A highly original and ambitious approach to civilizations. Fernández-Armesto emphasizes the degree to which control over the environment shapes the nature of civilizations. Blessed with a gift for illuminating "total history" in books like Millennium, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto has become a fixture on the annual New York Times Notables list, time and again proving himself a brilliantly original and accessible historian. Now, with this breakthrough new work, he achieves a masterful resolution to the riddle that has preoccupied centuries of state-of-the-art thinkers: the nature of civilization. To the author, societies become civilized by taming and warping nature. Civilizations can best be studied and ranked in relation to their environments. Exploring seventeen distinct habitats  -  including tundra societies of Ice Age Europe, bushmen of South Africa, and island cultures of Polynesia  -  Civilizations zooms in on features that will be familiar to any ecologist, but which actually reflect the quality of life and source of survival in civilizations across ten millennia.

Music journalist Mason, a former pirate radio and club DJ in London, explores how open source culture is changing the distribution and control of information and harnessing the old system of punk capitalism to new market conditions governing society. According to Mason, this movement's creators operate according to piratical tactics and are changing the very nature of our economy. He charts the rise of the ideas and social experiments behind these latter-day pirates, citing the work of academics, historians and innovators across a multitude of fields. He also explores contributions by visionaries like Andy Warhol, 50 Cent and Dr. Yuref Hamied, who was called a pirate and a thief after producing anti-HIV drugs for Third World countries that cost as little as $1 a day to produce. Pirates, Mason states, sail uncharted waters where traditional rules don't apply. As a result, they offer great ways to service the public's best interests. According to Mason, how people, corporations and governments react to these changes is one of the most important economic and cultural questions of the 21st century. Well-written, entertaining and highly original, Mason offers a fascinating view of the revolutionary forces shaping the world as we know it.

12 Great Walking Tours Through the Most Colorful Neighborhoods in San Francisco Follow Frommer's for an up-close and personal look at the City by the Bay. Discover the dramatic views, stunning architecture, and exotic sights and sounds that make it such a special place. LET FROMMER'S TAKE YOU TO: The North Beach and Russian Hill haunts of the Beat Generation with tales of the larger-than-life personalities that made it all happen The cultural and culinary delights of Chinatown, the birthplace of modern San Francisco Funky shopping and Summer of Love flashbacks in Haight-Ashbury Roses, redwoods, and rowboats in Golden Gate Park, one of America's greatest urban playgrounds

Frommer's New York State is an extraordinary and highly personal guide to one of America's most diverse regions. Frommer's New York State is packed with candid opinions on everything about New York City, but also on the beaches, antiques shops, wineries, skiing, hiking, biking, and other outdoor adventures that make up the rest of New York State. We've covered all the perennial favorites, from the Hamptons to Niagara Falls, but we'll also take you off the beaten track to discover New York's best small towns and natural escapes. Whether you want a romantic getaway in an upstate B&B or family fun on Long Island's best beaches, Frommer's will help you design the trip that's right for you.