Beacon Classics Series

The stunningly orignial memoir of a nice Jewish boy who left the Church of Scientology to become the lovely lady she is today
 
In the early 1970s, a boy from a Conservative Jewish family joined the Church of Scientology. In 1981, that boy officially left the movement and ultimately transitioned into a woman. A few years later, she stopped calling herself a woman—and became a famous gender outlaw.

Gender theorist, performance artist, and author Kate Bornstein is set to change lives with her stunningly original memoir. Wickedly funny and disarmingly honest, this is Bornstein’s most intimate book yet, encompassing her early childhood and adolescence, college at Brown, a life in the theater, three marriages and fatherhood, the Scientology hierarchy, transsexual life, LGBTQ politics, and life on the road as a sought-after speaker.


“A singular achievement and gift to the generations of queers who consider her our Auntie, and all those who will follow.”
—Lambda Literary

“Breathless, passionate, and deeply honest, A Queer and Pleasant Danger is a wonderful book. Read it and learn.”
—Samuel R. Delany, author of Dhalgren

In Resurrecting Empire, Rashid Khalidi dissected the failures of colonial policy over the entire span of the modern history of the Middle East, predicted the meltdown in Iraq that we are now witnessing with increasing horror, and offered viable alternatives for achieving peace in the region. His newest book, The Iron Cage, hones in on Palestinian politics and history. Once again Khalidi draws on a wealth of experience and scholarship to elucidate the current conflict, using history to provide a clear-eyed view of the situation today.

The story of the Palestinian search to establish a state begins in the era of British control over Palestine and stretches between the two world wars, when colonial control of the region became increasingly unpopular and power began to shift toward the United States. In this crucial period, and in the years immediately following World War II, Palestinian leaders were unable to achieve the long-cherished goal of establishing an independent state-a critical failure that throws a bright light on the efforts of the Palestinians to create a state in the many decades since 1948. By frankly discussing the reasons behind this failure, Khalidi offers a much-needed perspective for anyone concerned about peace in the Middle East.

Here is Gayl Jones’s classic novel, the tale of blues singer Ursa, consumed by her hatred of the nineteenth-century slave master who fathered both her grandmother and mother.

THE TRUE STORY OF A CROSSDRESSING, TRANSATLANTIC ADVENTURER WHO ESCAPED FROM A SPANISH CONVENT IN 1599 AND LIVED AS A MAN—GAMBLING,FIGHTING DUELS, AND LEADING SOLDIERS INTO BATTLE

Named a New York Times Book Review Notable Book

One of the earliest known autobiographies by a woman, this is the extraordinary tale of Catalina de Erauso, who in 1599 escaped from a Basque convent dressed as a man and went on to live one of the most wildly fantastic lives of any woman in history. A soldier in the Spanish army, she traveled to Peru and Chile, became a gambler, and even mistakenly killed her own brother in a duel. During her lifetime she emerged as the adored folkloric hero of the Spanish-speaking world. This delightful translation of Catalina’s own work introduces a new audience to her audacious escapades.

Placing the West’s failure to acknowledge the most successful slave revolt in history alongside denials of the Holocaust and the debate over the Alamo, Michel-Rolph Trouillot offers a stunning meditation on how power operates in the making and recording of history.

A deluxe edition of Henry David Thoreau’s groundbreaking environmentalist masterpiece, including an introduction and annotations by renowned social and environmental critic Bill McKibben

A Beacon Classics edition, featuring spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

First published in 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s Walden has influenced generations of readers and continues to inspire and inform anyone with an open mind, a love of nature, and a longing for simplicity and contemplation. Recounting the author’s reflections on simple living after a period he spent in a small cabin he built near Walden Pond, the book places Thoreau firmly in his role as cultural and spiritual seer.

Bill McKibben offers both an intelligent and captivating introduction and a body of insightful annotations to Thoreau’s original edition. He addresses two philosophical questions posed by Thoreau: “How much is enough?” and, “How do I know what I want?”, to draw meaningful connections between Thoreau’s writing and our lived experience in the 21st century.

This beautiful hardcover edition is more accessible and relevant than ever in an age of technological change and ecological crisis.

A stunning, collectible edition of Howard Zinn’s landmark memoir that chronicles his lifelong commitment to social justice and steadfast belief that ordinary people can change history

A Beacon Classics edition, featuring spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

Is change possible? Where will it come from? Can we actually make a difference? How do we remain hopeful?

Howard Zinn—activist, historian, and author of A People’s History of the United States—was a participant in and chronicler of some of the landmark struggles for racial and economic justice in US history. In his memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, Zinn reflects on more than thirty years of fighting for social change, from his teenage years as a laborer in Brooklyn to teaching at Spelman College, where he emerged in the civil rights movement as a powerful voice for justice. A former bombardier in World War II, he later became an outspoken antiwar activist, spirited protestor, and champion of civil disobedience. Throughout his life, Zinn was unwavering in his belief that “small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” This repackaged edition will inspire a new generation of readers to believe that change is possible.

“Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

An exclusive Beacon Classics edition of the book that brought mindfulness to the Western world and continues to open the hearts and minds of readers everywhere, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

The Miracle of Mindfulness has been cherished by generations of readers for its eloquent and useful introduction to the practice of meditation. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle anecdotes and practical exercise as a means of learning the skills of mindfulness. From washing dishes to answering the phone to peeling an orange, he reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peacefulness.

Readers interested in an introduction to Buddhist thought, as well as those seeking to learn about mindfulness and stress reduction, continue to look to Thich Nhat Hanh’s classic work for guidance and inspiration. This new edition features Thich Nhat Hanh’s ever relevant reflections, for longtime readers and those new to the world of mindfulness alike. As the world we live in grows all the more overwhelming, The Miracle of Mindfulness remains a beloved antidote to the accelerated speed and intense expectations of our lives.

A gorgeous, deluxe edition of the bestselling Holocaust memoir about finding purpose and strength in times of despair—selected as a Library of Congress “10 Most Influential Books in America”

A Beacon Classics edition, featuring spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

Scientists and artists, politicians and celebrities regularly cite Viktor Frankl as one of the most important authors every person should read. Hailed as “an enduring work of survival literature” by the New York Times, Frankl’s account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps—and his insights into our ability to find meaning despite great adversity—has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946.

This fully repackaged edition will delight Frankl followers old and new seeking to enrich their understanding of life’s purpose. Today, as we face new challenges and an ever more complex and uncertain world, Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.

The extraordinary tale of how a Boston shoemaker became an enduring symbol for the American Revolution

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

George Robert Twelves Hewes, a Boston shoemaker who participated in such key events of the American Revolution as the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party, might have been lost to history if not for his longevity and the historical mood of the 1830’s. When the Tea Party became a leading symbol of the Revolutionary ear 50 years after the actual event, this ‘common man’ in his nineties was ‘discovered’ and celebrated in Boston as a national hero.

Young pieces together this fascinating account of an ordinary person involved in extraordinary events, adding new insights about the role that individual and collective memory play in shaping our understanding of history.

One of the twentieth century’s most important pieces of social and economic theory, highlighting the rise and reality of capitalism as it shaped our world

A limited Beacon Classics edition

In this classic work of economic history and social theory, Karl Polanyi tracks the economic and social changes brought about by the “great transformation” of the Industrial Revolution. He pays particular attention to capitalism’s rise and its role in fundamentally altering life after the Industrial Revolution. While previous economic arrangements were embedded within social relations, capitalism reverses this: social relations are defined by economic relations. This seminal analysis explains not only the deficiencies of the self-regulating market, but the potentially dire social consequences of untempered market capitalism.

In an era of ever-increasing globalization and free trade, Polanyi’s cogent historical, social, and economic analysis offers grounded insight into the inner workings of the modern world. Polanyi suggests that capitalism is a historical anomaly. The rules of reciprocity, redistribution and communal obligations were far more consistent as guiding principles of exchange than market relations throughout human history. Capitalism, however, does not exhibit these obligations, and in fact its rise irreversibly destroyed them. The true “great transformation” of the industrial revolution was to completely replace all modes of interaction with capitalism and market relations, forever altering the function, and result, of human relations.

Now with a new hardcover package, this treatise from one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century will illuminate seminal economic and social theory for fans old and new.

The revolutionary account of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, through the eyes of the vanished, challenging colonial narratives and centering Aztec voices

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette


For hundreds of years, the history of the conquest of Mexico and the defeat of the Aztecs has been told in the words of the Spanish victors. This is only a small part of the full story. Miguel León-Portilla has long been at the forefront of expanding that history to include the voices of indigenous peoples. Portilla’s work translating and compiling the voices contained within the pages of The Broken Spears has been revered since the book’s original Spanish publication in 1959 and original English publication in 1962.

In this new edition of his classic, León-Portilla’s work to unearth the voices of Aztec people from the past and the present continues to illuminate untold realities of colonization. His work includes accounts from those present at the time of the conquest of Mexico and has been expanded to include accounts from native Aztec descendants across the centuries since. These texts bear witness to the extraordinary vitality of an oral tradition that preserves the viewpoints of the vanquished instead of the victors.

Through these firsthand accounts from Aztec peoples, a new story about the conquest of Mexico unfolds. Portilla translates these stories, but he also investigates how these firsthand accounts came to be, remaining cognizant of what can be lost in translation, and the stakes of allowing history to be written by the victors.

The Broken Spears is an exemplary body of historical work that seeks to challenge the pervasiveness of colonial narratives and continues to shape the study of history to this day.

The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese-American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American West

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

“Fast-paced and entertaining-packed with adventure, drama, and inspiration.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Lalu Nathoy’s father called his thirteen-year-old daughter his treasure, his “thousand pieces of gold”—yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game. 

Celebrated author Ruthanne Lum McCunn traces the gripping narrative of Lalu’s courageous attempts to escape captivity and then enslavement, and her unflagging efforts to live free in the American West as Polly, despite devastating losses. With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Thousand Pieces of Gold remains an enduring classic of biographical historical fiction, starring an unforgettable Chinese-American heroine whose struggles put a human face on the anti-immigration policies of the past and present.

A must-have hardcover edition of the watershed book on 18th-century pirates and the amazingly democratic and egalitarian communities they created

Part of the Beacon Classics series

Villains of All Nations explores the “Golden Age” of Atlantic piracy (1716-1726) and the infamous generation whose images underlie our modern, romanticized view of pirates.

Rediker introduces us to the dreaded black flag, the Jolly Roger; swashbuckling figures such as Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard; and the unnamed, unlimbed pirate who was likely Robert Louis Stevenson’s model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island.

This history shows from the bottom up how sailors emerged from deadly working conditions on merchant and naval ships, turned pirate, and created a starkly different reality aboard their own ships, electing their officers, dividing their booty equitably, and maintaining a multinational social order. The real lives of this motley crew —which included cross-dressing women, people of color, and the “outcasts of all nations”—are far more compelling than contemporary myth.

A dazzling collectible edition of one of the most groundbreaking thinkers of the 20th century’s incisive philosophical analysis of western civilization

“Herbert Marcuse taught me that it was possible to be an academic and an activist, a scholar and a revolutionary.” – Angela Davis


Originally published in 1955, Herbert Marcuse’s Eros and Civilization has been deemed by the New York Times “the most significant general treatment of psychoanalytic theory since Freud himself ceased publication.” In this classic work, the internationally celebrated social theorist, philosopher, and political activist interrogates Freud’s statement that civilization is based on the permanent subjugation of the human instincts to interpret the basic trends of western civilization. 

What emerges is an in-depth examination of the philosophical and sociological implications of Freud’s reconstruction of the prehistory of mankind. Challenging the widespread repression of his time, Marcuse imagines a utopian civilization emphasizing liberation and play. 

Known as the “father of the New Left,” Marcuse’s incisive critique of capitalist society and analysis of consumerism and social repression remain more relevant than ever.