Books by Dan Jones

Book SynopsisThis brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets their story is the story of Britain.England's greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of Europe. Plantagenet rule saw the establishment of laws and creation of artworks, monuments and tombs which survive to this day, and continue to speak of their sophistication, brutality and secrets.Dan Jones brings you a new vision of this battle-scarred history. From the Crusades, to King John's humbling over Magna Carta and the tragic reign of the last Plantagenet, Richard II this is a blow-by-blow account of England's most thrilling age.Trade Review‘Stonking narrative history told with pace, wit and scholarship about the bloody dynasty that produced some of England’s most brilliant, brutal kings’ Observer ‘Colourful and engaging … Jones has produced an absorbing narrative that will help ensure that the Plantagenet story remains stamped on the English imagination’ Sunday Times ‘Unapologetically about powerful people, their foibles, their passions and their weaknesses … vivid descriptions of battles and tournaments, ladies in fine velvet and knights in shining armour crowd the pages of this highly engaging narrative’ Evening Standard ‘Action-packed … Filled with fighting, personality clashes, betrayal and bouts of the famous Plantagenet rage’ Daily Telegraph ‘Dan Jones expertly weaves an enormous medieval tapestry, ranging from the Middles East of Richard the Lionheart's Third Crusade to the battlefields of the Hundred Years War’ Sunday Telegraph ‘This is an unashamedly royal history and even the most insatiable appetite for chivalric deeds and aristocratic violence will be sated by its conclusion’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisThe instant Sunday Times bestsellerThe UK's bestselling medieval historian brings unforgettably to life the astonishing rise of Henry V, who survived rebellion, a near-fatal arrow wound and a lengthy and precarious princely apprenticeship to become England's greatest warrior king. 'A historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist.' ObserverHenry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months, and died at the age of just 35, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt was a model king for his successors. Shakespeare's version of Henry V saw his youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship, and in the dark days of World War II, Henry's victories in France were recounted in British propaganda. Churchill called Henry a gleam of splendour in the dark, troubled story of medieval England', while for one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, the greatest man who ever ruled England'. For Dan Jones, He

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Book SynopsisDan Jones narrates in his inimitably vivid and authoritative fashion the remarkable story of the Knights Templar. 'Exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history' TLS 'Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose' The Times 'Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist' Observer ‘When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject' Sunday Times The Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful – and most secretive – of the military orders that flourished in the crusading era. Their story – encompassing as it does the greatest international conflict of the Middle Ages, a network of international finance, a swift rise in wealth and influence followed by a bloody and humiliating fall – has left a comet's tail of mystery that continues to fascinate and inspire historians, novelists and conspiracy theorists.Trade ReviewExhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history... A skilful storyteller [...] he enlivens the narrative with bloodcurdling details and arresting turns of phrase... There is also fine scholarly intuition' * TLS *Told with all Jones's usual verve and panache, this is a dramatic and gripping tale of courage and stupidity, faith and betrayal * Mail on Sunday *Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose * The Times *Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist * Observer *When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject * Sunday Times *A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword-swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The BiographyThe story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. The Templars is a wonderful book! -- Bernard Cornwall, author of The Last KingdomSnappy, well-paced... The author's ambition, he says, is to tell the story of the Templars in a straightforward way and "to write a book that will entertain as well as inform". He has done precisely that' * Daily Telegraph *Full of tales of bloodshed, bravery and betrayal, this is a passionate guide to the unstoppable rise and spectacular fall of the poster boys of the Middle Ages * The Tablet, Books of the Year *[The Templars'] colourful story is grippingly told by the excellent Dan Jones * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestseller, from the author of Powers and Thrones, that tells the story of Britain’s greatest and worst dynasty—“a real-life Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal)The first Plantagenet kings inherited a blood-soaked realm from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic narrative history of courage, treachery, ambition, and deception, Dan Jones resurrects the unruly royal dynasty that preceded the Tudors. They produced England’s best and worst kings: Henry II and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice a queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; their son Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and his conniving brother King John, who was forced to grant his people new rights under the Magna Carta, the basis for our own bill of rights. Combining the latest academic research with a gift

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Book SynopsisHidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate. Be captivated by stories of forbidden love like Patroclus & Achilles (explored in Madeleine Miller''s bestseller Song of Achilles), join the cult of Antinous (inspiration for Oscar Wilde), get down with pansexual god Set in Egyptian myth, and fall for Zimbabwe''s trans God Mawi. And from modern pop-culture, through Dan Jones''s witty, upbeat style, learn more about 90s fan obsessions Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Neil Gaiman''s American Gods and the BBC''s Doctor Who. Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory.

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Book SynopsisThe fifteenth century experienced the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands violently five times as the great families of England fought to the death for the right to rule.Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these chaotic years. Yet efforts were made to maintain some semblance of peace and order, as chivalry was reborn, the printing press arrived, and the Renaissance began to flourish. Following on from Dan Jones''s bestselling The Plantagenets, The Hollow Crown is a vivid and engrossing history of these turbulent times.

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Book Synopsis1215 – the penultimate year of the reign of a king with the worst reputation of any in our history – saw England engulfed by crisis. Weakened by the loss of Normandy, King John faced insurrection by his disgruntled barons. With the assistance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, they drew up a list of their demands. In June, in a quiet Thames-side water-meadow, John attached his regal seal – under oath – to a charter that set limits on regal power. In return, the barons renewed their vows of fealty. Groundbreaking though 'Magna Carta' was, it had scant immediate impact as England descended into civil war that would still be raging when John died the following year. Dan Jones's vivid account of the vicissitudes of feudal power politics and the workings of 13th-century government is interwoven with a exploration of the lives of ordinary people: how and where they worked, what they wore, what they ate, and what role the Church played in their lives.Trade ReviewWonderfully engaging... commanding and piercingly insightful. His book is packed with moments that make you stop in your tracks' * Daily Telegraph *A very colourful and entertaining volume * The Bookbag *Jones has a terrific eye for humanising stories and the telling detail... it is the snapshots of life as it was lived that make this book so engaging' * Daily Telegraph *An insightful overview of the state of England 800 years ago * History Revealed Book of the Month *Jones expertly guides us through this turbulent period and sheds fascinating light on life in Plantagenet England * The Irish Mail *Jones writes in a very readable style * Battlefield Magazine *Jones is to be congratulated for telling his story with panache and originality. He deserves to be widely read * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisA new, beautifully illustrated edition of Realm Divided, Dan Jones's portrait of Plantagenet England in the reign of King John. 1215 was not just the year of Magna Carta and King John's war with his barons, but a year of crusading and church reform, of foreign wars and dramatic sieges, of trade and treachery; a year in which England was invaded by a French army and London was stormed by angry barons; and the supposedly impregnable castle at Rochester was brought down with burning pig fat. But this was also a year in which life, for most people, just went on. In the Reign of King John thus opens a window onto everyday life in thirteenth-century England: home and church, love and marriage, education and agriculture, outlawry and hunting, food and clothing. It offers a vivid and authoritative portrait – from royal court to peasant wedding – of medieval life in the round, as well as an exhilarating and revelatory exploration of the big themes of politics, warfare, religion, feudalism and the law during a transformative year in English history. Praise for Dan Jones: 'Commanding and piercingly insightful... Packed with moments that make you stop in your tracks' Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year 'When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers' Sunday Times 'Jones has a terrific eye for humanising stories and the telling detail... It is the snapshots of life as it was lived that make this book so engaging' Daily Telegraph 'Jones is to be congratulated for telling his story with panache and originality. He deserves to be widely read' BBC History Magazine 'Jones expertly guides us through this turbulent period and sheds fascinating light on life in Plantagenet England' Irish Times 'Dan Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render scholarship into accessible prose' The TimesTrade ReviewBeautifully illustrated, somewhere between a chronicle and a coffee-table book... High politics, however, while intelligently and entertainingly discussed here, function as a frame for a travelogue through Plantagenet England' * The Times *Most people know little of King John, apart from the fact he was 'bad' and lost his treasure in the Wash, but Dan Jones has developed a novel way of presenting history... A fantastic read, as well as a beautiful book to handle' * Oldie *PRAISE FOR DAN JONES: 'Packed with moments that make you stop in your track' Daily Telegraph. 'Exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history... A skilful storyteller... He enlivens the narrative with bloodcurdling details and arresting turns of phrase... There is also fine scholarly intuition' TLS, on The Templars. 'Jones carries the Templars through the crusades with clarity and verve. This is unabashed narrative history, fast-paced and full of incident... Jones tells their story extremely well' Sunday Times, on The Templars. 'Voyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: Dan Jones's tumultuous and thrilling history of the crusades is one of the best... Jones is exceptionally good at giving evocative snapshots of medieval life, sometimes poignant, sometimes pure Monty Python' Sunday Times, on Crusaders. 'A powerful story brilliantly told. Dan Jones writes with pace, wit and insight' -- Helen Castor, on Crusaders

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Book SynopsisRevolt and upheaval in medieval Britain by a brilliant new narrative historian, Summer of Blood' breaks new ground in its portrayal of the personalities and politics of the bloody days of June 1381.The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 is one of the most dramatic and bloody events in English history. Starting with village riots in the Essex countryside, chaos rapidly spread across much of the south-east of England, as tens of thousands of ordinary men and women marched in fury to London, torching houses, slaughtering their social superiors and terrifying the life out of those who got in their way. The burning down of Savoy Palace, home to the most powerful magnate in the realm, marked one of the Revolt's most violent episodes.The Peasants' Revolt has remained an underexplored period of history. In revisiting the bloody events of 1381, Dan Jones has brought back to glorious life the squalor, drama and complex hierarchies of a society that until now seemed almost too distant to imagine. His examiTrade Review‘Combines zest and flair with an acute historical intelligence. Bold. Surprising. Unputdownable.’ David Starkey ‘Jones has certainly livened up the Middle Ages…Combining scholarly zest with novelistic flair he serves his account hot, brave and reeking with gore for a wide readership.’ The Times ‘Dan Jones seeks to uncover the idealism and brutality of this fateful summer…A fresh look.’ John Guy, Sunday Times ‘Dan Jones relates his tale with relish and zest…If anyone is looking for a racy account of England's “summer of blood” this is it.’ TLS ‘Jones's book is welcome…At his best…his prose rises to the occasion provided by the dramatic showdown between Richard and the rebels at Smithfield.’ Spectator ‘A pacy narrative.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Short, clear history of a long, hot summer.’ Scotsman

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Book SynopsisDogs Who Changed the World is a beautifully illustrated, heart-warming book that celebrates all dogs and proves that every single one of them is absolute magic. Dogs have trotted at our collective side for tens of thousands of years, bound up in the story of humanity. They have inspired great works of art, caught spies, reconnected lost lovers, dragged the drowning to safety... or have just haplessly and happily ruined everything.These 50 tales acknowledge our unbreakable relationship with the dog, the first-ever domesticated animal, and their dedication, heroism and unending sense of fun. Along the way we'll meet big-boned Barry, the hefty St Bernard credited with saving the lives of more than 40 lost souls in the Swiss Alps in the 1800s. We'll discover Sigmund Freud's calm-inducing chow chow, Jofi, who would sit in on his psychotherapy sessions (and never spilled a secret), and feel the frustration of Sir Isaac Newton, whose little terror Diamond apparently knocked over a candle and destroyed the physicist's most important manuscripts.

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Book SynopsisThe instant Sunday Times bestseller A Times, New Statesman and Spectator Book of the Year 'Simply the best popular history of the Middle Ages there is' Sunday Times 'A great achievement, pulling together many strands with aplomb' Peter Frankopan, Spectator, Books of the Year 'It's so delightful to encounter a skilled historian of such enormous energy who's never afraid of being entertaining' The Times, Books of the Year 'An amazing masterly gripping panorama' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'A badass history writer... to put it mildly' Duff McKagan 'A triumph' Charles Spencer Dan Jones's epic new history tells nothing less than the story of how the world we know today came to be built. It is a thousand-year adventure that moves from the ruins of the once-mighty city of Rome, sacked by barbarians in AD 410, to the first contacts between the old and new worlds in the sixteenth century. It shows how, from a state of crisis and collapse, the West was rebuilt and came to dominate the entire globe. The book identifies three key themes that underpinned the success of the West: commerce, conquest and Christianity. Across 16 chapters, blending Dan Jones's trademark gripping narrative style with authoritative analysis, Powers and Thrones shows how, at each stage in this story, successive western powers thrived by attracting – or stealing – the most valuable resources, ideas and people from the rest of the world. It casts new light on iconic locations – Rome, Paris, Venice, Constantinople – and it features some of history's most famous and notorious men and women. This is a book written about – and for – an age of profound change, and it asks the biggest questions about the West both then and now. Where did we come from? What made us? Where do we go from here? Also available in audio, read by the author.Trade ReviewA terrifically colourful and compelling narrative history... A hugely impressive achievement, bustling and sizzling with life on every page... This is now simply the best popular history of the Middle Ages there is' * Sunday Times *Excellent... Combines [Jones's] usual narrative exuberance and playfulness with the authority and span to bring together an amazing masterly gripping panorama' -- Simon Sebag MontefioreEmpires come and go, religions form and break up, ideas clash and mingle – 1,100 years, 16 sweeping chapters, 700 pacey pages... Masterly, muscular and direct' -- Ed Smith, New Statesman, Books of the YearA badass history writer... to put it mildly -- Duff McKaganA great achievement, pulling together many strands with aplomb -- Peter Frankopan, Spectator, Books of the YearAn audacious, entertaining page-turner. Dan Jones covers a thousand years of history with elegance and panache -- Dan Carlin, Hardcore HistoryDan Jones is in a class of his own... Read this book to wrap your head around 1,000 years of history with as much ease and enjoyment as relaxing into a good novel' -- Professor Suzannah LipscombJones is careful to entertain, as well as enlighten... Flashes of humour exist on the same page as academic rigour... Copious colour plates turn Powers and Thrones into a great gift, as well as a great read' * Aspects of History *An epic new history of the Middle Ages, which grippingly chronicles the forces that defined the period – and which would go on to shape ours * Huffington Post *This gripping history manages to bring novelty to a well-trod subject, spanning the Dark Ages and the globe. Traversing crises and empires and shedding new light on famous subjects, this archive of a fascinating time enthralls till the final page * Newsweek Magazine *I've never read such a comprehensive and storming history of the Middle Ages, nor am I ever likely to again. Crusaders swept me away, but this? This is electric: pumping energy into an era glossed over... Literally, I was in tears at the end; I didn't want the storytelling to end' -- David Learner (Toppings Booksellers, Ely)A rip-roaring read and exhilarating to the very end * International Times *Casts a new light on places such as Rome, Paris, Venice and Constantinople; and it features some of history's most notorious and famous men and women * Bexhill-on-Sea Observer *Despite the sweeping subject matter, Jones's reading feels relaxed as he delights in peculiar details and revels in witty asides... [darting] through the middle ages, from the Romans to the rise of Islamic empires' * Guardian *With his trademark narrative style, Dan Jones packs the thousand years between the fall of the Roman Empire [...] and the protestant Reformation into 16 chapters * Choice *From Rome to Paris, Venice to Constantinople, this gripping historical narrative touches on some of history's most famous and notorious men and women, while asking exactly how the West came to be the way it is. And you thought the perfect dad gift didn't exist * Stylist *Tells the story of an essential era of world history with skill and style * New York Times *Ambitious but brilliant * Catholic Herald *It's so delightful to encounter a skilled historian of such enormous energy who's never afraid of being entertaining * The Times, 21 best history books of 2021 *Mr Jones has a way of keeping things real -- Tessa Dunlop, Aspects of HistoryDan Jones is a brilliant storyteller. He keeps his hand on the tiller on this marathon voyage, guiding the reader with matchless dexterity. A triumph -- Charles Spencer, Aspects of HistoryIt is as gripping as all his books -- Barney White-Spunner, Aspects of HistoryJones is that rarity, a scholar with a novelist's feel for pace and drama, and this reads more like a thriller than a sober historical account * Tablet *In an age when medieval culture is easily and explicitly repurposed for ill, we are lucky to have a book that insists on portraying Europe's deep connections with other parts of the world and that wants to rehydrate the Middle Ages back from the flat, racist version. We are luckier still to have a book that narrates the past so thoroughly, vividly and joyfully * Independent *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Templars. 'Voyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: Dan Jones's tumultuous and thrilling history of the crusades is one of the best' SUNDAY TIMES. 'A powerful story brilliantly told. Dan Jones writes with pace, wit and insight' HELEN CASTOR. 'A fresh and vibrant account of a conflict that raged across medieval centuries' JONATHAN PHILLIPS. Dan Jones, best-selling chronicler of the Middle Ages, turns his attention to the history of the Crusades – the sequence of religious wars fought between the late eleventh century and late medieval periods, in which armies from European Christian states attempted to wrest the Holy Land from Islamic rule, and which have left an enduring imprint on relations between the Muslim world and the West. From the preaching of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II in 1095 to the loss of the last crusader outpost in the Levant in 1302-03, and from the taking of Jerusalem from the Fatimids in 1099 to the fall of Acre to the Mamluks in 1291, Crusaders tells a tale soaked in Islamic, Christian and Jewish blood, peopled by extraordinary characters, and characterised by both low ambition and high principle. Dan Jones is a master of popular narrative history, with the priceless ability to write page-turning narrative history underpinned by authoritative scholarship. Never before has the era of the Crusades been depicted in such bright and striking colours, or their story told with such gusto. PRAISE FOR THE TEMPLARS: 'A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE. 'Dan Jones has created a gripping page-turner out of the dramatic history of the Templars' PHILIPPA GREGORY. 'The story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. The Templars is a wonderful book!' BERNARD CORNWELL. 'Told with all Jones's usual verve and panache, this is a dramatic and gripping tale of courage and stupidity, faith and betrayal' MAIL ON SUNDAY. 'This is another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist' OBSERVER. 'The Templars is exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history' TLS. 'Jones carries the Templars through the crusades with clarity and verve. This is unabashed narrative history, fast-paced and full of incident... Jones tells their story extremely well' SUNDAY TIMES.Trade ReviewVoyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: Dan Jones's tumultuous and thrilling history of the crusades is one of the best... Jones is exceptionally good at giving evocative snapshots of medieval life, sometimes poignant, sometimes pure Monty Python' * Sunday Times *This is rollercoaster history... Dan Jones has a nose for the dramatic, disgusting and bizarre... Every page of his extraordinary book provides vivid evidence of the Crusades' continuing ability to mesmerise' * The Times *A powerful story brilliantly told. Dan Jones writes with pace, wit and insight -- Helen CastorA fresh and vibrant account of a conflict that raged across medieval centuries -- Jonathan PhillipsCompelling... Jones is adept at teasing out the array of motivations that propelled the crusaders on an arduous, often harrowing, journey to an uncertain, violent destination... An avowedly pluralist account in which equal weight is given to the experiences of Christians and Muslims... Jones has written an epic of his own here, as complex as it is compelling' * Prospect *Dan Jones has the priceless ability to write page-turning narrative history underpinned by authoritative scholarship. Never before has the era of the Crusades been depicted in such bright and striking colours, or their story told with such gusto * Edinburgh Reporter *The master of the Middle Ages turns his attention to the compelling saga of religious conflict * Radio Times *Crusaders excels not only in narrating this complex history in such a readable and immersive manner, but also in setting events in their wider contexts... Narratives of medieval knights in combat and conquest can run the risk of romanticising their actions through efforts to spark further interest from the reader, but Jones's treatement of the source material is measured under the engaging prose. Jones has drawn together a compelling work that is weighty in pages but always highly readable' * All About History *Dan Jones writes every history book as through it were a Netflix drama * Yorkshire Post. *His tale is steeped in scholarly research and lively writing. Were it not for the violence inherent to his subject matter, you might call it divine * Christian Science Monitor. *A distinct new perspective... A fantastic, scholarly book... Masterfully told and makes for a gripping read. A must for anyone with an interest in the period' * Pennant *[Jones] offers a 'tableau history' – a series of stories with wonderfully bizarre characters on both sides. It's impossible to be cynical about Jones the historian; he's enormously prolific, yet each book is impressively researched and beautifully written. He's a passionate writer, a rumbustious knight who loves his own literary crusade * The Times *Bloody battles and epic sieges abound in this energetic history of the Crusades, a series of adventures that still has ramifications today * Mail on Sunday *Typically breezy and well-paced... Jones sets out to entertain as well as inform, covering a great deal of ground' * Financial Times *The Crusades is a challenging era for the novice but it is brought thrillingly to life in this imaginative history from the broadcaster and best-selling author... Jones concludes with a timely reminder of the effect the period still has on our world' * Choice Magazine *Voyages, battles, sieges and slaughter: a dramatic history of the wars for the Holy Lands that brings the Crusades to fresh and compelling life * Sunday Times *A balanced view... Jones sticks to a strict academic approach. He mixes recitations of key events and personages with storytelling' * Catholic Universe *Skilfully balancing information and entertainment * The Week *Jones has assembled a panoramic, detailed and readable account of a vast sweep of history that must have taken a staggering amount of work * BookBrunch *

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Book SynopsisWhisky: Shake, Muddle, Stir is a beginner’s guide to whisky and bourbon. Dan Jones teaches you how to stock your home bar, pick some of the world’s best whiskies and pull together your own infusions and syrups. Try your hand at classics like an Old Fashioned or The Sazerac, or modern hits like Bourbon Smash or The Rattlesnake. With over 40 whisky recipes, Whisky: Shake, Muddle, Stir shows you just how versatile whisky is.

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Book SynopsisA major new history of the Crusades with an unprecedented wide scope, told in a tableau of portraits of people on all sides of the wars, from the author of Powers and Thrones.For more than one thousand years, Christians and Muslims lived side by side, sometimes at peace and sometimes at war. When Christian armies seized Jerusalem in 1099, they began the most notorious period of conflict between the two religions. Depending on who you ask, the fall of the holy city was either an inspiring legend or the greatest of horrors. In Crusaders, Dan Jones interrogates the many sides of the larger story, charting a deeply human and avowedly pluralist path through the crusading era.Expanding the usual timeframe, Jones looks to the roots of Christian-Muslim relations in the eighth century and tracks the influence of crusading to present day. He widens the geographical focus to far-flung regions home to so-called enemies of the Church, including Spain, North Africa, southern France, and the Baltic states. By telling intimate stories of individual journeys, Jones illuminates these centuries of war not only from the perspective of popes and kings, but from Arab-Sicilian poets, Byzantine princesses, Sunni scholars, Shi''ite viziers, Mamluk slave soldiers, Mongol chieftains, and barefoot friars. Crusading remains a rallying call to this day, but its role in the popular imagination ignores the cooperation and complicated coexistence that were just as much a feature of the period as warfare. The age-old relationships between faith, conquest, wealth, power, and trade meant that crusading was not only about fighting for the glory of God, but also, among other earthly reasons, about gold. In this richly dramatic narrative that gives voice to sources usually pushed to the margins, Dan Jones has written an authoritative survey of the holy wars with global scope and human focus.

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Book SynopsisAmbitious... With meticulous research and in lively style, Jones presents us with the man beyond the Shakespeare character.—The New York Times“The best biography yet of England’s greatest king.—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs and JerusalemThe New York Times bestselling author returns with a biography examining the dramatic life and unparalleled leadership of England's greatest medieval king Henry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months and died at the age of just thirty-five, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt, he is remembered as the acme of kingship, a model to be closely imitated by his successors. William Shakespeare deployed Henry V as a study in youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship. For one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, “the greatest man who ever ruled England.&rdq

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Book SynopsisMix drinks like a pro with this indispensable collection of 150 of the world’s finest cocktails, all of which can be made from the comfort of your own mixing lab: your kitchen.Dan Jones shares recipes for classic tipples such as the Margarita and Martini to the more modern Thank God it’s Friday and Morning After, in a format close to all men’s hearts - the manual. Starting with ‘Basic Tools’, Dan covers the fundamental kit required to make your moonshine – the shaker, glassware, bottle opener, spirits and mixers, manly patience and know-how. He then moves on to signature drinks, social occasions, quirky ingredients and designer ice - no element of the cocktail goes unturned.With a stylish vintage design and illustrations throughout, The Mixer's Manual is witty and informative, set to become a classic.

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Book SynopsisIf you think that tequila can only be consumed as a slammer with salt and lime, and follows with a chaser of the world''s-worst-hangover the morning after, think again: Dan Jones is about to set the record straight. In Tequila: Shake Muddle Stir, Dan introduces readers to some rather grown-up and classy ways to consume this agave-based spirit, and will have you drinking like a Mexican in no time.Starting with the basics for your home bar, and following with the best tequila-makers on the planet, you''ll be shopping for your tequila kit like a pro. Like a fine whiskey, tequila should be sipped, savoured and enjoyed. With this in mind, Dan has curated over 40 tequila recipes for the home mixologist.With more margarita recipes than you can shake a cocktail shaker at, as well as a glut of amazing tequila cocktails you have never even heard of, this is a recipe book that will change your drink repertoire for good. Including recipes for DIY syrups, sours, infusions and more,

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Book SynopsisChristian Dior's era-defining designs and enduring legacy are captured here in more than 50 of the fashion house's most iconic pieces.  Dior redefined what fashion looked like in the post-war age and demanded glamour, femininity and excess to be the order of the day. His vision for seriously structured corsets tapering to dramatically full skirts with pleats for days earned the title 'The New Look', and it really was. His garments spoke of hope and beauty and were crafted with the utmost attention to detail. This beautifully illustrated book charts not only the work of the great man himself, but also those who stood at the helm after him, including the inimitable Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano. The House of Dior has dressed everyone from Old Hollywood icons like Grace Kelly and Marlene Dietrich through to fictional fashion icon Carrie Bradshaw and music royalty Rihanna. Style Icon: Dior is a wonderful tribute to the roman

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Book SynopsisA stunning exploration of 70 of Yves Saint Laurent's most spectacular designs and moments.

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Book SynopsisThe Colour of Time spans more than a hundred years of world history from the reign of Queen Victoria and the US Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and beginning of the Space Age. It charts the rise and fall of empires, the achievements of science, industry and the arts, the tragedies of war and the politics of peace, and the lives of men and women who made history. The book is a collaboration between a gifted Brazilian artist and a leading British historian. Marina Amaral has created 200 stunning images, using contemporary photographs as the basis for her full-colour digital renditions. Dan Jones has written a narrative that anchors each image in its context, and weaves them into a vivid account of the world that we live in today. A fusion of amazing pictures and well-chosen words, The Colour of Time offers a unique – and often beautiful – perspective on the past. This compact edition of The Colour of Time makes the perfect gift for anyone (and not just anyone interested in history).Trade ReviewA clever, deftly executed book... Marina Amaral has chosen 200 black-and-white photographs, taken between 1850 and 1960, and skilfully colourised them, which gives them new life, new relevance and new power... Dan Jones gives a nicely thoughtful commentary to it all' * Daily Mail, Coffee Table Books of the Year *Purists argue that colourising black and white photographs is sacrilege, but the world has always been in colour... Truth be told, monochrome is a contrivance. Human experience is always colourful' * The Times, Books of the Year *[The Colour of Time] does something simple yet extraordinary. It takes black-and-white photos of historic events and colours them in. The effect is transformative * Daily Telegraph *There is something of The Wizard of Oz about Marina Amaral's photographs. She whisks us from black-and-white Kansas to shimmering Technicolor Oz... When you see Amaral's coloured portraits, you think: phwoar!... She changes the way we see a period or a person' * Spectator *The effect of colour is far more transformative than you might imagine... [Amaral's] touched-up photographs look even more realistic, and closer to life, than a photograph taken yesterday... Extraordinary' * Mail on Sunday *What also elevates The Colour of Time above regular coffee table fare is the startling vivacity and impact of the photographs chosen, and the concise but focused and gripping texts by Jones, making the book a worthwhile cover-to-cover read as much as it serves as a showcase book to dip into at will * All About History *Spanning more than 100 years of world history, from Queen Victoria to the Cuban missile crisis, this book offers a fresh perspective on the past by transforming the black and white photographs that defined global events into full colour * BBC History *Illustrator Marina Amaral has digitally colourised 200 historic black-and-white photographs, making them look as though they were taken yesterday. Dan Jones explains the historical context of each startling image * Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year *I have long considered colourisation sacrilege... after reading this book, I've changed my mind' * The Times. *The most breathtakingly colourised black-and-white pictures ever * Daily Mail. *Both revelatory and familiar. Amaral's skills bring 19th- and early 20th-century photographic images to wholly unexpected and vivid life... Jones offers perceptive commentary, contextualising the events and people depicted with concise skill, meaning that this fine book is hugely readable' * Observer *Jones sketches the historical context with wry economy. Even familiar images take on a new dimension in colour * Daily Mirror *Stunning photos. The perfect gift for any historian * Bristol Life *

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Book Synopsis'The events of the first and second world wars are brought to vivid, startling life thanks to Amaral's skill at colourising contemporary images' Observer The epic, harrowing and world-changing story – in words and colourized images – of global conflict from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand to the obliteration of Hiroshima by the dropping of the first atom bomb. The World Aflame embraces not only the total conflagrations of 1914–18 and 1939–45 and the international tensions, conflicting ideologies and malign economic forces that set them in train, but also the civil wars of the interwar period in Ireland and Spain, wars in Latin America, Britain's imperial travails in such places as Ireland, Somalia and Palestine, and events on the domestic 'fronts' of the belligerent nations. Like The Colour of Time, this is a collaboration between the gifted Brazilian artist Marina Amaral, and the leading British historian Dan Jones. A fusion of amazing pictures and well-chosen and informative words, The World Aflame offers a moving – and often terrifying – perspective on the bloodiest century in human history. 'A new perspective on the bloodiest half-century in history' Daily Mail 'Immensely vivid' Sunday Times 'Brings history to life in breaktaking technicolour' Financial Times 'Revelatory' Daily Express 'The past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white' GuardianTrade ReviewThe events of the first and second world wars are brought to vivid, startling life thanks to Amaral's skill at colourising contemporary images * Observer *Amaral's colourised images bring history to life in breathtaking technicolour. Although, actually, Amaral's palette is far more nuanced and beautiful than that * Financial Times *Frequently stark and sometimes bleak... but this is a testament to the quality of Amaral's work, and its effect on the human eye' * Military History *The past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white * Guardian *A new perspective to the bloodiest half-century in history * Daily Mail *For the first time, we are seeing the scenes in colour as images from a new book show how much changes but how much stays the same as history unfolds. Covering the years between 1914-1945, The World Aflame shows the planet gripped by wars, the rise of right-wing governments and a deadly pandemic * Sunday Post *You may need a strong stomach for some of the images, but they are immensely vivid, and Jones's text is crisp * Sunday Times *While many can claim to show you Winston Churchill as he's never been seen before, this photograph is perhaps a true first * Discover Britain *To see Winston Churchill's youthful freckly face in 1911 is revelatory. In a single image, we see how far the journey was from a somewhat gadabout sea lord to Our National Saviour * Daily Express *Stunning * People's Friend *Jones's commentaries are small miracles of compression... Amaral's achievement in bringing colour as 'an emotional enhancing agent' to these photographs is extraordinary' * World of Interiors *You may feel that you have seen it all before; this book triumphantly suggests otherwise * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe third volume in the much-admired The Colour of Time series. A Woman's World, 1850–1960 explores the many roles – domestic, social, cultural and professional – played by women across the world before second-wave feminism took hold. Using Marina Amaral's colourized images and Dan Jones's words, this survey features women both celebrated and ordinary, whether in the science lab or protesting on the streets, performing on stage or fighting in the trenches, running for election or exploring the wild. This vivid and unique history brings to life and full colour the female experience in a century of extraordinary change. Photographs include: Queen Victoria, Edith Cavell, Josephine Baker, Eva Peron, Virginia Woolf, Clara Schumann, Martha Gellhorn, Rosa Parks, Agatha Christie, Frida Kahlo, Harriet Tubman, Florence Nightingale, Hattie McDaniel and Gertrude Bell; as well as revolutionaries from China to Cuba, Geishas in Japan, protestors on the Salt March, teachers and pilots, nurses and soldiers.Trade ReviewEvery bit as fascinating and revelatory as its predecessors. Jones's text is authoritative and witty, but the main appeal lies in Amaral's delicate colourisation of photographs, bringing subjects including Frida Kahlo back to life... This fine book is a moving testament to the power of social change * Observer *[These] striking images offer a new window on to fascinating, inspiring lives * History Revealed *Transform[s] them into people you feel you could meet today, making their stories all the more fascinating * Waitrose Magazine *A beautiful thing to keep on your coffee table or bookshelf. 5* * All About History *PRAISE FOR DAN JONES AND MARINA AMARAL: 'I have long considered colourisation sacrilege... after reading this book, I've changed my mind' The Times, on The Colour of Time. 'Amaral's colourisation process is most moving when applied to pictures of children. To see it more as the photographer saw it, and the way it actually was. The photographer might not have had the choice, or the technology, to take a picture in colour. But looking through the viewfinder, that's what they saw; the past – even its grimmest, darkest hours – was not in black and white' Guardian, on The World Aflame. 'There is something of The Wizard of Oz about Marina Amaral's photographs. She whisks us from black-and-white Kansas to shimmering Technicolor Oz... When you see Amaral's coloured portraits, you think: phwoar!... She changes the way we see a period or a person' Spectator, on The Colour of Time. '[Amaral] breathes new life, immediacy and human connection into black-and-white pictures. Even familiar shots are transformed in a breathtaking way' * Irish News, on The Colour of Time *

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Book SynopsisA chilling medieval ghost story, retold by bestselling historian Dan Jones. Published in a beautiful small-format hardback, perfect as a Halloween read or a Christmas gift. One winter, in the dark days of King Richard II, a tailor was riding home on the road from Gilling to Ampleforth. It was dank, wet and gloomy; he couldn't wait to get home and sit in front of a blazing fire. Then, out of nowhere, the tailor is knocked off his horse by a raven, who then transforms into a hideous dog, his mouth writhing with its own innards. The dog issues the tailor with a warning: he must go to a priest and ask for absolution and return to the road, or else there will be consequences... First recorded in the early fifteenth century by an unknown monk, The Tale of the Tailor and the Three Dead Kings was transcribed from the Latin by the great medievalist M.R. James in 1922. Building on that tradition, now bestselling historian Dan Jones retells this medieval ghost story in crisp and creepy prose.Trade ReviewDan Jones is best known for his epic histories, which makes his first foray into fiction a surprising but effective change of direction. He has adapted a medieval tale of the supernatural (which was transcribed from the Latin by MR James in 1922); his tight, chilling account of an unsuspecting tailor and the terrifying shenanigans in which he is embroiled compares favourably with James's own ghost stories, the author's grasp of historical detail giving it welcome verisimilitude * Observer *An interesting glimpse into a world that almost reads as Fantasy today. I found that the origins and background to the story were as intriguing as the story itself, which creates a nice little shiver and then allows the reader to move on. One for readers looking for a brief, classic read at Halloween * SFF World *Atmospheric chamber piece * BBC History Magazine *Put another log on the hearth (or its nearest 21st-century equivalent) and settle in for Dan Jones's eerie, evocative retelling of a medieval ghost story * History Revealed *A chilling yarn * The Tablet *This is a great story and has grown in the telling * The Ampleforth Journal *

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Book SynopsisHidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate. Be captivated by stories of forbidden love like Patroclus & Achilles (explored in Madeleine Miller's bestseller Song of Achilles), join the cult of Antinous (inspiration for Oscar Wilde), get down with pansexual god Set in Egyptian myth, and fall for Zimbabwe's trans God Mawi. And from modern pop-culture, through Dan Jones's witty, upbeat style, learn more about 90s fan obsessions Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Neil Gaiman's American Gods and the BBC's Doctor Who. Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory.

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Book SynopsisEvery good hero needs a villain! Explore the hidden world of magnetic and mysterious villains, often cast aside and misunderstood in tales of mythology and folklore. Through the pages of Queer Villains of Myth and Legend, discover a diverse community of fascinating characters, ranging from seductive and cunning to powerful and awe-inspiring.Experience the dark allure of Circe and Medusa through to David Bowie's Jareth in Labyrinth and delve into their complex and multifaceted personalities and motivations. Take a deep dive into the intersection of queerness and villainy, re-examine some of our favourite characters, and discover why so many 'bad' characters are queer-coded. From ancient mythology to contemporary pop culture, Queer Villains of Myth and Legend celebrates the fascinating stories of these often-overlooked characters. Join Dan Jones on a journey of discovery, as he explores the hidden depths of queer villainy and sheds light on the queer identities of these compelling figures. It's a powerful celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary complexity.

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Book SynopsisHidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate. Be captivated by stories of forbidden love like Patroclus & Achilles (explored in Madeleine Miller''s bestseller Song of Achilles), join the cult of Antinous (inspiration for Oscar Wilde), get down with pansexual god Set in Egyptian myth, and fall for Zimbabwe''s trans God Mawi. And from modern pop-culture, through Dan Jones''s witty, upbeat style, learn more about 90s fan obsessions Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Neil Gaiman''s American Gods and the BBC''s Doctor Who. Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory.

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Book SynopsisIn his new cocktail collection, expert mixer Dan Jones proves that rough-around-the-edges dive bars provide the perfect inspiration for your homemade drinks. After all, if the bartender in a low-lit, sticky-carpeted, no-frills establishment can churn out a faultless Manhattan or the Dirty Martini of your dreams, that means you can do it too!Dan starts by detailing the basic cocktail kit, but never fear: an empty pickle jar for shaking and a spoon for swizzling will do the trick. With over 50 recipes, featuring chic classics and modern concoctions, single serves and jugs of joy, you won't know where to begin. To set the mood, Dan explores the greatest dive bars across the globe and offers up the best karaoke song or dirty snack to accompany your tipple.So whether it's a cocktail party or an unplanned drinkathon, let Dive Bar inject some magic into your next soiree.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Background on dive bars, with information on building your own dive bar • 10 Dive Bars: Profiles of famous dive bars around the world, USA, UK, France, Japan, Australia, Spain and Chile • Classic Cocktails: 50 classic cocktail recipes with introductions • Author bio, acknowledgements, etc.

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Book SynopsisThe instant Sunday Times bestsellerThe UK's bestselling medieval historian brings unforgettably to life the astonishing rise of Henry V, who survived rebellion, a near-fatal arrow wound and a lengthy and precarious princely apprenticeship to become England's greatest warrior king.''A historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist.'' ObserverHenry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months, and died at the age of just 35, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond.The victor of Agincourt was a model king for his successors. Shakespeare's version of Henry V saw his youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship, and in the dark days of World War II, Henry's victories in France were recounted in British propaganda. Churchill called Henry a gleam of splendour in the dark, troubled story of medieval England', while for one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, the greatest man who ever ruled England'.For Dan Jones, Henry is one of the most intriguing characters in all medieval history, but one of the hardest to pin down. He was a hardened, sometimes brutal, warrior, yet he was also creative and artistic, with a bookish temperament. He was a leader who made many mistakes, who misjudged his friends and family members, yet always seemed to triumph when it mattered.As king, he saved a shattered country from economic ruin, put down rebellions and secured England's borders; in foreign diplomacy, he made England a serious player once more. Yet through his conquests in northern France, he sowed the seeds for three generations of calamity at home, in the form of the Wars of the Roses.Dan Jones's life of Henry V provides unprecedented insight into the critical first 26 years of his life before he became king. Both a standalone biography and a completion of Dan's sequence of English medieval histories that began with The Plantagenets and The Hollow Crown, Henry V is a thrilling and unmissable life of England's greatest king from our best-selling medieval historian.

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