About the publisher

The knowledge you want. Without the pages you don't need.

Thornton & Ortega started from a simple observation: most nonfiction books bury a handful of essential answers under hundreds of pages. Ours run about 100 pages and keep only what answers the question. Whether the subject is a president's record, the federal debt, Catholic teaching or your first sentences in Italian, open the chapter you need and come away knowing something solid.

How we publish

Our principles

Read our standards

Respect the reader's time

You came for specific answers: what a president actually did, what the debt figures mean, how to order dinner in Italian. Each book goes straight to them.

One question at a time

Self-contained chapters, each built around a single question or skill. Read them in order, or start with the one that interests you most.

Evidence, not filler

Documented facts, sources you can check, and a focused answer to each question.

How we handle debated subjects

Compare the Evidence. Then Decide for Yourself.

When a subject is debated, whether it's a presidency, the federal debt or a question of faith, our authors start from the evidence, not from the most familiar version of the story.

They compare claims, examine the sources and question familiar narratives only when the facts warrant it. Official accounts are not assumed complete. Alternative accounts are not assumed correct.

What you get: the evidence, where it comes from, and enough to reach your own conclusion.

Less guesswork. More evidence. Your own judgment.

Evidence you can check