The demise of apartheid was one of the great achievements of postwar history, sought after and celebrated by a progressive global community. Looking at these events from the other side, An African Volk explores how the apartheid state strove to maintain power as the world of white empire gave way to[...]

The unpredictability of nature is both exhilarating and unnerving. Whether in science, the casino, or merely our everyday lives, chance is a mysterious force we do the utmost to control, usually with little success. Is life really nothing other than the roll of the dice or the toss of the coin? Why [...]

The most colossal environmental disturbance in human history is under way. Ever-rising levels of the potent greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) are altering the cycles of matter and life and interfering with the Earth's natural cooling process. Melting Arctic ice and mountain glaciers are just the f[...]

From the acclaimed author of "Stuffed: "an intimate, richly illustrated memoir, written with charm and panache, that juxtaposes two fascinating lives--the iconoclastic designer Elsa Schiaparelli and the author's own mother--to explore how a girl fashions herself into a woman.
Audrey Morgen Volk[...]

Fully revised and updated, the second edition of Cheap Bastard's Guide to Seattle details endless free and inexpensive opportunities available in the Emerald City from theater, concerts, and museums to yoga classes, haircuts, and massages--for native and visiting cheapskates alike. Written in a fun,[...]

Guitar Dreams is a collection of interviews, articles and photographs that celebrate plucked string musicians and luthiers whose work delights, challenges, and inspires all of us who care passionately about the back stories behind the music and the instruments we love. Many of these pieces first app[...]

On DEATH . . .What is shared by spawning Pacific salmon, towering trees, and suicidal bacteria? In his lucid and concise exploration of how and why things die, Tyler Volk explains the intriguing ways creatures-including ourselves-use death to actually enhance life. Death is not simply the end of the[...]