Ruth Benedict Books

The essential, cut-to-the-chase handbook to the Pacific Crest Trail, based on the comprehensive Wilderness Press guidebooks to the PCT, has been completely updated. Packed with trail-tested features, it’s useful both on and off the trail, covering pre-trip planning for resupply stops, how to set daily on-the-trail mileage goals by knowing trail gradient and the locations of campsites, water sources, and facilities, and how to easily calculate distances between any two points on the trail, and how to planning both north-bound and south-bound hiking trips.

Set against a rich historical backdrop, this book explores significant themes through its well-developed characters and intricate plot. The narrative delves into human experiences, capturing the essence of the time period while intertwining personal stories with broader societal issues. Its thoughtful prose and engaging storytelling invite readers to reflect on the complexities of life and relationships. This edition, originally published in 1959, remains a poignant and relevant exploration of its subject matter.

In science, race can be a useful concept - for specific, limited purposes. When race, as a way of classifying people, is drafted into the service of politics, religion, or any belief system, then danger follows. That is the focus of this classic repudiation of racism, which is as readable and timely now as when it first appeared.

Exploring the complexities of Japanese culture, the book delves into the contradictions within traditional values as perceived during World War II. Written by anthropologist Ruth Benedict for the U.S. Office of War Information, it aimed to predict Japanese behavior and introduced the concepts of guilt versus shame cultures. Despite facing criticism, the work significantly impacted American perceptions of Japan during its occupation, offering insights that shaped cultural understanding and discourse.

A timeless source of wisdom for people looking to lead a life of simplicity, purpose, and serenity.

Essential reading for anyone interested in Japanese culture, this unsurpassed masterwork opens an intriguing window on Japan. Benedict’s World War II–era study paints an illuminating contrast between the culture of Japan and that of the United States. The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a revealing look at how and why our cultures differ, making it the perfect introduction to Japanese history and customs.

For more than a generation, this pioneering book has been an indispensable introduction to the field of anthropology. Here, in her study of three sharply contrasting cultures, Benedict puts forward her famous thesis that a people's culture is an integrated whole, a "personality writ large." Includes a preface from Margaret Mead.