Book of the Year Citations

2012

See also: 2013 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | Recent Awards | The Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize

Cover: Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, by Paul and Karen Avrich, from Harvard University Press

Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman

Paul and Karen Avrich

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, 2012

Cover: Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science, by Hans Belting, from Harvard University Press

Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science

Hans Belting

An Observer Book of the Year

Cover: Worlds of Dissent: Charter 77, The Plastic People of the Universe, and Czech Culture under Communism, by Jonathan Bolton, from Harvard University Press

Worlds of Dissent: Charter 77, The Plastic People of the Universe, and Czech Culture under Communism

Jonathan Bolton

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2012 on Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics

Cover: A Short History of Physics in the American Century, by David C. Cassidy, from Harvard University Press

A Short History of Physics in the American Century

David C. Cassidy

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Physics Today Top 5 Books of 2012 Selection

Cover: The World of Persian Literary Humanism, by Hamid Dabashi, from Harvard University Press

The World of Persian Literary Humanism

Hamid Dabashi

A New Statesman Critics Book of the Year

Cover: Engineering Animals: How Life Works, by Mark Denny and Alan McFadzean, from Harvard University Press

Engineering Animals: How Life Works

Mark Denny and Alan McFadzean

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence, by Faisal Devji, from Harvard University Press

The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence

Faisal Devji

A The Hindu Notable Book of 2012

Cover: Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist, by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, from Harvard University Press

Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Sunday Telegraph Best Book of the Year

Cover: Solar Dance: Van Gogh, Forgery, and the Eclipse of Certainty, by Modris Eksteins, from Harvard University Press

Solar Dance: Van Gogh, Forgery, and the Eclipse of Certainty

Modris Eksteins

A Globe and Mail Notable Non-Fiction Book of 2012

Cover: The Creation of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set the Stage for Monarchy, Slavery, and Empire, by Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus, from Harvard University Press

The Creation of Inequality: How Our Prehistoric Ancestors Set the Stage for Monarchy, Slavery, and Empire

Kent Flannery and Joyce Marcus

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: London: A History in Verse, edited by Mark Ford, from Harvard University Press

London: A History in Verse

Mark Ford

An Independent on Sunday Book of the Year, 2012

Cover: Walter Benjamin: A Philosophical Portrait, by Eli Friedlander, from Harvard University Press

Walter Benjamin: A Philosophical Portrait

Eli Friedlander

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong, by Brandon L. Garrett, from Harvard University Press

Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong

Brandon L. Garrett

An Atlantic Best Book about Justice, 2012

Cover: Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire, by Eliga H. Gould, from Harvard University Press

Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire

Eliga H. Gould

A Library Journal Best Book of 2012

Cover: The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society

The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society

Brad S. Gregory

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, 2012

Cover: Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia, by Thane Gustafson, from Harvard University Press

Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia

Thane Gustafson

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2012 on Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics

Cover: Dictionary of American Regional English, Volume V: Sl–Z, edited by Joan Houston Hall, from Harvard University Press

Dictionary of American Regional English, Volume V: Sl–Z

Joan Houston Hall, Chief Editor

A New Yorker Best Book of 2012

A Smithsonian Top Book of 2012

Cover: The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire, by Raymond Jonas, from Harvard University Press

The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire

Raymond Jonas

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Ethical Project, by Philip Kitcher, from Harvard University Press

The Ethical Project

Philip Kitcher

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War, by Halik Kochanski, from Harvard University Press

The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War

Halik Kochanski

An Economist Best Book of 2012

Cover: Planning Armageddon: British Economic Warfare and the First World War, by Nicholas A. Lambert, from Harvard University Press

Planning Armageddon: British Economic Warfare and the First World War

Nicholas A. Lambert

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Many Subtle Channels: In Praise of Potential Literature, by Daniel Levin Becker, from Harvard University Press

Many Subtle Channels: In Praise of Potential Literature

Daniel Levin Becker

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012

Cover: The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy, by Edward N. Luttwak, from Harvard University Press

The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy

Edward N. Luttwak

A Mint Best Book of 2012

Cover: The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination, by Fiona MacCarthy, from Harvard University Press

The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination

Fiona MacCarthy

A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of 2012

Cover: Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer, by Kenneth W. Mack, from Harvard University Press

Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer

Kenneth W. Mack

A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of 2012

Cover: Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union, by Louis P. Masur, from Harvard University Press

Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union

Louis P. Masur

A Civil War Memory Best of 2012 Selection

Cover: The Founders and Finance: How Hamilton, Gallatin, and Other Immigrants Forged a New Economy, by Thomas K. McCraw, from Harvard University Press

The Founders and Finance: How Hamilton, Gallatin, and Other Immigrants Forged a New Economy

Thomas K. McCraw

A Wall Street Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2012

Cover: The War on Heresy, by R.I. Moore, from Harvard University Press

The War on Heresy

R.I. Moore

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2012

A Guardian Best History Book of 2012

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year, 2012

Cover: Capitalism from Below: Markets and Institutional Change in China, by Victor Nee and Sonja Opper, from Harvard University Press

Capitalism from Below: Markets and Institutional Change in China

Victor Nee and Sonja Opper

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age, by Martha C. Nussbaum, from Harvard University Press

The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age

Martha C. Nussbaum

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure, by Henry Petroski, from Harvard University Press

To Forgive Design: Understanding Failure

Henry Petroski

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Revolution in Venezuela: Social and Political Change under Chávez, edited by Thomas Ponniah and Jonathan Eastwood, from Harvard University Press

The Revolution in Venezuela: Social and Political Change under Chávez

Edited by Thomas Ponniah and Jonathan Eastwood

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, edited by Venetia Porter, from Harvard University Press

Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam

Edited by Venetia Porter

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans, by Lawrence N. Powell, from Harvard University Press

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans

Lawrence N. Powell

A Times-Picayne Top 10 Book of 2012

Cover: Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond, by Robert R. Provine, from Harvard University Press

Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond

Robert R. Provine

A Library Journal Best Book of 2012

Cover: Action, Contemplation, and Happiness: An Essay on Aristotle, by C. D. C. Reeve, from Harvard University Press

Action, Contemplation, and Happiness: An Essay on Aristotle

C. D. C. Reeve

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You’re So Tired, by Till Roenneberg, from Harvard University Press

Internal Time: Chronotypes, Social Jet Lag, and Why You’re So Tired

Till Roenneberg

A Brain Pickings Best Science Book of 2012

Cover: Freedom and the Arts: Essays on Music and Literature, by Charles Rosen, from Harvard University Press

Freedom and the Arts: Essays on Music and Literature

Charles Rosen

A New Yorker Best Book of 2012

A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Book of 2012

Cover: The Annotated Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Susan J. Wolfson and Ronald Levao, from Harvard University Press

The Annotated Frankenstein

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, edited by Susan J. Wolfson and Ronald Levao

A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2012

Cover: The Tribunal: Responses to John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid, edited by John Stauffer and Zoe Trodd, from Harvard University Press

The Tribunal: Responses to John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid

Edited by John Stauffer and Zoe Trodd

A Civil War Memory Best of 2012 Selection

Cover: Routes of War: The World of Movement in the Confederate South, by Yael A. Sternhell, from Harvard University Press

Routes of War: The World of Movement in the Confederate South

Yael A. Sternhell

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Civil War Memory Best of 2012 Selection

A Civil War Monitor Best Book of 2012

Cover: With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat in 1918, by David Stevenson, from Harvard University Press

With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat in 1918

David Stevenson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Arthropod Brains: Evolution, Functional Elegance, and Historical Significance, by Nicholas James Strausfeld, from Harvard University Press

Arthropod Brains: Evolution, Functional Elegance, and Historical Significance

Nicholas James Strausfeld

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, by John G. Turner, from Harvard University Press

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet

John G. Turner

A Booklist Top 10 Religion and Spirituality Title of 2012

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2012 on the United States

A Meridian Magazine Top 12 Non-fiction Book of 2012

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, 2012

Cover: Righteous Republic: The Political Foundations of Modern India, by Ananya Vajpeyi, from Harvard University Press

Righteous Republic: The Political Foundations of Modern India

Ananya Vajpeyi

A Guardian “Authors’ Favourites” Book of the Year, 2012

Cover: Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China, by Ezra F. Vogel, from Harvard University Press

Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China

Ezra F. Vogel

A Gates Notes Top Read of 2012

An Esquire China Book of the Year

Cover: Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights, by Marina Warner, from Harvard University Press

Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights

Marina Warner

A Barnes & Noble Review Best Nonfiction of 2012 Selection

A Guardian “Authors’ Favourites” Book of the Year

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, 2012

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012

Cover: The Rise of Nuclear Fear, by Spencer R. Weart, from Harvard University Press

The Rise of Nuclear Fear

Spencer R. Weart

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

A Physics Today Top 5 Books of 2012 Selection

Cover: Godly Republicanism: Puritans, Pilgrims, and a City on a Hill, by Michael P. Winship, from Harvard University Press

Godly Republicanism: Puritans, Pilgrims, and a City on a Hill

Michael P. Winship

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

2011

See also: 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2009 | Recent Awards | The Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize | ↑ Top

Cover: Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age

Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age

Robert N. Bellah

An ABC Religion & Ethics Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science

Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science

Hans Belting, translated by Deborah Lucas Schneider

A Big Think Best Art Book of 2011

A Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2011

Cover: The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity

The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity

David Brakke

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: Field Notes on Science & Nature

Field Notes on Science & Nature

Edited by Michael R. Canfield, with a foreword by Edward O. Wilson

A Barnes & Noble Review Editors’ Pick for Best Reading of 2011

A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2011, ‘Quirky, Beautiful, Different’ Category

A Brain Pickings Best Science Book of 2011

Cover: Palaces of Time: Jewish Calendar and Culture in Early Modern Europe

Palaces of Time: Jewish Calendar and Culture in Early Modern Europe

Elisheva Carlebach

A Jewish Ideas Daily Best Jewish Book of 2011

Cover: Shi'ism: A Religion of Protest

Shi’ism: A Religion of Protest

Hamid Dabashi

A Marginal Revolution Best Book of 2011

Cover: Engineering Animals: How Life Works

Engineering Animals: How Life Works

Mark Denny and Alan McFadzean

A Physics World Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: The Jewish Dark Continent: Life and Death in the Russian Pale of Settlement

The Jewish Dark Continent: Life and Death in the Russian Pale of Settlement

Nathaniel Deutsch

A Jewish Ideas Daily Best Jewish Book of 2011

Cover: Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist

Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

An Irish Times Book of the Year, 2011

A Library Journal Best Book of 2011

A New Statesman Book of the Year, 2011

A Sunday Times Best Book of 2011

A Telegraph Best Book of 2011

A Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2011

A Wall Street Journal Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Peculiar Institution: America's Death Penalty in an Age of Abolition

Peculiar Institution: America’s Death Penalty in an Age of Abolition

David Garland

A Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2011

Cover: The Keats Brothers: The Life of John and George

The Keats Brothers: The Life of John and George

Denise Gigante

A New York Times Book Review Top 100 Notable Book

Cover: I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History

I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History

Stephen Jay Gould

A Brain Pickings Best Science Book of 2011

Cover: The Classical Tradition

The Classical Tradition

Edited by Anthony Grafton, Glenn W. Most, and Salvatore Settis

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: 'I have always loved the Holy Tongue': Isaac Casaubon, the Jews, and a Forgotten Chapter in Renaissance Scholarship

“I have always loved the Holy Tongue”: Isaac Casaubon, the Jews, and a Forgotten Chapter in Renaissance Scholarship

Anthony Grafton and Joanna Weinberg

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society

The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society

Brad S. Gregory

An ABC Religion & Ethics Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Life in a Shell: A Physiologist's View of a Turtle

Life in a Shell: A Physiologist’s View of a Turtle

Donald C. Jackson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: Eurolegalism: The Transformation of Law and Regulation in the European Union

Eurolegalism: The Transformation of Law and Regulation in the European Union

R. Daniel Kelemen

A Foreign Affairs Best Book on Western Europe, 2011

Cover: Awakening Islam: The Politics of Religious Dissent in Contemporary Saudi Arabia

Awakening Islam: The Politics of Religious Dissent in Contemporary Saudi Arabia

Stéphane Lacroix, translated by George Holoch

A Foreign Policy Best Book on the Middle East, 2011

Cover: No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems

No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems

Liu Xiaobo, edited by Perry Link, Tienchi Martin-Liao, and Liu Xia, with a foreword by Václav Havel

A Wall Street Journal Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Rising Force: The Magic of Magnetic Levitation

Rising Force: The Magic of Magnetic Levitation

James D. Livingston

A Physics World Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination

The Last Pre-Raphaelite: Edward Burne-Jones and the Victorian Imagination

Fiona MacCarthy

A Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2011

Cover: The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History

The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History

Samuel Moyn

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor

Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor

Rob Nixon

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: The Age of Equality: The Twentieth Century in Economic Perspective

The Age of Equality: The Twentieth Century in Economic Perspective

Richard Pomfret

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2011 on Economic, Social, and Environmental Subjects

Cover: Before the Revolution: America's Ancient Pasts

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts

Daniel K. Richter

A Marginal Revolution Best Book of 2011

A Wall Street Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2011

Cover: Letters to a Young Poet

Letters to a Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Mark Harman

A Telegraph Best Book of 2011

Cover: Listed: Dispatches from America's Endangered Species Act

Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act

Joe Roman

A Mother Nature Network Best Green and Environmental Book of 2011

Cover: With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat in 1918

With Our Backs to the Wall: Victory and Defeat in 1918

David Stevenson

A Financial Times Best Book of 2011

A Telegraph Best Book of 2011

Cover: A New Science: The Discovery of Religion in the Age of Reason

A New Science: The Discovery of Religion in the Age of Reason

Guy G. Stroumsa

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: The Collapse of American Criminal Justice

The Collapse of American Criminal Justice

William J. Stuntz

A Green Bag Almanac & Reader Selection for Exemplary Legal Writing, 2011

A Library Journal Best Book of 2011

Cover: The Essential Tagore

The Essential Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore, edited by Fakrul Alam and Radha Chakravarty, with a foreword by Amit Chaudhuri

A New Statesman Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Invasion of the Body: Revolutions in Surgery

Invasion of the Body: Revolutions in Surgery

Nicholas L. Tilney

A Wall Street Journal Best Medical Book of the Year, 2011

Cover: Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China

Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China

Ezra F. Vogel

An Economist Best Book of 2011

A Financial Times Best Book of 2011

A Wall Street Journal Book of the Year, 2011

A Washington Post Best Book of 2011

Cover: Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights

Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights

Marina Warner

A Guardian Best Book of 2011

A Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2011

Cover: Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection

Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection

Niobe Way

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

Cover: Seeing Patients: Unconscious Bias in Health Care

Seeing Patients: Unconscious Bias in Health Care

Augustus A. White III, M.D., with David Chanoff

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2011

2010

See also: 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2009 | Recent Awards | The Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize | ↑ Top

Cover: La Vita Nuova

La Vita Nuova

Dante Alighieri, translated by David R. Slavitt, with an introduction by Seth Lerer

A Books & Culture Favorite Book of 2010

Cover: Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition

Pride and Prejudice: An Annotated Edition

Jane Austen, edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks

A First Things Notable Book

Cover: Reason in Philosophy: Animating Ideas

Reason in Philosophy: Animating Ideas

Robert B. Brandom

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Art of the Sonnet

The Art of the Sonnet

Stephen Burt and David Mikics

A First Things Notable Book

Cover: Biology Is Technology: The Promise, Peril, and New Business of Engineering Life

Biology Is Technology: The Promise, Peril, and New Business of Engineering Life

Robert H. Carlson

An Economist Book of the Year

Cover: Saturday Is for Funerals

Saturday Is for Funerals

Unity Dow and Max Essex

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Quest for Equality: The Failed Promise of Black-Brown Solidarity

Quest for Equality: The Failed Promise of Black-Brown Solidarity

Neil Foley

A Huffington Post Best Social and Political Awareness Book of the Year

Cover: In the Shadow of Du Bois: Afro-Modern Political Thought in America

In the Shadow of Du Bois: Afro-Modern Political Thought in America

Robert Gooding-Williams

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions

Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions

Joy Gordon

A Foreign Policy Best Book on the Middle East

Cover: The Spirit of the Law: Religious Voices and the Constitution in Modern America

The Spirit of the Law: Religious Voices and the Constitution in Modern America

Sarah Barringer Gordon

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Classical Tradition

The Classical Tradition

Edited by Anthony Grafton, Glenn W. Most, and Salvatore Settis

A Barnes & Noble Review ‘Year’s Best Reading’ Selection

A First Things Notable Book

A Washington Post Best Nonfiction Selection

Cover: Fatherhood: Evolution and Human Paternal Behavior

Fatherhood: Evolution and Human Paternal Behavior

Peter B. Gray and Kermyt G. Anderson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Moses Montefiore: Jewish Liberator, Imperial Hero

Moses Montefiore: Jewish Liberator, Imperial Hero

Abigail Green

A New Republic Best Book of 2010

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year

Cover: Bilingual: Life and Reality

Bilingual: Life and Reality

François Grosjean

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Habeas Corpus: From England to Empire

Habeas Corpus: From England to Empire

Paul D. Halliday

A New Statesman Favorite Read

Cover: March of the Microbes: Sighting the Unseen

March of the Microbes: Sighting the Unseen

John L. Ingraham, with a foreword by Roberto Kolter

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well

The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well

Lynne A. Isbell

An Atlantic Books of the Year Runner-Up

Cover: The Heart of William James

The Heart of William James

William James, edited by Robert D. Richardson

A First Things Notable Book

A Guardian Book of the Year

Cover: Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia

Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia

Toby Craig Jones

A Vancouver Sun Top 10 Business Book of 2010

Cover: The Evolution of Childhood: Relationships, Emotion, Mind

The Evolution of Childhood: Relationships, Emotion, Mind

Melvin Konner

An Amazon.com Best Science Book of 2010

An Atlantic Book of the Year

A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year

Cover: Patriotic Pluralism: Americanization Education and European Immigrants

Patriotic Pluralism: Americanization Education and European Immigrants

Jeffrey E. Mirel

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought

The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought

Eric Nelson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: What Happened at Vatican II

What Happened at Vatican II

John W. O’Malley, S.J.

A Tablet Book of the Year

Cover: The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist

The Naïve and the Sentimental Novelist

Orhan Pamuk, translated by Nazim Dikbaş

A Huffington Post Best Book of the Year

Cover: The Crisis of Capitalist Democracy

The Crisis of Capitalist Democracy

Richard A. Posner

A Financial Times Financial Book of the Year

Cover: The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence

The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence

Jack N. Rakove

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Two Faces of American Freedom

The Two Faces of American Freedom

Aziz Rana

A Huffington Post Top 18 Book of the Year on Social and Political Awareness

Cover: The Birth of Feminism: Woman as Intellect in Renaissance Italy and England

The Birth of Feminism: Woman as Intellect in Renaissance Italy and England

Sarah Gwyneth Ross

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: American Homicide

American Homicide

Randolph Roth

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Trotsky: A Biography

Trotsky: A Biography

Robert Service

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Better Living through Economics

Better Living through Economics

Edited by John J. Siegfried

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Race, Rigor, and Selectivity in U.S. Engineering: The History of an Occupational Color Line

Race, Rigor, and Selectivity in U.S. Engineering: The History of an Occupational Color Line

Amy E. Slaton

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse

The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse

Steven D. Smith

A First Things Notable Book

Cover: Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being

Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being

Esther M. Sternberg, M.D.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Prefaces to Shakespeare

Prefaces to Shakespeare

Tony Tanner

A Sunday Herald Book of the Year

Cover: We Ain't What We Ought To Be: The Black Freedom Struggle from Emancipation to Obama

We Ain’t What We Ought To Be: The Black Freedom Struggle from Emancipation to Obama

Stephen Tuck

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement

Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement

Justin Vaïsse, translated by Arthur Goldhammer

A Financial Times Book of the Year

Cover: Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries

Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries

Helen Vendler

A First Things Notable Book

A Lapham’s Quarterly ‘Best Books We Read This Year’ Selection

A New Republic Best Book of 2010

Cover: Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World

Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World

Robert R.M. Verchick

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Fractured Rebellion: The Beijing Red Guard Movement

Fractured Rebellion: The Beijing Red Guard Movement

Andrew G. Walder

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Lake Views: This World and the Universe

Lake Views: This World and the Universe

Steven Weinberg

A Physics World Top 10 Book of 2010

Cover: The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy

The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy

Peter H. Wilson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

2009

See also: 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | Recent Awards | The Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize | ↑ Top

Cover: The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found

The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found

Mary Beard

A New York Times Notable Book

Cover: Borderline Americans: Racial Division and Labor War in the Arizona Borderlands

Borderline Americans: Racial Division and Labor War in the Arizona Borderlands

Katherine Benton-Cohen

A Pima County Public Library Best Southwest Book of 2009

Cover: Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller

Christopher Bigsby

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction

Brian Boyd

A New Zealand Listener Best Book of 2009

Cover: Becoming African Americans: Black Public Life in Harlem, 1919-1939

Becoming African Americans: Black Public Life in Harlem, 1919–1939

Clare Corbould

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Military Culture in Imperial China

Military Culture in Imperial China

Edited by Nicola Di Cosmo

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: No Small Matter: Science on the Nanoscale

No Small Matter: Science on the Nanoscale

Felice C. Frankel and George M. Whitesides

A Scientific American Recommended Holiday Gift Book

Cover: Worlds Made by Words: Scholarship and Community in the Modern West

Worlds Made by Words: Scholarship and Community in the Modern West

Anthony Grafton

A Scotsman Gift Pick

Cover: Naming Infinity: A True Story of Religious Mysticism and Mathematical Creativity

Naming Infinity: A True Story of Religious Mysticism and Mathematical Creativity

Loren Graham and Jean-Michel Kantor

A Books & Culture Favorite Book of 2009

Cover: The Wind in the Willows: An Annotated Edition

The Wind in the Willows: An Annotated Edition

Kenneth Grahame, edited by Seth Lerer

A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2009

Cover: What Blood Won't Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America

What Blood Won’t Tell: A History of Race on Trial in America

Ariela J. Gross

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding

Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2009

An Irish Times Best Book of 2009

Cover: Charisma and Compassion: Cheng Yen and the Buddhist Tzu Chi Movement

Charisma and Compassion: Cheng Yen and the Buddhist Tzu Chi Movement

C. Julia Huang

A Strategy + Business Best Business Book of 2009

Cover: The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well

The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent: Why We See So Well

Lynne A. Isbell

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Selma of the North: Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee

The Selma of the North: Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee

Patrick D. Jones

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East

Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East

Gilles Kepel, translated by Pascale Ghazaleh

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Conservative Turn: Lionel Trilling, Whittaker Chambers, and the Lessons of Anti-Communism

The Conservative Turn: Lionel Trilling, Whittaker Chambers, and the Lessons of Anti-Communism

Michael Kimmage

A New Republic Book of the Year

Cover: Democracy Denied, 1905-1915: Intellectuals and the Fate of Democracy

Democracy Denied, 1905–1915: Intellectuals and the Fate of Democracy

Charles Kurzman

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: A New Literary History of America

A New Literary History of America

Edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors

An Amazon.com Editors’ Pick Best Book of 2009

A Boston Phoenix Gift Book of 2009

An East Bay Express Best Book of 2009

An Entertainment Weekly “Shelf-Life” Best Nonfiction Book of 2009

An NPR Best Gift Book Selection

A Salon Best Nonfiction Book of 2009

A Seminary Co-op Top 20 Book of 2009

A Time Out New York Gift Book Selection

Cover: Samuel Johnson: A Biography

Samuel Johnson: A Biography

Peter Martin

An Atlantic Books of the Year Runner-Up

Cover: Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health

Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health

Rick Mayes, Catherine Bagwell, and Jennifer Erkulwater

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Peculiar Life of Sundays

The Peculiar Life of Sundays

Stephen Miller

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise

To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise

Bethany Moreton

A Boston Phoenix Best Book of 2009

Cover: Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington

Up from History: The Life of Booker T. Washington

Robert J. Norrell

A Library Journal Best Book of 2009

A Booklist Top 10 Black History Nonfiction Books of 2009 Selection

A Washington Post Best Book of 2009

Cover: Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion

Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion

Edited by Ronald L. Numbers

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: What Happened at Vatican II

What Happened at Vatican II

John W. O’Malley, S.J.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: American Homicide

American Homicide

Randolph Roth

A Reason Best Book of 2009

Cover: The Idea of Justice

The Idea of Justice

Amartya Sen

An Economist Best Book of 2009

A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2009

A New Statesman Top 10 Book of the Decade

Cover: Trotsky: A Biography

Trotsky: A Biography

Robert Service

An Independent Best History Book of 2009

A New Yorker Reviewers’ Favorite Nonfiction Book of 2009

Cover: Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society

Prairie Dogs: Communication and Community in an Animal Society

C.N. Slobodchikoff, Bianca S. Perla, and Jennifer L. Verdolin

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Depth: An Account of Scientific Explanation

Depth: An Account of Scientific Explanation

Michael Strevens

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music

Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music

David Suisman

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Reading Tao Yuanming: Shifting Paradigms of Historical Reception (427-1900)

Reading Tao Yuanming: Shifting Paradigms of Historical Reception (427–1900)

Wendy Swartz

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China

The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China

Jay Taylor

A Financial Times Book of the Year

Cover: Benjamin's -abilities

Benjamin’s -abilities

Samuel Weber

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: Be Always Converting, Be Always Converted: An American Poetics

Be Always Converting, Be Always Converted: An American Poetics

Rob Wilson

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Cover: The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy

The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy

Peter H. Wilson

An Atlantic Books of the Year Runner-Up

An Independent Best History Book of 2009

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Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence in Publishing: Harvard University Press Centennial, 1913-2013 [Picture of birthday cake]