Books like The Last Empire by Gore Vidal

A collection of David Foster Wallace’s essays that explore contemporary culture with sharp wit and keen observation.

Thomas Hobbes' influential work on social contract and political governance from 1651, addressing the structure of government and society as the way to prevent civil war and chaos.

An ambassador's journey through ancient Persia in fifth-century BC as told by Cyrus, the fictional character.

A concise defense of utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill, presented with contextual introductions and supplementary appendices that trace its historical origins and critical reception.

Jonathan Franzen’s "How to Be Alone" assembles a selection of his essays, including the famed Harper’s piece, offering thoughtful reflections on modern living in a concise, well‑edited collection.

Mary Oliver’s essays weave nature, literature, and personal growth as she reflects on her childhood influences and the creative forces that guide her poetic life.

Salman Rushdie’s first nonfiction collection in a decade, "Step Across This Line" gathers essays, speeches and articles that chart his intellectual journeys and personal reflections on India, the fatwa, and contemporary global issues.

Aaron Burr gives a first‑person account of his life from the Revolutionary War through his treason trial, revealing the political scandals and vice‑presidential controversies of early America.

The original, authoritative collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s early essays, including all revisions he made after first publication.

A political and cultural epic set during the tumultuous 1940s and 1950s, focusing on Washington, D.C., Hollywood, and New York, with characters like Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins, and Joseph Alsop.

Annie Dillard returns to nonfiction in *For the Time Being*, weaving observations of nature, science, and history while probing God, suffering, and human significance.

The City and the Pillar follows a young man's journey into adulthood as he confronts and accepts his homosexuality in New York during the late 1940s.

In the three decades that Nobel prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk has devoted himself to writing fiction, he has also produced scores of witty, moving, and provocative essays and articles. He engages the work of Nabokov, Kundera, Rushdie, and Vargas Llosa, among others, and he discusses his own books and writing process. We also learn how he lives, as he recounts his successful struggle to quit smoking, describes his relationship with his daughter, and reflects on the controversy he has attracted in recent years. Here is a thoughtful compilation of a brilliant novelist's best nonfiction, offering different perspectives on his lifelong obsessions with loneliness, contentment, and the books and cities that have shaped his experience.From the Trade Paperback edition.

A collection showcasing Will Self's sharp wit through his best articles, book reviews and interviews published in major UK newspapers.

A witty, introspective debut of David Rakoff’s essays that blend humor with poignant observations on life, identity, and the absurdities of everyday moments.

A collection of Gore Vidal's insightful and witty essays, edited by his literary executor.

Caroline Sanford, a newspaper owner in Washington, D.C., fights for power in an industry dominated by men, setting the stage for the United States as a global power in the early 20th century.

Gore Vidal’s historical novel portrays Julian the Apostate, nephew of Constantine, as a military genius, eloquent essayist, and Hellenistic philosopher who battles Christianity before his execution at thirty‑two.

Liberals have acclaimed, and conservatives decried, reliance on courts as tools for changes. But while debate rages over whether the courts should be playing such a legislative role, Gerald N. Rosenberg poses a far more fundamental question—can courts produce political and social reform?Rosenberg presents, with remarkable skill, an overwhelming case that efforts to use the courts to generate significant reforms in civil rights, abortion, and women's rights were largely failures."The real strength of The Hollow Hope...is its resuscitation of American Politics—the old-fashioned representative kind—as a valid instrument of social change. Indeed, the flip side of Mr. Rosenberg's argument that courts don't do all that much is the refreshing view that politics in the best sense of the word—as deliberation and choice over economic and social changes, as well as over moral issues—is still the core of what makes America the great nation it is....A book worth reading."—Gary L. McDowell, The Washington Times