Steven Johnson

"A fast-burning fuse of a book, every page bursting with revelatory detail."--ERIK LARSON A sweeping account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat--a tale of fanaticism, forensic science, and dynamite from the bestselling author of The Ghost Map A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION - NOMINATED FOR THE EDGAR AWARDSteven Johnson's engrossing account of the epic struggle between the anarchist movement and the emerging surveillance state stretches around the world and between two centuries--from Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite and the assassination of Czar Alexander II to New York City in the shadow of World War I. April 1914. The NYPD is still largely the corrupt, low-tech organization of the Tammany Hall era. To the extent the police are stopping crime--as opposed to committing it--their role has been almost entirely defined by physical force: the brawn of the cop on the beat keeping criminals at bay with nightsticks and fists. The solving of crimes is largely outside their purview. The new commissioner, Arthur Woods, is determined to change that, but he cannot anticipate the maelstrom of violence that will soon test his science-based approach to policing. Within weeks of his tenure, New York City is engulfed in the most concentrated terrorism campaign in the nation's history: a five-year period of relentless bombings, many of them perpetrated by the anarchist movement led by legendary radicals Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman. Coming to Woods's aide are Inspector Joseph Faurot, a science-first detective who works closely with him in reforming the police force, and Amadeo Polignani, the young Italian undercover detective who infiltrates the notorious Bresci Circle. Johnson reveals a mostly forgotten period of political conviction, scientific discovery, assassination plots, bombings, undercover operations, and innovative sleuthing. The Infernal Machine is the complex pre-history of our current moment, when decentralized anarchist networks have once again taken to the streets to protest law enforcement abuses, right-wing militia groups have attacked government buildings, and surveillance is almost ubiquitous.

The most famous active athlete in the world during the Great Depression was not Babe Ruth, Sonja Henie or Babe Didrikson. It was a determined Greek immigrant who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean as a 15-year-old to escape a demanding father and start a life abroad. Jim Londos slept in railcars and firehouses to make ends meet and quickly found refuge on the mat. Combining an Old World work ethic with a flair for the dramatic, Londos overcame skeptics and antagonists to become pro wrestling's greatest star, an international celebrity who walked with presidents, prime ministers and the common man. He was responsible for keeping wrestling alive during the Depression and representing achievement to ethnic minorities, underdogs and women, all of whom he attracted in record numbers. This complete biography of Jim Londos tells the story of the first great immigrant athlete, a man who rescued the soiled sport of wrestling when it was down for the count, and brought hope and inspiration to his countrymen and millions worldwide.

A riveting account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York--and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat--from the bestselling author of The Ghost Map When Arthur Woods took command of the NYPD in April of 1914, the institution was still largely the corrupt, low-tech organization of the Tammany Hall era. To the extent the police were stopping crime--as opposed to committing it--their role had been almost entirely defined by physical force: the brawn of the cop on the beat keeping criminals at bay with nightsticks and fists. The solving of crimes was largely outside their purview. Woods was determined to change that, but he couldn't have anticipated the maelstrom of violence that would test his science-based approach to policing. Within weeks of his tenure, New York City was engulfed in the most concentrated terrorism campaign in the nation's history: a five-year period of relentless bombings, many of them perpetrated by the anarchist movement led by the legendary radicals Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman. Steven Johnson's engrossing account of the struggle between the anarchist movement and the emerging surveillance state stretches around the world and back to the nineteenth century--to Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite, to the development of forensic science in France, and to the assassination of Czar Alexander II, an event that propelled Berkman and Goldman's emigration from Russia to America and inspired their conviction that the nation state must be destroyed. As the forces of anarchy and policing clash in New York City, we meet Inspector Joseph Faurot, a science-first detective who works closely with Woods in reforming the police force; Hans Schmidt, the psychotic killer priest whose capture turns Faurot into a household name; and Amadeo Polignani, the young Italian undercover detective who infiltrates the notorious Bresci Circle. Johnson reveals a mostly forgotten period of political conviction, scientific discovery, assassination plots, bombings, undercover operations, and innovative sleuthing. The Infernal Machine is the complex pre-history of our current moment, when decentralized anarchist networks have once again taken to the streets to protest law enforcement abuses, right-wing militia groups have attacked government buildings, and surveillance is almost ubiquitous.

"Offers a useful reminder of the role of modern science in fundamentally transforming all of our lives." --President Barack Obama (on Twitter) "An important book." --Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review The surprising and important story of how humans gained what amounts to an extra life, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From In 1920, at the end of the last major pandemic, global life expectancy was just over forty years. Today, in many parts of the world, human beings can expect to live more than eighty years. As a species we have doubled our life expectancy in just one century. There are few measures of human progress more astonishing than this increased longevity. Extra Life is Steven Johnson's attempt to understand where that progress came from, telling the epic story of one of humanity's greatest achievements. How many of those extra years came from vaccines, or the decrease in famines, or seatbelts? What are the forces that now keep us alive longer? Behind each breakthrough lies an inspiring story of cooperative innovation, of brilliant thinkers bolstered by strong systems of public support and collaborative networks, and of dedicated activists fighting for meaningful reform. But for all its focus on positive change, this book is also a reminder that meaningful gaps in life expectancy still exist, and that new threats loom on the horizon, as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear. How do we avoid decreases in life expectancy as our public health systems face unprecedented challenges? What current technologies or interventions that could reduce the impact of future crises are we somehow ignoring? A study in how meaningful change happens in society, Extra Life celebrates the enduring power of common goals and public resources, and the heroes of public health and medicine too often ignored in popular accounts of our history. This is the sweeping story of a revolution with immense public and personal consequences: the doubling of the human life span.

"Thoroughly engrossing . . . a spirited, suspenseful, economically told tale whose significance is manifest and whose pace never flags." --The Wall Street Journal From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Ghost Map and Extra Life, the story of a pirate who changed the world Henry Every was the seventeenth century's most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular--and wildly inaccurate--reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every's most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event--the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew--and its surprising repercussions across time and space. It's the gripping tale of one of the most lucrative crimes in history, the first international manhunt, and the trial of the seventeenth century. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Every and his crimes to explore the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. How did this unlikely pirate and his notorious crime end up playing a key role in the birth of multinational capitalism? In the same mode as Johnson's classic nonfiction historical thriller The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration.

"Most confrontations, viewed from the wide angle of history, are minor disputes, sparks that quickly die out. But every now and then, someone strikes a match that lights up the whole planet." Henry Every was the seventeenth century's most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular--and wildly inaccurate--reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every's most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event--the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew--and its surprising repercussions across time and space. It's the gripping tale one of the most lucrative crimes in history, the first international manhunt, and the trial of the seventeenth century. Johnson uses the extraordinary story of Henry Every and his crimes to explore the emergence of the East India Company, the British Empire, and the modern global marketplace: a densely interconnected planet ruled by nations and corporations. How did this unlikely pirate and his notorious crime end up playing a key role in the birth of multinational capitalism? In the same mode as Johnson's classic historical thriller The Ghost Map, Enemy of All Mankind deftly traces the path from a single struck match to a global conflagration.

La conquista de la actualidad no se expresa a trav s de grandes titulares sino en el desarrollo paciente y hasta azaroso de algunas ideas, que, lejos de toda celebridad, suelen reconocer como art fices a modestos y abnegados desconocidos. En esta historia laber ntica y casi secreta, Steven Johnson dirige su lupa hacia seis t picos -El Vidrio, El Fr o, El Sonido, La Limpieza, El Tiempo, La Luz- y analiza de qu modo fueron tratados a lo largo de los siglos hasta su expresi n cabal en objetos sin los cuales jam s podr amos concebir el mundo actual. El enfoque de Johnson abunda en sorpresas y se nutre de malentendidos: desde el escritor franc s que invent el grabador antes de Edison pero "olvid " incluir un sistema de reproducci n hasta la dispar concepci n de la higiene corporal en el siglo XIX, al tiempo que examina conexiones ins litas entre campos aparentemente distantes: c mo la invenci n del aire acondicionado permiti la migraci n m s grande de seres humanos a ciudades como Dubai o Phoenix, que de otro modo ser an inhabitables; c mo los relojes de p ndulo ayudaron a desencadenar la revoluci n industrial o c mo el agua potable posibilit la fabricaci n de chips de computadora. Cuando contemplamos un objeto vulgar -un par de anteojos o una l mpara, sin ir m s lejos-, solemos olvidar la historia que lo inviste. Debemos agradecer a Johnson no solo que la recree sino adem s que lo haga de modo tan ameno y fascinante. "Steven Johnson es un experto en la historia de las ideas ...]

A Halloween activity and coloring book with 50 pages and 24 fun designs printed on one side that are safe for markers, colored pencils, or crayons. This coloring book has cute and spooky designs that are suitable for children ages 3-8 years old with varying degrees of difficulty but simple enough for younger toddlers that are just learning to color as well. This fun coloring book allows for pages to be torn out after use to showcase your little ones more creative side to the whole family. Kids of all ages will have a blast this Halloween with this children's activity book. Get this spooky gift for the holidays for a family member or a loved one.

A Halloween activity and coloring book with 50 pages and 24 fun designs printed on one side that are safe for markers, colored pencils, or crayons. This coloring book has cute and spooky designs that are suitable for children ages 2-6 years old with varying degrees of difficulty but simple enough for younger toddlers that are just learning to color as well. This fun coloring book allows for pages to be torn out after use to showcase your little ones more creative side to the whole family. Kids of all ages will have a blast this Halloween with this children's activity book. Get this spooky gift for the holidays for a family member or a loved one.

A groundbreaking book about making once-in-a-lifetime decisions, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From

The legendary storytellers worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame You can't escape pro wrestling today, even if you want to. Its stars are ubiquitous in movies, TV shows, product endorsements, swag, and social media to the point that they are as much celebrities as they are athletes. Pro wrestling has morphed from the fringes of acceptability to a global $1 billion industry that plays an everyday role in 21st-century pop culture. In The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers (from the Terrible Turk to Twitter), Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson explain how the sport's unique take on storytelling has fueled its remarkable expansion. Based on hundreds of interviews and original accounts, Oliver and Johnson describe the imaginative ways in which wrestlers and promoters have used monkeys, murderers, smelt, and wedding cakes to put butts in seats and encourage clicks, likes, and swipes across countless screens. As they trace the evolution of wrestling storytelling, Oliver and Johnson take readers on a winding journey from the New York City Bowery in the 1890s to a Detroit bar in the 1960s to a North Carolina backyard in 2017, meeting up along the way with all manner of scoundrels, do-gooders, scribes, and alligators. Storytellers is a highly readable, heavily researched book that will leave readers with a new appreciation for the fine (and sometimes not-so-fine) art of storytelling.

Innovation starts with a problem whose solution sets in motion all kinds of unexpected discoveries. That’s why you can draw a line from pendulums to punching the clock at a factory, from ice blocks to summer movie blockbusters, from clean water to computer chips. In the lively storytelling style that has made him a popular, bestselling author, Steven Johnson looks at how accidental genius, brilliant mistakes, and unintended consequences shape the way we live in the modern world. Johnson’s “long zoom” approach connects history, geography, politics, and scientific advances with the deep curiousity of inventors or quirky interests of tinkerers to show how innovation truly comes about. His fascinating account is organised into six topics: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, light. Johnson’s fresh exploration of these simple, single-syllable word concepts creates an endlessly absorbing story that moves from lightning strikes in the prehistoric desert to the herculean effort to literally raise up the city of Chicago to laser labs straight out of a sci-fi movie. In other words, it’s the story of how we got to now!