“A provocative, revisionist take on the Second World War” ( Financial Times ) by a prize-winning historian We remember World War II as a struggle between good and evil, with Hitler propelling events and the Allied powers saving the day. But Hitler’s armies did not fight in multiple theaters, his empire did not span the Eurasian continent, and he did not inherit the spoils of war. That role belonged to Joseph Stalin. Hitler’s genocidal ambition may have unleashed Armageddon, but as celebrated historian Sean McMeekin shows, the conflicts that emerged were distinctly shaped by Stalin’s maneuverings, orchestrated to unleash a war between Germany and her capitalist adversaries in Europe and between Japan and the “Anglo-Saxon” powers in Asia. Meanwhile, the United States and Britain’s self-defeating strategy of supporting Stalin and his armies at all costs allowed the Soviets to conquer most of Eurasia, from Berlin to Beijing, for Communism. A groundbreaking reassessment, Stalin’s War is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the roots of the current world order.

With crime of heightened concern in the country's largest cities, Peter Moskos brings readers behind the Blue Wall of the NYPD, offering insight into policing solutions directly from the law enforcement officers who went to war against crime in New York in the 1990s, and won. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, New York City was seen, justifiably, as out of control. The city approached bankruptcy, the subways were covered with graffiti, and murders were at a record high. Right-wing fearmongering and vigilante justice were countered by liberal pleas to end poverty and provide drug treatment--none of which happened. Then, in a surprising break from the past, new NYPD leadership decided to focus on crime. Between 1993 and 1996, New York City's murder numbers were cut in half, dropping to under 1,000 for the first time in decades. Eventually New York City would have fewer than 300 murders, fewer than Chicago, with one-third the population. Fewer than Baltimore, even, with one-fifteenth the population. In Back from the Brink , Peter Moskos takes readers behind the Blue Wall, telling the story of "The New York City Miracle" from the men and women who were on the job. Moskos, a sociologist and former police officer, weaves together this rich narrative with extensive research and conversations with police officers, civic leaders, academics, and reporters. Delving deep into the behind-the-scenes workings of the NYPD, Moskos shows how leadership changed the rank-and-file's dealings with crime, quality-of-life issues, criminals, and the public. The city's police, political, and civic leaders provided a unified front that allowed cops to "do their job," and, in doing so, New York became the safest big city in America. Back from the Brink is an unofficial NYPD history that spans three decades of crime and crime fighting in the Big Apple. With crime, especially gun violence, a perennial problem in America, Moskos offers insight into effective law enforcement directly from the police officers who went to war against crime in New York in the 1990s, and won.

Two monumental works on the nature of the modern age by Romano Guardini, one of the most important Catholic figures of the 20th century. This expanded edition of The End of the Modern World: A Search for Orientation includes its sequel, Power and Responsibility: A Course of Action for the New Age . In both, Guardini analyzes modern man's conception of himself in the world, and examines the nature and use of power. It is the principle of individual responsibility that weaves both works into a seamless, comprehensive, and compelling moral statement. Guardini tirelessly argues that human beings are responsible moral agents, possessed of free will, and answerable to God and their fellow man. On The End of the Modern World : "This book will cauterize the spirit of any man who reads it; it will burn away that sentimentality with which so many today view the advent of the new order, imagining – as they do – that a fully technologized universe can retain every significant cultural and traditional value sustained by the past." – Frederick D. Wilhelmsen, founding editor of Triumph magazine and professor at the University of Dallas On Power and Responsibility : "If the characteristic of Hellenic civilization is to be summed up in the word logos, the characteristic of our own is more exactly summed up in the word power. The fact itself is a challenge to the wisdom of man. One is grateful that Romano Guardini has taken up the challenge... I highly recommend the book to all who are wise enough to know today's need to wisdom. That is, I recommend the book to every thoughtful mind." – John Courtney Murray, S.J., architect of the Vatican II "Declaration on Religious Liberty" and author of We Hold These Truths