Basil Hallward's is infatuated and impressed by Englishman Dorian Gray's beauty, and therefore Dorian has been the subject of most of Hallward's oil paintings. While Dorian is posing for a full-length portrait, he meets Lord Henry Wotton, a materialistic man who shares his hedonistic world view, stating that beauty is the only truly important thing in life. Dorian is persuaded to this point and through a course of events sells his soul so that his...

Sometimes it seems like you need a PhD just to open a book of philosophy. We leave philosophical matters to the philosophers in the same way that we leave science to scientists. Scott Samuelson thinks this is tragic, for our lives as well as for philosophy. In The Deepest Human Life he takes philosophy back from the specialists and restores it to its proper place at the center of our humanity, rediscovering it as our most profound effort toward understanding,...

Philosopher Wilber's account of men and women's place in a universe of sex, soul, and spirit. He examines the course of evolution as the unfolding manifestation of Spirit, from matter to life to mind, including the higher stages of spiritual development where Spirit becomes conscious of itself. Wilber offers original views on many topics of continuing interest and controversy: gender wars, multiculturalism, ecology, and environmental ethics among...

Lamott explores how we find meaning and peace when life lurches out of balance; where we start again after personal and public devastation; how we recapture wholeness after loss; and how we locate our true identities in this frazzled age. We begin, Lamott says, by collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric and sewing them back together, one stitch at a time.

In this blend of fiction, allegory, and inspiration, Andrews tells the story of Jones--a mysterious man who shows up when things look the darkest for the people of Orange Beach, Alabama, and whose unique gift of noticing things that others miss helps us understand why things happen and what we can do about it.

In simple, rhythmic prose and stylized pictures, a cat walks through the world, and all the other creatures see and acknowledge the cat.

One of the twentieth century's most admired and influential authors, G.K. Chesterton (1874–1936) created an enduring body of work that encompasses journalism, poetry, plays, history, biography, apologetics, and detective fiction. Through this book Chesterton leads us on a literary journey toward truth. A unique book, Orthodoxy addresses our faith struggles and how we communicate our faith to others. In this timeless classic, G.K. Chesterton,...

"A trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution -- from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state," political violence, and social inequality -- and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation. For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike -- either free and equal innocents, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we...

Bushido: The Samurai Code of Japan is the most influential book ever written on the Japanese "Way of the Warrior." A classic study of Japanese culture, the book outlines the moral code of the Samurai way of living and the virtues every Samurai warrior holds dear. It is widely read today in Japan and around the world. There are seven core precepts of Bushido: Rectitude: "The power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason,...