An epidemic of loneliness haunts America, with its young people suffering the most. Some say this loneliness comes from a lack of social connection, blaming technology and social media, or from a lack of civic engagement. Others say that we have lost traditional institutions that used to provide the moral guidance needed for social engagement. [read more…]

“To make our way, we will turn to beauty, love, and soul, but, for this book, most of all — love. These three words belong together and cannot be appreciated separately. Each implies, entails and necessitates the others.” (From the book.) [read more…]

“To our modern, especially urban, minds, beauty is usually thought of as superficial, as only skin deep. It conjures connotations of narcissism and vanity. Soul is, for most of us, a religious notion, or perhaps is taken to refer to our personal subjectivity, our inner “self” that is available to each person only through introspection and reflection. As for politics, it has become a pejorative, the arena of selfish ambition and machinations, every game a zero sum. It is difficult for us to feel the essential connection between beauty, soul, and politics. One aim of this book is to redeem these old and noble words.” (From the book.) [read more…]

“We are by nature aesthetic animals. We exist to appreciate beauty, to create beauty, and to be beautiful. That is all the world asks of us. Nothing more is required.” (From the book.) [read more…]

This fascinating account explores the significance of the Chicago Portage, one of the most important—and neglected—sites in early US history. A seven-mile-long strip of marsh connecting the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, the portage was inhabited by the earliest indigenous people in the Midwest and served as a major trade route for Native American tribes. A link between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean, the Chicago Portage was a geopolitically significant resource that the French, British, and US governments jockeyed to control. [read more…]

The Soul of Sailing is a powerful and far-reaching examination of how we live and how the deeper lessons of setting sail can enrich our everyday lives. It explores how we can avoid the pitfalls of introspection to reconnect with the greater world, how we can rely on our hands and bodies to educate our minds, and how the enduring traditions of the sea can bring order and beauty to our lives. [read more…]

The Tunnel Under the Lake recounts the gripping story of how the young city of Chicago, under the leadership of an audacious engineer named Ellis Sylvester Chesbrough, constructed a two-mile tunnel below Lake Michigan in search of clean water. [read more…]

One of the most important work-life balance books in the history of the legal profession, this ground-breaking title is now a special 20th anniversary edition, featuring an all-new epilogue from the author. This eye-opening book examines the mentality that tears down lawyers and offers ideas for bringing balance back into daily lives, society, and the law. [read more…]

Benjamin Sells encourages a radical departure from the usual introspection and self-centeredness of psychology in our time. By placing style first, Sells argues that we must turn our eyes and minds outward to the greater world. Emphasizing beauty over emotion, and appreciation over feeling, he attempts to break the stranglehold of the self so as to reconstitute our proper place among the many things of the world. [read more…]

Working with Images is an indispensable volume for all those who are drawn to the mystery of soul and imagination. For the student of psychology, these essays sketch many of the formative ideas behind one of the most exciting and challenging psychological movements of our day. [read more…]

Each year the volumes of laws, rules and regulations effected by lawmakers grow thicker and more intrusive. Lawsuits continue to skyrocket as people replace discourse with depositions and leaders set aside debate and compromise in favor of litigation and subpoenas. Author Benjamin Sells believes we are living in a lawless time. Although we are faced with rules and codes of conduct every day, the essence and soul has been stripped from the law. [read more…]