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History
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Churchill's Pirates
Sunday Times Bestselling author Will Iredale tells the stirring heroic story of the ragtag fisherman fighting the Nazis to save Britain, for fans of James Holland, Max Hastings and Damien Lewis'SUPERB' James Holland'EXCITING AND IMPORTANT' Dan Snow'REVELATORY AND THRILLING' Saul David'THIS IS HISTORY AT FULL THROTTLE' Guy WaltersJust after midnight on Saturday, 2 September 1939, a German U-boat quietly slipped out of its berth and into the North Sea. This was the first of a Nazi onslaught of submarines and airplanes turning peaceful shipping lanes and fishing spots around Britain into treacherous mine-studded waters.As those first mines found their marks, capsizing innocent shipping vessels just off the coast, the nation called its men and women to join in its defence. The result was a rag-tag group of sailors and volunteers that came to form a 'navy within a navy' - the Royal Naval Patrol Service.These motley crews grew into a force of 70,000 men and women manning and supporting a fleet of 6,000 ships. Using converted fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and trawlers, they cleared sea mines, escorted merchant vessels across frozen northern waters, hunted submarines off the coast of America, undertook secret missions in the Mediterranean and heroically rescued soldiers at Dunkirk, working day and night to keep Britain safe in her darkest hour.Drawing on fascinating first-hand accounts with surviving veterans, exclusive interviews, original papers and new archive material, Will Iredale brings us onto the decks of these small brave ships, onto the beaches where boffins worked to crack German engineering and into clandestine war room meetings where Winston Churchill worked to coordinate the pivotal moments that helped secure victory for the allies. This is the defining story of an overlooked unit of ordinary people that played a pivotal role in saving the country and winning the war.
£22.00
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The Women Are Not Fine
'An insightful, empathetic and well-researched account of a deeply fascinating and macabre true story' KATE MOORE , New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls 'Compelling' TELEGRAPH'Such a compelling account of a small but significant dark corner of history... Profound, angry, and tender all at once' VIRGINIA FEITO, author of MRS MARCH'Fascinating and very compelling' ZOE VENDITOZZI, co-author of HOW TO KILL A WITCH'A moving story of desperation, violence and survival' HELEN LEWIS, author of DIFFICULT WOMENAbusive husbands. Desperate women. Poisonous solutions. At the turn of the 20th century, the women of Nagyrév, Hungary, were in trouble. Their stories were hauntingly similar: husbands who drank, who beat them, who made their lives unbearable.The village midwife - their confidante - offered an answer: arsenic. Soon, women began slipping poison into their husbands' brandy, porridge, and stews. Over the next twenty years, the quiet village became the epicentre of one of the deadliest series of poisonings in modern history.In The Women Are Not Fine, journalist Hope Reese pieces together archival newspapers, court documents, police records and more to uncover the truth behind this extraordinary case. Her findings serve as a stark warning: when women are pushed to the brink, the consequences can reverberate through history.
£10.99
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Seven Rivers
'History at its most scintillating' Nicholas CraneRivers are the great natural arteries that run through our lives.We have navigated them, dammed them and worshipped at them. From the ancient ecosystems of Egypt to the sinking cities of Shanghai and London, what we do with our rivers tells us about who has power and what we value. Now, when a passion for wild swimming is flourishing but the Amazon is on fire and some of our major river systems are dying, it has never been clearer that rivers are intertwined with humanity at our best and our worst. Seven Rivers is story of the Nile, Danube, Niger, Mississippi, Ganges, Yangtze and the Thames. It is a story of imperial frontiers, alluvial gold, kidnappings, slavery, anticolonialism and creation myths. It is about those who've lived and died on these rivers and their endless capacity for invention: their lotus pools and hanging gardens, their gigantic canal systems and elaborate fishing rituals, their absolute powers and their sly rebellions. At its heart are the empire-builders of the Chinese dynasties, Romans and Hindus and their river gods, the Habsburgs and Ottomans, Mughal emperors, the people of the Niger from Mali's golden age to today, struggles of life and death on the Mississippi, and the dethroning of the British on the rivers of their unruly imperial subjects. This is the story of us, in seven rivers.
£12.99
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The Book of Beasts
'Folklore, myth and magic collide beautifully' EDWARD PARNELL, author of GhostlandA modern bestiary with an ancient heart: meet twelve emblematic animals and restore your relationship with the natural world, from the editor of Cunning Folk.The bear deities, Artio and Artaius, who'll rise from sleep; the salmon of wisdom who gifts understanding of the universe's past, present and future; the Lion Man carved 40,000 years ago. Join Elizabeth Sulis Kim as she travels across the globe and through time, from our deep past into the future, bringing together the animals which have captivated us for millennia.Steeped in folklore, mythology, magic and religion, The Book of Beasts tells the story of our shapeshifting relationships with animals, from reverence to persecution, friendship to fear, awe to indifference. It asks us what we actually know about the creatures we share this world with - and offers us a different way of living together.'Beautifully written' RONALD HUTTON, author of The Witch'Immersive, enchanting and exquisitely written' KRISTEN J. SOLLEE, author of Cat Call'Powerful and beautifully written' MELANIE JOY, author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows
£22.00
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Augustine the African
An eye-opening new history of one of Christianity's most important figures - and one of Pope Leo XIV's primary inspirations 'Brilliant' SPECTATOR 'Illuminating' NEW YORKER 'Rich and sympathetic' TLS Augustine of Hippo is one of the world's most influential theologians, an early Christian writer whose work shaped the course of Western philosophy. Born in Numidia in 354 CE, Augustine's African identity has long been painfully denied. But it was foundational to his thinking and faith. Drawing on original sources and the Augustinian texts themselves, world-renowned scholar Catherine Conybeare traces Augustine's travels from North Africa to the European continent and back again, placing his African origins firmly at the centre of his story. A tale of exile, faith and identity, Augustine the African upends conventional knowledge about one of Christianity's most celebrated saints, and recentres Africa as the locus of early Catholic intellectual activity - with Europe on the periphery.
£12.99
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Eleanor
An extraordinary historical journey through England. From Alice Loxton, author of the acclaimed bestseller EighteenA Waterstones Best History Book of 2025'Joyous. The perfect walk through history' - Sir Tony Robinson, actor, presenter and author'Whimsical, charming and cosy. Will make you want to take a long walk, look at some churchyards, and drink a lovely cup of tea' - Alice Winn, bestselling author of In MemoriamIn 1290, England mourned the death of a queen, Eleanor of Castile, beloved wife of King Edward I, the warrior king. Her body was carried on a 200-mile journey from Lincoln to London, a solemn procession that would become immortalized in stone. To mark the places where it stopped overnight, a heartbroken Edward commissioned twelve magnificent Eleanor Crosses.More than seven centuries later, bestselling historian Alice Loxton set herself an epic challenge: following in history's footsteps by walking the entire 200-mile funeral route on the corresponding dates.As Alice journeys in search of England's forgotten Queen, over ancient paths and modern motorways, history comes alive in surprising ways. Lively and entertaining, Eleanor uncovers the extraordinary life and formidable character of this lesser-known royal, revealing her inspiring legacy and the hidden history of Britain.'Beautiful, elegiac, honest and compelling . . . a modern-day pilgrimage walking in the footsteps of one of the great forgotten queens' - Kate Mosse, bestselling author of The Map of Bones'Loxton has the novelist's skill of seeing the world through her characters' eyes, and the historian's accuracy of vision' - Philippa Gregory, bestselling author of Normal Women'Eleanor is dazzling, alive with wit, elegance and insight. A book that makes history feel urgent, intimate and unforgettable' - Rob Rinder, bestselling author of The Trial
£10.99
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The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry
'Essential reading for the serious visitor' TLS 'A superb book that emphasises the importance of the Tapestry as both a historical and artistic treasure' Dan Snow 'Full of many fresh insights and unexpected discoveries, providing convincing explanations of many of the most notorious riddles left to us by the makers. A must for anyone interested in the history of Britain' Michael Wood Published on the occasion of its exhibition at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027, here is a guide to the Bayeux Tapestry and its legacy, exploring the rich narrative behind its stitches and the turbulent times in which it was created. Political intrigue and treachery, heroism and brutal violence, victory and defeat - all this is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, an epic account of a pivotal moment in English history. However, there is much more to this remarkable historical and artistic treasure, which tells its tale with an intensity and immediacy that speak to our modern world, almost 1,000 years after its creation. Many mysteries and questions still surround this unique embroidery - and not all is as it might appear at first glance. Who made it, and when, why, where and what for? David Musgrove and Michael Lewis set the events depicted in the context of the machinations on either side of the English Channel in the years leading up to the Norman Conquest and tease out what the Tapestry tells us of the deeds of kings as well as aspects of everyday life in medieval Europe.
£12.99
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Black and British
Winner of the 2017 PEN Hessell-Tiltman PrizeWinner of the Longman History Today Trustees' AwardLonglisted for the Orwell PrizeUnflinching and revealing, Black and British is a vital history that reveals how black British lives have been woven into the fabric of the nation for centuries - from Roman Britain to the Black Lives Matter protests.'Groundbreaking' - The Observer'A radical reappraisal' - The Guardian'Written with great force and passion' - The Sunday TimesDrawing on new research, original records and expert testimony, David Olusoga's Black and British shows us exactly why black history is not a separate or marginalized story, but an integral part of Britain's cultural and economic life.Stretching back as far as Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan 'blackamoors' and the global slave-trading empire, it shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars.Now fully revised and updated to include the Windrush scandal and the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a history that reveals how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries - a history that belongs to us all.Now in the Picador Collection.
£12.99
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Orator
'A wonderful book' TOM HOLLAND'Marvellous... highly entertaining' EMMA SOUTHON'Orator gives us a Cicero for our times... Compelling and beautifully written' EVE MACDONALDA gripping new biography of one of the most influential and fascinating figures in classical history: CiceroWhen the Roman statesman Cicero was murdered in 43 BCE, his head was cut off and his tongue pierced with pins - a final, brutal act of revenge against a man whose words had shaped a generation and made him many enemies. Rising from provincial obscurity to the highest elected office in Rome, Cicero became the greatest orator of his age, a figure who believed that speech itself could defend a republic.Yet Cicero was far more than a master of rhetoric. His long and turbulent life unfolded alongside the collapse of the Roman Republic, and often at its very centre. He moved among Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, crushed a conspiracy that threatened the foundations of Rome and cast himself as the republic's last hope. His writings on politics, philosophy and society would prove enormously influential, while his uneasy response to the rise of autocratic power continues to provoke admiration and debate.In this gripping new biography, the distinguished classicist Catharine Edwards brings Cicero vividly to life, revealing both the brilliance and the contradictions of a man caught between principle and ambition. At a moment when democratic institutions feel fragile, and the power of persuasion is once again under scrutiny, Cicero's life speaks to us with renewed urgency.
£30.00
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Goodbye to Russia
A DAILY MAIL, FINANCIAL TIMES AND PROSPECT POLITICS BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST BOOK BY A NON-PARLIAMENTARIAN IN THE WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDS'Quite simply the best and most powerful book I've read this year' David Peace'A magnificent book . . . beautifully written and passionately argued' Dominic Sandbrook'A remarkable eye-witness account of Russia's descent into authoritarianism and war' Catherine BeltonA unique, personal insight into Vladimir Putin's Russia and the devastating impact his rule has had on his own people and those of neighbouring Ukraine. In 2021, BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford set out to write a book about how Russians who dared to think differently to the Putin regime were being labelled as enemies, foreign agents and even traitors. It was to chart Russia's slide from democracy and warn of where the crushing of liberties could lead. She had experienced something of that herself when she was expelled from Moscow as a supposed 'security threat'. Then, in February 2022, Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, moving faster than her worst fears.This is the story of how Vladmir Putin changed Russia so deeply that he was able to launch the biggest conflict in Europe since the Second World War. Sarah's focus is on the extraordinary characters she has encountered, from the Russians such as Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny who paid with their lives for challenging Putin, to the Ukrainians she found burying their dead in Bucha. It is also her own personal reckoning with Russia, where she first lived in the 1990s: a country she saw emerge from decades of authoritarian rule to embrace new freedoms, that has now quashed internal dissent and declared a ruinous war on its neighbour.The culmination of many years of on-the-ground reporting, Goodbye to Russia shines a light on the attacks on freedom that she has witnessed and paints an intimate portrait of the individuals who have tried to resist.
£10.99
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Story of a Murder
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE FIVEIn this gripping examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard - the women.'Popular history you devour in one sitting' Sunday Times'Gripping' TLS'Unbelievably addictive' LUCY WORSLEY, presenter of A Very British Murder'I couldn't put it down' BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry'Finely layered' Financial Times'Breath-taking' Spectator___________On 1 February, 1910, vivacious music-hall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies' Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle's husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen's typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve - was she really just 'an innocent young girl' in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?__________PRAISE FOR STORY OF A MURDER:'Gripping and eye-opening' I-news, Book to Watch Out For'Reads like a great thriller. I inhaled it' Bella Mackie, bestselling author of How to Kill Your Family'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' Lucy Worsley, bestselling author and historian'Fascinating. It's about time Belle became the hero of her own story' Val McDermid, bestselling author of the Karen Pirie series'As compelling as any crime drama' S J Parris, bestselling author of the Giordano Bruno series'I had my hand over my wide-open mouth…I can't recommend it more: I will be thinking about it for a very long time. Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Homemade God'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the society in which he moved. Terrific' Ian Rankin, bestselling author of the Rebus series'Compelling to the very last page' Denise Mina, award-winning author of Reese's Book Club pick, Conviction'Does for the Crippen Murder case what THE FIVE did for the victims of Jack the Ripper. Forensic research and insistent sympathetic writing. I loved it' PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, BBC 1, The CrimeSquad'Breathtaking. Rubenhold has not only produced a thrilling reassessment of a notorious crime, but an impressive portrait of an age' Spectator
£10.99
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Mrs Gargantua
Winner of the 2020 Michael Jacobs Prize; shortlisted for the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award'A treasure chest full of rare and exquisitely rendered stories' JON LEE ANDERSON'An absolutely thrilling, erudite journey through the Cuban landscape' CHLOE ARIDJISA brilliantly unconventional and riveting ride through Cuba's history, drawing on the David and Goliath dynamic of its confrontations with the US and other superpowers. It captures realities behind the fantastical, exoticised treatment Cuba often receives.Mrs Gargantua deals with towering figures - both human and non-human - and ambitions which have left their mark on Cuba, the distorted means by which the island is often presented to the outside world. From Columbus and the conquistadores, Ptolemy to Paris Hilton, Hemingway, nuclear warheads and the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, from a nationalist sparrow 'martyred' during Cuba's independence wars to Fidel Castro's genetically modified super-cow, this non-fiction work exposes the country's status as a social and biological testing ground and resource to be mined by larger nations.The book's title comes from an account of Maria Hoyt, a US heiress who raised a gorilla in Cuba (one of the first to do so beyond Africa). Later her pet was sold to a circus in the United States where she became a celebrity: the famous 'Mrs Gargantua'. Her story is directly linked to Hoyt's predecessor in monkey and ape husbandry, the Cuban Rosalìa Abreu; reputedly the richest woman in Latin America and a legendary recluse, Abreu became the first person in history - at her mansion in Havana - to breed a chimpanzee in captivity, with unexpected and far-reaching consequences.Like 'Mrs Gargantua', Cuba has been endlessly subject to the whims of the human circus that tries to tame her.The award-winning Mrs Gargantua forms an entirely original, compelling inventory of the author's twenty-year relationship with the island and its people, while also attempting to sketch Cuba's wider importance to a political understanding of the Americas, both in tangible and imaginary terms.
£20.00
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Collapse
The first volume of a ground-breaking and truly global trilogy on the Second World War, from an exciting, prize-winning academic.Between 1931 and 1949, a series of crises threatened world order and the very functioning of states, as well as destroying or changing millions of ordinary people's lives. At the heart of these upheavals was an all-encompassing war that was a watershed moment in modern history.Collapse tells the story of the first part of this 'Greater Second World War,' from 1931-1941, weaving multiple international trends, theatres of war and home fronts into a single, compelling global narrative. It shows from all sides what influenced the key campaigns, and the great shifts in power and society that accompanied them.Combining brand new sources in 14 languages from over 50 archives around the world, and a highly original approach that explores the personal alongside the political, Professor Jonathan Fennell shows in vivid colour how a world that many considered civilised collapsed into barbarity.By using immersive storytelling and a cast of characters from well-known political and literary figures to everyday citizens around the world - including not only 'bands of brothers' but also less well-known 'sisters in arms' and 'war-woven lovers' - he explores what it really meant to live through this violent upheaval.This is a landmark work from an outstanding historian that transforms our understanding of this monumental conflict.'A fascinating and important book, which brings together a mass of information . . . never before assembled under one roof' Max Hastings, on Fighting the People's War'An incredible story . . . absolutely recommend it' Al Murray, on Fighting the People's War
£30.00
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Churchill's Queen
A ground-breaking and revelatory exploration of the remarkable friendship between Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill.In February 1952, when the young Elizabeth returned to London after her sudden accession to the throne, Churchill was first to greet her as she stepped off the aircraft. The image was a striking one - an elderly statesman in the twilight of his career paying homage to a young sovereign just embarking on what would become the longest reign in the history of the British monarchy. He already had a lifetime of experience to share, while she had a lifetime of service still to come.Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II rank alongside the most iconic historical figures of all time. They defined the ages in which they lived, and exerted enormous influence on the lives of millions around the globe. But even more extraordinary than their individual achievements is the unique friendship that developed between them, with Churchill helping the fledgling queen to shape the start of her reign, and Elizabeth in turn helping him to retire with dignity and grace, cementing his legacy at the end of his career.Using previously unpublished material from government files and private archives, Churchill's Queen sheds new light on this historic partnership, revealing how it grew despite challenges and setbacks - and ultimately shaped the monarchy and the nation.
£25.00
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SAS Great Escapes Four
'Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' Lee ChildFIVE DARING ESCAPES CARRIED OUT BY THE FAMOUS FIGHTING FORCE DURING WWIIFrom the infamous 1944 desert campaign to the unforgiving terrain of the Vosges Mountains; from a perilous escape across Europe aided by Resistance networks to three Captains fleeing an Italian Prisoner of War camp in 1943, and a death-defying return to Britain via boat, tunnel and train.These inspirational true stories bring to life the do-or-die spirit of the SAS, as they faced an enemy hell-bent on wreaking vengeance.Damien Lewis has worked closely with World War Two veterans and the families of those portrayed, accessing never-before-seen wartime diaries, letters, mission reports, interrogation transcripts and more, to reveal terrifying yet astounding feats of survival from the band of elite soldiers.If you like Great Escapes Four, why not go back and discover the previous instalments in this bestselling series: Great Escapes, Great Escapes Two and Great Escapes Three.
£10.99
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Upland
The first complete history of Britain's mountains, capturing their beauty, tragedy and the pivotal role of these dramatic landscapes in the nation's past and future'A definitive history of our rocky isles from the most magisterial and far-seeing perspective. Every page holds a fascinating nugget' GAIA VINCE, author of Nomad CenturyBritain's mountains are our grandest and wildest places, their vast openness providing inspiration and escape. But they are now so revered that we overlook the many peoples who long inhabited them and the dramatic history of plunder and dispossession that explains how strangely empty these regions have become.Derided for centuries as uncivilised wastes, Britain's uplands in fact hosted richly cultured, distinctive and resilient populations. And yet by the time Romantic poets 'discovered' the beauty of these places, the land itself had been denuded by clearances, famine and the needs of sheep and landowners.From the earliest Brittonic tribes to present-day tensions between farmers, tourists and ecological activists, Upland repopulates Britain's mountains with the kings and monks, soldiers and poets, engineers and industrialists, visionaries and campaigners who made them what they are.'Completely enthralling and original. Our fragile landscapes have a fine new biographer' NICHOLAS CRANE, author of Latitude'Beautifully written' LAURA SPINNEY, author of Proto
£25.00
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The Long Weekend
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERVenture behind closed doors to uncover the secrets of life in the English country house between the wars - in all its splendour. During the 1920s and 1930s, as the sun set slowly on the British Empire, England's stately homes concealed worlds both opulent and ordinary, noble and viscious. This was a life draped in myth, hidden behind stiff upper lips and film-star smiles.Drawing on hundreds of memoirs, on unpublished letters and diaries, on the eye-witness testimonies of belted earls, unhappy heiresses and bullying butlers, The Long Weekend reveals how the image of the country house was carefully protected by its occupants above and below stairs, and how the reality was so much more interesting than the dream.'A masterpiece of social history' Daily Mail'A delicious cocktail of a book' Country Life 'A perfect piece of escapism' Guardian
£14.99
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Rome's Age of Revolution
How did Christianity grow into an international faith that shaped the world as we know it?'Remarkable … A joy to read' JOSEPHINE QUINN, author of How the World Made the West'Dazzling … Will change how you see Rome, and Christianity, for ever' CATHERINE NIXEY, author of Heresy'One of the most important books on ancient history in many years' HARRY SIDEBOTTOM, author of Warrior of RomeRome's Age of Revolution corrects the triumphalist narrative that the Christian message was so persuasive, and indeed superior, that people converted in huge numbers, abandoning their pagan beliefs, thereby turning a small, persecuted sect into the state religion of the Roman Empire.Tim Whitmarsh shows that Christianity would never have succeeded if it had not taken advantage of the infrastructure and culture of the Roman Empire; in turn the new religion was indelibly shaped and transformed by Roman beliefs and ideas, especially those circulating in the Greek-speaking, or Hellenistic, eastern parts of the empire. This radical transformation, Tim argues, can only be described as a revolution. And the consequences are with us to this day.'Riveting - incisive and stylishly written' EDITH HALL, author of Aristotle's Way'Fascinating and powerful throughout' ANDREW PETTEGREE, author of The Book at War'Refreshingly innovative … Remarkable' CANDIDA MOSS, author of God's Ghost-writers'History writing at its very best' BRUCE GORDON, author of The Bible
£25.00
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Legenda
From the bestselling author of FEMINA, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited for political, nation-building ends.From Joan of Arc to Lady Godiva, Isabella of Castile to Catherine of Siena, famous medieval women have become national icons, their legends burnished and celebrated. But over the centuries their lives have been exploited, their stories twisted and weaponised. Searching for the real women behind the legends, bestselling historian Janina Ramirez reveals how history is often hijacked to serve the ideological and political agendas of the present. Praise for LEGENDA:'Fearless, stunning and shockingly relevant' Alice Roberts, author of Domination'A history like no other. Fabulous, invigorating and beguiling' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth'Sensational! Janina Ramirez is writing women back into history one by one' Lauren Laverne'A brilliant concept, conveyed with that dynamo mix: academic authority and storytelling pizzazz!' Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen
£12.99
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Shifting Sands
'A fascinating travelogue and history of the world's largest hot desert ... fresh, original and energising' THE TIMES In this sweeping account, Judith Scheele reveals the rich history and complex reality of the world's largest hot desert. Drawing on decades of research, and years spent living in the region, Scheele leads us from the ancient Roman Empire through the bloody colonial era to the geopolitics of the present - and the race for resources that will define the future. The Sahara covers parts of eleven countries, and Scheele follows in the footsteps and tyre-tracks of the many people who cross the desert, taking us into the homes, mosques, palm groves and battlefields where history is written, spoken and remade. The result is a masterful portrait of the Sahara. Encompassing the geology, religions, peoples and politics that shape and fracture the region, Shifting Sands tells the immersive story of a place whose future holds implications for us all.
£12.99
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The Genius Myth
'This is the book we need right now' CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ'Lucid, funny and fascinating' ADAM BUXTONThe tech disruptor. The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist.You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate.Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Floridian rocket launches of Elon Musk's SpaceX, Helen Lewis unravels a word that we all use - without really questioning what it means - and asks if the modern idea of genius is distorting our view of the world.'Brilliant, timely and compulsively readable' OLIVER BURKEMAN'A provocative, witty book' TLS
£12.99
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The Power and the Glory
'Enthralling' Lucy Worsley'Wonderful' Judith Flanders'A whirling, waltzing panorama through the last carefree age of British nobility' New StatesmanAdrian Tinniswood opens the doors on the excess, intrigue and absurdities of life in the late Victorian and Edwardian country houseIn the decades before the First World War, the owners of the nation's stately homes revelled in a golden age of glory and glamour. This was a time when the ancestral seats of ancient nobility stood side by side with the fabulous palaces of Jewish bankers and Indian princes, when dukes and duchesses mixed with self-made millionaires and society hostesses who had learned to dance in the chorus line.Adrian Tinniswood opens the doors to the country house during this glittering golden age, when - for the privileged few - life in the country house was the best life of all.'Fascinating' TLS'Illuminating' Literary Review'The range and scope of his book is breathtaking' Country LifeWith stunning full-colour images
£14.99
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Ghost Nation
The gripping story of Taiwan's rich past and precarious present from the country's top foreign correspondent, now with an updated afterword.'Compelling and important' - Rana Mitter, The Observer'Few books qualify as essential reading, but Ghost Nation is one of them' - Clive Hamilton, bestselling co-author of Hidden Hand'A thoughtful, illuminating exploration of Taiwan's past and present as well as its possible future' - BooklistTaiwan is the geopolitical tinderbox of the twenty-first century, a nation whose fate directly impacts every major economy, every global political alliance and even the future of AI. Sitting at the heart of the great power struggle between China and the US, the country is the linchpin of the modern world - yet it remains profoundly misunderstood.From colonial outpost to a thriving democracy and global technological superpower, Taiwan's journey is one of incredible resilience against 400 years of foreign rule. In Ghost Nation, veteran journalist Chris Horton draws on over a decade of first-hand reporting to provide a panoramic and compelling history. He exposes the fundamental weakness of China's sovereignty claims and illuminates the strength of a nation forged by struggle.Ghost Nation is the essential account of a people fighting for their self-determination and democracy and the definitive guide to understanding the current threat to global order. The world's stability rests on Taiwan's survival.'Indispensable and timely' - Melissa Chan, Emmy-nominated international affairs correspondent'An unmissable account . . . Accessible, entertaining and immaculately researched' - Dr Jonathan Sullivan, co-author of Taiwan: A Contested Democracy Under Threat and former director of the China Policy Institute
£12.99
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Up the Youth Club
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR'A timely reminder of what we all truly crave as human beings - connection.' Doc Brown'Warren hows why youth spaces matter - not just for young people, but for all of us.' Darren McGarvey'Community, resilience, kindness . . . A story of people at their best.' Richard KingA searching look at the rise and fall of the youth club by renowned cultural documentarian Emma Warren, highlighting the seismic impact they have had on UK culture and why we need to ensure their existence for future generations.'Youth clubs have always existed. They always will, because there will always be young people. How we care for our youth, and what we owe them, is a question for all of us.'In Up the Youth Club, Emma Warren maps the shifting story of youth clubs in the UK and Northern Ireland, from factory workers in Victorian Boys' and Girls' clubs to renegade self-emancipatory spaces in the 1970s and the music-generating youth clubs of more recent decades. With a mixed lineage in church evangelism, the patronage of the upper classes, grassroots' DIY, and erratic state funding, the youth club has had a huge, yet almost invisible, effect on music, sport, culture and society.Arguing that we cannot advocate for what we do not understand, Warren positions youth clubs as a kind of engine room - from the famous success stories to come out of their doors, such as The Specials or Stormzy, to the untold stories of young people finding shelter, sustenance and stimulation for over a century - and why their dwindling numbers, largely due to austerity and funding cuts, is of serious concern for us all.With this impassioned history, Warren invites us to pick up the torch and play an active part in protecting and re-igniting this vital part of UK society.
£10.99
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