Skip to main content
  • Arts & Humanities
  • Science & Technology
  • Health & Medicine
  • Alumni
  • On Campus
  • Books
Issues
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • School Abbreviations
  • Arts & Humanities
  • Science & Technology
  • Health & Medicine
  • Alumni
  • On Campus
  • Books

Books

Greed, Exploitation, and Elephants: The Story of a Failed Congo Conquest
Cover of A Training School for Elephants by Sophy Roberts
Books

Greed, Exploitation, and Elephants: The Story of a Failed Congo Conquest

A Training School for Elephants, by travel writer Sophy Roberts ’97JRN, tells the little-known tale of a Belgian king and Irish fixer in Africa

Most Read
The Pacifist's Guide to Satanism
2022_La-Carmina-1

The Pacifist's Guide to Satanism

La Carmina, an award-winning blogger, journalist, and author, offers a spirited defense of the often-misunderstood religion

The Best Way to Stop a Negative-Thought Spiral
1.21_BOOKTALK_art_Brian-Stauffer

The Best Way to Stop a Negative-Thought Spiral

Psychologist Ethan Kross ’07GSAS suggests strategies to root out negative self-talk 

Genius at Work: How Franz Boas Created the Field of Cultural Anthropology
Archive photo of Franz Boas reenacting a Kwakiutl ceremonial dance to assist Smithsonian Institution sculptors building a diorama
Boas reenacts a Kwakiutl ceremonial dance to assist Smithsonian Institution sculptors building a diorama. (Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives)

Genius at Work: How Franz Boas Created the Field of Cultural Anthropology

A century ago, when people believed that human potential was determined by race and gender, a maverick Columbia professor decided everyone was wrong

More Stories

How to Fight Self-Imposed Ageism and Energize Your Retirement
Photo of two older men jumping into a lake while holding hands
Books

How to Fight Self-Imposed Ageism and Energize Your Retirement

Michael Clinton ’21SPS invites us to think about midlife as a time of new opportunities and personal growth

The Iconoclastic Comedic Genius of Mel Brooks
Film still from LIFE STINKS - MEL BROOKS
Books

The Iconoclastic Comedic Genius of Mel Brooks

In Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew, Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber describes the filmmaker and comedian's impact on American culture

8 Columbia Alumni Books to Read for Pride Month
Open book with Low Library lit in rainbow colors
Books

8 Columbia Alumni Books to Read for Pride Month

These eight books celebrate the struggles and the strengths of the LGBTQ+ community 

6 New Books for Your Spring Reading List
Spring/Summer 2023 reading list books
Books

6 New Books for Your Spring Reading List

Great reads from Columbia authors

Why Is America so Violent?
Mandalay Bay Hotel in Paradise, Nevada seen through a wire fence
Books

Why Is America so Violent?

In Bloodbath Nation, Paul Auster ’69CC, ’70GSAS looks at the history and impact of gun violence in the US

Review: White Cat, Black Dog
Cover of White Cat Black Dog by Kelly Link
Books

Review: White Cat, Black Dog

By Kelly Link ’91CC

Aliens: They’re Just Like Us
Scence from Avatar: The Way of Water
Books

Aliens: They’re Just Like Us

In The Possibility of Life, Jaime Green ’15SOA explores how culture, science, and sci-fi shape depictions of extraterrestrials

Can't Concentrate? Here's How to Focus in the Digital Age
man inside head trying to catch ladybugs in net
Books

Can't Concentrate? Here's How to Focus in the Digital Age

In Attention Span, Gloria Mark ’91GSAS shares how technology has affected our ability to focus — and how we can get that skill back

The Human Backside: A Scientific and Cultural History
Butts by Heather Radke
Books

The Human Backside: A Scientific and Cultural History

In her first book, Butts, journalist Heather Radke ’19SOA takes a serious look at a cheeky topic

6 Exciting New Books for Winter
6 Excellent New Books for Winter
Books

6 Exciting New Books for Winter

From Darryl Pinckney ’88CC, Lynn Steger Strong ’14SOA, and other Columbia authors

The Secret Romance That Inspired T. S. Eliot
Cover of the Hyacinth Girl by Lyndall Gordon
Books

The Secret Romance That Inspired T. S. Eliot

A review of The Hyacinth Girl, by Lyndall Gordon ’73GSAS

The Complex History and Wondrous Potential of Cell Research
Siddhartha Mukherjee photographed by Allison Michael Orenstein
Books

The Complex History and Wondrous Potential of Cell Research

A review of Song of the Cell, by oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee

  • Read More

Stay Connected.

Sign up for our newsletter.

General Data Protection Regulation

Columbia University Privacy Notice

  • Latest Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Arts & Humanities
  • Science & Technology
  • Health & Medicine
  • Alumni Newsmakers
  • On Campus
  • Books
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Staff
  • Awards
  • Contact Us
  • School Abbreviations
  • Donate
  • columbia.edu
  • Alumni Association
  • Update Your Information
  • Disability Services

©2025 Columbia University