New Books Network
Ancient History
Van Leer Institute Series on Ideas with Renee Garfinkel October 21, 2021

Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone)

Sam Wineburg

Hosted by Renee Garfinkel
We are surrounded by more readily available information than ever before. And a huge percentage of it is inaccurate. Some of the bad info is well-meaning but ignorant. Some of …

Ancient History

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Interviews with scholars of ancient history about their new books.

Jewish Studies October 15, 2021

The Prince and the Emperors: The Life and Times of Rabbi Judah the Prince

Dov Zakheim

Hosted by Michael Morales
Rabbi Judah the Prince transformed the Mishnah into a text, and now Dov Zakheim, culling from a fascinating array of sources, has brought to life the story and historical times …
Ideas Roadshow Podcast October 14, 2021

Democratic Lessons

What the Greeks Can Teach Us

Josiah Ober

Hosted by Howard Burton
Democratic Lessons: What the Greeks Can Teach Us is based on an in-depth filmed conversation between Howard Burton and Josiah Ober, Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Professor in Honor of Constantine Mitsotakis Professor of …
Jewish Studies October 12, 2021

The Soul of the Mishna

Yakov Nagen

Hosted by Michael Morales
As the foundational text of the Oral Torah in Judaism, the Mishnah is generally analyzed to understand Jewish law and the workings of the halakhic system. But Yakov Nagen, in …
Ancient History October 8, 2021

The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome

The History of a Dangerous Idea

Edward J. Watts

Hosted by Craig Sorvillo
As this book intriguingly explores, for those who would make Rome great again and their victims, ideas of Roman decline and renewal have had a long and violent history. The …
Christian Studies October 5, 2021

Cambridge Greek Lexicon

James Diggle

Hosted by Crawford Gribben
Professor James Diggle, editor in chief of the Cambridge Greek Lexicon (Cambridge UP, 2021), joins us to explain the background to this extraordinary project. Setting out to provide a standard …
Asian Review of Books September 23, 2021

Ancient Egypt and Early China

State, Society, and Culture

Anthony J Barbieri-Low

Hosted by Nicholas Gordon
One would think that comparing civilizations as far removed in time and space as Ancient Egypt and Ancient China might not reveal much. Yet Professor Tony Barbieri’s Ancient Egypt and …
Christian Studies September 21, 2021

The Didache

Shawn J. Wilhite

Hosted by Crawford Gribben
Shawn Wilhite is author of this outstanding new commentary on one of the most important early Christian documents. We don't know who wrote the Didache, when it was written, or …
Philosophy September 20, 2021

Jewel of Reflection on the Truth about Epistemology

A Complete and Annotated Translation of the Tattva-cintā-maṇi

Stephen Phillips (trans.)

Hosted by Malcolm Keating
In the first complete English translation of a monumental 14th century Sanskrit philosophical text, the Jewel of Reflection on the Truth about Epistemology (Bloomsbury 2020), Stephen Phillips introduces modern readers to …
Asian Review of Books September 9, 2021

Alexandria

The Quest for the Lost City

Edmund Richardson

Hosted by Nicholas Gordon
The story of Alexander the Great has inspired conquerors and would-be conquerors throughout history. Alexander’s sweep through the Middle East and Central Asia left behind evidence of his mark on …
Ideas Roadshow Podcast August 25, 2021

What is Zoroastrianism?

A Conversation with Antonio Panaino

Antonio Panaino

Hosted by Howard Burton
Howard speaks with University of Bologna Iranian specialist Antonio Panaino about Zorastrianism: What is it? How was it influenced by, and in turn influence, other religious and cultural traditions? And …
Ideas Roadshow Podcast August 18, 2021

Reimagining the Classical World

A Conversation with Armand D'Angour

Armand D'Angour

Hosted by Howard Burton
Howard talks to University of Oxford classicist and musician Armand D’Angour about the challenges of reconstructing ancient Greek music, what the young Socrates might have been like and how we …
General History August 12, 2021

Disruption

Why Things Change

David Potter

Hosted by Craig Sorvillo
Today I talked to David Potter about his new book Disruption: Why Things Change (Oxford UP, 2021). Disruption is about radical change-why it happens and how. Drawing on case studies ranging …
Jewish Studies August 9, 2021

On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel

Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture

Mika Ahuvia

Hosted by Rachel Adelman
Angelic beings can be found throughout the Hebrew Bible, and by late antiquity the archangels Michael and Gabriel were as familiar as the patriarchs and matriarchs, guardian angels were as …
Australian and New Zealand Studies July 29, 2021

Creating God

The Birth and Growth of Major Religions

Robin Derricourt

Hosted by Bede Haines
What do we really know about how and where religions began, and how they spread?  Robin Derricourt considers the birth and growth of several major religions, using history and archaeology …
Biblical Studies July 29, 2021

Jesus

The Incarnation of the Word

David C Mitchell

Hosted by Michael Morales
Did the prophets foretell a priestly Messiah? Who was the mysterious figure of Melchizedek? In his new book, Jesus: The Incarnation of the Word, David Mitchell uses exegetical acumen and his …
Indian Religions July 29, 2021

The Viṣṇu Purāṇa

Ancient Annals of the God with Lotus Eyes

McComas Taylor

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Listen in as we speak with McComas Taylor (Associate Professor and Reader in Sanskrit, The Australian National University) about his brand-new translation of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. This is the second …
Intellectual History July 26, 2021

Speculation

A Cultural History from Aristotle to AI

Gayle Rogers

Hosted by Pierre d'Alancaisez
In a world that purports to know more about the future than any before it, why do we still need speculation? Insubstantial speculations – from utopian thinking to high-risk stock …
Anthropology July 19, 2021

Voyagers

The Settlement of the Pacific

Nicholas Thomas

Hosted by Alex Golub
In Voyagers: The Settlement of the Pacific (Apollo, 2020), the distinguished anthropologist Nicholas Thomas tells the story of the peopling of the Pacific. In clear, accessible language Thomas shows us that …
Jewish Studies July 14, 2021

Samuel

The Making of the Monarchy, Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel

David Arnovitz

Hosted by Michael Morales
Samuel: The Making of the Monarchy, a volume of The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel with Koren Publishers, offers an innovative and refreshing approach to the Hebrew Bible. By fusing …