The Berggruen Press publishes unusual books about significant ideas that can help build a better world. Soft-launched with the publication of The Planetary in 2024, the Berggruen Press started broadening its scope and distribution in 2026 under the direction of editors Nils Gilman and Peter Mellgard. Along with Noema Magazine and the “Futurology” podcast, the Berggruen Press is a pillar of the Institute’s effort to articulate and broadcast its own internal research as well as to collaborate with external writers and artists on ambitious projects for a curious, general audience.

Berggruen Press books are defined by ideas that cross political, philosophical, scientific, academic, and cultural categories. Like the Institute itself, they explore eclectic subjects that can’t be contained within any single worldview or discipline. Across a range of topics, they address the intricate and interconnected challenges of the planetary polycrisis, aiming to deepen intellectual engagement with ideas that can generate progress toward aspirational futures.

Further differentiating Berggruen Press books from the work of other presses is their identity as art objects. More than mere texts, our projects will showcase creative design, materials, artwork, cartography, data visualizations, and/or other visual elements that amplify the written word. Some volumes may be released as distinctive special editions; others will involve and incorporate work by readers. Most of them will be short, in the region of 40,000-50,000 words, and thus can be developed and released in a matter of months, allowing writers an opportunity to pursue speculative and unconventional ideas at a suitable length and timeline.

Our books do not necessarily contain readymade solutions to the crises facing humanity and the planet, but rather aim to open new possibilities. We proceed from the experience that some rare ideas, at their moment of creation, will seem wild or esoteric but can evolve into practical and necessary roadmaps when the appropriate moment arrives.

At a time when information is becoming increasingly hard to validate, when it’s difficult to determine if a story is true or false or somewhere in between, when interlocutors may not be who they seem or even human at all, the Berggruen Press operates on the belief that books of ideas can help inspire and construct a more dynamic and habitable future for all.

Berggruen Press Team

Publisher // Nicolas Berggruen
Editor-in-chief // Nils Gilman
Executive editor // Peter Mellgard
Design // Ross McLain
Marketing & communications // Emily Badgely

Say hi at press@berggruen.org.