An Unnatural History of Britain: In Search of Our Obscure and Non-native Species

Kevin Parr

A lyrical and informative look at Britain’s non-native species, featuring original line art.

Most people have no idea that we have scorpions, Aesculapian snakes, eagle owls, wallabies and many more unusual non-native species living and breeding in the British Isles.

In An Unnatural History of Britain nature writer Kevin Parr travels the length and breadth of the country seeking out these rare creatures and exploring the myths and folklore which have emerged around them along the way.

The Divorce of Nations

João Vale de Almeida

Today we are witnessing one of the most dangerous geopolitical situations of modern times, heralded by loud populist and nationalist voices, and steeped in uncertainty. But how did the nations of the world come to find themselves in such a predicament? Is the international liberal order condemned?
Having met every consequential global leader since the turn of the millennium, one of the world’s foremost diplomats lifts the veil on modern foreign affairs and enables us to trace how countries have been sleepwalking towards the ‘Divorce of Nations’, and the steps we can take to fix it.
Based on contemporary notes and further reflections, The Divorce of Nations is a necessary and important book that enables us to move forward with better awareness and understanding of the current volatile and fragmented scene, at both national and global levels.

Moreish

Matt Buttrick

It is said we make around 200 food decisions every day, and most of them are completely out of our control. So what really happens when it’s time to eat?
Moreish digs into the unseen triggers, secret influences and mysterious motivations hovering above the table every time we get peckish. Explore the impact of words in menu construction alongside the power of comfort food; why the first bite is not always with the eyes; and how the worlds of sex, symbolism and animal instinct are simmering beneath the surface in all of us.
Continually eye opening and perceptive, often witty and entertaining, Moreish sets a place for persuasive packaging, in your face pop songs, underhand menu writing and over the top advertising. It demonstrates that while we often feel fully in control of our food choices the opposite is almost definitely true. If you've ever eaten food, this book is for you.

Chemically Imbalanced

Joanna Moncrieff

For years, we’ve been led to believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and antidepressants are the solution. But what if this widely accepted belief has been built on unreliable truths?
In Chemically Imbalanced, renowned psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through the history of the serotonin theory of depression, from its origins in the 1960s to its widespread acceptance in the 1990s. With clarity and compelling evidence, Moncrieff exposes how scientific understanding has been swayed by social and economic forces, leading to misconceptions that have shaped treatment decisions for millions.
Accessible yet profoundly insightful, Chemically Imbalanced is essential reading for anyone seeking to make more informed choices about their mental health and understand the forces that shape the way we perceive and treat depression today.

Rigged

Andy Verity

Rigged exposes a cover-up at the highest level on both sides of the Atlantic, upending the official story of the biggest scandal since the global financial crisis.
Banks’ health is judged by an interest rate called Libor. To save themselves from collapse, nationalisation and loss of bonuses, banks instruct traders to manipulate Libor down – a criminal practice known as lowballing. Outraged, traders turn whistleblowers, alerting the authorities.
Their instructions come first from top bosses – then from central banks and governments. But when the scandal explodes into the news, prosecutors allow banks to cover up the evidence pointing to the top. Instead, they accuse 37 traders of another kind of interest rate ‘rigging’ that no one had seen as a crime. In nine trials from 2015 to 2019, nineteen are convicted and sentenced. Rigged exclusively shows why all the defendants are innocent, and how any real culprits go unpunished.
Turns out, it’s not just the market that’s rigged. It’s the entire system.

You Must Stand Up

Amanda Becker

When the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion care by way of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the country was thrown into chaos.
In You Must Stand Up, Nieman Fellow Amanda Becker provides a real-time portrait of the creative resistance that unfolded in America's first year without the protections of Roe v. Wade. Becker traces the story of the people rising to meet these new challenges – doctors and staffers turning to new financial and medical models to remain open and provide abortions, volunteers campaigning against anti-abortion ballot initiatives, and medical students fighting to learn to provide what can be life-saving care.
In depicting the splintered reality of post-Dobbs America, Becker ultimately shows how outrage can beget hope, and give rise to a new movement.

The Quiet Moon: Pathways To An Ancient Way of Being

Kevin Parr

A lyrical exploration of mental health and nature, set to the phases of the moon.

The ancient Celts lived by and worshipped the moon. While modern, digital life is often at odds with nature – rubbing against it rather than working in harmony with it – is there something to be said for embracing this ancient way of being and reconnecting to the moon’s natural calendar?
In The Quiet Moon, Kevin Parr discovers that a year of moons has much to teach us about how to live in the world that surrounds us – and how being more in tune to the rhythms of nature, even in the cold and dark, can help ease the suffering mind.

Cypto Confidential

Jake Donoghue

An uncompromising account of the exorbitant greed and systemic corruption that typifies the cultish world of cryptocurrency, this is the salacious story of the industry everyone is talking about right now. It sheds light on some of the most scandalous financial crimes of the 21st century – from billion-dollar fraud cases to international money laundering cartels, political bribery and even faked deaths, it lifts the lid on the intricate and immense web of malpractice that crypto founders spin to trap ordinary investors.
Written by a prominent and well-connected insider, Crypto Confidential provides a first-hand account of how the industry truly operates, and how every aspect is engineered for one purpose: to make vast amounts of fast money for those on the inside, by any means necessary.

Friday is the New Saturday

Pedro Gomes

The five day working week must change. Here's how.

Friday is the New Saturday makes a compelling, provocative and timely case for societal change. Drawing on an eclectic range of economic theory, history and data, Pedro Gomes argues that a four-day working week will bring about a powerful economic renewal for the benefit of all society. It will stimulate demand, productivity, innovation and wages, whilst reducing unemployment and crushing populist movements. The arguments come from both the left and right of the political spectrum to show that a polarised society can still find common ground.
In the 2000s, Friday will become the new Saturday, and we will never look back.

The Super-Helper Syndrome: A Survival Guide for Compassionate People

Jess Baker & Rod Vincent

There’s a type of person out there who is better at helping others than they are at looking after themselves. Maybe you’re one of them. Maybe you know someone who is. There’s usually one in every family.
But these people, who do so much to help others, are struggling. Deeper down, beneath all of this, there is something else that causes helpers to suffer. It dwells in their psychology and the belief system that motivates them.
The Super-Helper Syndrome offers a new perspective on the psychology of helping. It offers support for people who want to adopt a Healthy Helper Mindset, including meeting their own needs, countering the inner critic, building assertiveness and setting helping boundaries. It’s only by doing these things that compassionate people can be most effective at helping others.

Milk Without Honey

Hanna Harms; translated by Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp

An impactful and beautiful graphic novel about the plight of the bees.

We could live in a paradise where insects, especially bees, pollinate fragrant oceans of flowers whose fruits we harvest. Instead, patio wastelands and utilitarian lawns are now displacing flower gardens, and agriculture is dominated by monocultures. Pesticides and climate change are also causing insect mortality, with dramatic consequences for the global ecosystem. If this carries on unchecked, honey will be just one of the many foodstuffs no longer available to us – unless we learn to honour our innate connection with nature before it’s too late.

Milk Without Honey is a poignant and provocative graphic novel about the plight of the bees in which illustrator Hanna Harms inspires not only reflection but also action.

Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World

Toby Walsh

Artificial intelligence is, as the name suggests, artificial and fundamentally different to human intelligence. Yet often the goal of AI is to fake human intelligence. This deceit has been there from the very beginning. We’ve been trying to fake it since Alan Turing answered the question ‘Can machines think?’ by proposing that machines pretend to be humans.
Powerful AIs can convince us they are intelligent and blur the distinction between what is real and what is simulated. In reality, they lack true understanding, sentience and common sense. But this doesn’t mean they can’t change the world.
Can AI systems ever be creative? Can they be moral? What can we do to ensure they are not harmful? In this fun and fascinating book, Professor Toby Walsh explores all the ways AI fakes it, and what this means for humanity – now and in the future.