(excerpts from my proposal for the book)
Anyone who has explored the history, technology, or theory of computers has likely encountered the concept of the Turing Machine. The Turing Machine is an imaginary — not even quite hypothetical — computer invented in 1936 by English mathematician Alan Turing (1912–1954) to help solve a question in mathematical logic. As a byproduct, Turing also founded the field of computability theory — the study of the abilities and limitations of digital computers.
Although the concept of the Turing Machine is well known, Turing’s original 1936 paper is only rarely read. This neglect may have something to do with the paper’s title — “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” — and perhaps the paper’s extensive use of a scary German gothic font. That’s too bad, because the paper is not only a fascinating read but a milestone in the history of computing and 20th century intellectual thought in general.
This book presents Turing’s original 36-page paper (and a follow-up 3-page correction) with background chapters and extensive annotations. Mathematical papers like Turing’s are often terse and cryptic. I have elaborated on many of Turing’s statements, clarified his discussions, and provided numerous examples.
Interwoven into the narrative are the highlights of Turing’s own life: his years at Cambridge and Princeton, his secret work in cryptanalysis during World War II, his involvement in seminal computer projects, his speculations about artificial intelligence, his arrest and prosecution for the crime of “gross indecency,” and his early death by apparent suicide at the age of 41.
The book is divided into four parts: Parts I and II together are about 200 pages in length and cover the first 60% of Turing’s paper, encompassing the Turing Machine and computability topics. This part of the book is entirely self-contained and will be of primary interest to most readers.
Part III is a faster paced look at the remainder of Turing’s paper, which involves the implications for mathematical logic. Some readers might want to skip these chapters.
Part IV resumes the more "popular" presentation showing how the Turing Machine has become a vital tool in understanding the workings of human consciousness and the mechanisms of the universe.
Although I expect the primary readers of the book to be programmers, computer science majors, and other “techies,” I have tried my best to make the book accessible to the general reader. There is unavoidably much mathematics in the book, but I have tried to assume that the reader only has knowledge of high-school mathematics, and probably a foggy one at that.

A comprehensive survey of western technology from the Seventeenth Century with Galileo and the Scientific Revolution to the Twentieth Century.

In the twenty-rst century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbeanfranchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime terrorism and piracy expert Peter Lehr casts fresh light on pirates. Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state’s role in the development of piracy throughout history: from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counter-piracy efforts—and the reasons behind its failures.

Shows the value of the Bayesian methodology for the addressing the core issues in the field
Provides clear, comprehensive, and accessible explanations
Discusses a wide range of questions, from philosophical foundations to practical applications in science
Combines mathematical modeling with conceptual analysis, simulations, case studies, and empirical results
How should we reason in science? Jan Sprenger and Stephan Hartmann offer a refreshing take on classical topics in philosophy of science, using a single key concept to explain and to elucidate manifold aspects of scientific reasoning. They present good arguments and good inferences as being characterized by their effect on our rational degrees of belief. Refuting the view that there is no place for subjective attitudes in 'objective science', Sprenger and Hartmann explain the value of convincing evidence in terms of a cycle of variations on the theme of representing rational degrees of belief by means of subjective probabilities (and changing them by Bayesian conditionalization). In doing so, they integrate Bayesian inference—the leading theory of rationality in social science—with the practice of 21st century science. Bayesian Philosophy of Science thereby shows how modeling such attitudes improves our understanding of causes, explanations, confirming evidence, and scientific models in general. It combines a scientifically minded and mathematically sophisticated approach with conceptual analysis and attention to methodological problems of modern science, especially in statistical inference, and is therefore a valuable resource for philosophers and scientific practitioners.

Isaac Newton's "Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended", published in 1728, one year after the great man's death, unleashed a storm of controversy. And for good reason. The book presents a drastically revised timeline for ancient civilizations, contracting Greek history by five hundred years and Egypt's by a millennium. "Newton and the Origin of Civilization" tells the story of how one of the most celebrated figures in the history of mathematics, optics, and mechanics came to apply his unique ways of thinking to problems of history, theology, and mythology, and of how his radical ideas produced an uproar that reverberated in Europe's learned circles throughout the eighteenth century and beyond. Jed Buchwald and Mordechai Feingold reveal the manner in which Newton strove for nearly half a century to rectify universal history by reading ancient texts through the lens of astronomy, and to create a tight theoretical system for interpreting the evolution of civilization on the basis of population dynamics. It was during Newton's earliest years at Cambridge that he developed the core of his singular method for generating and working with trustworthy knowledge, which he applied to his study of the past with the same rigor he brought to his work in physics and mathematics. Drawing extensively on Newton's unpublished papers and a host of other primary sources, Buchwald and Feingold reconcile Isaac Newton the rational scientist with Newton the natural philosopher, alchemist, theologian, and chronologist of ancient history.

In 1799, a French Army officer was rebuilding the defenses of a fort on the banks of the Nile when he discovered an ancient stele fragment bearing a decree inscribed in three different scripts. So begins one of the most familiar tales in Egyptology—that of the Rosetta Stone and the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. This book draws on fresh archival evidence to provide a major new account of how the English polymath Thomas Young and the French philologist Jean-François Champollion vied to be the first to solve the riddle of the Rosetta.
Jed Buchwald and Diane Greco Josefowicz bring to life a bygone age of intellectual adventure. Much more than a decoding exercise centered on a single artifact, the race to decipher the Rosetta Stone reflected broader disputes about language, historical evidence, biblical truth, and the value of classical learning. Buchwald and Josefowicz paint compelling portraits of Young and Champollion, two gifted intellects with altogether different motivations. Young disdained Egyptian culture and saw Egyptian writing as a means to greater knowledge about Greco-Roman antiquity. Champollion, swept up in the political chaos of Restoration France and fiercely opposed to the scholars aligned with throne and altar, admired ancient Egypt and was prepared to upend conventional wisdom to solve the mystery of the hieroglyphs.
Taking readers from the hushed lecture rooms of the Institut de France to the windswept monuments of the Valley of the Kings, The Riddle of the Rosetta reveals the untold story behind one of the nineteenth century’s most thrilling discoveries.

A thrilling history of the West’s scramble for the riches of ancient Egypt by the foremost Egyptologist of our time.

Newton studies have undergone radical changes in the last half-century as more of his work has been uncovered and more details of his life and intellectual context have come to light. This volume singles out two strands in recent Newton studies: the intellectual background to Newton's scientific thought and both specific and general aspects of his technical science. The essays make new claims concerning Newton's mathematical methods, experimental investigations, and motivations, as well as the effect that his long presence had on science in England.The book is divided into two parts. The essays in part I shed new light on Newton's motivations and the sources of his method. The essays in part II explore Newton's mathematical philosophy and his development of rational mechanics and celestial dynamics. An appendix includes the last paper by Newton biographer Richard W. Westfall, examining some of the ways that mathematics came to be used in the age of Newton in pursuits and domains other than theoretical or rational mechanics.

◎ 编辑推荐
★冯内古特《五号屠场》原型，丘吉尔缄口不提的敏感事件，广受争议的盟军轰炸行动
战争结束在即，德累斯顿是合理的军事目标吗？如果说摧毁德累斯顿是犯罪，那么谁才是真正的罪犯？
★《泰晤士报》年度图书，一部独一无二的城市史，讲述艺术之城的前世今生
从典雅、文明的往日辉煌，到残酷、狂热的纳粹时期，到毁灭与重建的极端年代，一直到今天的和解与复兴。
★从空中到地下，从前线到后方，多视角叙事，完整还原灾难始末
“从计划到执行，这个故事由关键参与者以及地面上遭受攻击本身及其后果的受难者讲述。”——罗伯特·福克斯
◎ 内容简介
“一场大火从德国喷出，绕世界一圈，然后又回到了德国。”
1945年2月，末日从天而降，上千架轰炸机飞过，德累斯顿在一夜之间沦为废墟，“易北河上的佛罗伦萨”、欧洲文明的中心，被炸出了20世纪。
在二战接近尾声之际，针对德国城市和平民的无差别轰炸对战争进程几乎没有任何影响，惨痛的伤亡以及巨大的破坏引起了舆论的激烈反应。纳粹当局将盟军的攻击称作“恐怖轰炸”，英美媒体亦为德累斯顿这块瑰宝的毁灭而震惊，就连丘吉尔也对空袭的必要性产生怀疑。
究竟谁该为德累斯顿的毁灭负责？这一问题的讨论经久不衰，热烈程度甚或高于人们对广岛核爆的关注。冷战时期，德累斯顿的废墟在“铁幕”之下成了英美帝国主义恐怖暴行的物证，也刺激着大西洋两岸的反战运动。到今天，德国右翼组织仍然试图利用这一事件，以期将德国人塑造成战争罪行的受害者。
这一切的一切，都将人们的视线拉回到轰炸发生的那一夜——在德累斯顿，千百个声音正等待着世界的倾听，是时候看看那场骇人听闻的毁灭背后，隐藏着多少不为人知的秘密。
◎ 媒体评论
正直的愠怒驱动着这一扣人心弦的研究。
——马克斯·黑斯廷斯（《日本帝国衰亡》作者）
令人不安又无法抗拒。辛克莱·麦凯赋予了这个黑暗的主题以生命。
——基思·罗威（《野蛮大陆》作者）
清晰而公正地描述了空战历史中最臭名昭著、最具破坏性的空袭。从计划到执行，这个故事由关键参与者以及地面上遭受攻击本身及其后果的受难者讲述。
——罗伯特·福克斯（《我们见证过》作者）
这场火风暴及其后果为这座城市的六年战争划下了创伤性的结局，它铭刻在人们的公共记忆中，在易北河畔被火烧黑的石头上依然清晰可见。
——《金融时报》
麦凯的丰富叙事和描述天赋为我们提供了一个关于那个可怕夜晚的考究而坚定的记录。对现代历史上最具道德争议的军事行动之一，这本书是极为可读和精心制作的补遗。
——《华尔街日报》
麦凯避免直接的说教，他更关注德累斯顿人年复一年的纪念仪式以及这段历史在集体记忆中的地位。最重要的是，他为这座城市在现代的复活感到欢欣。
——《经济学人》
引人入胜、研究充分、写作有力、结构得当。献给所有对军事历史和第二次世界大战感兴趣的人。
——《图书馆杂志》（星级评论）
麦凯的广泛研究和生动书写捕捉了轰炸的恐怖和悲剧。读者不会轻易忘记这段关于毁灭的叙述。
——《出版人周刊》

17世纪，荷兰东印度公司向亚洲拓展自己的势力范围。然而自涉足日本市场以来，荷兰人毫无话语权。荷兰东印度公司期望能在德川幕府的秩序中寻求一席之地，但他们的尝试却屡屡受挫。
为了扭转这种不利地位，荷兰人利用外交、武力、经济等各种手段，想方设法为自己争取利益。在和德川幕府的一次次交锋中，荷兰人反复定位自己，他们到底是侵略成性的海盗，还是只想分一杯羹的商人？是“荷兰国王”的合法代理人，还是幕府的忠诚附庸？是顽固的殖民者，还是先进文化的传播者？
荷兰人不断在进退的边缘试探。在17世纪全球化背景下，这个世界股份制公司的翘楚究竟如何跨越迥然相异的政治体制、经济模式和文化圈，维持与亚洲政府的外交、商业、政治关系？又是如何建造自己的海外商业帝国的？本书仔细审视了近代早期荷兰东印度公司与日本德川幕府的斗争，重新定义了“欧洲崛起”。
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全球史译丛（见识城邦出品）：
01：全球史是什么[德]塞巴斯蒂安·康拉德（Sebastian Conrad）著
02：堕落之海：地中海史研究[英]佩里格林·霍登（Peregrine Horden）[英]尼古拉斯·珀塞尔（Nicholas Purcell）著
03：19世纪大转型[德]贡德·弗兰克（Andre Gunder Frank）著 [美]罗伯特·A.德内马克（Robert A.Denemark）编
04：万国一邦：美国在世界史上的地位[美]托马斯·本德(Thomas Bender) 著
05：公司与将军：荷兰人与幕府时代日本的相遇[英]亚当·克卢洛（Adam Clulow）著
06：近代早期世界的全球互动（1400—1800年）[美]查理斯·帕克（Charles Parker）著
07：中间地带：大湖区的印第安人、帝国和共和国（1650—1815年）[美]理查德·怀特（Richard White）著
08： 蚊子帝国：1620—1914年间加勒比地区的生态战争[美]J. R. 麦克尼尔（J. R. McNeill）著
09：美国宪法的全球史（1776—1989年）[美]乔治·A．比利亚斯（George Athan Billias）著
10：现代世界的诞生（1780—1914年）[英]C. A. 贝利（C. A. Bayly）著
11：交换之物：荷兰黄金时代的商业、医学与科学[美]柯浩德（Harold J. Cook）著
12：鸟粪与太平洋世界的开启：全球生态史[美]格里高利·库什曼（Gregory T. Cushman）著
13：气候变化与全球史[美]约翰·L. 布鲁克（John L. Brooke）著
14：大转型：中世纪晚期世界的气候、疾病与社会[英]布鲁斯·M. S. 坎贝尔（Bruce M. S. Campbell）著
……后续新品，敬请关注……

2017年普利策奖决选佳作！
获誉“近十多年来美国独立战争研究领域至关重要的作品之一”！
粉碎美利坚建国神话的良心之作，完整披露被刻意掩盖两百余年的美国独立战争真相！
一部厚重之作，解答一个存在多年的历史谜团：北美殖民地为何能够在独立战争中击败船坚炮利的大英帝国？《友军：法国救星、西班牙援兵与美国独立战争的胜利》是一部以美国独立战争为主题的精彩历史作品，原著跻身2017年普利策奖历史类决选名单三甲之列。
作者搜集、整理、分析了大量一手史料，为广大读者叙述了一个足以戳破“美国建国神话”的真实故事。
多年来，以乔治•班克罗夫特为代表的“美国例外主义”主流史观，宣扬的是美利坚这座“山巅之城”的与众不同，而这种独特性在建国过程中的体现，即是国父们带领民众，浴血奋战，*终击败了强大的大英帝国，取得独立。
本书作者费雷罗直言前述观点是一种神话，“所谓北美军队依靠自身的力量改变了这片土地的殖民地属性，单枪匹马地打赢了这场革命战争并*终获得独立，这作为一种拟制的神话，从根本而言，绝不正确，更不合适”。在他看来，“真实的故事，绝非自给自足的英雄史诗……没有法国的支持，缺少西班牙的帮助，北美就无法赢得独立”。
本书基于扎实客观的研究，得出的结论有利于纠正“美国例外主义”主流史观固有偏见，帮助读者更为全面地认识美国的历史与现状。

从亨利八世到伊丽莎白一世，英国与法国、西班牙、爱尔兰之间的争战，导致国库严重亏空，要靠王室商人去欧陆张罗、协商、谈判贷款。本书的主题，是16世纪都铎王朝外债的筹措与偿付，主角是众所皆知的人物：以“劣币驱逐良币”（格雷欣法则，Gresham's Law）闻名的Sir Thomas Gresham（1519—1579）。全书分5篇（13章）与5个附录，主轴是格雷欣如何筹借外债，如何谈判借款的数额、利率、期限，如何操作英镑的汇率。

早在印刷术发明之前，人们就渴望信息。在前工业时代，人们通过谈话、八卦、庆祝活动、布道和公告来收集和分享新闻。印刷时代催生了小册子、期刊和最早的新闻纸，将新闻社区从地方扩展到世界。本书追踪了1400年到1800年四个世纪以来多个欧洲国家的新闻史，展示了控制新闻的力量，新闻在政治、宗教改革和社会事件中的角色，新闻的娱乐性和时效性，记者的可信度，以及人们在推开新闻的世界之窗后发生的改变。
今天，在一个被信息淹没的时代，人们如何在这种信息规模中相互沟通？读者或将在书中得到新的思考。本书荣获2015年哈佛大学金匠奖。

From the bestselling and Booker Prize winning author of Never Let me Go and The Remains of the Day, a stunning new novel - his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature - that asks, what does it mean to love? A thrilling feat of world-building, a novel of exquisite tenderness and impeccable restraint, Klara and the Sun is a magnificent achievement, and an international literary event.