Books by Christopher Hitchens

In Saul Bellow's exuberantly autobiographical novel, the larger-than-life Augie March begins as a poor Chicago boy growing up during the Great Depression. Drifting from job to job, he falls in love with Thea, an eagle trainer, and develops schemes--each more grandiose and unrealistic than the last--for making money and becoming famous. THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH is often called one of the great American novels; it was, at any rate, the novel that marked Saul Bellow as a great American writer when it appeared in 1953.

American Notes is the fascinating travel journal of one of 19th century Americas most celebrated tourists--Charles Dickens. A lively chronicle of his five-month trip around the United States in 1842, the book records the author's adventures journeying by steamboat and stagecoach as well as his impressions of everything from schools and prisons to table manners and slavery.

ANIMAL FARM, Orwell's 1945 fable about the power struggles among animals on a farm, parallels the situation in Russia at the time as Orwell saw it; the characters include the ruthless pig Stalin, his idealistic Trotsky-like adversary, and the simple, kindly horse who represents the common man. 1984, Orwell's 1948 vision of a world subsumed in tyranny and war, describes the process of events by which Winston Smith, a London clerk at the Ministry of Truth, comes to understand the true nature and aims of the government he works for, and portrays his doomed attempt to create a private life for himself and his lover, Julia. One of the bleakest political novels ever written, 1984 illustrates Orwell's despair that democracy could ever summon the strength to overcome totalitarianism in his lifetime.

Explores the special relationship between the United States and Great Britain.

The astonishing novel Brave New World, originally published in 1932, presents Aldous Huxley's vision of the future -- of a world utterly transformed. Through the most efficient scientific and psychological engineering, people are genetically designed to be passive and therefore consistently useful to the ruling class. This powerful work of speculative fiction sheds a blazing critical light on the present and is considered to be Aldous Huxley's most enduring masterpiece.

The nonfiction work Brave New World Revisited, first published in 1958, is a fascinating work in which Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with his prophetic fantasy envisioned in Brave New World, including the threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion.

An entertaining look at know-it-all luminaries who got it all wrong, from Carry Nation to General Custer, and Arthur Conan Doyle to George W. Bush, with illustrations by an internationally known caricaturist.

Analyzes the 1974 crisis in Cyprus which resulted in its division, looks at the role Kissinger played, and discusses the incident's effects on Greece and Turkey.

A perfect gift for your favorite history buff, or for your own collection, this audio set from the acclaimed Eminent Lives series is a must for anyone interested in the story of America.

George Washington: The Founding Father
Celebrated journalist and historian Paul Johnson paints a vivid portrait of George Washington as a young entrepreneur, masterly commander-in-chief, patient Constitution maker, and wise president.

Thomas Jefferson: Author of America
Internationally renowned writer and political commentator Christopher Hitchens explores the life of Thomas Jefferson within the context of America's evolution, bringing him to life as both a man of his time and as a visionary who could see beyond it.

Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero
Legendary editor and best-selling author Michael Korda provides a shrewd but sympathetic portrait of Ulysses S. Grant's successes and failures, both military and political, as he guided America through a crucial juncture in its history.

A celebratory volume of writings by the late author of Lucky Jim includes favorite pieces on such topics as hangovers, food-and-drink combinations, and (presumably) how to avoid getting drunk, in a collection complemented by cocktail recipes. 30,000 first printing.

Examines the personal strengths and political problems this famed general and president dealt with that helped shape his ideas and beliefs with regard to the rules and structure of the government and nation he helped establish. 15,000 first printing.

'For the sake of argument, one must never let a euphemism or a false consolation pass uncontested. The truth seldom lies, but when it does lie it lies somewhere in between.'. The global turmoil of the last few years has severely tested every analyst and commentator. Few have written with such insight as Christopher Hitchens about the large events - or with such discernment and with about the small tell-tale signs of a disordered culture. For the Sake of Argument ranges from the political squalor of Washington, as a beleaguered Bush administration seeks desperately to stave off disaster and Clinton prepares for power, to the twilight of Stalinism in Prague; from the Jewish quarter of Damascus in the aftermath of the Gulf War to the embattled barrios of Central America and the imperishable resistance of Saralevo, as a difficult peace is negotiated with ruthless foes. Hitchens' unsparing account of Western realpolitik in the end shows it to rest on delusion as well as deception. The reader will find in these pages outstanding essays on political asassination in America as well as a scathing review of the evisceration of politics by pollsters and spin-doctors. Hitchens' knowledge of the tortuous history of revolutions in the twentieth century helps him to explain both the New York intelligentsia's flirtation with Trotskyism and the frailty of Communist power structures in Eastern Europe. Hitchens' pointed reassessments of Graham Greene, P.G. Wodehouse and C.L.R. James, or his riotous celebration of drinkiny and smoking, display an engaging enthusiasm and an acerbic wit. Equally entertaining is his unsparing rogues' gallery, which gives us unforgettable portraits of the lugubrious 'Dr'Kissinger, the comprehensively reactionary 'Mother' Teresa, the preposterous Paul Johnson and the predictable P.J. O'Rourke.

Essayist and contrarian Christopher Hitchens takes on all the world's major and minor religions (and, perhaps, God himself) in this well-argued, though controversial, summa theologica. Hitchens considers religion to be a primitive response to the world, cites the harm done through history in the name of religion, and argues in favor of science and reason. He is less than hagiographic on Gandhi, Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama, and, of course, Mother Teresa, who got the full Hitchens in his earlier work, THE MISSIONARY POSITION. As always, Hitchens is erudite, acerbic, and eminently readable. And he can quote scripture to illustrate his points!

Essayist and contrarian Christopher Hitchens takes on all the world's major and minor religions (and, perhaps, God himself) in this well-argued, though controversial, summa theologica. Hitchens considers religion to be a primitive response to the world, cites the harm done through history in the name of religion, and argues in favor of science and reason. He is less than hagiographic on Gandhi, Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama, and, of course, Mother Teresa, who got the full Hitchens in his earlier work, THE MISSIONARY POSITION. As always, Hitchens is erudite, acerbic, and eminently readable. And he can quote scripture to illustrate his points!

Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget.

Esteban -- The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess.

Clara -- The matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas.

Blanca -- Their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt... even as it produces the grandchild he adores.

Alba -- The fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous bearty, a fiery and willful woman... the family's break with the past and link to the future.


From the Paperback edition.

Traces the history of the Parthenon, explains how and why its sculptures and friezes were taken to Britian, and discusses the arguments for returning them.

Although international terrorism has been studied by many social scientists, this book is the first to examine its impact on U.S. foreign policy. Robert Kumamoto focuses on three major terrorist movements in the Middle East and North Africa that are related politically, regionally, and chronologically: Jewish extremists against the British Mandatory Government in Palestine, 1945-1948; the revolt of Algerian nationals against French rule, 1954-1962; and the Holy War of the Palestinian fedayeen against Israeli and American interests, 1968-1976. Demonstrating how these campaigns influenced American diplomacy, Kumamoto considers the global and domestic circumstances surrounding terrorist activities and motives, addresses policies developed by the United States to combat terrorism, and examines how public perceptions shaped government action.

Christopher Hitchens, provocateur and contrarian on the Left, makes the news as often as he reports it, and writes about the most controversial news and current events. Christopher Caldwell is a fresh and objective columnist in the opposite camp. Together, they present the best writing from opposite corners of the political ring at the end of the last century. These incisive observers examine each other's choices and discuss in separate introductions just what they think of the picks. "Hitchens has made a career of disagreement and dissent, of being a thorn in search of a side."-Publishers Weekly "[Hitchens] is an irritable, irreverent, sarcastic, witty, and intelligent champion of the Left."-Library Journal

A witty, wise, biting, and completely individual meditation on what it means to think, live, and be to the contrary.

In the book that he was born to write, provocateur and best-selling author Christopher Hitchens inspires future generations of radicals, gadflies, mavericks, rebels, angry young (wo)men, and dissidents. Who better to speak to that person who finds him or herself in a contrarian position than Hitchens, who has made a career of disagreeing in profound and entertaining ways.

This book explores the entire range of "contrary positions"-from noble dissident to gratuitous pain in the butt. In an age of overly polite debate bending over backward to reach a happy consensus within an increasingly centrist political dialogue, Hitchens pointedly pitches himself in contrast.
He bemoans the loss of the skills of dialectical thinking evident in contemporary society. He understands the importance of disagreement-to personal integrity, to informed discussion, to true progress-heck, to democracy itself. Epigrammatic, spunky, witty, in your face, timeless and timely, this book is everything you would expect from a mentoring contrarian.

One of the nation's great polemicists shares essays on a wide range of subjects, including President Clinton, Mother Teresa, Noam Chomsky, Mel Gibson, the Dalai Lama, and Michael Bloomberg, among others.

In a searching examination of the Teresa cult, the author of "International Territory: The United Nations 1945-95" passes his final caustic judgement on Mother Teresa, reviewing her surrogate role as propagandist for the most extreme views, and concluding that she is "not" heaven's agent on Earth. "Hitchens argues his case with consummate style".--"New York Times". 20 illustrations.

In this expanded paperback edition of Hitchen's slow motion citizen's cardiac arrest of the Clinton presidency, our protagonist looks at Clinton's baleful influence on the 2000 election, Hillary Clinton's run for a New York Senate seat, and how the net of corruption in Democratic fundraising is cast far and wide. 'Clintonism' is not an idea, or a program; still less is it a principle. It represents what might be termed-were it not for its murk-the distilled essence of consensus politics. Unremarkable in its constituent elements, which are a mixture of opportunist statecraft, crony capitalism, 'divide and rule' identity politics, and populist manipulation, Clintonism has nonetheless raised these ordinary practices to the level of theory. It has succeeded, argues the author, because of a stealthy appeal to the waning and insecure forces of an American liberalism gone bad. Christopher Hitchens followed Governor Clinton through New Hampshire in 1992, and has remained an assiduous student of his methods ever since. In No One Left to Lie To, he profiles the rise and decline of some prominent Clintonoids, from George Stephanopoulos to the First Lady. He scrutinizes the debased new language in which the discourse of Clintonism has been couched, and proposes that, if successful, the Clinton machine will become the model of pseudo-democracy for the coming century.

Follows the plight of Wormold, a former vacuum cleaner salesman, who becomes a slave to the expensive whims of his thirteen-year-old daughter, Milly, and takes on a job for MI6 as Secret Agent 5920015 to pay for them. Reissue.

Critic Christopher Hitchens, author of the bestseller GOD IS NOT GREAT, presents an anthology of writings by non-believers, including Darwin, Twain, Mencken, Marx, and Bertrand Russell, among others. As with Hitchens's own work, the writings here are impressive in their thought and expression, and they provide substantial support for those who believe in the atheist position--and who may wish to convert others.

Christopher Hitchens, the acclaimed journalist and best-selling author of God Is Not Great, selects and introduces an illuminating collection of the most essential and influential writings for the non-believer, including selections from Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Bertrand Russell, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Karl Marx, Richard Dawkins, H.L. Mencken, Sam Harris, and more.

Offers a collection of the best essays and articles from a well-known and well-respected political writer offering caustic commentary, radical observations, and polemical debate on topics ranging from the Reagan administration to popular culture.

An accessible profile of the liberal activist best known for his work on such documentaries as Bowling for Columbine offers insight into Moore's financial successes, his motivations, and how his achievements reflect today's America. Original. 50,000 first printing.

Comic strips reveal the lives of those living in the Muslim enclave of Gorazde during the Bosian war, describing how they survived Serbian attacks that left them without access to the outside world, electricity, or running water.

Christopher Hitchens, the acerbic but often brilliant contrarian, brings his own impressive insights into his commentary on pamphleteer/philosopher Thomas Paine's text, RIGHTS OF MAN, written while Paine was in Europe in the 1790s. Hitchens renders a solid treatment of the issue of the social contract, comparing Paine's position to Edmund Burke and his REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE. He also reflects on how the issues of revolution, rights, and radicalism apply in today's real world.

Christopher Hitchens, the acerbic but often brilliant contrarian, brings his own impressive insights into his commentary on pamphleteer/philosopher Thomas Paine's text, RIGHTS OF MAN, written while Paine was in Europe in the 1790s. Hitchens renders a solid treatment of the issue of the social contract, comparing Paine's position to Edmund Burke and his REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE. He also reflects on how the issues of revolution, rights, and radicalism apply in today's real world.

In this well-researched yet highly-charged diatribe, journalist Hitchens presents a thorough case for the prosecution of Henry Kissinger for serious offenses while in office. He draws on what is available in the public record as well as on writings of colleagues such as William Shawcross, Seymour Hersh, and others.

In this collection of 35 essays, many initially published in the London Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, Harper's, and elsewhere, Hitchins explores the political stands raised in literature. He discusses the ideas of Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, George Orwell, Salman Rushdie, Ernest Hemingway,Tom Wolfe, Susan Sontag, and others.

A fascinating collection of classic photographs, essays, and caricatures from the pages of Vanity Fair celebrates a century of glamour and power plays in Hollywood, from Garbo to Grant and beyond, featuring more than three hundred images from such acclaimed photographers as Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Edward Steichen, and Bruce Weber. Reprint.

Surveying the brightest stars, moguls, directors, and writers, VANITY FAIR'S HOLLYWOOD showcases the innovative talent of portraitists from Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz and Helmut Newton; voices that include P.G. Wodehouse, Amy Fine Collins and Dominick Dunne; the verve of Dorothy Parker on silent screen vamps and D.H. Lawrence on sex appeal. VANITY FAIR'S HOLLYWOOD is a stylish and definitive focus on timeless glamour, and mythic beauty, and unquenchable celebrity.

In this widely acclaimed biographical essay, Christopher Hitchens assesses the life, the achievements, and the myth of the great political writer and participant George Orwell. In true emulative and contrarian style, Hitchens is both admiring and aggressive, sympathetic yet critical, taking true measure of his subject as hero and problem. Answering both the detractors and the false claimants, Hitchens tears down the façade of sainthood erected by the hagiographers and rebuts the critics point by point. He examines Orwell and his perspectives on fascism, empire, feminism, and Englishness, as well as his outlook on America, a country and culture towards which he exhibited much ambivalence.