Is there a solution to the brewing conflicts between nationalities? A compelling report from London to Transylvania.

A Hungarian prime minister makes a Jewish billionaire into public enemy number one for the sake of an anti-European election campaign. In Barcelona, nationalist politicians go to jail for a vague dream of freedom, and Britain's EU opponents orchestrate Brexit as a fight against German supremacy. Europe is undergoing the greatest crisis since WW2. Konrad Kramar has visited the current hot spots of trouble. Beyond the bluster of populist campaigning and anti-European agitation, he shines a light on the rifts in nations and societies and traces them back to their origins in war, violence and displacement. Kramar explains why current politics has no answers to these crises and shows where solutions might be found.

Environmental pollution, industrial agriculture and depletion of arable soil cause chronic illnesses. What can be done?

While the world population is rapidly heading for 8 billion, and more and more people want to enjoy a slice of prosperity, chronic illnesses are gradually spreading across all age groups and social classes. Warnings about imminent threats such as environmental pollution, soil depletion and loss of biodiversity largely go unheard. Human biologist and doctor Martin Grassberger demonstrates a direct link between the ruthless destruction of nature and the creeping epidemic of chronic illnesses. The insights are sobering, but Grassberger also indicates possible ways to remedy the current global health and environmental crisis. A highly relevant book!

Die maßgebliche Biografie auf aktuellstem Stand

A highly successful biography, this book by the Viennese music journalist and author Monika Mertl presents the personality, artistic intentions and unconventional development of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the famous Austrian conductor, from cellist to conductor, from ancient music specialist to universalist with a distinctive image. More than 15.000 copies of the original German edition, published in autumn 1999, have already been sold. Beyond the conventional biography, Mertl’s book is an invitation to meet the man behind the brilliant facade of artistic success, to reflect on music as well as on questions of partnership, family, religion, philosophy and humanity.

Germany’s Mother Courage of taboo breaking

Naturist, stunt pilot and sex pioneer – today Beate Uhse has cult status, but in the 1970's she was despised. She was a trailblazer for sexual enlightenment, built an international emporium out of nothing and is regarded as Germany's most successful businesswoman of the 20th century. Committed to the education of women on matters of contraception, she started out in the late 40's by selling information brochures on the topic. This provided her with the necessary seed capital to expand her mail order business for "matrimonial hygiene". Soon Uhse had over a million customers and was able to open the world's first sex shop. But in her personal life things didn't always turn out the way she wished. Katrin Rönicke provides a gripping portrait of the private and professional life of this extraordinary woman.

Otto Wagner's diary of his final years – published for the first time.

October 26th 1915 was a fateful day for Vienna's leading architect and city planner. It was the day his wife Louise, 18 years his junior, died of cancer. Wagner had started to keep a diary when Louise was first diagnosed and continued to regularly record his memories of better days and comments on current developments. He intended the diary to be a memorial to is unparalleled love for Louise, yet it also reveals the misanthropic despair of a great artist. He considered himself to be at the peak of his craft and felt a Habsburg victory was close, bringing fresh opportunities to realise his plans. But old age afflictions and the miseries of WW1 took a growing toll on his day-to-day life. Rampant anti-Semitism, suffering and paranoia increasingly defined his thoughts. Three years on, the death of this patriarch coincided with the end of the Habsburg empire.

Chemistry is the most joyful science of our time.

Everything consists of a few building blocks, the elements. Nature, people, every single thing. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, St. Petersburg scientist Dmitri Mendeleev applied a systematic order to all matter. Every element found its permanent place in the periodic table. But the periodic table has always been more than just a chart in the chemistry lab. Michael Pilz brings it to life by recounting the story from the beginning, and looking into the future at the end. He tells us about the old ores and elements of nature and about the antique concept of the four great elements. From the divine art of alchemy through to the scientific world of the periodic table and beyond, he provides a cultural history of world views and describes chemistry as the most joyful science of our time.

Does the market have limits, and who sets them?

With reference to the current demands for an 'ethical economy', Ute Frevert explores the difficult relationship between capitalism and morality, and asks whether all goods and services should be categorically and indiscriminately priced into the capitalist market model. Against the backdrop of current debates around common commodities such as water, and services such as assisted dying and prostitution, this question is more relevant than ever. Equally compelling are Frevert's observations on the expectations of fairness, justice and solidarity held by those who participate in today's globalised markets, be it as producers or consumers. What are the consequences of these expectations? Can they effect changes in the markets? And how have morality and economic practices developed in the course of modernity?

Die Neuerfindung eines Naturprodukts – zwischen Mythos und Wahrheit

Milk is traditionally seen as a healthy staple food, especially in the western world. But its image has seen a significant shift in recent years. Since the cessation of EU milk quotas, the dairy industry has focused on increased production and on opening up new markets, especially in the Asian world. This expansion is leading to changes in the methods of animal husbandry. The rapid development divides milk producers into winners and losers of the restructuring. But what form of milk production do the farmers and consumers want? How healthy is milk in truth? And why is the milk market booming in the first place? What are the positive and negative aspects of this industry? Thomas Stollenwerk has written a factual book about milk that leaves no question unanswered.

Im Jahr 1999 wurden weltweit Entscheidungen getroffen, die sich als Brandbeschleuniger herausstellten. Eine überraschende Analyse.

Around the world, decisions were made in 1999 that transpired to be highly incendiary. Laczynski delivers a surprising analysis. Financial bubbles and debt crises, Wladimir Putin and Donald Trump, the rise of China and the demise of Europe, talent shows and "Game of Thrones". Smart phones and social networks, populists and self-promoters, internet billionaires and Me Incs, 9/11 and the endless wars in the Near East – many of the developments that have shaped our era of crises and conflicts have their roots in 1999. It was a time when the future seemed within reach and the hope for world peace and prosperity for all seemed justified rather than naive. "Future's last year. How 1999 changed the world" details how the carnival of optimism came to an end and the course was set for the return of a past we thought had long been overcome.

It's time to rediscover a radical author.

Who was Gerhard Fritsch? One of the most significant Austrian authors of the post-war era, to be named in the same breath as Hans Lebert or Thomas Bernhard? A highly active literary figure, who as a reviewer, editor, critic and member of numerous juries significantly influenced the literary world of his time? A driven individual, who was married three times, fathered four children and in the end hanged himself dressed in women's clothes? The author of "Moos auf den Steinen" and "Fasching" who cut his life short was all that and more. Accessible to the public for the first time, his diaries offer an insight into his creative crises, flights of fancy and private transvestite yearnings. But above all, they show us Gerhard Fritsch as a tireless writer and enable an entirely new reading of his work.