Showing titles in Aesthetics

Perhaps the most important work of philosophy after the Allegory of the Cave. Incomparable logic and findings about the things that matter in life with a clear, succinct prose touch.

The classic study of alienation, creativity and the modern mind 'Excitingly written, with a sense of revelation' GUARDIAN THE OUTSIDER was an instant literary sensation when it was first published in 1956, thrusting its youthful author into the front rank of contemporary writers and thinkers...

*A Financial Times and Waterstones Book of the Year 2025* Many artists are unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common, but what if...

Bloomsbury presents The Politics of Aesthetics by Jacques Ranciere, read by Charles Armstrong. The Politics of Aesthetics rethinks the relationship between art and politics, reclaiming "aesthetics" from the narrow confines it is often reduced to. Jacques Rancière reveals its intrinsic link to...

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. What if the greatest truths about life were born not from reason, but from music, ecstasy, and suffering? In The Birth of Tragedy, Friedrich Nietzsche challenges the comforting image of ancient Greece as a civilization ruled solely by balance and...

Bloomsbury presents Waste by Brian Thill, read by Kevin Shen. Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Though we try to imagine otherwise, waste is every object, plus time. Whatever else an object is, it’s also waste—or was...

Bloomsbury presents Concrete by Stephen Parnell, read by Matt Addis. Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Concrete has an image problem. Portrayed as boring, cheap, and thoughtless, it is often considered synonymous with bad...

Bloomsbury presents Glasses by Adam Geczy, read by Todd Boyce. Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. Glasses are among the oldest and most commonplace prosthetics we have invented. But what does it mean to wear glasses? There...

Bloomsbury presents… Driver’s Licence by Meredith Castile read by Barbara Barnes Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. A classic teenage fetish object, the American driver’s license has long symbolized freedom and...

In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called "high art" has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock. 

Bloomsbury presents Laboratory by Emily York, read by Lisa Rost-Welling. Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The laboratory stands as a powerful symbol in the public imagination: it is place for bodily dissections and...

Bloomsbury presents Pub by Philip Howell, read by Tim Frances "Erudite, quirky, and amusing." Sebastian Faulks Object Lessons is a series of short books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The pub is an English institution. Yet its history has been obscured by myth and nostalgia. In this...

Imagination: A Very Short Introduction explores imagination as a cognitive power and an essential dimension of human flourishing, demonstrating how imagination plays multiple roles in human cognition and shapes humanity in profound ways. Examining philosophical, evolutionary, and literary perspectives on imagination, the author shows how this facility, while potentially distorting, both frees us from immediate reality and enriches our sense of it, making possible our experience of a meaningful world.

In A Philosophical Enquiry, Edmund Burke sets out to define the nature of beauty and sublimity, and establish an objective criterion for discussing aesthetics. His definition of beauty as rooted in pleasure and sexuality, and the sublime in pain and survival, aligned him with the empiricists John Locke and David Hume, as he replaced the metaphysics of Plato's aesthetics with a psychological and physiological perspective.

Alles zu schnell, alles zu viel – jeden Tag hetzen wir durch unser Leben. Nie genug Zeit für die wichtigen Dinge des Lebens und immer darauf erpicht, so viel Zeit wie möglich einzusparen. Aber was machen wir mit der gewonnen Zeit? Wieso ist "schnell" sexy und "langsam" so erotisch wie...

This audiobook narrated by acclaimed British actor Anthony Head explores cuteness and its immense hold on us, from emojis and fluffy puppies to its more uncanny, subversive expressions Cuteness has taken the planet by storm. Global sensations Hello Kitty and Pokémon, the works of artists...

What Is Art? is the result of fifteen years’ reflection on the nature and purpose of art. Tolstoy claims that all good art is related to the authentic life of the broader community and that the aesthetic value of a work of art is not independent of its moral content. The book is noteworthy not...

Arthur Schopenhauerin pessimistisen elämänfilosofian ytimessä ovat estetiikka ja taiteenfilosofia. Schopenhauerin mukaan juuri estetiikka tarjoaa (hetkellisen) vapautuksen pessimismistä: se irrottaa ihmisen loputtoman tahtomisen ja haluamisen ikeestä ja avaa siten tien korkeimpaan tietoon...

Ecce Homo, subtitled How One Becomes What One Is, is the final original book written by Friedrich Nietzsche before he succumbed to the insanity which lasted until his death in 1900. In this extraordinary autobiography, Nietzsche chronicles his life and development as a philosopher, his tastes as an individual, and his vision for humanity.

One of Nietzsche’s earliest works, The Birth of Tragedy (1872) is a remarkable source of inspiration. It is here that the philosopher expresses his frustration with the contemporary world and urges man to embrace Dionysian energy once more. He refutes European culture since the time of Socrates, arguing that it is one-sidedly Apollonian and prevents man from living in optimistic harmony with the sufferings of life.