Book description
"Philosophical anthropology on the grandest scale. . . .Gellner has produced a sharp challenge to his colleagues and a thrilling book for the non-specialist. Deductive history on this scale cannot be proved right or wrong, but this is Gellner writing, incisive, iconoclastic, witty and expert. His scenario compels our attention."—Adam…
Why read it?
1 author picked Plough, Sword and Book as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I love this unique book. Written by a philosopher who was equally an anthropologist, it presents a bird’s eye view of the structure of human history. This is not a subject most scholars have the knowledge or the courage to tackle!
Gellner has both. He paints a picture of the three eras of human history that is hard to deny, in the process analyzing the core logic of each era for the people who lived in it. This sets the stage for understanding what a new kind of world we live in today. Gellner also had a wicked sense of…
From Larry's list on The best history and science books that tell us who we are now.
If you love Plough, Sword and Book...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Plough, Sword and Book?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Plough, Sword and Book.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
186
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Plough, Sword and Book, you might also like...
Child of Vanris
At five years old, Kasiel was found with the pointed ends of his ears cut off. Despite that brutal start, he’s lived twelve peaceful years with the man who took him in. Keeping his hair long over his mutilated ears helps him hide the fact that he is Vanrian, a…
Almost Home
Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.
In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…
