Welcome to Basic Books

Gross National Happiness

by  Arthur C. Brooks

Why Happiness Matters for America -- and
How We Can Get More of It

In this provocative new book, Arthur C. Brooks explodes the myths about happiness in America. As he did in the controversial Who Really Cares, Brooks examines vast amounts of evidence and empirical research to uncover the truth about who is happy in America, who is not, and - most important - why.

The values that bring happiness are faith, charity, hard work, optimism, and individual liberty. Secularism, excessive reliance on the state to solve problems, and an addiction to security all promote unhappiness. What can be done to maximize America's happiness?

Replete with the unconventional wisdom for which Brooks has come to be known, Gross National Happiness offers surprising and illuminating conclusions about how our government can best facilitate Americans in their pursuit of happiness ... More

Buy this book

Who's Your City?

How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life by Richard Florida

From the best-selling author of The Rise of the Creative Class, a brilliant new book on the surprising importance of place, with advice on how to find the right place for you ... More

Buy this book

Lifting Depression

A Neuroscientist's Hands-On Approach to Activating Your Brain's Healing Power by Kelly Lambert

Drawing on the latest findings from neuroscience, as well as cultural observation and her own unique laboratory research, psychologist Kelly Lambert puts forth a provocative new theory about the cause and treatment of depression ... More

Buy this book

Reinventing the Sacred

A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion by Stuart Kauffman

A compelling and sweeping argument that complexity theory can build a bridge between science and religion ... More

Buy this book

Yeltsin

A Life by Timothy J. Colton

A major reassessment of one of the most important-and complex-political figures of the modern age ... More

Buy this book

A History of Iran

Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy

A comprehensive history of Iran, from the glories of the Persian Empire to the Islamic Republic’s newly powerful-and much vilified-role in the Middle East ... More

Buy this book

If By Sea

The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812 by George Daughan

From Boston Harbor to Yorktown; from wars with France and Tripoli to the dramatic Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812, the definitive history of the creation of the American Navy ... More

Buy this book









Perseus Books Group named Publishers Weekly's Publisher of the Year for 2007!

An Elite Praetorian Guard - Read Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill and discover the disturbing truth behind the world's most powerful mercenary army.

Get Down to Basics - Sign Up for the Perseus Books Group Monthly Newsletter