Rutger Bregman Humankind & Utopia for Realists 2 Books Collection Set - Non Fiction - Paperback

Titles in This Set
Humankind: A Hopeful History
Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781408898956; 9781408893210
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Overview
This two-book paperback set gathers Rutger Bregman's most talked-about arguments about human nature and social progress. Humankind: A Hopeful History, a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, reframes cooperation and empathy as the foundation of civilization rather than the exception to it. Utopia for Realists, also a Sunday Times bestseller, pairs that optimism with concrete policy ideas like universal basic income and a shorter work week. Together they move from understanding people to reshaping how society could work, in Bregman's signature accessible, evidence-driven style.

About the Books
Rutger Bregman built his international reputation on turning dense historical and social-science research into fast, argument-driven reading, and this set brings his two breakout works together. Humankind: A Hopeful History revisits famous case studies in psychology and history, including the mythology built up around Lord of the Flies, to challenge the assumption that people are fundamentally selfish. Across 496 pages, Bregman argues that cooperation, trust, and everyday decency are the evolutionary baseline of the species, drawing on evidence from wartime, prison studies, and community life. Utopia for Realists shifts from theory to policy: in 336 pages, Bregman lays out the historical case for once-radical ideas, including universal basic income, a shorter working week, and open borders, showing how each has moved from fringe proposal toward real-world experiment. Both books share Bregman's core method: dig into the primary sources behind widely repeated claims about human nature and public policy, and follow the evidence wherever it leads. Readers who start with Humankind get the philosophical groundwork; readers who continue into Utopia for Realists get the practical follow-through, making the set a coherent reading path from big-picture thinking about who we are to specific ideas about how we might live differently.

Key Benefits

• Two bestselling Rutger Bregman titles in one paperback set
• Covers the "why" of human nature and the "how" of policy change
• Backed by historical case studies and real-world policy experiments
• Accessible, narrative-driven style suited to general non-fiction readers
• Great for book clubs and classroom discussion
• Brand new paperback copies from Bloomsbury

Book-by-Book Guide
Humankind: A Hopeful History — Bregman revisits landmark psychology experiments and historical episodes to argue that cooperation and decency, not selfishness, are the true baseline of human nature.
Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There — Bregman makes the historical and evidentiary case for once-radical policy ideas such as universal basic income, a shorter work week, and open borders.

About the Author
Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and author whose books have been translated into dozens of languages, turning him into one of Europe's best-known public intellectuals on history, economics, and human behavior. He rose to international attention in 2019 after a viral speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos calling for higher taxes on the wealthy. A regular contributor to the Dutch platform De Correspondent, Bregman is known for combining rigorous historical research with an accessible, narrative style, and both Humankind and Utopia for Realists became international bestsellers.

Why You'll Love This Set
Perfect for the optimist, the policy nerd, or anyone who wants smarter conversation-starters for their next book club meeting, this set pairs big-idea history with real-world solutions. It's an easy pick for a thoughtful birthday gift, a holiday season present for the reader who has everything, or a fresh addition to a personal or classroom non-fiction library.

Please Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.