Essays by leading intellectuals and public figures explore extreme events, environments, and achievements.

Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; On the notion of 'extremes' Julius F. W. Weitzdörfer; 1. Dealing with extremism David Runciman; 2. Extreme weather Emily Shuckburgh; 3. Probability, risk, and extremes Nassim Nicholas Taleb; 4. Extreme rowing Roz Savage; 5. Extremes of war: stories of survival from Syria Lyse Doucet; 6. Extreme politics: the four waves of national populism in the West Matthew Goodwin; 7. Extreme longevity Sarah Harper; 8. Extremes of power in the universe Andrew C. Fabian; Index.