Based on 15 years of original research, Acemoglu and Robinson marshal extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today.

«Florida's attractions, along with balmy weather and beautiful people, lure over 80 million visitors to the state every year. In full color throughout, Fodor's Florida 2014 takes a smart insider's look at the state, with helpful planning advice at the start of each chapter. Fodor's Florida offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. «Word of Mouth» quotes from fellow travelers provide valuable insights.»

Hawaii overflows with natural beauty, from soft sand beaches to dramatic volcano cliffs. The islands' offerings, from urban Honolulu in Oahu to the luxe resorts of Maui to the natural wonders of Kauai and the Big Island, appeal to all tastes. There's also much to appreciate about the state's unique culture and the tradition of aloha that has welcomed millions of visitors over the years.

«Holy land to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, this is where biblical place names like Jerusalem and the Galilee come alive. Colorful features in Fodor's Israel travel guide help travelers experience all of this and more: awe-inspiring ancient treasures, beautiful landscapes, food and wine, and vibrant contemporary culture. Fodor's Israel offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. «Word of Mouth» quotes from fellow travelers provide valuable insights.»

Moscow, the heart of the nation and home to the history-rich Kremlin, where rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Lenin have left their mark; St. Petersburg, a city born of the passion of its founder, Peter the Great, and today a gigantic Faberge egg stuffed with great art, sunset-colored palaces, and lollipop-striped cathedrals. As more travelers than ever are making their own voyages by cruising the Volga river, which connects Moscow and St. Petersburg Fodor's Moscow and St. Petersburg contains everything you could need to know about these two great Russian cities.

The lights, the sounds, the energy: New York City is the quintessential American city, a constantly exciting, fast-changing destination that people revisit over and over. Fodor's New York City 2014, with rich colour photos throughout, captures the city's universal appeal, from museums to music venues, from Broadway spectacles to gastronomic delights.

Paris is an all-time top destination for travellers, and it's easy to see the allure: the experiences — dining, shopping, museum-going, neighbourhood strolling — are all legendary. This stunning full-colour Fodor's guide captures the best of the City of Light, from the masterful cuisine to the sweeping romance of the Eiffel Tower.

Brazil is full of flavor, fun, and fabulous history. Explore some of the best tourist stops, as well as the more out-of-the-way places for a memorable experience.

With cutting-edge architecture, chic restaurants, and hotels alongside ancient temples, outdoor markets, and hole-in-the-wall dim sum establishments, Hong Kong is an intoxicating destination. Whether travellers are stopping over on the way to a farther destination or spending a week in the city, this full-colour guide will inspire them to experience all that Hong Kong has to offer.

For many travellers, this is the trip of a lifetime: Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley of the Inca, and the Nazca lines are among the most-visited and awe-inspiring archaeological sites in the world. Bursting with beautiful full-colour photos, Fodor's Peru provides expert advice on everything from the best guides to the Inca Trail to how to experience native cultures on Lake Titicaca.

«With many of the state's most popular destinations, including Miami, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys, Fodor's South Florida offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. «Word of Mouth» quotes from fellow travelers provide valuable insights.»

With history around every corner, Washington, D.C. is a city that magically blends yesterday and today. This updated guide — often among our top domestic best-sellers — lets travelers discover the myriad, charms of the nation's capital, from its stately monuments to the trendiest restaurants. World-class museums, shady parks, and an important arts scene make Washington, D.C. an ever-changing American showcase: more than 15 million tourists head here every year. Plus, brand-new hotel, restaurant, shop, and bar reviews in this annual update offer fresh tips for staying, and playing, in such top hotspots as Dupont Circle and Georgetown.

It isn't often you receive a letter from the dead. When Vianne Rocher receives a letter from beyond the grave, she has no choice but to follow the wind that blows her back to Lansquenet, the village in which eight years ago, she opened up a chocolate shop. But returning to her old home, Vianne is completely unprepared for what she is to find there. Women veiled in black, the scent of spices and peppermint tea — and there, on the bank of the river Tannes, facing the church, a minaret.

Sam Vimes is a man on the run. Yesterday he was a duke, a chief of police and the ambassador to the mysterious, fat-rich country of Uberwald. Now he has nothing but his native wit and the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya (don't ask). It's snowing. It's freezing. And there are monsters on his trail...

William just wants to get at the truth. Unfortunately, everyone else wants to get at William. And it's only the third edition. William de Worde is the accidental editor of the Discworld's first newspaper. Now he must cope with the traditional perils of a journalist's life — people who want him dead, a recovering vampire with a suicidal fascination for flash photography, some more people who want him dead in a different way and, worst of all, the man who keeps begging him to publish pictures of his humorously shaped potatoes.

Dodger is a tosher — a sewer scavenger living in the squalor of Dickensian London. Everyone who is nobody knows Dodger. Anyone who is anybody doesn't. But when he rescues a young girl from a beating, suddenly everybody wants to know him. And Dodger's tale of skulduggery, dark plans and even darker deeds begins...

The Black Prince is both a remarkable thriller and a story about being in love. Bradley Pearson, narrator and hero, is an elderly writer with a 'block'. Finding himself surrounded by predatory friends and relations — his ex-wife, her delinquent brother, a younger, deplorably successful writer, Arnold Baffin, Baffin's restless wife and engaging daughter — Bradley attempts to escape. His failure to do so and its aftermath lead to a violent climax and a most unexpected conclusion.

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE® IN LITERATURE 2013 A New York Times Notable Book A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction A Best Book of the Year: The Atlantic, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Vogue, AV Club In story after story in this brilliant new collection, Alice Munro pinpoints the moment a person is forever altered by a chance encounter, an action not taken, or a simple twist of fate. Her characters are flawed and fully human: a soldier returning from war and avoiding his fiancée, a wealthy woman deciding whether to confront a blackmailer, an adulterous mother and her neglected children, a guilt-ridden father, a young teacher jilted by her employer. Illumined by Munro’s unflinching insight, these lives draw us in with their quiet depth and surprise us with unexpected turns. And while most are set in her signature territory around Lake Huron, some strike even closer to home: an astonishing suite of four autobiographical tales offers an unprecedented glimpse into Munro’s own childhood. Exalted by her clarity of vision and her unparalleled gift for storytelling, Dear Life shows how strange, perilous, and extraordinary ordinary life can be.

For over ten years, Top Gear has been travelling all over Britain in the course of making the world's best programme about cars, driving, and three men in smart-casual clothes shouting at each other. So, who better to assemble a guide to Britain itself with all its glories, quirks and multiple words for bread rolls? This book is not only a guide for outsiders; it is an invaluable reference manual for Britons themselves, like a mirror held up to our very souls. Join us then, as we travel from A-Z cataloguing and making moderately flippant remarks about every aspect of life and living in the best country in the world after New Zealand, Denmark, probably Canada and some bits of France. Although in this case, a mirror that has been dropped and then run over by a small lorry but don't worry, some bits of it still just about work.