American Philosophical Society Press

01/08/2026

This Saturday is the anniversary of a familiar publication: Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Less well known is Paine's extensive plan for an iron bridge spanning Philadelphia's Schuylkill River.

Paine’s dream ultimately was a casualty of the vicious political crosscurrents of revolution and the American penchant for bridges of cheap, plentiful wood. But his innovative iron design became the model for bridge construction in Britain as it led the world into the industrial revolution.

Buy a copy of Tom Paine's Iron Bridge by Edward G. Gray at the link below, and take 30% off with code APS30.

https://www.pennpress.org/9781606188996/tom-paines-iron-bridge/

01/07/2026

We are sad to note the passing of APS Press author David Burr on December 6, 2025 at the age of 91. In 1976, we published Burr’s Persecution of Peter Olivi, a work about the 13th century French Franciscan theologian. Olivi was a prolific writer not deeply explored by medieval history students at the time of publication.

As Burr wrote, " I intended to write a book that would tell everything anyone ever wanted to know about him. I eventually came to see that such a book is neither possible nor desirable at this time. [. . .] In the meantime, some value can be derived from a brief, general treatment of Olivi's travails based on what scholars have accomplished to date. [. . .] Ideally it will inspire other historians to become involved in such research, thereby hastening the day when a better book on Olivi can be written." Burr went on to publish additional works on Olivi.

Buy a hardcover copy at https://www.pennpress.org/9781422375211/persecution-of-peter-olivi/ and take 30% off with code APS30. Alternatively, read Persecution of Peter Olivi online at JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/1006170

01/06/2026

We're so pleased to see our reissue of Robert Nisbet's The Social Philosophers on this list!

"If you're looking to understand how communities form--and why some thrive--Nisbet's Social Philosophers offers a valuable framework with revisiting." -Paul Mueller

Jumpstart your 2026 reading with the rest of the list at the link.

A curated list of new and notable books exploring economic growth, human progress, and the forces that shape civilizations.

01/06/2026

A new edition of Robert Nisbet’s neglected classic, The Social Philosophers, reveals what made the sociologist a first-rate conservative mind.

01/06/2026

"One titan of the field, though, prophesied this dire state of affairs... Robert Nisbet turned to the discipline as an antidote to ideology."

Michael Lucchese celebrates the enduring work of Robert Nisbet in the midst of a conservatively antagonistic state of sociology.

Read his review on The University Bookman: https://buff.ly/j6nSbVh

01/06/2026

Lucía Vallejo Rodríguez claims the reissueing of "The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought" by Robert Nisbet is not for the sake of nostalgia, but for the preservation of a work that has stood the test of time.

"it confirms the validity of this great sociologist’s thesis: much of social theory can be read as an effort —often divergent in methods and assumptions— to seek community in the face of the weakening of intermediate bodies caused by centralizing powers."

Read the article in full: https://buff.ly/5JHRymZ

01/06/2026

Daniel J. Mahoney reviews “The Social Philosophers: Community and Conflict in Western Thought” by Robert Nisbet with a new foreword by Luke C. Sheahan.

Though Nisbet was not clearly religious, he was not antagonistic, says Mahoney. "In all this, the chief lesson is clear: There can be no authentic human community without due attention to the “sacred” realm of human existence."

Read the full review here: https://buff.ly/4YwHydU

01/06/2026

In 2026, the USA turns 250 🎂 and the APS Press is poised to reach age 255! There is no place we would rather be than Philadelphia this exciting year.



Create your own badge at visitphilly.com/badge

01/05/2026

During the end-of-year rush, you might have missed the last Proceedings issue of 2025, which begins with a brief history of us, the APS Press! Don't miss our former fellow Jon Repetti's dive into the back pages of the oldest scholarly publisher in North America.

Read the issue online with a subscription at Project MUSE: https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/56057

01/05/2026

The last 2025 issue of Transactions is the second and final issue about Women in Science. Guest Editors Serenity Sutherland and Adrianna Link write in their introduction: "Since the preparation of the previous issue, widespread cuts to institutional and federal funding structures once earmarked to support scientific research and education have created new challenges [...] We hope the act of publishing this series of essays and preserving knowledge about funding opportunities and their benefits to women and girls will serve as a small act of resistance."

Read the issue online with a subscription at Project MUSE: https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/56069

01/05/2026

Cass Sunstein ’78 presented his latest book, “Imperfect Oracle: What AI Can and Cannot Do,” and explained the ways he believes AI can succeed and fail.

https://hls.harvard.edu/today/what-ais-good-at-and-what-its-not/?utm_campaign=29Nov025&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hltnewslett

01/02/2026

Today marks Albert Coombs Barnes’s 154th birthday!

What better way to celebrate the founder of the Barnes Foundation’s birthday and ring in the new year than to learn more about the world-famous art collector? We invite you to discover more about this seminal Philadelphian’s life and enduring legacy in our updated edition of The House of Barnes: The Man, the Collection, the Controversy by Neil L. Rudenstine, available for purchase here: https://www.pennpress.org/9781606188897/the-house-of-barnes/

In 2012, the Barnes Foundation moved to the City of Brotherly Love, but the real story began over a century earlier. Experience the history you read about for yourself and visit the collection, which reopens and resumes regular hours today!