Princeton University Press

On Reading: From "Walden"

by Henry David Thoreau & J. Lyndon Shanley

As the digital age settles on us and the ebook revolution dawns, the question of why we read to begin with is often forgotten. Who better to turn to for guidance on this question than the man who sought refuge...

The Gamble: High Rollers

by John Sides & Lynn Vavreck

"High Rollers" is the fourth and final free eBook preview chapter from John Sides and Lynn Vavreck's groundbreaking Fall 2013 book, The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election.

Picking up...

On Victory and Defeat: From "On War"

by Carl Von Clausewitz, Michael Eliot Howard & Peter Paret

The seemingly endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have renewed the age-old debate over what constitutes military victory. Will the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan be seen as a sign of victory...

The Future of Fossil Fuels: From "Hubbert's Peak"

by Kenneth S. Deffeyes

As debates about the effects of fossil fuels on our climate and foreign policy intensify, the question of just how much longer we can depend on this finite source of energy becomes more and more pressing. This...

The Five Habits of Highly Effective Honeybees (and What We Can Learn from Them): From "Honeybee Democracy"

by Thomas D. Seeley

Studies of animal behavior have often been invoked to help explain and even guide human behavior. Think of Pavlov and his dogs or Goodall and her chimps. But, as these examples indicate, the tendency has been...

The Second Great Contraction

by Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff

We've been assured that the recession is over, but the country and the economy continue to feel the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, and people are still searching for answers about what caused it, what...