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Craftland
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2026**SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO NON-FICTION BOOK AWARD 2025**SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025**A BBC RADIO 4 AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE WEEK*Connect with Britain's extraordinary heritage and be awakened to the beauty all around you with this Sunday Times bestselling journey to Craftland - by award-winning historian and broadcaster James Fox.'Inspiring' Sunday Times'Wonderful' Michael Morpurgo'Enchanting' Amol RajanFor generations, what we made with our hands shaped who we were. The skills and knowledge passed down to us built our communities and defined our regions. And if you know where to look, they still do.In Craftland, James Fox seeks out Britain's last great craftspeople - those who are keeping our vanishing trades and traditions alive. Through them, we witness not only the living past but a deeper, more connected way of living today: one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future.This soul-stirring journey shows that Britain is still a craft land, if only we have eyes to see it.'Brimming with fresh news and seasoned with hope … I read it in two gulps with delight' Andrew Marr'This extraordinary book will leave you awestruck and inspired' Xand van Tulleken'Superb … I read the book with admiration not only for the remarkable subjects individually, but also the human spirit that unites them all' New Statesman'If you want to know about Britain and yourself, read this book … tremendous' Spectator'Beautiful, eye-opening and surprisingly moving - a treat to treasure' Lucy Worsley'Superbly written and completely absorbing' Tracy Chevalier'A book that shimmers with love for a dwindling world' Guardian'A joy' Edmund de Waal'A richly satisfying read' Times Literary Supplement
£12.99
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The Zorg
'A horrific tale of the slave trade, destined to become a classic' New York Times* PEN Literary Award Finalist 2026* New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025* Time's 100 Must Read Books of 2025* The New Yorker 12 Essential Non-Fiction Reads 2025From the author of New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Cobalt Red, discover the shocking true story and riveting account of the 18th century slave ship whose journey from the high seas to the High Court sparked the human rights campaign to end the slave trade. Perfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides.In 1781, the Zorg set off from the Netherlands to buy slaves in West Africa to sell in the Caribbean. By the time its journey ended, the Zorg became the first undeniable argument against slavery.When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the crew's solution was to throw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save themselves and the most valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance.The insurers refused to pay the claim due to the unusually high mortality rate of the slaves on board, leading to a trial which initially found in favour of the ship's owners, with the slaves equated to horses with a compensation value of £30 per slave. Due to the outrage of one man present in court that day who wrote an anonymous letter to the press objecting to the result, a retrial was held.For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?In this riveting book, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara brings the true horror of the Atlantic slave trade to life.The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history.
£10.99
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Britain's Slave Traders
This ground-breaking history reveals for the first time the true significance of the trade in enslaved Africans in Britain's development as a modern nation - based on a comprehensive, landmark investigation.*FROM THE LEAD INVESTIGATOR BEHIND THE REGISTER OF BRITISH SLAVE-TRADERS*'Essential, forensic analysis from a global authority' Sathnam SangheraThey came from a wide range of backgrounds: plumbers as well as politicians, instrument-makers as well as monarchs, women and immigrants alongside aristocrats and merchants; playwrights, poets and artists, too. They were a tiny minority but their wealth, their power and their appetite for risk influenced not just Britain's economy but its politics, science, arts and institutions - from the development of the Royal Navy and the restoration of the Stuart monarchy to the emergence of two-party politics, the free press and Parliament itself.Drawing on a years-long project to unearth the identities of 13,000 individual investors, Britain's Slave Traders shows not only how they helped win wars, shape modern industry and make Britain the global and imperial force it eventually became, but how their drive to open up the trade contributed to Britain's reputation as a freedom-loving nation and how slavery's profits improved the lives of the neediest Britons through hospitals, alms-houses and schools.Rewriting our national story in light of this new research, Britain's Slave Traders corrects a profound distortion of our past, revealing a previously obscured but vital thread within Britain's history.'Vital and necessary' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB'Ambitious, original and extensively researched' AMANDA FOREMAN'No place to hide. William Pettigrew's compelling narrative reveals how slave-trading shaped British society, economy and government, through and through' CLARE JACKSON*AS FEATURED IN BBC DOCUMENTARY FINDING BRITAIN'S SLAVE-TRADERS*
£25.00
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House of Cromwell
'Fascinating, gripping, revelatory' KATE WILLIAMS'An epic and clever history' GARETH RUSSELL'I know no rival to this book in its presentation of a major dynasty in English history' DIARMAID MACCULLOCHTHOMAS MADE ENGLAND. OLIVER MADE BRITAIN.Within a century, the Cromwell family produced two of the most powerful, impactful and controversial commoners in British history. Thomas served the Tudors, helping to forge Henry VIII's autocratic state and the Church of England; Oliver led a revolution that executed a king, abolished the monarchy and established a republic, before founding a ruling dynasty. Each rose from obscurity to the very centre of power. From a Putney brewhouse to the throne and back again, their rise was improbable, their fall dramatic. Both changed Britain forever.In The House of Cromwell, Miranda Malins brings these two giants blazingly to life alongside the remarkable cast of family members who shaped them - the ambitious wives and mothers, the loyal siblings, the scheming allies and the forgotten children whose stories illuminate everything we thought we knew about Thomas and Oliver, and about early modern Britain itself.Ranging across two centuries of history, from the Wars of the Roses to the Hanoverian succession, this is history at its most intimate and most sweeping - a book to captivate everyone who loved Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy and who wants to go further, deeper and wider into the world that made and unmade the Cromwells.Family mattered above all else to the Cromwells. To understand them, we must understand that family. This is their story.
£25.00
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Plunder
The last weeks of World War II on the Western Front in Europe witnessed extraordinary scenes of heroism, horror, melodrama and pathos.In Plunder, Max Hastings presents a cast of fascinating people British, American and German, in a series of great events in which some distinguished themselves through wonderful deeds, others through the basest crimes.The book takes its title from Montgomery's 'Operation Plunder', the 23 March 1945 crossing of the Rhine, witnessed by Winston Churchill and embracing huge amphibious and airborne landings. The author describes the American coup in capturing Remagen bridge and the 'battles of the breakout' which followed. Thereafter he recounts stories of Nazi Werewolves; of US General George Patton's reckless and doomed dispatch of an armoured column fifty miles behind German lines to liberate his son-in-law from a prison camp; the heartbreaking liberation of Belsen concentration camp; the wonderful achievement of Ian Liddell of the Coldstream Guards, among the last VC winners of the war and surely one of the most deserving; the last big SAS operation of the war. Finally come accounts of the tortuous succession of German surrenders, and the weeks of Admiral Karl Donitz's posturing as the Third Reich's last Fuhrer.Plunder is the latest history from Max Hastings, and offers his signature narrative of conflict, blending personal experiences into the 'big picture', highlighting deeds and personalities that will be unfamiliar to many readers. He mingles accounts of the battles with stories of people - warlords, soldiers, slave labourers, prisoners, fugitives, victims - who played many and various roles in the last European act of history's most terrible war.
£25.00
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Out of Colditz
'A truly revelatory story of courage, treachery, intrigue, divided loyalties and vengeance' Damien Lewis, author of SAS Great Escapes 'A gripping, unsettling journey into the strange moral fog of the war's last days - and the shadows we inherit long after' Iain MacGregor, author of The Lighthouse of Stalingrad The grandson of a King. The son of the Viceroy of India. Churchill's nephew. Held captive at the notorious Colditz prisoner of war camp, they were the Prominente: scions of the British establishment, and pawns in the hands of Nazi leaders. As a German defeat loomed, the SS head of the POW camps Gottlob Berger made a pivotal decision: he would disobey direct orders and spare their lives. 'Please remember what I have done for you when the war ends,' he asked. This Nazi overseer, who would later be convicted of war crimes, held their future in his hands. Eighty years later, David Lascelles - the son of George, Earl of Harewood, who would never have been born if his father had been executed - traces the Prominentes' extraordinary journey and wonders who Gottlob Berger was and what motivated his fateful decision: compassion? Remorse? Or self-interest?
£22.00
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Catherine & Diana
'Catherine and Diana. Two women, born twenty years apart, who never met, yet found themselves bound by a title, a ring and a man named William.'A title in use for over 700 years, the Princess of Wales is one of the most senior positions in the British royal family. In her new book, bestselling author and pre-eminent royal commentator Ingrid Seward dives into two of the most recognisable and iconic holders of the title: Catherine and Diana. Whilst they never got the chance to meet, both married into a family known the world over as The Firm. Two princesses, born twenty years apart, they inhabited distinct worlds - from their differing childhoods to meeting their Prince, from their approach to motherhood to defining a world-famous position, Catherine and Diana stand unique in the world.Whilst Diana's character was both grand and vulnerable, Catherine's is more contained. Whilst Catherine's marriage is one of unity, strength and shared values, Diana faced hers alone. The late Queen described Diana as 'one of us', but it's Catherine who has been accepted in hearts and minds by all. Through comparing and exploring their lives and loves, Ingrid tells the inside story of their relationship to the crown. With in-depth research and having interviewed Diana, Ingrid shares what defines and defined their role as Princess, and just what kind of personality from outside the family ends up on the inside.
£25.00
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Empire at the Edge of the World
'A fabulous tale of ambition, madness and catastrophe' William DalrympleOne man's lust for empire sent a team of adventurers into the Arctic - only one came back. 1913, the Arctic Circle. Charismatic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson is obsessed with a frozen speck of land in the Siberian Arctic: Wrangel Island. Believing that whoever possesses it will control the future - air routes, resources, even the balance of power in the northern hemisphere, he takes an impossible gamble. Dispatching a small, ill-equipped venture to stake a frozen colony in Britain's name, it is a triumph of brilliance, ego and breathtaking hubris. What follows is a catastrophe of starvation, madness and geopolitical jeopardy. As winter seals the island in ice, relief ships fail to arrive and tensions among the colonists spiral toward despair. While diplomats spar and warships steam north, the settlers are left to endure scurvy, polar bears, and the terror of abandonment. At the centre of it all stands one unlikely survivor - a young Inuit seamstress who miraculously outlasts them all . . . Sweeping, chilling and stranger than fiction, Empire at the Edge of the World is a true story of greed and justice at the edge of the world.
£25.00
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The Future Starts With Us
Every day we see evidence of the fracturing of the rules-based order. War, mass migration, economic disruption and climate collapse fill our screens.At the same time, many feel a different kind of fear. The erosion of civic life has led to an epidemic of loneliness, a loss of community spirit and a growing sense that there is nowhere to turn in times of need, no common cause worth fighting for.But why is it that the breakup of the world order and the breakdown of civic life are happening at the same time? And why is it that millions across the world are turning to populist nationalist parties in search of solutions?Drawing on decades of experience at the heart of politics, alongside new research and original polling of nearly 100,000 people across forty-five countries, Gordon Brown reveals how global instability and civic decline are connected. The Future Starts With Us is more than a guide to our present turmoil. By uncovering and targeting the root causes, Brown offers a practical and hopeful roadmap to bring us back together, renew the global order, and set us on a more equitable and sustainable course.His most urgent insight is that the future will not be decided by the declarations of presidents or prime ministers or at conferences or summits, but by citizens becoming actively engaged in their communities and by what we choose to do together. The change we seek starts here and now. It starts with us.
£25.00
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Endurance
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men set sail for the South Atlantic on board a ship called the Endurance. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in ice.This is the story of how they survived.'One of the most harrowing survival stories of all time' SEBASTIAN JUNGERDiscover the truth about Endurance in Alfred Lansing's superb account of exploration, shipwreck, storms and survival on the high seas - widely regarded as one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.After their ship was claimed by the Antarctic seas, Shackleton and his men drifted on ice packs for months, castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world. The threats they faced were legion: cold, exposure, disease and attacks from vicious sea leopards. Yet as Lansing shows, in his account drawn from first-hand accounts by crew members and interviews with the expedition's survivors, the men's collective spirit was indefatigable; their civility to one another never dimmed by 17 months on the Antarctic ice.'One of the most remarkable tales of human courage and determination. The story is gripping and the book is a classic of its kind' SIR RANULPH FIENNES
£12.99
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Middleland
The story of a place - and the people politics too often forgets, from the no. 1 bestselling author of Politics on the Edge'Rare and life-affirming' MICHAEL MORPURGO'Personal, wise and often funny' CAROLINE LUCASRory Stewart spent nearly a decade as MP for Britain's most rural constituency, Penrith and the Border, living among Cumbria's fells, farms and ancient frontiers.Drawing on pieces written during his years as an MP, Middleland is both a love letter to rural Britain - exploring tensions between farming and the natural world, between the need to preserve and to grow, between local and national demands - and a quietly radical argument for how politics might better serve the people it represents.'A triumph' Literary Review'A moving, grounded look at rural Britain' i Paper'Intriguing…enjoyable' Daily Telegraph'Full of intelligence and panache' Scotsman'Refreshingly honest' Country Life'Stewart sees Cumbria's glory' New Statesman
£12.99
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Queens at War
'This is history and storytelling at their absolute best' Tracy Borman'Triumphant' Catherine Hanley 'One of our greatest popular historians' Daily Mail Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, murder and malice in the lives of five fifteenth-century queensJoan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Widville and Anne Neville were the queens at the heart of the turbulent English royal court. Five very different women, they were each caught up in wars, manoeuvres and losses that changes the course of history.But they also wielded their own power, defying the limitations of their times and often living out the brutal consequences of their determination.In this gripping finale to her acclaimed series on the queens of medieval England, Alison Weir uncovers how these formidable women shaped history from the throne. 'The breadth and depth of Weir's knowledge, however lightly she might wear it, are staggering' TLS
£12.99
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Irresistible Monsters : Creatures in Greek Myth
Irresistible Monsters: Creatures in Greek Myth by Natalie HaynesPublished 4th March 2027 — Signed Special EditionFrom snaky Echidna – mother of monsters – to the fearsome Minotaur, the strange and terrible creatures of Greek myths have been grabbing our attention for thousands of years. In Irresistible Monsters, bestselling author, broadcaster and passionate classicist Natalie Haynes turns her inimitable gaze on the inhuman, revealing that even the things we thought we knew aren't necessarily so: a Cyclops doesn't always have one eye, and Cerberus doesn't start out with three heads.Along the way, Haynes examines how we think about monsters: what makes a monster, and why do we need them? Do they subvert the world as we know it, or subtly reinforce our expectations? Is a monster human or animal, mortal or divine? And how do you defeat a multi-headed snake when it has a giant crab as its henchman?'Natalie Haynes is both a witty and an erudite guide. She wears her extensive learning lightly and deftly drags the Classics into the modern world' — Kate Atkinson Signed special edition — personally signed by the author Hardback, published March 2027 By the bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Stone Blind
£20.00
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Redwood
'The pre-eminent historian of the secret world . . .' Mick Herron, author of Slow HorsesFrom the multi-million copy bestselling historian, the remarkable, unknown Cold War story of how one spy saved the world from nuclear warThe year is 1981. Tehran is in violent turmoil in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. The Soviets are planning to overthrow the Ayatollah's fledgling Islamist regime. If they do so, one response from America - unknown to the public - would be to use nuclear weapons. This is the story of how at the height of the Cold War, one mysterious double agent, known to MI6 as 'Redwood', revealed the Kremlin's secret plot and prevented Armageddon.This unsung, hitherto unknown hero of the Cold War, a six-foot-four Russian intelligence officer, had a problem, a sexual secret, one that if revealed, would turn his life upside-down. So he reached out to MI6, believing it to have the only solution - in return for the KGB's deepest secrets. And then, facing exposure, he demanded that the British try to smuggle him out of Iran in a high-stakes escape plan.This is the gripping tale of one man's courage; about friendship, marriage, betrayal and sexual dysfunction; and about how decisions made in secret can have huge, long-term ramifications.Drawing on never-before-seen material from archives in multiple countries, and interviews with officers from MI6 and MI5, the KGB and CIA, Redwood lifts the lid on how espionage really works, and on an unknown and highly significant Cold War victory. For without Redwood, our world would be very different - and might not exist at all.'Ben Macintyre has a knack for finding the most fascinating storylines in history' David Grann, author of The Wager
£25.00
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The History of Mankind in Its Entirety (Abridged)
-THE BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE HISTORY BUT DON'T CARE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED-'Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, half remembered. Fin Taylor is one of those people.'Al Murray, comedian and author of Arnhem: Black Friday'I deplore this book and wish its author ill.'Dominic Sandbrook, author and host of The Rest is History podcast---This radical reappraisal of human history will change the way you look at the past. In this expansive yet abridged volume, academic pariah and pseudo-historian Fin Taylor re-writes the human story, from the Big Bang to the Second Plane (minus all the stuff we can skip in between).Reader, you are looking at the entire story of humanity, abridged and edited by myself - Fin Taylor, Historian.Interest in history is at an all time high, but in the midst of this gold rush my fellow historians have lost sight of why. What is it about the past that sets pulses racing? Is it really, as some academics would have you believe, the 'structural homophobia of Victorian Architecture'? Or is it the sadistic exploits of a madman with medals strapped to his chest? Is 1066 even important? Or is it, in fact, mere inspiration for the Francosphere's largest tea towel?From Henry VIII to Hitler via Cromwell, Caligula and Colonel Gaddafi, this new thesis is a radical reappraisal of the human story, featuring only the exciting bits like naval battles or war crimes. Because what is history if not entertainment for middle-aged men looking to escape the drudgery of their own domesticity?Ground-breaking and entirely unsupervised, The History of Mankind in Its Entirety (Abridged) will teach you everything you need to know about the good old days - minus the boring stuff.
£22.00
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Dark Renaissance
Poor boy. Dark star. Spy. Transgressor. Genius.This is the extraordinary story of Christopher Marlowe - Shakespeare's greatest inspiration and rival. In brutally repressive Elizabethan London, artists are frightened; foreigners are suspect; crowds revel in animal fights and public executions. Into this crude world comes an ambitious boy whose uncanny ear for poetry and radical streak would change England forever.Enter Christopher Marlowe. A cobbler's son from Canterbury, by the time of his murder in 1593 Marlowe is the most celebrated playwright of his time, setting the stage for an explosion of artistic creativity. Written by one of our greatest writers on the Elizabethan era, Dark Renaissance tells Marlowe's story: a thrilling tale of daring, scandal and tragedy which reveals Marlowe to be a blazing talent who helped break England out of the cultural darkness and into the light.
£12.99
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More Brilliant Maps
Which country doesn't have a national football team? Where is the town with no wifi? Who travelled further on tour: Taylor Swift or Coldplay? Which are the world's noisiest cities? How many countries are wider than the moon? Maps don't just show us where we are, they show us how we live. They reveal unexpected connections between far-flung places, they show how history has shaped geography, and they uncover fascinating facts that will spark your curiosity. This stunning collection of 100 maps will take you on a unique visual journey through history, geography, identity sport, the arts, technology, space, and more. If you have ever wondered how many dinosaurs would fit the length of Vatican city, where to go diving for shipwrecked treasure, or which country imports the most ketchup, this is the book for you.
£20.00
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Arthur
It is said that a monument now stands before the high church of Caerleon: an anvil pierced through with a sword. It is said that the sword can only be taken by the Britons' rightful king... 'This is a book you will return to over and over again' Dan JonesFrom Sunday Times bestseller Amy Jeffs', Arthur: A New Life mines the deep, elusive seams of a story we think we all know: the legend of King Arthur.But here he is anew: a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again. Tracing an epic story from Merlin's conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur's ambitious quest for Empire, this Arthur is as real as any other, brought back to life from the earliest sources. Drawing out the dark and beautiful stories from the original medieval and early modern texts, Amy guides the reader from citadels through forests, into volcanoes, caves and riverbanks and beyond, even as far as Hell and the Otherworld. Going further than merely the stories, she provides incisive commentary about each tale, emphasising the legends' crafted nature and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of contemporary medieval Europe.Twenty-five original linocut illustrations map the inky Arthurian myth-scape, darkened by time, familiar as a dream.
£30.00
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The Next World War
'Incredibly well sourced . . . One of the most plugged-in voices in modern warfare'TELEGRAPH'Blends vivid reporting with shrewd analysis'ECONOMIST'Truly excellent . . . a gripping tour de force. Every politician and military expert needs to read this book'IAIN DALE'Reads like a real-life geopolitical thriller . . . The fact it doesn't feel like scaremongering says a lot about the state of the world'JONN ELLEDGE______________The Next World War takes readers behind the scenes of the most dangerous era of international tensions since the end of the Cold War, as countries and military forces prepare for potential large-scale combat on a scale unseen since 1945.From the corridors of power in Washington, Whitehall, Moscow and Beijing to the new frontlines of conflict in Ukraine, Taiwan, cyberspace and even the far side of the moon, Peter Apps unflinchingly explores the fault lines where global peace is already starting to unravel.Featuring the voices of the commanders, diplomats and technologists already shaping history, as well as the nervous conscripts and ordinary people directly caught up in events, The Next World War examines the real-world effects of this new era of global confrontation. For some - including millions of citizens told to stockpile food and water and prepare for potential mass disruption - it still may not feel entirely real. But for Russia, China and their growing 'axis of upheaval', today's conflicts represent a growing opportunity to reshape the world as they would like it - leading to potential disaster for the West if it cannot heed the warnings in time.From the return of Cold War-style atomic threats to new forms of sabotage and 'hybrid warfare', the battle for global dominance is already firmly underway. The Next World War is the book you need to understand the growing precariousness of our current situation - and the unending battle to stop it escalating past the point of no return.MORE PRAISE FOR THE NEXT WORLD WAR:'Gripping and important . . . A warning order for the future'GENERAL SIR TIM RADFORD KCB DSO OBE'Sweeping and compelling, with plenty of human stories that really pull you in. A must-read book from the expert I go to when I really want to get a sense of where things might be going'ANNA-JOY RICKARD
£12.99
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Hope in Action
'A powerful guide to claiming your power and using it to build a better, more just world' - Hillary Rodham ClintonWhen Sanna Marin became prime minister of Finland at just thirty-four years old, she captivated the world's attention with her progressive ideas and her boldness amidst major crises.In her powerful personal memoir Hope in Action, she shares the extraordinary journey of her trailblazing career, and her vision for a new kind of leadership.Marin's story is one of resilience and hope. The first in her family to attend university, she broke barriers to become a global icon of progressive leadership. Her term as prime minister - the youngest in the world at the time - saw historic milestones, as she led Finland through the Covid-19 pandemic, and her government implemented many progressive reforms addressing climate change, social justice and equality. She helped the country navigate neighbouring Russia's devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Finland's rapid joining of NATO - the swiftest entry for any country in the alliance's history.Through vivid retellings of her experiences, Marin shares how she overcame significant political challenges, and how she coped with her personal life becoming public, including the incident that sparked a media frenzy and prompted women, including Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to express their support.Hope in Action is much more than a memoir - it's a call to action as Marin urges the next generation of leaders to bring their full, authentic selves to the job. Her story is an empowering testament to the opportunities we have to effect real change in our worlds.
£11.99
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The Sea-King and the Sorceress
The Sunday Times bestselling author of The Children of Ash and Elm and award-winning expert on the Vikings brings us even closer to their worldWho do we think of when we think about the Vikings? Most of us are familiar with the seafaring marauders who raided, traded and settled the coasts of Europe between the eighth and eleventh centuries. In fact, those warriors made up only a small minority among a diverse people who had many roles and callings.In this eye-opening and often moving book, Neil Price takes us on a journey across the Viking world, revealing the complex, varied and richly textured lives of those who inhabited it through the intimate context of their burials. Traversing a vast Scandinavian diaspora that stretched from the eastern Steppe all the way to Newfoundland, we meet townsfolk and farmers, the free and the enslaved, immigrants and diplomats, followers of many gods and the worshippers of one, sea-kings, shamans, sorceresses, and - of course - the ferocious pirates who gave the vìkingar their name.Unexpected encounters along the way challenge received wisdom about Norse culture, spiritual practices and politics, showing how they transformed their times and in doing so were changed themselves. How did a woman of Persian ancestry come to be interred in the richest Viking grave ever found? What do an arctic hunter and a Sámi nomad tell us about a fast-changing society's notions of identity and belonging? How did these individuals see themselves, and what were their attitudes towards the elderly, infirm and children in their midst?Drawing on the latest archaeological research and scientific analysis, The Sea-King and the Sorceress brings us closer to understanding the lives and times of the Vikings. The era that bears their name will never seem so simple again.
£30.00
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An Axe and Four Balloons
This story is not just another history of the SAS. It is the only biography of an extraordinary man, 'whose courage made it easier for us to be brave'. Brian Franks, tough, capable and charismatic and loved by officers and soldiers alike, is largely unknown outside the Special Operations world but has been credited by David Stirling as being one of the five founding fathers of the SAS. A dashing bon viveur, he could move freely in all sections of society, from members of the royal family to junior soldiers. He was close friends with a wide range of characters. David Niven, Ian Fleming, Evelyn Waugh, and Winston Churchill as well as his military comrades - the Stirling Brothers, Paddy Mayne, Roy Farran and Bob Laycock. Set against the backdrop of World War II and the Cold War, Franks' life was one of bravery, intrigue and glamour.As for the title of this book, in 1918 Franks wrote a letter to his parents from his prep school. The letter, written on lined, dusty pink paper, began, 'Dear Mummy and Daddy, I hope you are well. Please send me an axe and four balloons…'. The reason for this strange request was never explained, but if the rest of Franks' life is anything to go by, the possibilities are endless.
£25.00
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Indignity
'A magical literary feat and one of the most touching books I've read this year' Stuart Jeffries, Spectator 'Full of politics and reportage… Full of ideas... Full of history, as it moves from the last days of the Ottoman empire to the last days of the Soviet one. But more than anything, it is full of life - Ypi's own, and that of her forebears' Peter Hoskin, Prospect When Lea Ypi discovers a photo of her grandmother, Leman, honeymooning in the Alps in 1941 posted by a stranger on social media, she is faced with unsettling questions. Growing up, she was told records of her grandmother's youth were destroyed in the early days of communism in Albania. But there Leman was with her husband, Asllan Ypi: glamorous newlyweds while World War II raged.What follows is a thrilling reimagining of the past, as we are transported to the vanished world of Ottoman aristocracy, the making of modern Greece and Albania, a global financial crisis, the horrors of war and the dawn of communism in the Balkans. While investigating the truth about her family, Ypi grapples with uncertainty. Who is the real Leman Ypi? What made her move to Tirana as a young woman and marry a socialist who sympathized with the Popular Front while his father led a collaborationist government? And why was she smiling in the winter of 1941?By turns epic and intimate, profound and gripping, Indignity explores what it means to survive in an age of extremes. It reveals the fragility of truth, both personal and political, and the cost of decisions made against the tide of history. Through secret police reports of communist spies, court depositions, and Ypi's memories of her grandmother, we move between present and past, archive and imagination, fact and fiction. Ultimately, she asks, what do we really know about the people closest to us? And with what moral authority do we judge the acts of previous generations?Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Non-FictionNamed a Book of the Year by Financial Times, Sunday Times, Prospect, TLS, Washington Post, NPR
£12.99
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£30.00
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