W. W. Norton & Company inaugurates a new century of visionary independent publishing with Norton Shorts. Written by leading-edge scholars, these eye-opening books deliver bold thinking and fresh perspectives in fewer than 200 pages.  

A perfect fit for college courses, each Norton Shorts title features resources to help instructors enrich course material. Browse by discipline and request a digital examination copy below. 

Literary Theory for Robots

How Computers Learned to Write

by Dennis Yi Tenen

In the industrial age, automation came for the shoemaker and the seamstress. Today, it has come for the writer, professor, physician, programmer, and attorney. 

Chatbots are already impacting the way we read, write, and think. For better or worse, they are being used to find information, influence public opinion, diagnose illnesses, and shape political discussion online. How did we get to this point and what can we do to prepare? Literary Theory for Robots reveals the hidden history of modern machine intelligence, taking readers on a spellbinding journey from medieval Arabic philosophy to visions of a universal language, past Hollywood fiction factories and missile defense systems trained on Russian folktales. Former Microsoft engineer and professor of comparative literature Dennis Yi Tenen provides crucial context for the rapidly changing AI landscape and invites readers to consider how humans and smart technology might coexist in the future. This provocative reflection on the shared pasts of literature and computer science is essential for courses in literary theory, comparative literature, the philosophy of language, and the history of rhetoric. 

KEY TOPICS ● human intelligence vs. artificial intelligence; history of machine learning; rhetorical traditions; automation; knowledge work 

Imagination

A Manifesto

by Ruha Benjamin

Imagination isn’t a luxury; it’s a vital resource and a powerful tool for our collective liberation.

A world without prisons? Schools that foster the genius of every child? A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Princeton professor Ruha Benjamin believes in the liberating power of the imagination. Deadly systems shaped by mass incarceration, ableism, digital surveillance, and eugenics emerged from the human imagination, but they have real-world impacts. To fight these systems and create a world that works for all of us, we will have to imagine things differently. As Benjamin shows, educators, artists, technologists, and others are experimenting with new ways of thinking and tackling seemingly intractable problems. Visionary and practical, Imagination: A Manifesto is an inspired selection for courses in inequality, race, technology, and sociology of education.

KEY TOPICS ● schooling and IQ; whiteness of the curriculum; play and childhood; eugenics; technology; inclusive worldbuilding

The Moral Circle

Who Matters, What Matters, and Why

by Jeff Sebo

A philosopher calls for a revolution in ethics, suggesting we expand our “moral circle” to include insects, microbes, and even AI systems.

In The Moral Circle, philosopher Jeff Sebo challenges human exceptionalism and urges us to expand our moral community to include all potentially significant beings. While humanity prioritizes its own interests, we exploit billions of animals and plan to use AI systems and other nonhumans at even greater scales in the future. Through compelling case studies—such as lawsuits over captive elephants, factory-farmed insects, and debates about sending microbes to other planets or creating virtual worlds with digital minds—Sebo explores urgent ethical questions about which nonhumans matter and what we owe them. He argues that building a better future requires shedding human exceptionalism and rethinking our responsibilities in a world transformed by human activity and technology. Ideal for courses in ethics, animal ethics, and applied moral philosophy.

KEY TOPICS ● animal welfare and exploitation; human exceptionalism; moral inclusion; future ethical dilemmas

What's Real about Race?

Untangling Science, Genetics, and Society

by Rina Bliss

Acclaimed sociologist Dr. Rina Bliss debunks society’s closely held beliefs on race, genetics, and our collective identity as a species.

In deeply researched, masterful prose, sociologist Dr. Rina Bliss guides us through the invention and evolution of the concept of race. She reveals how the myth of distinct, biological races endures in medicine, science, and social policy—warping our understanding of complex topics like intelligence, disease susceptibility, and behavior. By looking at the science behind our perceived differences, Dr. Bliss empowers readers to confront their own biases and the systems that perpetuate harmful assumptions in order to continue subjugation based on the concept of race. At a time when misinformation about our bodies and identities is dangerously prevalent, Bliss unmasks what’s truly real about race: namely, racism’s impact on our bodies and lives.

KEY TOPICS ● race; genetics; epigentics; systemic racism, social problems

Fewer Rules, Better People

The Case for Discretion

by Barry Lam

A leading public philosopher argues that the relentless expansion of rules and mandates not only constrains us but also diminishes our intelligence, corrodes our moral integrity, undermines honesty, and weakens our capacity to govern the institutions that matter most.

In Fewer Rules, Better People, philosopher Barry Lam explores the complex role of discretion in decision-making, from parenting and policing to courtroom judgments. While discretion can produce flawed and biased outcomes, Lam argues that removing it—through rigid rules or AI-based enforcement—leads to even greater injustices, such as corrupted systems, institutionalized dishonesty, and arbitrary results. Reframing debates about justice and ethics, Lam makes a compelling case for the necessity of human judgment, even in its imperfection, and warns against the dangers of “perfect,” discretion-free enforcement by technology. An excellent choice for courses in political philosophy, philosophy of law, social and political ethics, and contemporary issues in philosophy.

KEY TOPICS ● bias; rules; discretion; fairness; the role of AI in decision-making

Explorers

A New History

by Matthew Lockwood

The impulse to seek out new worlds is universal to humanity.

In a truly inclusive account of exploration, historian Matthew Lockwood interweaves stories of famous figures—including Sacagawea, Pocahontas, and Dr. David Livingstone—with tales of individuals who are usually denied the title “explorer.” Lockwood’s new cast of adventurers features figures often excluded from Western focused narratives on the early rise of globalization. Lockwood delves into the histories of Rabban Bar Ṣawma, a Uighur monk who traversed the Middle East and Europe; Yasuke, an East African traveler to Japan during the sixteenth century; and David Dorr, a man born in slavery whose travelogues reshaped Americans’ understanding of the African continent. As an assistant professor of history at The University of Alabama, where Lockwood teaches on the Age of Exploration and Conquest, he brings critical context readers need to reevaluate their understanding of how our modern world was shaped by early explorations. This intrepid re-imagining of our global past is vital for courses in histories of Western civilization or world history; exploration and empire; and more. 

KEY TOPICS ● exploration; travel and travelogues; indigenous knowledge of the environment; histories of natural science and geography; world history 

Offshore

Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism

by Brooke Harrington

This eye-opening account of offshore finance reveals how a shadowy global system is fueling economic crises while also corroding democracy, capitalism, and the environment.

Sociologist Brooke Harrington trained as an offshore wealth manager then spent years immersed in tax havens around the world as part of an ethnographic study, observing and interviewing the experts who keep the secrets and protect the fortunes of the global ultra-rich. She highlights what offshore finance costs us all and how it has enabled the world’s billionaires to colonize the world. As politicians struggle to address the deepening economic and political inequality destabilizing the world, Harrington’s exposé of the offshore system helps students understand the most pressing crises of our time. This engrossing deep dive into the hidden realm of offshore finance is perfect for courses on economic sociology, globalization, and social inequality.

KEY TOPICS ● immersion ethnography; economic sociology; power elite; colonialism; tax havens; financial crimes; wealth inequality