Arguing that pirates did more than lawlessly pillage the high seas, Rebecca Simon’s fascinating book The Pirates’ Code reveals their rules of engagement—and the steep consequences of eschewing these. There were heavy implications... Read More

In "Punk Art History", Danish art historian Marie Arleth Skov explores punk culture’s influence on the art of the 1970s. The book crystallizes the troubled social climate behind the punk movement—a malaise of urban decay and stagnant... Read More

The symbolism of the Soviet space program is examined in Cathleen S. Lewis’s cultural history "Cosmonaut". On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to enter space. Though brief, Gagarin’s venture outside of... Read More

"Lost and Found" is a magical coffee-table book that features the work of eight thoughtful artists alongside a history of assemblage as a form. Esther Siegel and Spencer Brewer’s stunning art book "Lost and Found" showcases the work of... Read More

"Pomegranates and Artichokes" is a cookbook, a travelogue, and a master’s class in foodways. As seen through Saghar Setareh’s transition from her childhood in Iran to her adulthood in Italy, three distinct regions—Iran, the Levant... Read More

Nuanced and complex, "Twilight of the Godlings" is Francis Young’s history of pagan deities and supernatural creatures in Britain, where ancient British, ancient Roman, and medieval Christian beliefs melded and took on numerous forms.... Read More

Focusing on Asian American experiences, this accessible essay collection puts academic theories to use in the fight against racism. Peter H. Huang’s essay collection "Disrupting Racism" makes scholarly arguments for positive social... Read More

Covering her extended stay in Portugal, Esmeralda Cabral’s memoir "How to Clean a Fish" is infused with insights and sensuality. Informed by the Portuguese concept of saudade (a wistful, transient sense of longing; “love and loss... Read More