August Quote of the Month: The Mueller investigation is complete and this is a simple fact that will never go away: not one single American was charged, indicted or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.”

"The Mueller investigation is complete and this is a simple fact that will never go away: not one single American was charged, indicted or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.” 

—Glenn Greenwald, journalist, 2019

Our August quote of the month comes from our August Book of the Month, The Mueller Report: The Investigation into Collusion between Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign and Russia by Robert Mueller. 

One of the most important political investigations in American history is Robert Mueller's inquiry into President Donald Trump's possible collusion with Russia. This investigation has engulfed US politics and US–Russia relations for the last two years, reaching levels of hysteria among political pundits and the media. Was it a “witch hunt,” as Trump supporters believed, or a necessary look into impeachable offenses?

In May 2017, Mueller was appointed to head the Special Counsel's Office investigation of the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including possible coordination between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government, as well as “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”  In addition, Mueller also took over several other existing FBI investigations, including those into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

Although this investigation resulted in dozens of indictments for federal crimes, and at least eight guilty pleas or convictions, no American was charged, indicted, or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mueller submitted his report to attorney general William Barr on March 22, 2019, the findings of which are now available for everyone to read. This publication also includes two separate letters from Barr to the Senate Judiciary Committee detailing the findings of the report before its release. Students of politics, historians, journalists, and anyone interested in US politics will find this report vital reading.

About the AuthorRobert S. Mueller III (born 1944) is an American attorney, who spent the bulk of his career in government service, serving as a US attorney, homicide prosecutor, and director of the FBI (2001-2013). A life-long Republican, he has served Democratic and Republican presidents, enjoying broad bi-partisan support.

August Book of the Month: The Mueller Report

As August comes to a close, we are getting closer and closer to the election, debates, and learning more about all those who are running for President in 2020. Our Book of the Month, The Mueller Report: The Investigation into Collusion between Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign and Russia by Robert Mueller, cannot be coming at a more timely moment in the history of American politics and democracy. 

One of the most important political investigations in American history is Robert Mueller's inquiry into President Donald Trump's possible collusion with Russia. This investigation has engulfed US politics and US–Russia relations for the last two years, reaching levels of hysteria among political pundits and the media. Was it a “witch hunt,” as Trump supporters believed, or a necessary look into impeachable offenses?

In May 2017, Mueller was appointed to head the Special Counsel's Office investigation of the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including possible coordination between Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government, as well as “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”  In addition, Mueller also took over several other existing FBI investigations, including those into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

Although this investigation resulted in dozens of indictments for federal crimes, and at least eight guilty pleas or convictions, no American was charged, indicted, or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Mueller submitted his report to attorney general William Barr on March 22, 2019, the findings of which are now available for everyone to read. This publication also includes two separate letters from Barr to the Senate Judiciary Committee detailing the findings of the report before its release. Students of politics, historians, journalists, and anyone interested in US politics will find this report vital reading.

About the Author
Robert S. Mueller III (born 1944) is an American attorney, who spent the bulk of his career in government service, serving as a US attorney, homicide prosecutor, and director of the FBI (2001-2013). A life-long Republican, he has served Democratic and Republican presidents, enjoying broad bi-partisan support.

September Book of the Month: The Moynihan Report - 50 years later

With the upcoming midterm elections, supreme court nominations, and immigration issues on everyone's mind, Cosimo would like to present The Moynihan Report: The Negro Family - The Case for National Action by Office of Policy Planning and Research of U.S. Department of Labor Daniel Moynihan as our Book of the Month for September.

Against the backdrop of President Johnson's War on Poverty and the Watts riots in Los Angeles, a young civil servant with the Office of Planning and Research O at the Department of Labor, Daniel P. Moynihan, wrote in 1965 his most controversial study The Moynihan Report - The Negro Family: The Case for National Action.

This report drew widespread attention from critics and supporters alike. It concluded that the conditions under which black children were being raised, generally in single-mother households, were the leading cause of black poverty.

As Moynihan wrote decades later: "The work began in the most orthodox setting, to establish at some level of statistical conciseness what 'everyone knew': that economic conditions determine social conditions. Whereupon, it turned out that what everyone knew was evidently not so."

Although Moynihan was a liberal politician and the report called for jobs programs and vocational training for blacks, many black and civil rights leaders found his report patronizing and that it relied on stereotypes of the black family and black men. 

The 1965 statistics, when approximately 25 percent of black babies were born out of wedlock, have not improved 50 years later, when this percentage has grown to 75 percent; with 50 percent for Hispanic babies and 29 percent for white babies. Also in other areas, such as income, employment, and incarceration, the statistics have deteriorated for blacks. The legacy of The Moynihan Report is that the debate it launched around cultural causes of black poverty is still not settled in modern day America.

November Book of the Month: A Journey through Governance by William A. Morrill

In honor of all the White House civil service staff who will soon be saying goodbye to the Obama family, and hello to the Trump family, our November Book of Month is A Journey through Governance: A Public Servant's Experience under Six Presidents. Throughout six combined presidencies and nearly twenty-five years working at the White House, William A. Morrill experienced some of the most iconic American moments in history first-hand. 

Morrill's memoir, A Journey through Governance reveals how the United States government operates from within. Morrill guides the reader through the Capital corridors, encountering one critical national issue after another. 

Among the projects central to Morrill's time in federal government were helping to spearhead healthcare reform in the early 1970s, transforming the telecommunications industries, improving emissions standards under the Clean Air Act, and helping to figure out how many nuclear bombs were needed in the United States. On the local level, Morrill put his problem-solving talents to work in Fairfax County, Virginia, during a stint as deputy county executive.

About the Author:
William A. Morrill has had a long distinguished career of public service in federal and local government. He served in the administrations of six presidents, from Eisenhower to Carter: at the Pentagon on the Air Force Headquarters staff; in the Executive Office of the President under Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter; and as an assistant secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under Presidents Ford and Carter. 

Morrill has remained engaged in public-service and public-policy matters in the private sector, including with the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Public Administration. After leaving government, he was president of Mathematica Policy Research, chief executive and chairman of Mathtech, and a senior fellow at ICF International. He can be found online on his website. 

Cosimo is proud to offer both an affordable paperback and eBook edition of A Journey through Governance at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble (paperback and eBook) and Amazon (paperback and eBook).

November Series of the Month: Modern Democracies by Viscount James Bryce

After a very stressful and heated election year, all of us at Cosimo are slowing down and giving thanks for democracy with our November Series of the Month, Modern Democracies by British historian Viscount James Bryce.

This 1921 study of democracy in action, presented in two volumes, is not only an important examination of the state of the free world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it's a vital reminder, as democracy continues to struggle to fruition around the globe, of history as an ongoing story.

Volume I covers the definition and historical evolution of democracy, the theoretical foundations of democracy, democracy as it interacts with education and religion, the press in a democracy, and democracy at work in the ancient republic of Athens, in Spanish America, and in France, Switzerland, and Canada.

Volume II covers the decline of legislatures, the executive in a democracy, democracy and foreign policy, the judiciary, the relation of central to local government, the money power in politics, democracy compared with other forms of government, the future of democracy, and democracy at work in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

About the Author

British historian Viscount James Bryce (1838–1922) attended the University of Glasgow and Trinity College, Oxford. He is best known for his scholarship of the Holy Roman Empire. His popular works include Studies in History and Jurisprudence (1901) and Studies in Contemporary Biography (1903).

Cosimo offers the full set by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full set in paperback. This series is perfect for anyone who enjoys historical literature, or anyone who has an interest in politics, government, or past elections. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The paperback retail price for this set is $59.98, but now our price is $49.99 (you save $9.99 or 16%)

May Organization of the Month: Praxis Peace Institute

Cosimo would like to highlight the Praxis Peace Institute as our Organization of the Month for May.

Praxis Peace Institute, based in Sonomo, California, is a non-profit peace education organization dedicated to deep inquiry, creative problem solving, and informed civic participation. In bringing together leading educators, researches, activists, and elected representatives, Praxis Peace Institute has established itself as a vehicle for practical workshops, cutting-edge conferences, and civic education. Their goal is to understand the failed mechanisms of the old systems in order to nurture the visions and alternative structures that support the evolution of systemic peace, social justice, and responsible stewardship of our planet.

Since its founding in 2001, Praxis Peace Institute programs have addressed some of the most relevant social challenges of our time. These areas include communication and conflict transformation, inquiries into the effects of culture and propaganda, participatory democracy and peace building, solutions to species' extinctions, and the exploration of what an economic system that supported peace would look like.

Praxis Peace Institute Imprint
Another initiative by Praxis, was when it responded to the libertarian conspiracy film Thrive with a pamphlet titled "Uncivil Liberties: Deconstructing Libertarianism," in which it carefully and concisely laid out the problems inherent in libertarian philosophy and why it is so appealing to today's society. In order to broaden the reach of this pamphlet, Praxis made it into a full fledged book that was published by Praxis's own imprint,  established with the help of Cosimo B2B - see below -.  As we are approaching the congressional elections later this year, this book is a must-read for anyone invested in modern politics and the future of the United States. Uncivil Liberties is available from most online bookstores.

Upcoming Praxis Conference
What: The Economics of Sustainability - Emerging Models for a Healthy Planet
When: October 6-9, 2014
Where: Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA

About: This Praxis conference will showcase the economic and environmental models that have a proven track record in establishing a sustainable relationship with our planet and its inhabitants. Recognizing the severity of the environmental crises we face, the link between economics and environmental policies is a critical factor in achieving sustainable policies and lifestyles. For more information about the conference, panels, speakers, and how to register, please visit Praxis' events page.


Cosimo B2B
Cosimo B2B is Cosimo's services unit, that offers publishing services to organizations such as Praxis Peace Institute, who are considering setting up their own publishing company, in order to reach worldwide readership and enhance their brand name. We welcome those organizations and institutions that are aligned with Cosimo's mission of creating a smarter and more sustainable society by connecting people with valuable ideas. If your organization wants to know more about the benefits of having its own imprint and is interested in working with us to create such an imprint, please visit our private imprint page.