The Silk Road is as iconic in world history as the Colossus of Rhodes or the Suez Canal. But what was it, exactly? It conjures up a hazy image of a caravan of camels laden with silk on a dusty desert track, reaching from China to Rome. The reality was different--and far more interesting--as revealed in this new history.

In The Silk Road, Valerie Hansen describes the remarkable archeological finds that revolutionize our understanding of these trade routes. For centuries, key records remained h...

Michael Beaney introduces analytic philosophy by exploring some of the key ideas of Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Susan Stebbing. He also considers how analytic philosophy has developed and spread to become the dominant philosophical tradition across the world.

Molecular assemblies, macromolecules, proteins, nucleic acids: they form a substantial part of all living organisms, from plants to humans. Indeed, they are critical for keeping them alive. But how do they operate? Chemical processes are at the core of life: understanding life means unveiling the physical principles on which it is built.

From thermodynamics to molecular interactions, Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences 3rd edition explains how the principles of physical chemistry apply t...

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringOur self-image as moral, well-behaved creatures is dogged by scepticism, relativism, hypocrisy, and nihilism, and by the fear that in a Godless world science has unmasked us as creatures fated by our genes to be selfish and tribalistic, or competitive and aggressive. Here, Simon Blackburn tackles the major moral questions surrounding birth, death, happiness, desire, and freedom, showing us how we should think about the meaning of life, and ...

A complete yet concise introduction to strategic management, packed with real-life examples and an emphasis on the essential tools of analysis.

Legal Skills is the essential text for students new to law, helping them make the transition from secondary education and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed from the beginning of their degree, through to final-year exams and dissertations.

A new updated edition of the first integrated and comprehensive textbook to explain the principles of evolutionary biology from a medical perspective and to focus on how medicine and public health might utilise evolutionary biology.

Global, multi-faceted, and applied: the most contemporary introduction to leadership, which considers individual, organizational, and societal perspectives. Providing a robust and engaging overview of the leadership field, Exploring Leadership is a highly practical and insightful guide that supports the personal and professional development of both aspiring and experienced leaders. Investigating the complex dynamics of power, identity and purpose in organizations and wider society, this essen...

This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important.

Simon Blackburn begins by putting forward a convincing case for the study of philosophy and goes on to give the reader a sense of how the great historical figures such as Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein ha...

With unrivalled coverage of a wide range of issues - from terrorism, inter-state conflict and nuclear deterrence, to environmental security, health, and transnational crime - Contemporary Security Studies is the definitive introduction to Security Studies. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars, it provides a student-friendly guide to traditional and critical theoretical approaches, as well as the most important contemporary issues that dominate the modern security field. The s...