Edward J. Larson Books in Order

Edward J. Larson traces American disputes over teaching evolution, following changes in school textbooks, legislation, and court battles. The history shows how competing scientific and religious claims repeatedly shaped the content of public education.

Edward J. Larson examines eugenics in the American South from the Progressive Era through World War II. He follows small groups of campaigners who transformed ideas about heredity into state laws and public policies.

Larson and Darrel Amundsen trace Christian responses to euthanasia and suicide from the early church to modern times. Their historical account examines changing beliefs about suffering and death, placing contemporary arguments within a longer religious and ethical tradition.

This reference work traces relations between science and religion from ancient Greece through the twentieth century. Entries examine religious traditions, scientific disciplines and influential thinkers, exploring cooperation as well as conflict across centuries of intellectual change.

Archival photographs and historical commentary revisit the 1925 prosecution of John Scopes for teaching evolution. The book places the famous courtroom confrontation within its Tennessee setting and follows the continuing struggle over science in public schools.

Cases and commentary introduce the foundations of property law, from ownership and estates to land use and servitudes. The text also considers intellectual and cultural property, connecting traditional legal categories with questions about what people can own.

The election of 1800 pits John Adams against Thomas Jefferson as Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr pursue their own ambitions. Edward J. Larson follows the fierce partisan struggle and constitutional crisis that test the young republic.

Edward J. Larson revisits Antarctic exploration through the scientific work behind the famous polar expeditions. Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen emerge within a wider story of research, national rivalry, and the ambitions driving exploration of the continent.

Retired after the Revolution, George Washington watched the young republic struggle under a weak federal government. Larson follows his return to public life, showing how his leadership helped bring about the Constitutional Convention, ratification and the presidency.

After the Revolution, George Washington works to strengthen the fragile union through western development, political persuasion, and constitutional reform. Edward J. Larson follows the nationalist commitments that connect his military leadership to his presidency.

Edward J. Larson and Michael Ruse examine encounters between scientific discovery and religious belief across history. Their discussion ranges from cosmology and evolution to genetics and the environment, exploring the questions that continue to divide and connect them.

Three expeditions in 1909 pushed toward the Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayan extremes. Following their leaders through dangerous terrain, Larson examines the rivalry, endurance and uncertain claims surrounding a pivotal year in the exploration of the world’s remaining frontiers.

Benjamin Franklin and George Washington came from different regions and backgrounds, yet their partnership helped secure American independence. Larson follows their complementary roles in diplomacy, military leadership and constitution-making, examining the cooperation behind the nation’s founding.

Edward J. Larson examines the struggle between liberty and slavery during the American founding. Following events from colonial resistance through the early republic, he brings Black voices into the debate over the nation’s promises and contradictions.

Edward J. Larson follows the political and military upheavals of 1776 as resistance to British rule becomes a movement for independence. Debates, writings, and battlefield events reveal how uncertain choices produced a revolutionary commitment.

Edward J. Larson traces the Galápagos Islands’ place in evolutionary science, from Darwin’s visit to later expeditions and disputes. The history examines research, institutional competition, and creationist challenges through the scientists and ideas connected to the islands.

The 1925 Scopes trial turns a Tennessee classroom dispute into a national confrontation over evolution and religion. Edward J. Larson reconstructs the courtroom battle and examines its lasting influence on debates about science in American public education.

James Madison’s notes record the debates that produced the United States Constitution in 1787. Edited by Edward J. Larson and Michael P. Winship, this accessible version includes modernized spelling, explanatory annotations, and background on the delegates.