MIT Press

The Bombastic 19th-Century Anti-Vaxxer Who Fueled Montreal's Smallpox Epidemic Alexander Milton Ross's tale reveals striking similarities to today's vaccine hesitancy and the enduring challenge of combating misinformation campaigns.

"One State Board of Health report called him 'a monster in human form who desired that a most terrible disease should decimate his patrons, that he might grow fat on their putrid bodies.'"

It Makes Sense That People See A.I. as God

I talked to @bernstein.bsky.social @nytimes.com about how tech has become the most powerful religion in the world, and AI companies are attempting to replace God. And it was good.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/s...

@vthewanderer.bsky.social

The Quiet Power of Reflective Games In an industry that prizes fast-paced, time-pressured decision-making, reflective games invite players to meditate on life’s beauty, banality, and the spaces in between.

Most modern games prioritize speed, intensity, and constant action, demanding rapid decisions. By contrast, Víctor Navarro-Remesal unpacks how slower games like “Journey,” “The Longing,” and “Coffee Talk” embrace stillness, routine, and reflection, inviting players to linger:

Every oppression is connected, and is even in our technology. @schock.cc, author of the book Design Justice, spoke on a panel I moderated at MozFest 2025, "Unlearning Cisnormativity".

"Becoming Martian" is almost here!!
mitpress.mit.edu/978026205151...

Book giveaway for Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers by Hannah Ritchie Jan 23-Feb 06, 2026 Enter to win one of 5 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Jan 23-Feb 06, 2026. We can’t afford to delay climate action, but with all the shouting ...

My new book — Clearing the Air — comes out in the US on February 19th 📚

Goodreads is running a giveaway, in case you want to enter and have a chance of getting a free copy!

@mitpress.bsky.social

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

'Crush' explores how gravity shapes life as we know it James Riordan’s new book will help readers wrap their heads around this mysterious, fundamental force of nature.

In his story of gravity, science journalist James Riordon "moves through biology, physics and history with enthusiasm and nerdy humor."

@science.org reviews "Crush," a fascinating read on a potent force:

Politics & Prose hosts @casssunstein.bsky.social for a talk on his latest book, "Separation of Powers: How to Preserve Liberty in Troubled Times."

📆 Sun, Feb. 22nd
🕓 5:00 PM
📍5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C.

Link for details: politics-prose.com/event/2026-0... @politicsprose.bsky.social

Cover image of "Technothriller: Film and the American Imagination" on a neon background. The cover features an image of eyes in black and white staring out at the viewer with fear.

"[A] scholarly, in-depth survey with insightful critiques." — Kirkus Reviews

Soraya Murray's "Technothriller" explores popular American films that channel our cultural anxieties, dreams, and convictions about the power and meaning of advanced technology. Out Feb 3: mitpress.mit.edu/978026205101...

A City Cast in Concrete, Trapped Under Unbearable Heat Unchecked development has turned Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo into an unlivable urban nightmare. But solutions exist to lift it out of climate catastrophe.

"A complex system, once set in motion, is hard to change. Its inertia is greater than the sum of all moving parts. And a city is a complex system."

ZEN AND SLOW GAMES (@mitpress.bsky.social) is out, and you can read an excerpt of it here:

You can read an excerpt of the book (cleverly edited for brevity) in The MIT Press Reader blog:

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-quiet-po...

@tomwilliams.phd

Hands holding a copy of "Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice" by Tom Williams. The cover features an illustration of a humanoid robot pulling a cart.

"True to an engineering ethos of ’doing better,’ [Degrees of Freedom] explores the foundational aspects of power that invisibly shape robot design and ... how to build robots better suited for advancing social justice." — Ericka Johnson

Available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255402...

Image of "Birds Up Close: An Engineer Explores Their Hidden Wonders" by Lorna Gibson. The cover depicts a zoomed in image of a white feather over a black-and-white bird with a red cap and a seed in its beak. Text below the image features a review from Kirkus that reads "Eye-opening, if best suited for the geekiest birds and enginerds."

Renowned engineer and lifelong birder Lorna Gibson reveals the marvel of how birds work, exploring the hidden microscopic structures and engineering principles that keep birds aloft and alive.

"Birds Up Close" flies onto shelves April 28th, 2026: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204989...

Its only January, but there's a book of the year contender on @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social! @robertdorschel.bsky.social discusses "The Social Codes of Tech Workers: A Contradictory Middle Class in the Making" newbooksnetwork.com/the-social-c...

Screenshot of a headline and subtitle that reads "AI Can Teach Our Students the Art of Dialogue: The same technology that's ruining essay writing as a pedagogical tool can help students learn how to reason via conversations." David Weinberger is credited as the author.

AI may have killed the college essay, but grading ideas still matters. David Weinberger says educators should assess student dialogue with LLMs, which can challenge thinking, test claims, and help students build confidence in critical inquiry: thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/ai-can-teach...

A book I'm v excited about dropped today!
@see-wing.bsky.social's Bounce: Balls, Walls, and Bodies in Games and Play
"A lively and insightful account that follows the bouncing ball through the history of nonelectronic and electronic games"
@mitpress.bsky.social
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255321...

How Taiwan Became the Chipmaker for the World A new book tells the story of the island-nation’s transformation into a central hub for technological development and manufacturing.

"Against all the saber-rattling, myth-making, and visions of world domination, [Island Tinkerers] offers a timely intervention and powerful antidote."

@thenation.com reviews @honghongtinn.bsky.social's fascinating #OpenAccess contribution to the history of computing technology:

Mission to Mars: from biological barriers to ethical impediments – Physics World Emma Chapman reviews Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds by Scott Solomon

"Whether you’re planning your future as a Martian or just wondering if humans can have sex in space, this book should be on your wish list."

@dreochapman.bsky.social reviews "Becoming Martian" by @scottsolomon.bsky.social for @physicsworld.bsky.social:

If you have a US mailing address, you can buy the book today with a hefty 30% discount!

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798035...

Use the code MITP30 for 30€ today (20/1).

After that, READMIT20 will get you 20%.

mitpress.mit.edu/discount-cod...

A copy of "Zen and Slow Games" by Victor Navarro-Remesal on a plain background. The cover features a pixelated illustration.

Slowness and reflectiveness have always been part of the video game medium. In "Zen and Slow Games," Víctor Navarro-Remesal challenges the dominant discourse by delving into the reflective modes of playfulness in video games. Available #OpenAccess: bit.ly/3Lh2r22 @vthewanderer.bsky.social

A copy of "Problem Solving with Python: Using Computational Thinking in Everyday Life" by Michael D. Smith on a plain background. The cover evokes a sunset over a calm open body of water.

The traditional way we teach students to code doesn’t work for everyone. Michael Smith provides a highly engaging alternative approach based on his Harvard class in the innovative textbook "Problem Solving with Python": bit.ly/45QAXqK

A copy of "Bounce: Balls, Walls, and Bodiees in Games and Play" by Carlin Wing on a plain background. The cover depicts a ball following an arc and bouncing off cover.

Carlin Wing's "Bounce" is a lively account of the bouncing ball through the history of nonelectronic & electronic games, spotlighting an interaction that is central to thousands of physical and digital games and sports. Available #OpenAccess: bit.ly/4jXL9UB

A copy of "American Bridge: Reinventing Biilding, Making History" by Gregory Dreicer on a plain background. The cover features a black and white photograph of a construction worker scaling a steel structure.

In "American Bridge," Gregory Dreicer provides a landmark contribution to the history of technology and construction, exploring a new way of building that introduced uniformity and modularity on a global scale while enabling the connectivity essential to the rise of the nation-state: bit.ly/3NGRAiq

New this week from the MIT Press. Congratulations authors! 📚👇

Reads for the Rest of Us: The Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2026 So, here are the top 94 feminist books we’re looking forward to in 2026—written by women, feminists, LGBTQ writers, writers of color, and more.

@karlajstrand.com's column highlights original, radical books for feminist readers. We're pleased to see "Expecting Inequity" on her list of highly anticipated 2026 reads for @msmagazine.com!

“The time is always right to do what is right.” MLK Jr.

Two panels of the covers to MIT Press's Voices from the Radium Age and More Voices from the Radium Age, edited by Joshua Glenn.

Voices from the Radium Age from @mitpress.bsky.social has some of my favorite sci-fi ever