History Books

Book SynopsisThe astonishing story of the ten million books that were smuggled across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERBLACKWELL'S NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023'Extraordinary ... a deliciously varied tapestry of detail drawn from across nearly three centuries' TelegraphWhat was it really like to rule and be ruled in the Ancient Roman world?In her international best-seller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now, she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE).Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Beard asks bigger questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained?Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman (and our own) fantasies about what it was to be Roman, offering an account of Roman hi

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & THE TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF 2021''Astonishing and compelling'' Bernard CornwellThis superb book is like a classical symphony, perfectly composed and exquisitely performed' THE TIMES Books of the Year Follow bioarchaeologist Cat Jarman and the cutting-edge forensic techniques central to her research as she uncovers epic stories of the Viking age and follows a small Carnelian' bead found in a Viking grave in Derbyshire to its origins thousands of miles to the east in Gujarat.This superb book is like a classical symphony, perfectly composed and exquisitely performed' THE TIMES Books of the Year Dr Cat Jarman is a bioarchaeologist, specialising in forensic techniques to research the paths of Vikings who came to rest in British soil. By examining teeth that are now over one thousand years old, she can determine childhood diet, and thereby where a person was likely born. With radiocarbon dating, she can ascertain a death date down to the range of a few years. And her research offers new visions of the likely roles of women and children in Viking culture.In 2017, a carnelian bead came into her temporary possession. River Kings sees her trace its path back to eighth-century Baghdad and India, discovering along the way that the Vikings' route was far more varied than we might think, that with them came people from the Middle East, not just Scandinavia, and that the reason for this unexpected integration between the Eastern and Western worlds may well have been a slave trade running through the Silk Road, and all the way to Britain.Told as a riveting story of the Vikings and the methods we use to understand them, this is a major reassessment of the fierce, often-mythologised voyagers of the north, and of the global medieval world as we know it.Trade Review A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER (September 2021) Waterstones Book of the Month (October 2021) ‘A masterly history … River Kings is a mystery and an adventure, the tale of a quest that took Jarman from Repton to Scandinavia, across the Baltic Sea, over to Baghdad and finally to India. I was held captive … In addition to being a wonderful writer, Jarman is a skilled bioarchaeologist … River Kings is like a classical symphony, perfectly composed and exquisitely performed. Tiny trills of detail give way to pounding drums of drama’Gerard deGroot, Times ‘Cat Jarman will transform the way you think about the Vikings’ Dan Snow 'A bead was discovered in a Viking warrior’s grave, and that discovery led Cat Jarman on an amazing journey which is described in this extraordinary story. That bead, in Cat Jarman’s hands, taught me more about the Vikings than a score of history books. River Kings is an astonishing and compelling triumph!'Bernard Cornwell ‘Will cast a spell on any reader who enjoys their history well-written and clearly argued. Just as Antony Beevor’s Stalingrad reminded us that the eastern front of WW2 was of far greater consequence than its western theatre, so Jarman shows how the westward trading and slaving voyages of the Vikings were only half the story. The real source of Viking wealth lay far to the east.’ William Dalrymple, FT ‘A thrilling read … Illuminates Viking culture in an utterly intriguing new light’Charles Spencer ‘An extraordinarily imaginative conjuring of the Viking world … This is not archaeology as dry stones and bones, but as the lived lives of the people of the past brought to life with verve, style and sympathetic imagination. Beautifully written … You’ll never see the Viking Age in the same way again’Michael Wood

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Book SynopsisDr Hannah Ritchie is Senior Researcher in the Programme for Global Development at the University of Oxford. She is also Deputy Editor at the highly influential online publication Our World in Data and has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Statistical Society. Her research appears regularly in the New York Times, Economist, Financial Times, BBC, WIRED and New Scientist. In 2022, Ritchie was named Scotland's Youth Climate Champion and New Scientist called her 'The woman who gave COVID-19 data to the world'. In 2024, she was selected by Prospect magazine as one of their 'Top 25 Thinkers'.

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Book SynopsisEleni put an arm around him and said: Come, come, life is ahead of us. Raise your soul now. We have much to do.This is a book about how the great forces of history shape us and how world-famous political activist Yanis Varoufakis was inspired by the resilience and the courage of his family, from his mother Eleni and grandmothers Anna and Trisevgeni, to his partner Danae. It is both an intimate portrait of a political awakening and a dramatic sweep through Greece's history of post-colonial independence, Nazi occupation, communist partisan resistance, Cold War fracture, civil war, fascist dictatorship, socialist revival and tumultuous present-day economic collapse. Raise Your Soul is a powerful tale of resistance and endurance a beacon of hope for dark times.

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Book SynopsisAn indispensable guide to understanding the Israel?Palestine conflict, and how we might yet still find a way out of it. ''Ilan Pappe is the most original, radical and hard-hitting of Israel?s new historians.'' Avi Shlaim, author of Three Worlds The devastation of 7 October 2023 and the horrors that followed astounded the world. But the Israel?Palestine conflict didn?t start on 7 October. It didn?t start in 1967 either, when Israel occupied the West Bank, or in 1948 when the state of Israel was declared. It started in 1882, when the first Zionist settlers arrived in what was then Ottoman Palestine. Ilan Pappe untangles the history of two peoples, now sharing one land. Going back to the founding fathers of Zionism, Pappe expertly takes us through the twists and turns of international policy towards Israel?Palestine, Palestinian resistance to occupation, and the changes taking place in Israel itself.

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all. Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second is the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined just how and when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands. Against this backdrop Gwynne presents the compelling drama of Cynthia Ann Parker, a nine-year-old girl who was kidnapped by Comanches in 1836. She grew to love her captors and became infamous as the "White Squaw" who refused to return until her tragic capture by Texas Rangers in 1860. More famous still was her son Quanah, a warrior who was never defeated and whose guerrilla wars in the Texas Panhandle made him a legend. S. C. Gwynne's account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told.Trade ReviewNothing short of a revelation. Gwynne doesn't merely retell the story of Parker's life. he pulls his readers through an American frontier roiling with extreme violence, political intrigue, bravery, anguish, coruption, love, knives, rifles and arrows. Lots and lots of arrow. This book will leave dust on your jeans. * New York Times *Cuts through all the BS - from the left and right - about how the West was won from the Indians and how America began to lose its soul. * James Patterson *A rivetting book. * Economist *Sam Gwynne is a master story-teller and a dogged reporter, and in this book he makes history come to life in a way that everyone will find irresistible. I couldn't put it down. * The Texas Tribune. *S.C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon is many things-a thrilling account of the Texas frontier in the nineteenth century, a vivid description of the Comanche nation, a fascinating portrait of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son, the mysterious, magnificent Quanah-but most of all it is a ripping good read. Gwynne writes history with a pounding pulse and a beating heart....I couldn't put it down. * Jake Silverstein, Editor, Texas Monthly. *In this sweeping work, S.C. Gwynne recreates the Comanche's lost world with gusto and style-and without sentimentality. * Hampton Sides, author of Blood and Thunder. *Excellent. * Sunday Times *Gwynne has set out to write a western epic, and his narrative is enormously entertaining, but it is hard to discern a coherent historical thesis. * London Review of Books *... an unashamedly exciting narrative of the American West. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTerry Deary is the author of 340 published books including the acclaimed Horrible Histories series, selling over 38 million books in 45 languages. The series has been adapted for theatre, museum exhibitions and a major CBBC television series, which has gone on to win several Children's BAFTA awards and a British Comedy Award for best sketch show the first children's show ever to win.Terry was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Education by Sunderland University in 2000. He currently lives in County Durham with his wife Jenny and is an avid road runner in his spare time.

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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 SynopsisAPRIL 2024 REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''A literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler . . . outstanding and highly enjoyable'' Observer''The Most Fun We Ever Had is as good as books come'' Telegraph''I loved this book'' Bryony Gordon''The perfect, engrossing holiday read'' RED''A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory'' Madeline Miller''A moving, immersive, often very funny study of family and sisterhood'' Sunday Times''Like Meg Wolitzer. A forensic dissection of family past and present, I loved it. If you like reading about relationships, this one is for you.'' Pandora SykesMEET THE SORENSON FAMILY.MARILYN has somehow fallen into motherhood and spTrade ReviewLombardo's impressive debut is a gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory. She juggles a huge cast of characters with seeming effortlessness, bringing each to life with humour, vividness and acute psychological insight. -- Madeline Miller, author of CIRCEIf ever there were to be a literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler, then Claire Lombardo's outstanding debut, which ranges from ebullience to despair by way of caustic but intense familial bonds, would be a worthy offspring...This is a novel epic in scope-emotionally, psychologically and narratively. Combining a broad thematic canvas with impressive emotional nuance, it's an assured and highly enjoyable debut. -- Hannah Beckerman * GUARDIAN *Beware this book, that will enmesh you in the psychic DNA of this utterly convincingly imagined family. You will encounter characters whose stories you're compelled to follow, you will recognise the bitterest and sweetest tastes of life, you will laugh, and you will want to discuss it with other people. (Possibly not your own family). John Irving has a literary daughter, and her name is Claire Lombardo. -- Laline Paull, author of THE BEESI adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. It is such a shockingly tender and uncannily knowing novel about the reality of long term love and affection, and the sweetness and claustrophobia of relationships between sisters. Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. This book will stay with me forever. -- Daisy Buchanan, author of HOW TO BE A GROWN UPRemarkably alive and wise, Claire Lombardo's story of the Sorensons is a stunning vision - not just of family or love, but the funny, tender mystery of human connection itself, with all its intensity, charm, and wonder. -- Affinity Konar, author of MISCHLINGClaire Lombardo has created a wonderful, subtle and sophisticated portrait of a family. The nuances, the secrets, the triumphs and tragedies light up this narrative with the many ways we love and the unremitting clarity with which we are known by our siblings. Epic and intimate, funny and delicate, this is a best friend of a book: curl up with it and lose yourself in the easy intimacy of the magnetic, loveable and flawed family of Sorensons. -- Raffaella Barker, author of SPRINGTIMEI cancelled appointments to keep reading this totally gripping portrait of a marriage and the four daughters that it has produced. It is excellent on sisterhood, motherhood, marriage - in fact on all human relationships. Highly, highly recommended. -- Clover Stroud, author of THE WILD OTHERIn The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo has given us a truly unforgettable American family. The book bristles on every page with intelligence and fierce wit. What a debut! -- Richard Russo, Author of EVERYBODY'S FOOLThis amazing, sexy, moving, transfixing novel sweeps you up into the epic range of human emotion, from tenderness to exasperation, bafflement to pride, anger to unconditional love that is intrinsic to family life. And how those oh-so-familiar hairpin bends of parenthood and of marriage are so beautifully juxtaposed with the infinite complexities and blind corners of being a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover! I couldn't quite think of what to do with myself when I came to the last page except read it all over again. -- Juliet Nicolson, author of A HOUSE FULL OF DAUGHTERSA novel to make a note to pack for summer travels ahead -- Laura Bailey * VOGUE *A rich, engrossing family saga, spiked with sisterly malice...[rendered] with such skill and finely tuned interest that it feels like a quiet subversion of the traditional family saga. * The New York Times Book Review *Ambitious and brilliantly written -- Jane Smiley * The Washington Post *A wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels...A deliciously absorbing novel with-brace yourself-a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family. * NPR *The big family saga of the summer * EW *You'll be glad this loopy family isn't yours, but reading about them is a treat. * People magazine *A sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt...A fun and brimming tale...Divine * Kirkus *An expansive U.S. family saga, expertly rendered * Daily Mail *Lombardo has a wry, often spiky humour and tightly written style that should appeal to fans of Maria Semple, Emma Straub and Jennifer Egan ... A moving, immersive, often very funny study of family and sisterhood. * Sunday Times *A spry, sly and funny read * Sunday Express *A funny, complex, tragic and immersive family sage which spans forty years. This is the perfect, engrossing holiday read * Red *An exploration of the complex tapestry that is family life, full of delights and difficulties * Cosmopolitan *I love this book, and the Sorensons, so much * Bryony Gordon *

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Book SynopsisAs gripping as any spy thriller, Hastings's achievement is especially impressive, for he has produced the best single volume yet written on the subject' Sunday TimesAuthoritative, exciting and notably well written' Daily TelegraphA serious work of rigourous and comprehensive history royally entertaining and readable' Mail on SundayIn The Secret War, Max Hastings presents a worldwide cast of characters and extraordinary sagas of intelligence and Resistance to create a new perspective on the greatest conflict in history. The book links tales of high courage ashore, at sea and in the air to the work of the brilliant boffins' battling the enemy's technology. Here are not only the unheralded codebreaking geniuses of Bletchley Park, but also their German counterparts who achieved their own triumphs and the fabulous espionage networks created, and so often spurned, by the Soviet Union. With its stories of high policy and human drama, the book has been acclaimed as the best history of the secTrade Review‘As gripping as any spy thriller. Hastings understands, better than any previous historian, that this is as much a story about human nature as it is about the mechanics of code-breaking or spycraft … he has the novelist’s eye for the telling detail … this book works because Hastings is simply a very fine writer who is not afraid of making judgements … Hastings’s achievement is especially impressive, for he has produced the best single volume yet written on the subject’ Lawrence Rees, Sunday Times ‘A total thriller with a full cast of killers, swashbucklers and beautiful adventuresses. The best history of war intelligence yet’ Simon Sebag Montefiore ‘This is his war and he writes with an easy assurance, scatter-gunning opinions … Hastings is on form. He has set out to provide thought and discussion and, with his familiar robustness, shotgun at side, he has succeeded’ The Times ‘Authoritative, exciting and notably well written’ Daily Telegraph ‘A serious work of rigorous and comprehensive history … royally entertaining and readable’ Mail on Sunday ‘Vintage Hastings: a vivid cast of characters, social observation and opinions forcefully expressed … Given the national fixation with spies and special forces, Hastings’s book is a very necessary corrective’ Evening Standard ‘Lively and entertaining … a rich gallery of rogues, eccentrics and brainstorming professors which … Hastings can manipulate with wonderful deftness’ Observer ‘A compendious, crisply argued and witty assessment’ Financial Times ‘[Hastings] writes with infectious relish … a magnificent parade of crooks, alcoholics and fantasists … [he] has drawn fascinating fresh material … A book that pulses along, yet is filled with acute insight into human ingenuity, frailty, and the ironies of evil’ Spectator ‘Magisterial … an author at the top of his game’ Country Life ‘Hastings deploys a formidable arsenal to tell his human stories, plus a refreshing degree of scepticism’ Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisSixty diverse cars, sixty fascinating stories, sixty contrasting specifications, just one uniting factor: they're all forgotten, neglected or misunderstood classics. What is that car? Think you know it? Take another look; is it really what you remember? The 1960s may be regarded as the cradle of the classic car, but these are the tantalising ones that got away. Giles Chapman has assembled a line-up of contrasting automobiles here, which quickly became obscure. Each of the cars you'll discover here tells an unusual story, and the endings are often surprising. In this turbulent decade, brave new engine technology was championed and then rejected, design trends suddenly exploded, and car-buyers became unpredictable. The cars in this book sometimes suffered as a result although some of them were actually just plain odd! Lost Cars of the 1960s is the final part of a trilogy that includes Lost Cars of the 1940s and ''50s and Lost Cars of the 1970s, recording the intriguing sideshows of motoring history from around the world.

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Book SynopsisSince its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx. Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation. Thus he is concerned with gold and silver, cacao and cotton, rubber and coffee, fruit, hides and wool, petroleum, iron, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminum ore, nitrates, and tin. These are the veins which he traces through the body of the entire continent, up to the Rio Grande and throughout the Caribbean, and all the way to their open ends where they empty into the coffers of wealth in the United States and Europe. Weaving fact and imagery into a rich tapestry, Galeano fuses sciTrade ReviewA superbly written, excellently translated, and powerfully persuasive expos which all students of Latin American and U.S. history must read.-Choice Well written and passionately stated, this is an intellectually honest and valuable study.-Library Journal A dazzling barrage of words and ideas.-History

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Book Synopsis'Impeccably researched and searingly nostalgic, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker whisks us back to medieval days' DAILY MAIL'The queen of food historians' LUCY WORSLEY'A rich, lively and nostalgia-provoking sensory experience ... this is history in its messiest, most bustling human essence' THE TIMES'Annie Gray's fascinating history of a British institution in crisis illuminates and entertains' GREG JENNER'Properly immersive, full of juicy sensory detail - Annie Gray's romp down British high streets through the centuries is a blast' TESSA BOASEBustling with rich detail, historical vignettes and surprising wares, this is the story of Britain's best-loved but ever-changing public spaces. What makes a high street? It's certainly not just about the shopping; these thoroughfares are often the beating heart of our towns and cities and, by extension, of the people who use them. As spaces where local life and culture unfolds, our high streets can be playgrounds of personal indulgence and community spirit, or sites of contentious debate and politicking. Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century. Peeping through the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear - where curiosities were sold for adults, not children - to the birth of brands we shop at today. Vibrant and enticing, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker is an essential reflection on how we shopped and lived in days gone by - and what the future may bring.

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Book SynopsisA Times Best Art Book of the Year, 2024''A riot of a book'' Country Life''s Books of the Year, 2024The modern art market was born on a single night. On 15 October 1958 Sotheby's of Bond Street staged an event sale' of Impressionist paintings from the collection of an American banker, Erwin Goldschmidt: three Manets, two Cézannes, one Van Gogh and a Renoir. Movie stars and other celebrities attended in black tie and saw the seven lots go for 781,000 at the time the highest price for a single art sale.Overnight, London became the world centre of the art market and Sotheby's an international auction house. The event signalled a shift in power from dealers to auctioneers and pointed the way for Impressionist paintings to dominate the market for the next forty years. In this climate Sotheby's and Christie's became a great business duopoly as aggressive, dominant and competitive in the field of art sales as Pepsi and Coca-Cola were in soft drinks. The resulting expansion of the market was accompanied by rocketing prices, colourful scandals and legal dramas. Over the decades, London transformed itself from a place of old master sales to a revitalised centre of contemporary art, a process crowned by the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.James Stourton tells the story of the London art market from the immediate postwar period to the turn of the millennium in engaging and fast-paced style, populating his richly entertaining narrative with a glorious rogues' gallery of clever amateurs, eccentric scholars, brilliant emigrés, cockney traders and grandees with a flair for the deal.

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times BestsellerA new assessment of the West's colonial recordIn the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet empire in 1989, many believed that we had arrived at the End of History' that the global dominance of liberal democracy had been secured forever.Now however, with Russia rattling its sabre on the borders of Europe and China rising to challenge the post-1945 world order, the liberal West faces major threats.These threats are not only external. Especially in the Anglosphere, the decolonisation' movement corrodes the West's self-confidence by retelling the history of European and American colonial dominance as a litany of racism, exploitation, and massively murderous violence.Nigel Biggar tests this indictment, addressing the crucial questions in eight chapters: Was the British Empire driven primarily by greed and the lust to dominate? Should we speak of colonialism and slavery' in the same breath, as if they were identical? Was the Empire essentially racist? How far was it based on the theft of land? Did it involve genocide? Was it driven fundamentally by the motive of economic exploitation? Was undemocratic colonial government necessarily illegitimate? and, Was the Empire essentially violent, and its violence pervasively racist and terroristic?Biggar makes clear that, like any other long-standing state, the British Empire involved elements of injustice, sometimes appalling. On occasions it was culpably incompetent and presided over moments of dreadful tragedy.Nevertheless, from the early 1800s the Empire was committed to abolishing the slave trade in the name of a Christian conviction of the basic equality of all human beings. It ended endemic inter-tribal warfare, opened local economies to the opportunities of global trade, moderated the impact of inescapable modernisation, established the rule of law and liberal institutions such as a free press, and spent itself in defeating the murderously racist Nazi and Japanese empires in the Second World War.As encyclopaedic in historical breadth as it is penetrating in analytical depth, Colonialism offers a moral inquest into the colonial past, forensically contesting damaging falsehoods and thereby helping to rejuvenate faith in the West's future.

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Book SynopsisIn 1912 the unthinkable happened - the supposedly unsinkable Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, or so it was thought. In this bestselling book author Robin Gardiner claims that it was not in fact the Titanic but the sister ship, the Olympic, which finished its days sinking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic on that fateful night. His contention is that what happened was an insurance scam perpetrated by the White Star line which may have involved the possible collusion by the British government in the cover-up. On 20 September 1911, the Olympic was involved in a collision with the Royal Navy Warship HMS Hawke in Southampton Water. Olympic was found to be to blame in the collision. Because of this finding, White Star''s insurers allegedly refused to pay out on the claim. As this would amount to a serious financial loss for the company, it is alleged that, to make sure at least one vessel would be earning money, the badly damaged Olympic was patched up and then converted to become the Titanic. The real Titanic when complete would then quietly enter service as the Olympic. To dispose of the Olympic, which had allegedly been damaged beyond economic repair in a way that would allow White Star to collect the full insured value of a brand new ship, the plan was to open the seacocks at sea to slowly flood the ship. Numerous ships were stationed nearby to take off the passengers, the shortage of lifeboats would not matter as the ship would sink slowly and the boats could make several trips to the rescuers. The controversy which this theory has generated, and some of the evidence used to support it is compelling, has made this book into a bestseller in the years since it was first published. Regardless of whether you choose to believe in this version of the events that took place on that terrible night in 1912, which still resonate so strongly well over a century afterwards, Titanic: The Ship That Never Sank? is a fascinating, well written and absorbing read.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Stoned] romps through the stories of eight jewels." -- New York Times "A lively, incisive cultural and social history." -- Kirkus "History enthusiasts will be entertained by Raden's knowledge of famous names as well as her narrative approach to the topic. Occasional injections of humor will keep readers interested." -- Library Journal "Raden's commentary on the often ugly side of human desire through the ages is consistently captivating, and her witty delivery makes the material shine." -- Publishers Weekly "Riveting, erudite." -- MORE Magazine "Raden brings impeccable credentials to the task at hand. She also writes with a blithe and breezy deftness, peppering her narrative with snarky but substantive footnotes that recall the insouciance of Mary Roach. A gem of a study into all that enchants and bewitches." -- Booklist "Aja Raden must be a kick at dinner parties ... She's also an appealingly informal, effortless storyteller, fascinated by the stories she tells." -- Seattle Times "a populist history told with humor and great relish... Profanely funny." -- David Duchovny, author of Holy Cow "Money, power, sexual politics, and jewelry! Isn't this what makes the world go 'round? What more could I ask for in a book -- Madonna "'Stoned' has its own special vitreous luster, just as any emerald worth its salt - an illumination into what makes us irrationally human." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A rigorous and thoughtful study of what has happened on battlefields over the past eight decades' THE TIMESA hugely important book elegantly written and persuasively argued' DAILY TELEGRAPH** FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE NEW MATERIAL ON THE ISRAEL/GAZA CONFLICT **Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past, and anticipate in the future, in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.In this deep and incisive study, General David Petraeus, the former CIA director who commanded the US-led coalitions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the prize-winning historian Andrew Roberts, explore over seventy years of conflict, drawing significant lessons and insights from their fresh analysis of the past. Petraeus and Roberts show how often critical mistakes have been repeated time and again, and explore the challenge, for statesmen and generals alike, of learning to adapt to various new weapon systems, theories and strategies. Among the conflicts examined are the Arab Israeli wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the two Gulf wars, the Balkan wars in the former Yugoslavia, and both the Soviet and Coalition wars in Afghanistan, as well as guerrilla conflicts in Africa and South America.Conflict culminates with a bracing look at Putin's disastrous invasion of Ukraine, yet another case study in the tragic results that occur when leaders refuse to learn from history, and an assessment of the nature of future warfare. Filled with sharp insight and the wisdom of experience, Conflict is not only a critical assessment of our recent past, but also an essential primer of modern warfare that provides crucial knowledge for waging battle today as well as for understanding what the decades ahead will bring.

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Book SynopsisBartle Bull is a former editor of the Middle East Monitor and foreign editor of Prospect magazine. He has written from the Middle East for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Foreign Policy, Die Welt and other publications. His work, widely syndicated in Europe and the United States, has been featured in Corriere della Sera, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times and elsewhere. He has appeared many times on radio and television and is most frequently a guest on Fox Business News; he has also appeared on the BBC, NPR, Fox News and Al Jazeera.

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Book SynopsisBlackshirts & Reds explores some of the big issues of our time: fascism, capitalism, communism, revolution, democracy, and ecology--terms often bandied about but seldom explored in the original and exciting way that has become Michael Parenti's trademark. Parenti shows how rational fascism renders service to capitalism, how corporate power undermines democracy, and how revolutions are a mass empowerment against the forces of exploitative privilege. He also maps out the external and internal forces that destroyed communism, and the disastrous impact of the free-market victory on eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. He affirms the relevance of taboo ideologies like Marxism, demonstrating the importance of class analysis in understanding political realities and dealing with the ongoing collision between ecology and global corporatism. Written with lucid and compelling style, this book goes beyond truncated modes of thought, inviting us to entertain iconoclastic views, and to ask

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Book SynopsisA magisterial work of gripping history, City of Fortune tells the story of the Venetian ascent from lagoon dwellers to the greatest power in the Mediterranean - an epic five hundred year voyage that encompassed crusade and trade, plague, sea battles and colonial adventure. In Venice, the path to empire unfolded in a series of extraordinary contests - the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, the fight to the finish with Genoa and a desperate defence against the Turks. Under the lion banner of St Mark, she created an empire of ports and naval bases which funnelled the goods of the world through its wharfs. In the process the city became the richest place on earth - a brilliant mosaic fashioned from what it bought, traded, borrowed and stole. Based on first hand accounts of trade and warfare, seafaring and piracy and the places where Venetians sailed and died, City of Fortune is narrative history at its finest. Beginning on Ascension Day in the

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Book SynopsisIn the spring of 1453, the Ottoman Turks advanced on Constantinople in pursuit of an ancient Islamic dream: capturing the thousand-year-old capital of Christian Byzantium.During the siege that followed, a small band of badly organised defenders, outnumbered ten to one, confronted the might of the Ottoman army in a bitter contest fought on land, sea and underground, and directed by two remarkable men - Sultan Mehmet II and the Emperor Constantine XI. In the fevered religious atmosphere, heightened by the first massed use of artillery bombardment, both sides feared that the end of the world was nigh.The outcome of the siege, decided in a few short hours on 29 May 1453, is one of the great set-piece moments of world history.

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Book Synopsis In 1950, at the first Formula One Grand Prix in Britain after World War II, 150,000 spectators, including the royal family, watch in dismay as Italy's Alfa Romeos take the first three places – ahead of seven more Italian Maseratis. In Paris, at the Salon d'Auto, Pininfariana's breathtakingly stylish Lancias, driven form Turin by the designer and his son, are denied entry. Parked outside, they nevertheless steal the show.  How can it be that Italy, pummelled into submission by Allied bombs, is already setting new standards of speed and style that leave the rest of the world for dust? The answers lie deep in Italy's cultural heritage, in historic links between art and machine going back to Leonardo da Vinci. In Superveloce, Peter Grimsdale traces a century of Italian design genius and the rise of its great automotive dynasties, Ferrari, Farina, Maserati and Fiat's Agnellis.  We see the lives of fiercely charismatic and competitive dr

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Book SynopsisIn this compelling history, Peter Chapman shows how the United Fruit Company took bananas from the jungles of Costa Rica to the halls of power in Washington, D.C., with not just clever marketing, but covert CIA operations, bloody coups and brutalised workforces. And how along the way they turned the banana into a blueprint for a new model of unfettered global capitalism: one that serves corporate power at any cost.Trade ReviewA gripping story of the ebbs and flows of US capitalism * * Guardian * *[An] insightful history of the company . . . [A] witty, energetic narrative * * New York Times Book Review * *A powerful example from the past . . . a century-long tale of plunder, bribery, corruption, labour abuse, death squads, military coups and war * * Financial Times * *Finely crafted . . . Chapman's broad-brush approach to history gives it a vigorous and entertaining narrative drive . . . Chapman's achievement is to make us realise what a long and complex moral journey even something as seemingly innocent as a banana has made to our fruit bowls -- Mark Cocker * * Guardian * *If you only read a handful of non-fiction books this year, [Bananas] is among your recommended five portions * * Observer * *Engagingly told . . . Delightful cameos of Carmen Miranda, Andy Warhol and Evelyn Waugh . . . Best is Chapman's account of the precarious ecology of the modern banana * * Independent * *The term banana republic has become so divested of meaning that it's been adopted by a mid-range clothing chain. Its sobering reality is spelled out in this clear, dryly witty account of United Fruit * * Metro * *Excellent, darkly humorous expose * * Herald * *A tale of corporate skulduggery, an irreversible lesson in agricultural folly and a musing on the banana's place on our collective palate . . . An impressive indictment of a deeply flawed corporation * * The Nation * *Any tinpot regime these days tends to get called a banana republic. We have to remember they were real, vicious and bloody regimes set up and toppled at the behest of US fruit companies. Those corporations gave globalisation a bad name before we even used the term, and Peter Chapman's racy but erudite read constantly makes you wonder how much has changed * * New Scientist * *

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Book SynopsisBooker T. Washington's famous 1901 memoir, Up From Slavery, charts Washington's rise from an enslaved child with a passion for learning to the nation's most prominent Black educator and first president of Tuskegee University.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP THREE BESTSELLER; Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History 2018; One of the Daily Telegraph's Best Books of 2017; A Guardian 'Readers' Choice' Best Book of 2017; Without the benefit of hindsight, how do you interpret what's right in front of your eyes?; The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt - of hope. How easy was it to know what was actually going on, to grasp the essence of National Socialism, to remain untouched by the propaganda or predict the Holocaust?; Travellers in the Third Reich is an extraordinary history of the rise of the Nazis based on fascinating first-hand accounts, drawing together a multitude of voices and stories, including students, politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, journalists, fascists, artists, tourists, even celebrities like Charles Lindbergh and Samuel Beckett. Their experiences create a remarkable three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler - one so palpable that the reader will feel, hear, even breathe the atmosphere.; These are the accidental eyewitnesses to history. Disturbing, absurd, moving, and ranging from the deeply trivial to the deeply tragic, their tales give a fresh insight into the complexities of the Third Reich, its paradoxes and its ultimate destruction.Trade Review"A compelling historical narrative ... both flatters and challenges our hindsight. [Boyd] lets her voices, skilfully orchestrated, speak for themselves, which they do with great eloquence" - The Daily Telegraph; "Fascinating ... surreal scenes pepper Boyd's deep trawl of travellers' tales from the scores of visitors who were drawn to the `new Germany' in the 1930s" - The Spectator; "Contains many amazing anecdotes ... It warns us that we, with our all-seeing hindsight, might ourselves have been fooled or beguiled or inclined to make excuses, had we been there at the time. I can thoroughly recommend it as a contribution to knowledge and an absorbing and stimulating book in itself" - Peter Hitchens, Mail on Sunday; "A fascinating book" -- Robert Elms, BBC Radio London; "To a younger generation it seems incomprehensible that after the tragic Great War people and political leaders allowed themselves to march into the abyss again. Julia Boyd's book, drawing on wide experience and forensic research, seeks to answer some of these questions." -- Randolph Churchill; "With an almost novelistic touch, [Boyd] presents a range of stories of human interest ... The uncomfortable moral of Travellers in the Third Reich is that people see and hear only what they already want to see and hear" -- David Pryce-Jones, Standpoint; "Fascinating ... This absorbing and beautifully organised book is full of small encounters that jolt the reader into a historical past that seems still very near" - Lucy Lethbridge, The Tablet; "In the 1930s the most cultured and technologically advanced country in Europe tumbled into the abyss. In this deeply researched book Julia Boyd lets us view Germany's astonishing fall through foreign eyes. Her vivid tapestry of human stories is a delightful, often moving read. It also offers sobering lessons for our own day when strong leaders are again all the rage" -- Professor David Reynolds, author of The Long Shadow: The Great War and the 20th Century; "Drawing on the unpublished experiences of outsiders inside the Third Reich, Julia Boyd provides dazzling new perspectives on the Germany that Hitler built. Her book is a tour de force of historical research" - Dr Piers Brendon, author of The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s"What was Nazi Germany really like in the run up to the Second World War? Julia Boyd's painstakingly researched and deeply nuanced book shows how this troubled country appeared to travellers of the 1930s who did not have the benefit of hindsight. A truly fascinating read" -- Keith Lowe, Sunday Times bestselling author of Savage Continent and Inferno; "Engrossing ... skilfully woven together to create a three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler that has many resonances for today" -- Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller; "A revealing and original account. Some of Adolf Hitler's fellow travellers, lulled by self-deception, gulled by propaganda, deluded themselves about Nazi Germany as they deceived others" - Sir John Tusa; "Julia Boyd has conducted a vast range and volume of research. The numerous witnesses of Germany under Hitler whom she quotes have different ages, nationalities, backgrounds and opinions. Out of the multitude of first-hand accounts she spins a tapestry which is full of vivid detail and gradually creates a coherent whole. The horrors of the Hitler regime and how it came to power, and the suffering of ordinary people, are brought to life. The book is comprehensive, informative and full of life. I wish I could have read it before I first worked in post-war Germany. I would have understood better the Germans whom I knew and admired even more what West Germans achieved after 1945. A glorious read for anyone with an interest in the history of the twentieth century" - Sir Christopher Mallaby, former ambassador to Germany and France; "Unique, original and engagingly written. This account of visitors and tourists to Germany brings to life these difficult decades in a most refreshing way [and] should attract a wide circle of readers" - Dr Zare Steiner, author of The Lights that Failed: European International History 1919-1933 and Triumph of the Dark: 1933-193; "An entertaining popular history ... a fascinating book. Boyd lets the voices from the past speak to us ... opinions that are sometimes shocking and often thought provoking. Traveller attitudes give an insight into the feelings before the war, often at odds with or in more depth than many standard histories ... very readable" - Paul Burke, nudge-book.comTable of ContentsContents; Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1; Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11; 1 Open Wounds.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13; 2 Deepening Pain.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29; 3 Sex and Sun.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47; 4 `The Seething Brew'. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67; 5 The Noose Tightens.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85; 6 Monster or Marvel?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103; 7 Summer Holidays.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123; 8 Festivals and Fanfares.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141; 9 Heiling Hitler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161; 10 Old Soldiers.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183; 11 Literary `Tourists'.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205; 12 Snow and Swastikas.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231; 13 Hitler's Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247; 14 Academic Wasteland.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263; 15 Dubious Overtures.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285; 16 Travel Album.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305; 17 Anschluss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323; 18 `Peace' and Shattered Glass.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337; 19 Countdown to War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355; 20 War.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375; 21 Journey's End.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389; Afterword.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411; Acknowledgements.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417; Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421; Archives Consulted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429; The Travellers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431; Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449; Index.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

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Book Synopsis''It''s a triumph.''Nigella Lawson''An absolute tour de force . . . I devoured it until the very last crumb and then licked the packet.''Felicity CloakeWe are a nation of crisp obsessives. Squashed into sandwiches on our lunch breaks and torn-open as centrepieces on pub tables, we buy tens of millions of packets every single day. But how did the humble potato snack become a national dish?CRUNCH is a love letter to the salty siren. It traces their evolution from the simplicity of salt sachets in the early 20th century, to 80s childhood favourites such as Hula Hoops, to the popularity of hand-cooked' gourmet flavours today. Featuring crisp collectors, potato growers, flavour wizards and more, CRUNCH is a moreish read spanning 150 years of crisp history.

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Book SynopsisWhat are the questions you'd regret not asking when they're gone?In Your Family Story, anthropologist Elizabeth Keating helps you to uncover the unique memories of your parents and grandparents and to create lasting connections with them in the process.By asking questions that make the familiar strange, anthropologists are able to see entirely different perspectives and understand new cultures. Drawing on her lifelong work in this field, Keating has developed a set of questions that treat your parents and grandparents not just as the people who raised you, but as individuals of a certain society and time, and as the children, teenagers, and young adults they once were.Your Family Story helps you to learn about the history of your closest family members and to help you understand their perspective on the world.If you've ever thought of asking a parent or elderly relative about their past, read [Your Family Story] first. After asking the questions Keating suggests, you'll better understand not only your relatives and your heritage, but also your world and yourself' Deborah Tannen, New York Times bestselling author of You Just Don''t UnderstandIf you've ever heard anyone say, I wish I'd asked my mom about that,' then this is the book for you' Sarah Bird, author of Daughter of a Daughter of a QueenDown-to-earth and easy to use, it's a wonderful guide' Michael Erard, author of Babel No MoreIt has been a long time since I read a book that felt as urgent, timely, necessary, and utterly relatable throughout' Alexandra Georgakopoulou-Nunes, professor of discourse analysis and sociolinguistics at Kings College London

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Book SynopsisOver 16 million copies sold worldwide 'Every human being should read this book' Simon Sinek One of the outstanding classics to emerge from the Holocaust, Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's story of his struggle for survival in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. Today, this remarkable tribute to hope offers us an avenue to finding greater meaning and purpose in our own lives.Trade ReviewRemarkable...It changed my life and became a part of all that I live and all that I teach.An enduring work of survival literature. * New York Times *A book to read, to cherish, to debate, and one that will ultimately keep the memories of the victims alive -- John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped PyjamasI have loved this book for so many years, and I think every human being should read it. -- Simon SinekViktor Frankl...one of the moral heroes of the 20th century. His insights into human freedom, dignity and the search for meaning are deeply humanizing, and have the power to transform lives. His works are essential reading for those who seek to understand the human condition.

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Book Synopsis''The bloodstained drama of the last decades of the Roman republic... is told afresh with tremendous wit, narrative verve and insight''''I owe a debt of gratitude to Tom Holland not just for reminding me of the great figures who bestrode the Roman world - Pompey and Crassus, Cato, Cicero and Caesar - but for explaining what it was that made Rome the greatest superpower the world has known, why it lasted so long and what caused its eventual fall'' Daily Mail''Gripping and hugely entertaining. It is a story crammed with drama and spectacle... but the real attraction of Holland''s book is the wit and contemporary sensibility that he brings to his often bloody tale'' Books of the Year, Sunday Times''This is narrative history at its best... it really held me, in fact, obsessed me'' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, GuardianTHE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERTrade ReviewTom Holland's excellent new study of the fall of the Republic... re-evaluating Rome for a new generation -- Robert Harris * Sunday Times *This is the best one-volume narrative history of the Rome between King Tarquin and Emperor Augustus I have ever read. The story of Rome's experiment with republicanism - peopled by such giants as Caesar, Pompey, Cato and Cicero - is told with perfect freshness, fine wit and true scholarship. * Andrew Roberts *Holland has the rare gift of making deep scholarship accessible and exciting. A brilliant and completely absorbing study * A.N Wilson, author of The Victorians *The only way to kindle the interest of a new generation in the Greek and Roman world... Holland paints a vivid social portrait of the Roman World -- Max Hastings * Sunday Telegraph *A modern, well-paced and finely observed history which entertains as it informs. * Observer *Explosive stuff...a seriously intelligent history... [written] with elan and gusto... It is a history for our times... Wickedly enjoyable. * Peter Jones, BBC History Magazine *Holland has the rare gift of making deep scholarship accessible and exciting. A brilliant and completely absorbing study * A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians *This is the best one-volume narrative history of the Rome between King Tarquin and Emperor Augustus I have ever read. The story of Rome's experiment with republicanism - peopled by such giants as Caesar, Pompey, Cato and Cicero - is told with perfect fre * Andrew Roberts *A modern, well-paced and finely observed history which entertains as it informs * OBSERVER *Explosive stuff ... a seriously intelligent history ... [written] with élan and gusto ... It is a history for our times ... Wickedly enjoyable * Peter Jones, BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE *

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