MIT Press

Humbled to read these kind words from former @barackobama.bsky.social ambassador and razor-sharp political analyst Luis Moreno about my new book with @mitpress.bsky.social.

The Ancient Art and Intimate Craft of Artificial Eyes Eye makers for millennia have been trying to re-create the expressionist power of the human body’s most complex and emotionally meaningful visible organ.

You can find third-generation and even fifth-generation ocularists. And yet ocularists are nearly as rare as astronauts.

A fascinating piece on ocularists (a vanishingly rare profession) and the history of crafting artificial eyes, adapted from Dan Roche’s beautiful new book “Eyes by Hand”:

Title page of The Review of Economics and Statistics July 2025 issue

Super Mario Party's built-in AI outperforms the vast majority of human players, but does superior skill make for better teamwork? A new study in The Review of Economics and Statistics examines how automation impacts team performance and coordination: direct.mit.edu/rest/article...

3D mockup of three MIT Press books releasing this month: "Monumental" by Cat Dawson; "That Book Is Dangerous" by Adam Szetela,and "Yankees in Petrograd" by Marietta S. Shaginyan.

New month, new books. This month: our changing relationship with monuments; an exposé of the new challenges to literary freedom; a translation of a 1924 Russian science fiction crime and espionage adventure; and more. mitpress.mit.edu/new-books-fo...

The Rise of Silicon Valley’s Techno-Religion The Rationalists, a community focused on the risks of artificial intelligence, regularly gather with tech figures and other like-minded people in a complex that covers much of a city block.

"'What do cultish and fundamentalist religions often do? They get people to ignore their common sense about problems in the here and now in order to focus their attention on some fantastical future."

Greg Epstein, author of "Tech Agnostic," on the cult-like dynamics of the Rationalist movement:

Cover of the book "Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship" by Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders. The design features a digital portrait of a face, partially disintegrating into pixels, set against a black background.

In "Rewiring Democracy," security technologist Bruce Schneier and data scientist Nathan Sanders cut through the AI hype and examine the myriad ways that AI is transforming every aspect of democracy—for both good and ill.

Out Oct. 21st: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204994...

The Will of the Ball Research reveals how your brain carries out complex tasks, including speech, without your awareness.

Cognitive and language scientist Gregory Hickok explains how your brain carries out complex tasks, including speech, without your awareness in an excerpt from "Wired for Words," now up at @psychologytoday.com:

Hand holding a copy of "Psychopathy Unmasked: The Rise and Fall of a Dangerous Diagnosis" by Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen. The cover is white and feature the front-facing profile of a white, paper mache mask.

In "Psychopathy Unmasked," Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen provides a critical rebuttal of psychopathy and its legal use, scrutinizing central claims that have traditionally served to justify its role in the criminal justice system: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255220...

The MiT Press GenCon booth with lots of books set up

Day 3 let’s goooooooo!!!! Don’t forget to stop by the @mitpress.bsky.social booth (269) at 2pm for @increment.bsky.social’s books signing for Playign at World. See you there!

Across Cultures, One Key to Happiness Stands Out Decades of global surveys point to a single, consistent foundation of well-being: our relationships.

"Across the great sweep of cultures, stable and loving partner and family relationships are widely regarded as the most significant predictors of well-being."

Hands holding a book entitled "Declaring Independence in Cyberspace: Internet Self-Governance and the End of US Control of ICANN" by Milton L. Mueller. At the center of the cover is a glowing orb comprised of binary numbers.

In "Declaring Independence in Cyberspace," Milton Mueller tells the story of why the US government gave up its control of ICANN—the global coordinator of internet names, numbers, and protocols—and the geopolitical consequences of this decision: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255258...

Ria Brodell’s More Butch Heroes Brings Queer + Trans Ancestors Back to Life — hooligan mag By Rivka Yeker

"Amidst unending doom and fear, Brodell’s 'Butch Heroes' shows that queer + trans people have always existed and lived with dignity no matter the circumstance."

Strangers in the Family Album: Reflections on Soviet Amateur Photography The appearance of strangers within family photo albums was part of how a Soviet imagined and imaged community was constructed and sustained.

"In Visible Presence too is a personal book, a book to return to, a book where you will want to mark your place for you can follow many pathways through it."

Copies of "Playing at the World, 2E Volume 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons," and "Playing at the World, 2E Volume 2: Three Pillars of Role-Playing Games" on a plain background. The covers feature illustrations of fantasy and medieval characters.

📚 Meet acclaimed gaming historian Jon Peterson at #GenCon this Saturday! Starting at 2 pm, he'll be signing books, including the latest volume of "Playing at the World, 2E," at booth 269. @increment.bsky.social

Hands holding a copy of "Attention is Discovery: The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt" by Anna Von Mertens. The top half of the cover features notations from Leavitt's notes. The bottom half features a photograph of the stars.

Copy of "Bright Galaxies, Dark Matter, and Beyond: The Life of Astronomer Vera Rubin" by Ashley Jean Yeager on a white background. The cover is blue with a picture of Rubin working on a telescope, and a photograph of a galaxy.

🔭 The contributions of women astronomers have often gone overlooked. In celebration of Women Astronomers Day, we're proud to feature a selection of our books devoted to women who have shaped astronomy and space exploration: mitpress.mit.edu/celebrating-...

Promotional banner for the MIT Press at CogSci 2025. Three book covers are featured on a textured beige background. Books featured are "The Cost of Conviction" by Steven Sloman, "The Human Edge" by Keith J. Holyoak, and the textbook "Bayesian Models of Cognition" edited by Thomas L. Griffiths, Nick Chater, and Joshua B. Tenenbaum.

We're at #CogSci2025 with plenty of books and journals for your reading needs. Whether you're just browsing or have questions about Cognet, we're excited to meet you. You can find us at table 4 until the end of the conference! mitpress.mit.edu/cogsci2025/

The Uncanny Keyboard Lin Yutang's MingKwai typewriter is perhaps the most well-known — and most poorly understood — Chinese typewriter in history.

MingKwai may have looked like a conventional typewriter, yet its behavior would have quickly confounded anyone who sat down to try it out.

Why Force Fails to Stop Nuclear Proliferation Only diplomacy can ultimately keep Iran from getting the bomb.

David Allison, drawing from his chapter in the forthcoming book "Atomic Backfires, outlines how bombing a country's nuclear programs often backfires and "invariably strengthens the target country’s belief that building nuclear weapons is essential to its survival." Read at @foreignaffairs.com:

Been a busy morning here at #cogsci2025. More than half of our books have already been claimed. Stop by and claim yours before it's too late! @mitpress.bsky.social

3D graphic of "On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom" by Cass Sunstein on an orange background. The cover is blue with white text.

"Of high interest to readers across the political spectrum ... This book is highly recommended for readers to better understand the philosophical ideals that compete in the United States." — @libraryjournal.bsky.social

"On Liberalism" publishes on Sept. 2: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204977...

We're off to a good start at #CogSci2025. Nothing stolen from the @mitpress.bsky.social booth last night!

The MIT Press booth at GenCon 2025. The picture shows stacks of amazing books for sale!

Alright, @mitpress.bsky.social is all set up for the first day of #GenCon2025! Stop by and get a copy of our Ennie nominated book, Playing at the World by @increment.bsky.social and come back on Saturday at 2 and get it signed!

The MIT Press colophon inside a shield flanked by two swords. Text reads "The MIT Press" in the left corner.

We've unpacked our dice and are ready to roll (pardon the pun). 🎲 Find us at booth 269 at #GenCon with exclusive MIT Press d20s and 10% off all books on game theory, D&D, and sci-fi.

Just finished reviewing the final proofs of my forthcoming book on #techworkers. It sheds light on the high-paid professionals in the tech industry. The book is coming out open-access with @mitpress.bsky.social this December. Very excited about it!

The Urban Naturalist: Cities, nature, and education Welcome to The Remake’s first book recommendation: Menno Schilthuizen’s The Urban Naturalist: How to Make the City Your Scientific Playground (MIT Press, 2025). Menno, a professor of evolution and…

"A playful, informative, and thought-provoking book about the non-human residents of cities and our relationship with them."

The Remake, a newsletter for educators and parents, recommends "The Urban Naturalist": www.theremake.org/the-urban-na... @schilthuizen.bsky.social

@mcxfrank.bsky.social

Good morning #CogSci2025! We're really in our element here and excited to connect with you. Stop by table 4 to say hello!

☕ Tomorrow morning (10-10:30 AM, Salon 8): Join Michael C. Frank, co-editor of the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science (#OECS), for coffee and conversation.

The cover of "Eyes by Hand: Prosthetics of Art and Healing" by Dan Roche on a blue-green background. The cover is black and features an image of a prosthetic eye. An endorsement from Jeannie Vanasco, the author of "The Glass Eye" is positioned above the cover. The endorsement reads: "Like a glass eye, "Eyes by Hand" is artfully constructed and unique. A groundbreaking contribution to disability studies that demonstrates the power of personal writing."

The art of prosthetic eye making is a slow, intricate process of molding, fitting, and painting that brings ocularist and patient together for hours, even days. In "Eyes by Hand," Daniel Roche offers a personal and intimate view of the craft.

Out Aug 12th: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204983...

Reality Is in the Eye of the Beholder Our perception of reality is a subjective lived experience, a virtual construct shaped by our senses, biology, and personal history.

"The complexity of the human brain greatly exceeds that of any other physical system that we know of, so that in perception science it is even more important not to waste time on arguing about absolutes."

"Before Superman: Superhumans of the Radium Age" on a grey and orange background. The cover features stylized illustrations of superheroes by Seth.

This collection of stories featuring the ancestors of today’s comic-book and cinematic superheroes joins our Radium Age series on August 19th. Learn more: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255307... 📚💙