THE WORLD IN BOOKS:
52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction
Named to “The Most Anticipated: The Great Fall 2024 Preview” by The Millions
First Trade review from Kirkus Reviews
“A wealth of succinct, entertaining advice.” Full review
Now out from Scribner Books and Simon & Schuster Audio on October 8, 2024. Read more and preorder copies here.
More advance Praise for The World in Books:
“Kenneth C. Davis’s The World in Books is a testament to both the beauty and power of the written word. And also, a very smart guide to books that have changed the way we think – and sometimes even changed us.”
–Deborah Blum, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century and the bestseller, The Poisoner’s Handbook.
“In his accessible, well-written, and unanticipatedly humorous The World in Books, Kenneth C. Davis takes readers on a journey that highlights fifty-two short yet provocative works of non-fiction. Highlighting both traditional favorites and contemporary classics, Davis offers his sharp insights in ways that appeal to the inquisitive mind, regardless of its familiarity with the selected texts. His poignant “Introduction” sets the stage for the contemporary relevance of why books like these matter in contemporary times, which makes this collection all the more relevant. Highly recommended for every person who treasures the freedom to read and values the transformative power it has for us all.”
—Dr. J. Michael Butler, Kenan Distinguished Professor of History, Flagler College and author of Beyond Integration
What a “Year of Reading–Briefly” looks like….
Photo credit Kenneth C. Davis
Among the 52 titles I have included are The Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis, the poetry of Sappho, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and such profoundly influential writers as Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, Virginia Woolf, Helen Keller, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, and Timothy Snyder.
The essential message of this book is that books matter–now more than ever. We must continue to educate ourselves. I believe that Open Books Open Minds.
I look forward to talking about this book in the coming months and sharing my fundamental belief that books can change us and the world.
In the meantime, please read and enjoy Great Short Books: A Year of Reading–Briefly
