New Arrivals 2015 / 2016: Non Fiction- December

'The Price of Inequality' provides a powerful critique of free-market ideas, and of the directions that America and many other societies have taken over the past 30 years, showing not why they are unfair, but also unwise.

Is it culture, the weather, or geography that determines prosperity or poverty? As Why Nations Fail shows, none of these factors is either definitive or destiny.

In 'The Rational Optimist' Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better.

'On Ugliness' is a study of the concept of ugliness through time. The text presents Eco's captivating and intelligent analysis of an idea through its manifestation in art, literature, architecture and photography.

In this ground-breaking biography, Jung Chang shows that under Cixi's rule China acquired virtually all the attributes of a modern state: industries, railways, cars, electricity, telephones, Western medicine, an army and navy with modern weaponry.

This is a real-life horror story, a gripping personal account of a young woman's descent into a madness for which there seemed to be no cure.

Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat. From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere. I The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Dan Ariely turns his unique insight and innovative research to the question of dishonesty.

Atul Gawande examines his experiences as a surgeon, as he confronts the realities of ageing and dying in his patients and in his family, as well as the limits of what he can do. He emerges with a story that crosses the globe and history, exploring questions that range from the curious to the profound.