Are you a scholar sitting on a manuscript that you think could be a book — but you have no idea where to start? In this episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo sits down with Laura Portwood-Stacer, founder of Manuscript Works and author of two books about academic publishing: “The Book Proposal Book” and “Make Your Manuscript Work.” Laura shares ... Show More
Aug 28
An Honest Death: Life's End and Humanist Funerals with Matthew Engelke
A fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at non-religious funerals in contemporary London, An Honest Death: Life's End and Humanist Funerals (Princeton UP, 2026) is an intimate and moving ethnographic account of funerals for people who don’t believe in God or an afterlife. Focusing ... Show More
54m 48s
Aug 27
Yuri Pines, "China's Aristocratic Age: Politics and Power in the Springs-and-Autumns Period" (Princeton UP, 2026)
The Springs-and-Autumns period is a strange period in Chinese history. Coming after the decline of the Zhou, and before the famous Warring States Period, this period of Chinese history features a large number of small states with no powerful hegemon, no strong sense of the mandat ... Show More
46m 18s
Aug 26
Paul Johnson, "Challenging Inequalities: How We Got Stuck and Where We Go Next" (Princeton UP, 2026)
There is a widespread sense throughout the developed world that progress towards a better society has stalled. Many countries, including the UK, have experienced persistent economic stagnation accompanied by declining trust in institutions. Governments are struggling to respond n ... Show More
50m 51s
Apr 2024
Daron Acemoglu on Marxism and AI
Are we, in fact, living in a time of revolution? What it means and what you can do about it, according to one of MIT’s greatest thinkers. Power and Progress: Our 1,000-Year Struggle Over Technology & Prosperity Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inf ... Show More
28m 1s
Aug 2017
Betty S. Anderson, “A History of the Middle East: Rulers, Rebels, and Rogues (Stanford UP, 2016)
As the Middle East continues to become more topical to American and European audiences, a need for textbooks to teach the history of the region has become urgent. Some such textbooks take a topical approach, others use a chronological narrative. Betty Anderson‘s A History of the ... Show More
27m 11s
Oct 2025
The World’s Changing Fast. Here's How to Keep Up.
It’s easy enough to celebrate “disruptive” technologies, but all that disruption can have a real human cost. Job loss, anxiety, environmental fallout — every major shift creates winners and losers. But today’s author says the upsides may be worth the turmoil. Scott D. Anthony is ... Show More
17m 55s
Apr 2024
Season 3, Episode 6: Richard E. Rubenstein, Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages
Send us Fan MailJoin Professors Jeffrey Sachs and an expert on religious conflict, Richard E. Rubenstein as they discuss Rubenstein’s book, Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages. Rubenstein skillfully g ... Show More
48m 49s