Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
0:00 /
Table of Contents
About The Book
A bestselling historian takes readers on an intellectual and cultural adventure, offering a carefully curated guide to great, short nonfiction works by some of the world’s most influential writers—from Plato to Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway to bell hooks, and Marcus Aurelius to Joan Didion. A delightful roadmap to a year’s worth of reading briefly, plus biographies, fascinating facts, and idea-rich insights into the lives of the thinkers, historians, and literary giants who have shaped our world.
For both avid readers and those looking to spark a new habit, The World in Books is an invitation to a more lively and meaningful intellectual life. Davis’s literary adventure guides readers through some of the most important works of nonfiction of all time, offering a political, literary, and cultural history through reading.
Each of the fifty-two entries provides the book’s opening lines or a brief excerpt from the work; a summary of the work; a biography of the author; why you should read the work; and what to read next. Davis offers insights into some of the most enduring issues of our time—from the existential perspective in Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, to questions of race in Toni Morrison’s The Origin of Others, and the climate crisis in Elizabeth Kolbert’s Under a White Sky. With insights from ancient times to the present day, Kenneth C. Davis offers a wide-ranging historical education through pleasure reading. In an accessible, conversational style, he explores texts that both mirror our contemporary moment and present new ways to think about our lives.
These 52 selections, with books perfect for reading one week at a time, offer a year-long journey through history, philosophy, nature, and personal growth. More than just a literary companion, The World in Books is an education that combines wisdom with practical application. Davis’s work has been called “a wealth of succinct, entertaining advice” (Kirkus Reviews). The World in Books provides an engaging way to explore some of the most influential books ever written. A refresher course for lifelong learners.
For both avid readers and those looking to spark a new habit, The World in Books is an invitation to a more lively and meaningful intellectual life. Davis’s literary adventure guides readers through some of the most important works of nonfiction of all time, offering a political, literary, and cultural history through reading.
Each of the fifty-two entries provides the book’s opening lines or a brief excerpt from the work; a summary of the work; a biography of the author; why you should read the work; and what to read next. Davis offers insights into some of the most enduring issues of our time—from the existential perspective in Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, to questions of race in Toni Morrison’s The Origin of Others, and the climate crisis in Elizabeth Kolbert’s Under a White Sky. With insights from ancient times to the present day, Kenneth C. Davis offers a wide-ranging historical education through pleasure reading. In an accessible, conversational style, he explores texts that both mirror our contemporary moment and present new ways to think about our lives.
These 52 selections, with books perfect for reading one week at a time, offer a year-long journey through history, philosophy, nature, and personal growth. More than just a literary companion, The World in Books is an education that combines wisdom with practical application. Davis’s work has been called “a wealth of succinct, entertaining advice” (Kirkus Reviews). The World in Books provides an engaging way to explore some of the most influential books ever written. A refresher course for lifelong learners.
About The Author
Photo credit: © Nina Subin
Kenneth C. Davis has lived a life in books. He is the New York Times bestselling author of America’s Hidden History and Don’t Know Much About History, which gave rise to his series of books and audiobooks on a range of subjects, including mythology, the Bible, geography, and the Civil War. Davis’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Smithsonian magazine, among other publications. He has appeared on national television and radio shows, including CBS Mornings, Today, and NPR. He lives in the West Village of New York City with his wife, Joann Davis.
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner (October 8, 2024)
- Length: 464 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668015612
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
"A guide to 52 of the most influential works of nonfiction ever published, spanning works from Plato to Ida B. Wells, bell hooks to Barbara Ehrenreich, and Sun Tzu to Joan Didion...[for] lovers of nonfiction looking to cover their canonical bases."
—The Millions
"An appetizing new book [that] offers up a list of 52 of the best short nonfiction books in history…The World in Books entices you with descriptions of some of the best (short) nonfiction in history and why they’re so important."
—Parade
“In an age of screens, AI, and shrinking attention spans, a good book is more important and valuable than ever… A wealth of succinct, entertaining advice.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In his accessible, well-written, and unanticipatedly humorous The World in Books, Kenneth C. Davis takes readers on a journey that highlights fifty-two short yet provocative works of non-fiction. Highlighting both traditional favorites and contemporary classics, Davis offers his sharp insights in ways that appeal to the inquisitive mind, regardless of its familiarity with the selected texts. His poignant 'Introduction' sets the stage for the contemporary relevance of why books like these matter in contemporary times, which makes this collection all the more relevant. Highly recommended for every person who treasures the freedom to read and values the transformative power it has for us all.”
—J. Michael Butler, author of Beyond Integration: The Black Freedom Struggle in Escambia County, Florida, 1960-1980
“Kenneth C. Davis’s The World in Books is a testament to both the beauty and power of the written word. And also, a very smart guide to books that have changed the way we think—and sometimes even changed us.”
—Deborah Blum, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): The World in Books eBook 9781668015612
- Author Photo (jpg): Kenneth C. Davis Photo credit: © Nina Subin(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
