James C. Scott: An Editor’s Reflections
Jean E. Thomson Black— Yale University’s remembrance of James C. Scott beautifully summarizes his life and career. We focus in this reflection on Jim’s…
Environment
Volcanic – 50 Years in 50 Books
Volcanic is a vibrant, diverse history of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples in the age of Romanticism. First published this year, John Brewer…
The Long, Long Life of Trees by Fiona Stafford – 50 Years in 50 Books
Published for the first time in 2016, The Long, Long Life of Trees explores the intimate way Trees have become entwined with human experience….
In Search of the River Jordan
Access to water has played a pivotal role in the Israel-Palestine dispute. Israel has diverted the River Jordan via pipes and canals to build…
Earth Day: A Reading List
We’ve pulled together a reading list of blog posts and extracts for Earth Day 2024, engaging with perspectives and wider conversations about our relationship…
Egypt’s environmental history offers a warning for COP27
For two centuries, Egypt’s infrastructure projects have realised some goals — but most also turned into disasters of different kinds. Alan Mikhail, author of…
Medical Practitioners and the Gardens They Shaped in the Late Eighteenth Century
The late eighteenth century represented a high point for botanic collecting and garden creation in Britain as new plants and seeds arrived from overseas…
Drawn to Nature: The Natural World, Visual Art & Written Word
When recruiting for a Personal Assistant in 2019, Pallant House Gallery director Simon Martin was inspired by one interviewee’s enthusiastic response to a set…
Staff Pick: The Sea
This month, Yale University Press London staff voted for their favourite book on the theme of ‘The Sea‘. Find out which books they recommended and why….
The Rights of Marine Animals – Chris Armstrong
Chris Armstrong’s book, A Blue New Deal, now in paperback, is an urgent account of the state of our oceans today – and what…
Staff Pick: COP26
To mark the occasion of the COP26 summit in Glasgow this month, we asked our colleagues to recommend their favourite Yale environmental books. November’s…
Climate Change — No 0.5°C are the Same
James Ladyman & Karoline Wiesner, authors of What is a Complex System?, explain the increases in atmospheric temperature and what their consequences might be….
The Problem of Resources in Early Modern Times
Henry Kamen, author of Early Modern European Society recounts the debate over resources and the themes of conservation taking root across Europe in early…
Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future
Daniel Esty, editor of A Better Planet: Forty Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future explains the Zero Carbon Action Plan and talks about why…
Global Crisis
Geoffrey Parker outlines his book, Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century, and explores how the lessons learned from the…