Books – Detail

From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, "the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis," comes a spellbinding narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history.

In Born Equal, the prizewinning constitutional historian Akhil Reed Amar recounts the dramatic constitutional debates that unfolded across these eight decades, when four glorious amendments abolished slavery, secured Black and female citizenship, and extended suffrage regardless of race or gender. At the heart of this era was the epic and ever-evolving idea that all Americans are created equal.

The story of how Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's greatest rival, leveraged his classical education to ignite an explosion of English literature, nourished the literary talent of Shakespeare and challenged societal norms with his transgressive genius.

On the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the Pulitzer Prize finalist whose work is 'oral history at its finest' (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) delivers an epic narrative of the atomic bomb's creation and deployment, woven from the voices of hundreds of scientists, generals, soldiers, and civilians.

Containing chapters from classic writers on aeronautical history, such as R.M Ballantyne, Camille Flammarion, W. de Fonvielle, and Benjamin Franklin, and with a generous helping of beautiful color illustrations and contextual notes, this is a fantastic read for ballooning aficionados and new-comers to the subject alike.

Stay tuned as the Athenaeum celebrates ballooning history in January 2026 as part of  52 Weeks of Firsts

The Golden Age of Italian Jews by Gino Segrè covers the nine decades from 1848 to 1938 during which Italian Jews rose from their socially constrained ghetto life to acquire full civil rights and eventually to occupy commanding positions in Italian society.-- Provided by publisher.

Gino Segrè is a past winner of the Athenaeum Literary Award for his book (with Bettina Hoerlin)
The Pope of Physics: Enrico Fermi and the Birth of the Atomic Age

Examining the evolution of the Greater Philadelphia region from its origins to the present, this volume- drawn from the online Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia-helps readers visualize the many interconnections across this region, whether natural, man-made, or cultural.

Also available:

Greater Philadelphia and the Nation

Greater Philadelphia and the World 

In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays--many never published before--Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals.

Beautiful fashion plates from Regency magazine La Belle Assemblée are combined with much-loved passages from Jane Austen's novels and juvenilia and woven together with commentary from leading Oxford academic Professor Ros Ballaster.

The Athenaeum has: v. 13-30(1816-1824) and n.s. v. 1-15(1825-1832) of La Belle Assemblée. Please make an appointment if you wish to see them.

Budapest, autumn 1943. After four years of war, Hungary was firmly allied with Nazi Germany. Budapest swirled with intrigue and betrayal, home to spies and agents of every kind. But the city remained an oasis in the midst of conflict where Allied POWs and Polish and Jewish refugees found sanctuary. All that came to an end in March 1944 when the Nazis invaded.

In the nineteenth century, Manhattan's streets were so choked with pedestrians, horses, vehicles, and vendors that a trip from City Hall to Central Park could take hours. Alfred Beach had the perfect solution: build a giant pneumatic tube underneath Broadway from the Battery to Harlem.

In this collection of essays and reviews, renowned historian Eric Foner explores the evolving meaning of American freedom and its ongoing struggles. Covering topics from slavery and the Civil War to civil rights and contemporary politics, Foner examines key figures, events, and constitutional issues with clarity and insight. Highlighting how rights can be gained, lost, and must be continually defended, the book underscores the relevance of history in understanding today's political challenges and debates over how the past is remembered and taught.

Angelica and Elizabeth Schuyler, born to wealth and privilege in New York's Hudson Valley during the latter half of the eighteenth century, were raised to make good marriages and supervise substantial households. Instead they became embroiled in the turmoil of America's insurrection against Great Britain--and rebelled themselves, in ways as different as each was from the other, against the destiny mapped out for them.

Queer people have always existed. In an era when this basic truth faces undue scrutiny, here is a dazzling work of restorative history that reveals the hard-won lives of those who dared to break the mold in the 'long eighteenth-century.' At once an illuminating romp through the historical archive and an evocative new chapter in our shared history, Dr. Anthony Delaney's Queer Enlightenments uncovers the remarkable queer people of that complex, sometimes paradoxical time.

"Explores the history of Philadelphia as a gentrifying city and the role of educational institutions in the city's transformation"-- Provided by publisher.

In Winston and the Windsors, Andrew Morton, one of the world's best-known biographers and a leading authority on celebrity, presents a meticulously researched joint biography of Winston Churchill and the House of Windsor. Throughout the course of his career and life, Churchill's connection to the Windsors fluctuated wildly. At times, he was the royal family's trusted confidant. At others, he was their leading antagonist.