'While reading Tyranny of the Moment, I found myself both charmed and challenged. The subject is an important one, and Thomas Hylland Eriksen handles it with style, a light touch, and many amiable provocations.' Todd Gitlin The turn of the millennium is characterized by exponential growth in everything related to communication -- from the internet and email to air traffic. Tyranny of the Moment deals with some of the most perplexing paradoxes of this new information age. Who would have expected that apparently time-saving technology results in time being scarcer than ever? And has this seemingly limitless access to information led to confusion rather than enlightenment? Eriksen argues that slow time -- private periods where we are able to think and correspond without interruption -- is now one of the most precious resources we have. Since we are theoretically 'online' 24 hours a day, we must fight for the right to be unavailable -- the right to live and think more slowly. It is not only that working hours have become longer -- Eriksen also shows how the logic of this new information technology has permeated every area of our lives. Exploring phenomena such as the internet, wap telephones, multi- channel television and email, Eriksen examines this non-linear and fragmented way of communicating to reveal how it affects working conditions in the economy, changes in family life and, ultimately, personal identity. Eriksen argues that a culture lacking a sense of its past, and therefore of its future, is effectively static. Although solutions are suggested, he demonstrates that there is no easy way out.

This book is an expanded and revised edition of the author's critically acclaimed volume Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences. In twenty-six succinct chapters, Jon Elster provides an account of the nature of explanation in the social sciences. He offers an overview of key explanatory mechanisms in the social sciences, relying on hundreds of examples and drawing on a large variety of sources-psychology, behavioral economics, biology, political science, historical writings, philosophy and fiction. Written in accessible and jargon-free language, Elster aims at accuracy and clarity while eschewing formal models.

This book is intended as an introductory survey of the philosophy of the social sciences. It is essentially a work of exposition that offers a tool box of mechanisms--nuts and bolts, cogs and wheels--that can be used to explain complex social phenomena. Within a brief compass, Jon Elster covers a vast range of topics. His point of departure is the conflict we all face between our desires and our opportunities. How can rational choice theory help us understand our motivation and behavior? More significantly, what happens when the theory breaks down but we still cleave to a belief in the power of the rational? Elster describes the fascinating range of forms of irrationality--wishful thinking, the phenomenon of sour grapes, discounting the future in non-cooperative behavior. He shows how these issues bear directly on our lives in such concrete situations as wage bargaining, economic cartels, political strikes, voting in elections, and court decisions involving child custody.

《童年与故乡》出版于1934年，是作者童年生活的记录。四十篇散文，两百幅漫画，非常生动有趣地描述了他的童年，家庭，学校，军队，初恋等天真烂漫的生活履历，同时旁触到北欧的大自然和它的动物，山林以及纯朴粗野的农民生活。图画文字都有独特的风格。
由于德文原版为手写、手绘，为了使中文译本“更加生色”，译者吴朗西先生便也遵从德文版体例，请好友丰子恺亲自书写配图文字。
丰子恺先生也认为：“古尔布兰生的画，充分具有写实的根底，而又加以夸张的表现，所以能把人物和景物的姿态活跃地表出。他的文字近于散文诗，也很生动。他把童年在故乡所为，所见，所闻的精彩的片段，用绘画和文字协力地表现出了。有的地方文字和绘画交互错综，分不出谁是宾主。这种艺术表现的方式，我觉得很特殊，很有趣味。”
1951年，上海文化生活出版社出版《童年与故乡》中文版，便是依照德文版版式（开本比德文版略小），文字部分由丰子恺手书，插图部分依原作。吴朗西先生妙笔生花的翻译、丰子恺先生意趣盎然的钢笔行草，与作者的漫画天衣无缝地结合在一起。
此次《读库》整理再版，我们依照1934年出版的德文原版样式，采纳中文版中丰子恺先生的手写体正文，及德文版中的插图素材，经认真修复整理，重新进行拼版制作，并恢复为德文版的开本规格，同时保留了吴朗西先生的“译者后记”与丰子恺先生的“写者后记”。
为方便当代青少年读者阅读，我们将吴朗西先生的译文整理为简体中文，以印刷体附后。

“这是本引人人胜的书。它是第一本对欧美人类学的历史进行跨国研讨的著作。对于任何想知道人类学如何在不同的背景中兴起、走过了怎样的历程又将向何处去的读者来说，本书是一个绝好的资源。”
——美国人类学家乔治·马库斯
“人类学史就是一个竞技场，各种理论争论在这里澄清和解决。本书探讨了人类学最丰厚的几个传统的发展，并将推动它向一门真正的世界性学科发展。”
——英国人类学家亚当·库珀

这本书以小说的形式，通过一名哲学导师向一个叫苏菲的女孩传授哲学知识的经过，揭示了西方哲学发展的历程。由前苏格拉底时代到萨特，以及亚里士多德、笛卡儿、黑格尔等人的思想都通过作者生动的笔触跃然纸上，并配以当时的历史背景加以解释，引人入胜。评论家认为，对于那些从未读过哲学课程的人而言，此书是最为合适的入门书，而对于那些以往读过一些哲学而已忘得一干二净的人士，也可起到温故知新的作用。
14岁的少女苏菲不断接到一些极不寻常的来信，世界像谜团一般在她眼前展开。在一位神秘导师的指引下，苏菲开始思索，她运用少女天生的悟性与后天知识，企图解开这些谜团。然而，事实真相远比她所想的更怪异、更离奇……

Hovstad. I am of humble origin, as you know; and that has given me opportunities of knowing what is the most crying need in the humbler ranks of life. It is that they should be allowed some part in the direction of public affairs, Doctor. That is what will develop their faculties and intelligence and self respect.

越来越多地走出国门的中国人需要人类学视野，越来越急迫地关怀世界议题的中国社会科学需要人类学视野。有鉴于此，我们把编译这套丛书既作为一项专业工作，也作为一项社会使命来操持。
这套丛书与商务印书馆的“汉译人类学名著丛书”是姊妹关系，都是想做基础性的学术工作。那套书主要翻译人类学大家的原创性代表作，尤其是经典的民族志；这套书定位于介绍社会文化人类学的基本知识，例如人类学的概论、多国的学术发展史、名家生平与学术的评介、人类学的分支学科或交叉学科。’我们相信人类学是人文社会科学的一门基础性学科，我们这个译丛要做的是着眼于中国社会科学的发展来介绍人类学的基础性知识。若希望人类学在中国发挥基础性学科的作用，目前中国的人类学同仁还要坚持从基本工作着手。
人类学是现代人文社会科学的基础学科。这虽然在学术比较发达的国家是一个常识并已经落实在教育与科研的体制上，但是在发展中国家还是一个需要证明的观念，更不要说相应的制度设计还只是停留在少数学者的呼吁中。指出发达国家的学科设置事实也许是不够的，我们还可能需要很专业的证明。不过，我们在此只能略做申论。

洞悉人性，感應社會，關心國家心靈成長的作家吳祥輝，站在世界的高度上看台灣，期待打開台灣人的視野和心靈。
挪威，人類最文明的國家，追求世界和平的典範。
奉行國際人道主義，重視設計，舉世公認自然環境最美麗的國家之一。
全世界物價最高，和台灣的善緣源遠流長。
作者驚喜發現，挪威的「環境美學」，「城鄉美學」，「國家美學」，「人性美學」與「生活美學」或有助於釋放台灣人的「事實記憶」，「情感記憶」，「國家記憶」，「價值記憶」和「美感記憶」。
記憶的釋放和重建或許能帶給讀者發現的驚喜。驚喜總能激勵心靈。現在的台灣人需要被「激勵」。
旅行是記憶的釋放，情感的舒展。挪威的「釋放之旅」仍延續「國家書寫」系列的調性。2006年，《芬蘭驚豔》釋放「歷史記憶」。2007年，《驚歎愛爾蘭》釋放「文化記憶」。2009年，《驚喜挪威》期待讀者釋放「生死記憶」，發現一種單純的驚喜。
挪威從2001年開始，一直高居聯合國「人類開發指數」（HDI, Human Development Index）的巔峰，連續七年排名全球第一。挪威「幼有所長，壯有所用，老有所終」，簡直是人間天堂，是台灣人傳統庶民生命最高價值：福祿壽的典範。但是，挪威人普遍用boring形容自己的國家和民族性格。原來，福祿壽兼具，喜仍求之不可得。
挪威之旅，讓作家覺得最快樂、最驚喜的是：認識一群曾為台灣奉獻十數年或數十年的挪威人。他們年輕時就到台灣或行醫或傳教，年老才回歸故土。台灣的溫暖物產和慷慨人情讓他們懷念至今。他們的第二代也走上同樣的奉獻人生，連第三代都仍可能選擇這樣的人生。
生於恐懼，死於憂鬱的台灣人需要激勵。挪威是個適合清理重組台灣人記憶的地方。本書以記憶為主體：事實記憶、情感記憶、國家記憶、價值記憶、美感記憶，透過閱讀與思索，更清楚自己的人生定位。
你必須認識挪威－－
挪威是人類最文明的國家，追求世界和平的典範。奉行國際人道主義，舉世公認自然環境最美麗的國家之一，重視設計。全世界物價最高，和台灣的善緣源遠流長。
挪威「幼有所長，壯有所用，老有所終。」簡直是人間天堂。
因為認識了挪威，你更見證台灣的慷慨－－台灣人溫暖慷慨，作者在挪威清理重組對台灣人的記憶，對生存在這個島嶼上的人產生了激勵作用。
透過挪威+台灣的回顧與省思，你更清楚人生的定位－－繼芬蘭、愛爾蘭，再到挪威，透過作者每一個地點每一次觀察，都呼應了自己內心與外界的映照。本書中，他對死亡的定義是「一個人失去學習的興趣」。所以，我們活著的時候，天天都要學習。
十萬人等待的驚喜作品－－吳祥輝「國家書寫三部曲」：
2006年，【首部曲】《芬蘭驚豔》釋放「歷史記憶」，
2007年，【二部曲】《驚歎愛爾蘭》釋放「文化記憶」，二書銷售已突破十萬本。
2009年，【最終曲】《驚喜挪威》期待讀者釋放「生死記憶」，閱讀本書，你將發現一種單純的驚喜。

当代中国社会从未停止变化，新近在诸多方面的激进变动更是从本质上改变了社会的结构。个体的崛起，就是这样一种转型性的变革。
个体的崛起在很大程度上改变了社会关系的结构，导致了中国社会的个体化。在公共领域，特别是20世纪90年代后期以来城市化背景下的公共领域，个体的角色变得更为复杂和重要。对于当代的中国青年而言，个人幸福和个体自我的实现无疑成为了人生的终极目标。
那么，如何理解正在崛起的个体、及其在中国和世界范围内广泛而深远的影响。根本的问题在于：中国社会，是否像西方社会一样，正在经历一种个体化的进程？
作为一项持续数年的实证合作研究，本书深刻地揭示了：在中国，个人已经成为一个基本社会范畴的事实。中国已经出现了一种发展趋势，并渗透到社会生活的各个方面。这种发展不仅决定了私人领域、家庭结构和两性关系，也决定了经济的组织方式和灵活的就业，以及同样重要的，个人与国家之间的关系。同时，本书也从不同的角度表明，这一中国式的个体化进程具有其独特性，它并非是对欧洲个体化路径的单纯复制。
因此，所有想要了解当今中国社会基本构成——包括其两面性、偶然性和矛盾性等——的读者，都必须读一读此书。

Henrik Ibesn, who was born in Norway in 1828, has long held the unofficial title of "father of the modern drama." It would seem that Ibsen was fated to be misunderstood in two centuries; he was too radical for the nineteenth and too conservative for the twentieth.

In clear, nontechnical language, this introductory textbook describes the history of economic thought, focusing on the development of economic theory from Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" to the late twentieth century. The text concentrates on the most important figures in the history of economics, from Smith, Thomas Robert Malthus, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx in the classical period to John Maynard Keynes and the leading economists of the postwar era, such as John Hicks, Milton Friedman, and Paul Samuelson. It describes the development of theories concerning prices and markets, money and the price level, population and capital accumulation, and the choice between socialism and the market economy. The book examines how important economists have reflected on the sometimes conflicting goals of efficient resource use and socially acceptable income distribution. It also provides sketches of the lives and times of the major economists. "Economics Evolving" repeatedly shows how apparently simple ideas that are now taken for granted were at one time at the cutting edge of economics research. For example, the demand curve that today's students probably get to know during their first economics lecture was originally drawn by one of the most innovative theorists in the history of the subject. The book demonstrates not only how the study of economics has progressed over the course of its history, but also that it is still a developing science.

How did small European economies acquire the technologies and skills needed to industrialize in the nineteenth century? In this important contribution to a long-standing debate, Kristine Bruland looks at the Norwegian experience to show how a technological infrastructure was created, and suggests that much of this was due to the efforts of British machine makers who from the mid 1840s vigorously sought foreign markets. Providing not only basic technical services but also skilled labour to set up and then supervise the operation of the new machinery, British textile engineering firms were able to supply a complete 'package' of services, significantly easing the initial technical problems faced by Norwegian entrepreneurs. Kristine Bruland's case-study of the Norwegian textile industry demonstrates clearly the paradox that Britain's entrepreneurial efforts in the supply of capital goods overseas were largely responsible for the creation of the technical industrial bases of many of her major foreign competitors.

As heard on Book of the Week, Radio 4
The whole world wants to learn the secrets of Nordic exceptionalism: why are the Danes the happiest people in the world, despite having the highest taxes? If the Finns really have the best education system, how come they still think all Swedish men are gay? Are the Icelanders really feral? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastical oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes?
Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic that has engulfed the rest of the world, whether it be for their food, television, social systems or chunky knitwear.
In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades.
They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn't easy being Scandinavian.