Technology

Understand the way in which AI and robots will change the world and the way we live in it.

The story of humanity is the story of textiles-as old as civilization itself. Textiles created empires and powered invention. They established trade routes and drew nations' borders. Since the first thread was spun, fabric has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel traces this surprising history, exposing the hidden ways textiles hav

Which Side of History? offers a collection of bold essays on how technology is affecting democracy, society, and our future.

Adopted by the German Wehrmacht at the end of 1939, more than 1.2 million P.38s were manufactured up to 1945. Designed by the Walther company from its civilian model PP, it was the first double-action military pistol. Its robustness and simplicity of manufacture made it a worthy successor to the legendary P.08 Luger in the Second World War. This illustrated book presents the design, manufacturing,

In January 1943, when the "U.S. Submachine Gun, Caliber .45, M3" was officially adopted, it was a step into the future of weapons-manufacturing technology. In absolute contrast to the milled, high-quality Thompson models, the M3 was almost completely made from sheet metal. Many soldiers mockingly called it "Grease Gun," owing to its visual similarity to the mechanic's tool, but it soon gained a fi

The second of two volumes on the legendary P.08 Luger (Pistole Parabellum), this illustrated book presents the design, manufacturing, and development of the various types from the late Weimar Republic period through the Third Reich era of the 1930s and early 1940s, as well as postwar models. Adopted by the German army, the Luger would remain in service during World War II and see use in the postwa

The M1 carbine is a .30-caliber, semiautomatic rifle that first appeared in 1942 as a standard firearm for the US military during World War II. It was later used by US forces in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and continues to see worldwide use to this day. Produced in several variants by many manufacturers, it was and is still widely used not only by military forces, but by paramilitary and police un

The second of two volumes on Mauser rifles, this full-color, illustrated book presents the design, manufacturing, development, and combat use of the various models from 1918 through World War II. Post-WWI manufacturers defined the characteristics of a future German regulation rifle derived from the WWI-era Gewehr 98. After the Nazi accession of the German government, the improved version of the Ge

The March 1965 landing of the US Marine Corps at Da Nang, South Vietnam, marked the first large-scale deployment of US forces to the region. From then on, the Marine Corps fought continuously until May 1975, when two Marines became the last US servicemen killed in that war during the Mayaguez battle. With over 200 archival photos, many never before published, the weapons, vehicles, and equipment o

The French Model 1949 9 mm submachine gun is most closely associated with France's decolonization campaigns, including Indochina and Algeria. The MAT-49 (Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle) is a simple, robust, compact, and reliable weapon that was used throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Though production ceased in 1979, it is still used by some military forces to the present day. With its n

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian engineer born in 1875. In the interwar period, Ferdinand founded an automotive consultation firm, which gradually grew into today's Porsche AG automotive company. Porsche's firm was responsible for the design of the "Volkswagen," a simple model known today as the Beetle. During the Second World War, Porsche's firm played an important role in designing military veh

Author of the definitive A Collector's Guide to the Savage 99 Rifle and Its Predecessors, the Model 1895 and 1899, David Royal now presents the beautiful and elaborately engraved variants of the 99. Although widely perceived as utilitarian, Savage’s Models 1895, 1899, and 99 were often ornamented by gifted artisans. Nine of Savage’s first model, the 1895, were manufactured by Marlin and engraved b

This is the history of the distinctive fighting knife of the Gaelic Irish, the skean (Irish: scian). Author Robert Gresh has scoured primary sources for references to the weapon in use and traveled to examine the known surviving examples. The skean fell into disuse in the 18th century without being well documented, and surviving examples are often out of sight in reserve collections, private colle

Anzio Annie, Anzio Express, "Leopold"; known by many names, the German 8 cm Kanone 5 Eisenbahngeschütz (railway gun), commonly abbreviated K5(E), was the most successful and widely used of Germany's railway gun designs. Twenty-four of the weapons, capable of shelling England from positions in France, were built and were used by Germany on most of their fronts, including France, Italy, Russia, and

SS United States was the flagship of the United States Lines and was representative of the apex of steam-engineering technology. Designed by William Francis Gibbs, the ship was designed to be both fast and safe, due to the use of new materials with an emphasis on being fireproof. This book chronicles the design, construction, and operation of the liner. Using many materials taken from the ship its

Magnum photographer Patrick Zachmann was on the scene when the disastrous fire erupted in Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral on the evening of April 15, 2019. At the time he did not yet know that he would continue to document the events at the cathedral over the months that followed. Eventually, he clambered along scaffolding and up and down steep stairs, and he would, from atop an aerial work platfor