How ancient Stoicism can help teach us to treat others—and ourselves—more fairly and mercifully

There are times when we’ve all felt that we haven’t been treated as we deserve—that we’ve been misjudged, shortchanged, or given a raw deal. And, at one time or another, other people have probably felt that we’ve treated them just as unfairly. How to Do the Right Thing draws on the principles of ancient Stoicism as articulated by the Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca to help readers better navigate one of the most important practical questions of daily life—how to do right by others.

Starting from the virtue of magnanimity—the opposite of small-mindedness—How to Do the Right Thing draws together lessons from Seneca’s writings that stress the importance of calm and clear thinking, of judging oneself fairly before judging others, and of cutting people slack, with a bias toward mercy—all delivered in crisp and lively new translations, and with the original Latin on facing pages.

Were it not for shadows there would be no beauty.

Nothing evokes the calm and nuance of the traditional Japanese aesthetic more profoundly than this book. Tanizaki’s eye ranges over architecture, jade, food, even toilets, examining the design and feel of the intimate places we inhabit. His acute sense of the use of space in buildings, his poetic descriptions of lacquerware under candlelight and his appreciation for natural materials suggest the possibility of a simpler, more beautiful life – one in which the softness of shadows is shielded from the dazzling light of modernity.

‘Tanazaki suggests an attitude of appreciation and mindfulness, especially mindfulness of beauty, as central to life lived well’ AC Grayling, Guardian

‘That it is a work of art can never be in doubt’ New Statesman

'Elegant...a delight to read' Independent on Sunday

A fully illustrated, beautifully produced edition of Junichiro Tanizaki's wise and evocative essay on Japanese culture.

‘We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates… Were it not for shadows, there would be no beauty.’

This book is in fact a portal. Reading it, you will be led by Junichiro Tanizaki’s light touch into a mysterious and tranquil world of darkness and shadows, where gold flashes in the gloom and a deep stillness reigns. If you are accustomed to equate light with clarity, the faded with the worthless and the dim with the dreary, prepare for a courteous but powerful realignment of your ideas.

In Praise of Shadows is a poetic paean to traditional Japanese aesthetics – in a free-ranging style that moves from architecture to No theatre, and from cookery to lighting, Tanizaki teaches us to see the beauty in tarnished metal, the sombre dignity in unglazed pottery, the primacy of organic materials that bear witness to the regular touch of human hands. It is also astonishingly prescient, offering a gentle warning against the quest for airbrushed perfection, and reminding us that too much light can pollute and obscure our natural world.

In this special edition, the text is accompanied by specially selected images to complement Tanizaki’s reflections and further illustrate the pattern and beauty of shadows.

The foundational and wildly popular go-to resource for the science of influence and persuasion—a renowned international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold—now revised adding: new research, new insights, new examples, and online applications.

In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of Pre-Suasion and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights on human behavior ethically in business and everyday settings. Using memorable stories and relatable examples, Cialdini makes this crucial aspect of behavioral science surprisingly easy to understand. With Cialdini as a guide, you don’t have to be a scientist to learn how to use this science in your own decision-making.

You’ll learn Cialdini’s Universal Principles of Influence, including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persuader—and just as importantly, you’ll learn how to defend yourself against unethical influence attempts. You may think you know these principles of social psychology, but without understanding their intricacies, you may be ceding their power to someone else.

Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion:

• Reciprocation
• Commitment and Consistency
• Social Proof
• Liking
• Authority
• Scarcity
• Unity, the newest principle for this edition

Understanding and applying the principles ethically is cost-free and deceptively easy. Backed by Dr. Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific research—including a three-year field study on what leads people to change—Influence, New and Expanded EPB is a comprehensive guide to using these principles to move others in your direction.

The foundational and wildly popular go-to resource for the science of influence and persuasion—a renowned international bestseller, with over 5 million copies sold—now revised adding: new research, new insights, new examples, and online applications.

In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of Pre-Suasion and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights on human behavior ethically in business and everyday settings. Using memorable stories and relatable examples, Cialdini makes this crucial aspect of behavioral science surprisingly easy to understand. With Cialdini as a guide, you don’t have to be a scientist to learn how to use this science in your own decision-making.

You’ll learn Cialdini’s Universal Principles of Influence, including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persuader—and just as importantly, you’ll learn how to defend yourself against unethical influence attempts. You may think you know these principles of social psychology, but without understanding their intricacies, you may be ceding their power to someone else.

Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion:

• Reciprocation
• Commitment and Consistency
• Social Proof
• Liking
• Authority
• Scarcity
• Unity, the newest principle for this edition

Understanding and applying the principles ethically is cost-free and deceptively easy. Backed by Dr. Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based, peer-reviewed scientific research—including a three-year field study on what leads people to change—Influence, New and Expanded EPB is a comprehensive guide to using these principles to move others in your direction.

On December 5, 1923, at just twenty-two years old, Manly Palmer Hall embarked on the defining pilgrimage of his early life, boarding the S.S. Franconia for a journey around the world. The voyage was conceived an ambitious spiritual and intellectual expedition, as Hall set out to encounter firsthand the religious traditions, sacred philosophies, symbols, and cultural systems that had long stirred his imagination through books.

This journey became the inspiration for Hall’s masterpiece, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, an encyclopedic synthesis of myth, mysticism, esoteric philosophy, comparative religion, and symbolic traditions from around the globe. The book supported his enduring conviction that beneath the world’s diverse religions and mystery schools lay a perennial philosophy: a hidden wisdom expressing humanity’s enduring search for truth. The Secret Teachings would secure his place as one of the twentieth century’s foremost interpreters of esoteric thought.

Created in close collaboration with Manly P. Hall’s archives at the Philosophical Research Society, this newly curated edition offers a fresh gateway into Hall’s landmark esoteric masterpiece. Revered as a classic since its original publication in 1928, Hall’s monumental encyclopedia remains one of the most expansive explorations of subjects ranging from Hermetic philosophy and Tarot to Egyptian mythology, sacred geometry, and Pythagorean thought.

This thoughtfully abridged companion edition brings renewed life to Hall’s visionary work, with previously unpublished photographs from his global travels alongside the extraordinary illustrations of J. Augustus Knapp and additional works by Hall’s longtime creative collaborator, Mihran Serailian. Together, these artists illuminate nearly 60 mythological and magical subjects, creating a volume that is both an essential introduction for new readers and a visually immersive reexamination for longtime seekers.

The antidote to apathy from the internationally bestselling author and 2025 BBC Reith lecturer Rutger Bregman

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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'A fierce and brilliant call to arms for anyone who has been wondering whether there's more to life. (There is.) Bregman wants to change you, and he just might succeed. This is a wonderfully dangerous book' TIM HARFORD
'Gives us hope, humour and guidance at a time when all are in short supply' TIMOTHY SNYDER
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The average full-time worker will spend 80,000 hours at their job: are you making the most of them? Do you truly believe in what you do, day in, day out? Every day we're bombarded with methods, mantras and life hacks that promise us wellness and prosperity, while time and talent remain some of our most squandered resources.

What if you want to do something more with your limited time on the planet?

With moral ambition – the will to make the world a wildly better place – internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman shows us we can be both idealistic and successful, and change the world along the way. Uncovering the qualities that made the great change-makers of history so effective, he shows how we too can lend our talents to the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to inequality to the next pandemic. With moral ambition, we can do more than be on the right side of history: we can make history itself.

This book won't make your life easier, but it should make it more meaningful. The question is: what will you do with it?
Moral Ambition is a must-read for anyone wondering what they should do with their working life, how to find their purpose and how to find something more worthwhile to do with their skills and talents.

As the 2025 BBC Reith Lecturer, Rutger Bregman presented ‘Moral Revolution’, a four part series:
-A Time of Monsters
-How To Start a Moral Revolution
-A Realist’s Utopia
-Zoom Out
Available to listen on BBC Four