The definitive life of Jesus from the bestselling author of A History of Christianity. Few figures have had such an influence on the world as Jesus of Nazareth. Paul Johnson's brilliant and powerful reading of Jesus' life at once captures his transfiguring message and his historical complexity. With a superb historian's command of his subject, a masterly writer's love of language, and a believer's passion, Johnson presents a lucid and deeply moving biography of a man whose life changed the course of history. Jesus offers readers a succinct yet lively account of the man who inspired one of the world's great religions and whose lessons still guide us today.

In "Tale of the Broken Spoke," Skip Rhodes, an enigmatic tour guide, unknowingly threatens the looters of ancient Native ruins. Skip's sidekick, Kukulkan Bonifacio Baltazar, a half-Mayan, half-Yaqui plumber to the stars, and Lilac Williams, Skip's hot-tempered ex-girlfriend who teaches yoga and firearm training, join together to uncover an artifact smuggling ring and investigate a cold-case murder— all while being distracted by an intergalactic swindle perpetuated by an Arizona sidewinder straight out of the old west. Set in artsy Sedona, Arizona, "Tale of the Broken Spoke" introduces a quirky cast of characters including new age spiritualists, chakra and crystal experts, mystics and fortune tellers, vortex believers, alien researchers and abductees, tribal politicians, and archeologists. In eccentric fashion, these characters provide clues and insight into the mysteries facing Skip and his team.The clues take them deep into red rock canyons and on...

Eminent historian Paul Johnson provides a rich, succinct portrait of Charles DarwinCharles Darwin is arguably the most influential scientist of all time. His Origin of Species forever changed our concept of the world's creation.Darwin's revolutionary career is the perfect vehicle for historian Paul Johnson. Marked by the insightful observation, spectacular wit, and highly readable prose for which Johnson is so well regarded, Darwin brings the gentleman-scientist and his times brilliantly into focus. From Darwin's birth into great fortune to his voyage aboard the Beagle, to the long-delayed publication of his masterpiece, Johnson delves into what made this Victorian gentleman into a visionary scientist—and into the tragic flaws that later led Darwin to support the burgeoning eugenics movement.Johnson's many admirers as well as history and science buffs will be grateful for this superb account of Darwin and the everlasting impact of his discoveries.

A brilliant portrait of the Greek philosopher who personified philosophy. Socrates was undeniably one of the greatest thinkers of all time, yet he wrote nothing. Throughout his life, and indeed until his very last moment alive, Socrates fully embodied his philosophy in thought and deed. It is through the story of his life that we can fully grasp his powerful actions and ideas. In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man living in Athens in the fifth century b.c., and how what this man thought still shapes the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul. Johnson provides a compelling picture of the city and people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind. "