stance whether against bankers, traders, politicians, the energy industry or journalists one of today's most prominent rabblerousers gives his quickwitted and snappy guide to questioning the status quo. With characteristic panache and brio, Taleb uses aphorisms to condense his rambunctious ideas and style. This paperback edition will serve as a perfect reference for anyone searching for the right questions to ask.

'Like Twain and Wilde before him, Taleb eats paradoxes for breakfast . . . The aphorism is Taleb to a tee. It showcases his wit and learning, and provides ways to fillet his enemies. All his usual suspects are present to be corrected: bankers, fools, politicians, journalists . . . Present, too, are his heroes: the curious, the intellectually anarchistic, the idle philosopher' James Kidd, Independent on Sunday

Pub Date July 2011 ISBN 9780241954096 Price 7.99 Format B format pb Extent 128pp Territory 1BKZ

Caravaggio The highly acclaimed, definitive biography of one of history's most compelling artists Andrew Graham-Dixon
A Life Sacred and Profane Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio lived the darkest and most dangerous life of any of the great painters. He created the most dramatic paintings of his age, using ordinary men and women often prostitutes and the very poor to model for his depictions of classic religious scenes. Andrew GrahamDixon's exceptionally illuminating readings of Caravaggio's pictures, which are the heart of the book, show very clearly how he created their drama, immediacy and humanity, and how completely he departed from the conventions of his time.

'GrahamDixon writes expertly and eloquently about the paintings, as one would expect, but he is even better at bringing out the lurid details of Caravaggio's story, much of it drawn from contemporary archival sources. He interrogates the material closely, and weaves it into a beautifully paced narrative' Charles Nicholl, Sunday Times

Pub Date June 2011 ISBN 9780241954645 Price 12.99 Format B format pb Extent 544pp Territory 1W

Pandora's Seed 'An exciting tour of the last 10,000 years of our history' Jared Diamond, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Spencer Wells
Why the Hunter-Gatherer Holds the Key to Our Survival In the Western world, we are more comfortable than ever before. So why aren't we happier or healthier? Spencer Wells uses the latest research to show the answer lies in our huntergatherer roots. Our decision to settle 10,000 years ago may have led to modern civilization, but it also opened a Pandora's box: everything from our sweet tooth to stress, environmental problems and terrorism can be usefully traced back to the mismatch between genes and lifestyle. On a globetrotting journey, Wells shows us that we can learn from our ancestors how to thrive in the future.

'Spencer Wells's writing combines a deep knowledge of the history of human evolution with a most engaging and lively manner of making that story come alive' Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University 'Compelling' Independent 'Stimulating and enjoyable' Financial Times 'Civilization is the problem, not the solution . . . An urgent call for global cultural reform' The Times

Pub Date July 2011 ISBN 9780141016016 Price 10.99 Format B format pb Extent 256pp Territory 1BEKZ US Rights Random House Translation Rights Aitken Alexander Film Rights Aitken Alexander Serial Rights Penguin UK

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When China Rules the World A groundbreaking explanation of the deeper meaning of the rise of China Martin Jacques
The Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World For well over 200 years we have lived in a Westernmade world, one where the very notion of being modern is inextricably bound up with being Western. The twentyfirst century will be different. The rise of China, India and the Asian tigers means that, for the first time, modernity will no longer be exclusively Western. The key idea of Martin Jacques's groundbreaking book is that we are moving into an era of contested modernity. The central player in this new world will be China. Continental in size and mentality, China is a 'civilizationstate' whose characteristics, attitudes and values long predate its existence as a nationstate. This profound and farsighted book explains for the first time the deeper meaning of the rise of China.

'A wellinformed and subtle analysis of Chinese history and culture . . . This is an extremely impressive book, full of bold but credible predictions. Only time will tell how Jacques's prophecies pan out, but I suspect his book will long be remembered for its foresight and insight' Michael Rank, Guardian

Pub Date January 2012 ISBN 9780140276046 Price 12.99 Format B format pb Extent 576pp Territory 1BCKZ US Rights Penguin US Translation Rights The Wylie Agency Film Rights The Wylie Agency Serial Rights Penguin UK

The Quest For Meaning 'A prophetic, passionate and insightful book' Karen Armstrong, Financial Times Tariq Ramadan
Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism 'This book is a journey, and an initiation' In a world so full of different beliefs and viewpoints, how can we find peace in our shared humanity? The Quest For Meaning will take you on a journey to discover the profound truths that bind us all together. Acclaimed thinker and philosopher Tariq Ramadan explores universal ideas such as love, respect, truth and tolerance, and examines questions such as how can men and women relate to each other? What is the true nature of equality? What does 'civilization' really mean? In doing so, he opens our minds to a new view of humanity.

'Tariq Ramadan is a Muslim Martin Luther' Washington Post 'One of the most important innovators for the twentyfirst century' Time 'The work of Tariq Ramadan will take its place in the annals of Islamic thought' Le Monde Diplomatique

Pub Date January 2012 ISBN 9780141038025 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 224pp Territory 1W US Rights Penguin UK Translation Rights Penguin UK Film Rights Penguin UK Serial Rights Penguin UK

The Fish on Your Plate 'Greenberg writes with tremendous knowledge and passion to tell the engrossing story of the impact of history, geography and politics on our seafood, and offers a clear-eyed manifesto for the future of fish' Financial Times Paul Greenberg
Why We Eat What We Eat from the Sea Awardwinning writer and lifelong fisherman Paul Greenberg takes us on a culinary journey through the oceans, telling the stories of the fish we eat the most: salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna. Throughout, Greenberg poses the questions many of us ask when confronted with a seafood menu or a supermarket shelf: which fish can I eat without worrying? What does overfishing mean? What's the difference between wild, farmed and organic? Should humans domesticate fish as we have mammals and birds or stop eating from the sea altogether? By examining the forces that get fish to our dinner tables,

'Finally we have learned that food is best when produced on a small scale in accordance with the rhythms of our planet . . . Warm and witty, The Fish on Your Plate takes this concept to the ocean. Seafood deserves the same kind of respect and political awareness as food from the land. Maybe more' Alice Waters, Chez Panisse

Pub Date August 2011 ISBN 9780141031071 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 304pp Territory 1B4KZ US Rights Penguin Press US Translation Rights McCormick and Williams Film Rights McCormick and Williams Serial Rights Penguin UK

Greenberg shows how we can achieve a world where healthy and sustainable seafood is the rule rather than the exception.

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The Plundered Planet 'A practical handbook for ending world poverty. He wants us to read the evidence, not wear slogans on our T-shirts' Sunday Times Paul Collier
How to Reconcile Prosperity with Nature How can we help poorer countries become richer without harming the planet? Is there a way of reconciling prosperity with nature? Worldrenowned economist Paul Collier offers smart, surprising and above all realistic answers to this dilemma. Steering a path between the desires of unchecked profiteering and the romantic views of environmentalists, he explores creative ways to deal with poverty, overpopulation and climate change showing that the solutions needn't cost the earth. The book proposes a radical rethinking of international policies and, uniquely, offers real solutions backed up by real data from research Collier has spearheaded.

'A pathbreaking book' George Soros 'Paul Collier has written with great insight about the prospects of the bottom billion. In The Plundered Planet, he addresses himself to the complex opportunities, challenges and risks in managing the planet's natural resources. The bottom billion have a huge stake and an important role in the outcomes. Collier helps us see these issues through their eyes' Michael Spence, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics 'Read this book' Sir Nicholas Stern

Pub Date August 2011 ISBN 9780141042145 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 288pp Territory 1BEKZ US Rights The Wylie Agency Translation Rights The Wylie Agency Film Rights The Wylie Agency Serial Rights Penguin UK

The Atlantic and Its Enemies An extremely characterful, surprising and beautifully written book on the post-war world Norman Stone
A History of the Cold War Those who survived the Second World War stared out on to a devastated, morally ruined world. Throughout the Cold War the 'Atlantic' (the USA, Britain and a handful of allies) was on the defensive; even in the late 1970s the initiative seemed to lie with the Communist forces. Then, suddenly, the Atlantic won economically, ideologically, militarily with astonishing speed and completeness. The Atlantic and Its Enemies is a highly entertaining and pugnacious history of this tumultuous period.

'An intellectual autobiography concealed within a major history book . . . a powerful alternative to the Left 'liberal' reading of Cold War history, without sounding in the least triumphalist' Michael Burleigh, Spectator

Pub Date August 2011 ISBN 9780141044637 Price 12.99 Format B format pb Extent 688pp Territory 1BEKZ

Ancient Worlds The epic story of the civilizations that made us, from the acclaimed author of Carthage Must Be Destroyed Richard Miles
The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization Across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, aweinspiring, monstrous ruins of cities of the ancient world are scattered throughout the landscape. Richard Miles recreates these extraordinary cities to understand the roots of human civilization. He is above all fascinated by the compromises that make the city work the mixture of coercion and desire, ceremony and justice and by the great public and private spaces created and recreated across the ancient world.

Pub Date September 2011 ISBN 9780241951361 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 400pp Illustrations 16pp colour Territory 1W

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23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism A serious but light-hearted look at the truth about our economic system Ha-Joon Chang
One of today's most iconoclastic thinkers destroys the biggest myths about the world of economics we supposedly live in. There's no such thing as a 'free' market; globalization isn't making the world richer; we don't live in a digital world; poor countries are more entrepreneurial than rich ones; higherpaid managers don't produce better results this galvanizing book shows how the myths aren't just bad for the market, but for people too. Here Chang lays out the alternatives, and shows there's a better way.

'A masterful debunking of some of the myths of capitalism . . . Witty, iconoclastic and uncommonly commonsensical . . . this book will be invaluable' Observer 'Important . . . persuasive, [an] engaging case for a more cautious and caring era of globalisation' Financial Times 'Mythbusting and nicelywritten . . . the best economists are those who look around at our manmade world and ask themselves "why?". Chang is one' Independent

Pub Date September 2011 ISBN 9780141047973 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 304pp Territory 1BKZ

High Financier An extraordinary biography of the man who shaped the post-war City Niall Ferguson
The Lives and Time of Siegmund Warburg In this groundbreaking new biography, based on more than 10,000 hitherto unavailable letters and diary entries, Niall Ferguson returns to his roots as a financial historian to tell the story of Siegmund Warburg, an extraordinary man whose philosophy of finance was the antithesis of the debtfuelled, algorithmdriven banking of our own time. He expertly recaptures the meticulous business methods and strict ethical code that set Warburg apart from the mere speculators and traders who inhabit today's financial world.

'Its many finance lessons aside, High Financier is a pleasure to read simply as a work of literary skill. It is not only prodigiously researched but also splendidly written clear and vivid and precise, perhaps even of enough merit to satisfy a wordstickler like Siegmund Warburg' Wall Street Journal

Pub Date September 2011 ISBN 9780141022017 Price 14.99 Format B format pb Extent 576pp Territory 1BKZ2AC

Where Good Ideas Come From Steven Johnson delivers the secrets of creativity and inspiration with a perfect book for business readers Steven Johnson
The Seven Patterns of Innovation Where do good ideas come from? And what do we need to know and do to have more of them? In Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson, one of our most innovative popular thinkers, explores the secrets of inspiration. He identifies the seven key principles to the genesis of great ideas, from the cultivation of hunches to the importance of connectivity and how best to make use of new technologies. Most exhilarating is his conclusion: with today's tools and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it. By recognizing where and how patterns of creativity occur whether within a school, a software platform or a social movement he shows how we can make more of our ideas good ones.

'Stimulating and insightful . . . a huge diversity of bright ideas' John Gapper, The Financial Times 'Johnson develops his provocative thesis in a book that is lucid and . . . brilliant' Jonathon Keats, New Scientist '[An] exhilarating, ideathirsty book. . .full of intriguing facts' James McConnachie, Sunday Times

Pub Date September 2011 ISBN 9780141033402 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 336pp Territory 1BKZ US Rights Riverhead (Penguin US) Translation Rights Riverhead (Penguin US) Film Rights Lydia Wills, Paradigm Agency Serial Rights Penguin UK

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The Old Dog and Duck The amazing stories and history that lie behind our pub names Albert Jack
The Secret Meanings of Pub Names This is a book for everyone who has ever wondered why pubs should be called The Cross Keys, The Dew Drop Inn or The Hope and Anchor. After much research about (and in) pubs, Albert Jack brings together the stories behind pub names. He reveals how they offer fascinating and subversive insights into our history, customs, attitudes and jokes, showing that, ultimately, the story of pub history is really the story of our own popular history.

'The man with the answers is Albert Jack' Daily Express

Pub Date October 2011 ISBN 9780141043432 Price 7.99 Format B format pb Extent 304pp Territory 1W

Talking to the Enemy 'A compelling account of what lies behind the jihadi phenomenon' Noam Chomsky Scott Atran
Violent Extremism, Sacred Values and What it Means to Be Human Scott Atran has spent years talking to terrorists from Gaza and Afghanistan to Indonesia and Europe in order to help us understand and mitigate the rise of religious violence. From a lifetime spent in the tense company of extremists, he shows how we misunderstand them by misunderstanding human nature. He argues that addressing this error is the best way to deal with them.

'One of the most penetrating works of social investigation to appear in many years, it offers a fresh and compelling perspective on human conflict' John Gray, Literary Review 'Talking to the Enemy is an important book, by turns fascinating, dense, scientific, debatable, illuminating' David Aaronovitch, The Times

Richard Davis

Pub Date November 2011 ISBN 9780241951767 Price 12.99 Format B format pb Extent 576pp Territory 1BKZ US Rights Ecco Translation Rights Brockman Inc Film Rights Brockman Inc Serial Rights Penguin UK

The Last Lingua Franca The Rise and Fall of World Languages Nicholas Ostler
'We are not at the end of history', writes Nicholas Ostler. By showing how the English language, like Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Latin and Persian before it, will decline as our lingua franca in the decades to come, he shocks us into recognizing the true, cyclical nature of our position in global affairs.

'A wideranging linguistic perspective' Robert McCrum, Observer 'A bold corrective to Anglocentrism and its familiar flagwaving myopia . . . a grand polemic. Ostler's arguments are cogent and alarming. Yet he leaves us with a salutary thought: many distinct tongues persist, and in them survives a rich miscellany of traditions, histories and nuances of human character' Henry Hitchings, Financial Times

Pub Date November 2011 ISBN 9781846142161 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 352pp Territory 1BEKZ US Rights AP Watt Translation Rights AP Watt Film Rights AP Watt Serial Rights Penguin UK

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A Truth Universally Acknowledged Thirty-three writers, past and present, consider just what it is about Jane Austen that continues to delight, amuse, console and provoke us Susannah Carson
33 Reasons Why We Can't Stop Reading Jane Austen Why does Jane Austen continue to delight us so? Some of our favourite writers ponder the question: Amy Hecherling reveals how she transformed Emma into the hit romantic comedy Clueless, while Fay Weldon wonders whether the 'bad' girls in Mansfield Park have more fun. Martin Amis, too, muses on Pride and Prejudice as a divine comedy of love and imagines a twentypage sex scene between Lizzy and Darcy. A Truth Universally Acknowledged shows that there is much more to Jane than ladies in empireline dresses admiring the roses and reminds us why we still love the author who wrote about love better than anyone else in the world.

Pub Date November 2011 ISBN 9781846144592 Price 12.99 Format B format pb Extent 320 Territory 1BKZ

Eric C Carter/Dizzy Pixel, Inc.

The Golden Age The second volume of Hugh Thomas's epic history of one of the world's great empires Hugh Thomas
The Spanish Empire of Charles V The magisterial and enigmatic Charles V, Emperor of Europe and the New World, is the central figure of the book, which begins in 1522 with the return of Magellan's expedition and ends with Charles's death in 1558. In the decades between, the Spanish conquer Guatemala, Yucatan, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Chile. Hugh Thomas brings alive one of the most extraordinary and influential moments in High Renaissance and world history.

'Ambitious in scope and rich in detail, his retelling of Spain's imperial story is, by any reckoning, an impressive achievement' J. H. Elliott, Guardian

Hardback jacket

Pub Date November 2011 ISBN 9780141034492 Price 14.99 Format B format pb Extent 720pp Illustrations 16 pp colour Territory 1BKZ US Rights The Wylie Agency Translation Rights The Wylie Agency Film Rights The Wylie Agency Serial Rights The Wylie Agency

The Gun The story of how one simple but terrible weapon has changed the world C. J. Chivers
The Story of the AK-47 The AK47 is the most abundant and efficient firearm on earth. It has transformed the way we fight wars, and its story is the chilling story of modern warfare. C. J. Chivers tells an alternative history of the world as seen through this terrible weapon. Drawing on a huge amount of original research, The Gun is the story of modern violence: its inventors, its users and its victims.

'Chivers is a firstrate war correspondent . . . The Gun is likely to become the standard account of the world's standard assault rifle' Max Boot, New York Times Book Review

Pub Date November 2011 ISBN 9780141020631 Price 9.99 Format B format pb Extent 496pp Illustrations 2 x 8pp b/w inset Territory 1BKZ

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Wales The best buildings in Wales, with beautiful inset illustrations Simon Jenkins
Churches, Houses, Castles From the great citadels of Caernarvon, Harlech, Powis and Beaumaris in the north, to the Victorian glories of Cardiff in the south, St David's cathedral ('the loveliest church in Wales') in the west to the exquisite little hill church of Patrishow in the east, from Plas Newydd above the Menai Straits to the romantic citadel of Carreg Cennan in the heart of the country, the buildings of Wales embody its history and are the equal of any in the British Isles. Simon Jenkins has travelled, it seems, every mile of the country to celebrate, and in some cases to find the very best of them, and irresistibly conveys in this book his enthusiasm for them. Cumulatively they amount to a cultural history of Wales by one of its most devoted sons. Anyone who is visiting Wales or who loves it will want to own this glorious book.

'a delectably satisfying book' Guardian

Pub Date December 2011 ISBN 9780141024127 Price 16.99 Format 228 x 152mm pb Extent 304pp Illustrations 80 pp colour integrated Territory 1W US Rights PFD Translation Rights PFD Film Rights PFD Serial Rights PFD

Washington A landmark biography of the great Revolutionary general and the first President of the United States of America Ron Chernow
A Life In this groundbreaking work Ron Chernow revises for ever the uninspiring stereotype of Washington as a laconic man of remarkable selfcontrol, worthy but dull. Instead, he portrays the father of America as a celebrated horseman, elegant dancer and tireless hunter, who guarded his emotional life with intriguing ferocity. A magisterial work from one of America's foremost writers and historians.
Hardback jacket

'This is a farranging volume and general readers will come away with a firm understanding of the major events in Washington's public life while learning much about the nation he helped fashion' Mark Spencer, Times Literary Supplement

Pub Date September 2011 ISBN 9780241951170 Price 14.99 Format B format pb Extent 928pp Territory 1BKZ