-
FIRST CLASS DELIVERY
All books & gifts sent Royal Mail
-
Chat to us
We are here to help & answer any questions
-
Free CLICK & COLLECT
Local collection available
Philosophy
-
Humankind
It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. And its roots sink deep into Western thought: from Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the tacit assumption is that humans are bad. Humankind makes the case for a new argument: that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. When we think the worst of others, it brings out the worst in our politics and economics too. In his long-awaited second book, international-bestselling author Rutger Bregman shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think - and act as the foundation for achieving true change in our society. It is time for a new view of human nature.
£10.99
-
The Daily Stoic
The Stoics' unique blend of practicality and wisdom has been inspiring the most successful among us for centuries, from Roman emperors to Barack Obama, and most recently via Ryan Holiday's bestselling 'The Obstacle Is The Way'. If that book introduced readers to the idea that what is in the way is the way, 'The Daily Stoic' widens our view on the stoic philosophy and shows that it can be applied to any problem. From how to manage failure to getting what you want, the ideas of Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and others continue to be vitally relevant to today's doers and thinkers. Here, in bold new translations, language is stripped down to reveal powerful aphorisms that cut straight to the heart of our day-to-day challenges.
£11.99
-
Monsters
What do we do with the art of monstrous men? Can we love the work of Roman Polanski and Michael Jackson, Hemingway and Picasso? Should we love it? Does genius deserve special dispensation? Is history an excuse? What makes women artists monstrous? And what should we do with beauty, and with our unruly feelings about it? Claire Dederer explores these questions and our relationships with the artists whose behaviour disrupts our ability to apprehend the work on its own terms. She interrogates her own responses and her own behaviour, and she pushes the fan, and the reader, to do the same.
£10.99
-
Uncivilised
Taking cues from Greek philosophy and honed in the Enlightenment, certain notions about humanity and human society grew into the tenets we live by, and we haven't questioned them a great deal since. But isn't it time we asked who really benefits from the values at the core of our society? How much truth lies in a science that conjured up 'race'? Who do laws and nations really protect? Why does it feel like time is money? What even is 'art'? And the real question - is the West really as 'civilised' as it thinks it is? This book will put everything back on the table and ask listeners to reconsider what they thought they knew about civilisation. Taking 10 core values of Western Civilisation in turn, it will examine the root of the idea, how it developed, and how it's impacted the way we live.
£20.00
-
How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy
In the first global overview of philosophy, Julian Baggini travels the world to provide a wide-ranging map of human thought. One of the great unexplained wonders of human history is that written philosophy flowered entirely separately in China, India and Ancient Greece at more or less the same time. These early philosophies have had a profound impact on the development of distinctive cultures in different parts of the world. What we call 'philosophy' in the West is not even half the story. Julian Baggini sets out to expand our horizons, exploring the philosophies of Japan, India, China and the Muslim world, as well as the lesser-known oral traditions of Africa and Australia's first peoples.
£10.99
-
The Greatest Story Ever Told
** THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ** Readers love The Greatest Story Ever Told 'Outstanding. A page-turner with a life-changing message.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review 'This book is incredible. It will speak to believers and non-believers alike.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review 'Wow what a book. What a way to share the gospel!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader reviewTHE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOREVER. Beautifully told through the eyewitness accounts of those who knew him best. This real-life story will never leave you. Jesus of Nazareth (Yeshua) lived and died over 2,000 years ago, fulfilling expectations that existed long before his birth. His birth had been mystically foretold by astrologers for hundreds of years, yet the rulers of his day dreaded his coming. A humble builder. A teacher. A magnet for the poor. He's a symbol of love and mercy who transformed the lives and restored the health and purpose in all who encountered him.Billions of people have dedicated their lives to this man and have testified to his divinity and truth. To others, he is little more than another rebel who was killed by one of the most brutal empires in human history. Did this humble man tell the truth? Could one man really be the focal point of the universe? Wherever this journey takes you, this is arguably: THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.This inspirational book welcomes you into the life of Jesus. A vivid, immersive retelling that makes the Gospel feel immediate and real.A Christian historical narrative. A gospel retelling. An immersive biography of Jesus for believers and skeptics alike.
£14.99
-
Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion
Show yourself who's in charge using the original art of persuasion, backed by contemporary pop culture examples that make transforming your habits and achieving goals easy, even fun-from the New York Times bestselling author of Thank You for ArguingRhetoric once sat at the centre of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, Jr. used it to build empires, write deathless literature and inspire democracies. Here, Heinrichs shows us how these persuasive tools, honed over more than three thousand years of use persuading others, can be turned on our most difficult audiences - ourselves. Using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by some of history's most persuasive characters, we see how rhetoric can convert the gloomiest of situations into positive ones. Illustrated with examples from history and pop culture - Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie - Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion tests the tools of self-persuasion and asks: Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the life-changing power of language, Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself.
£12.99
-
The Odyssey Mindset
Seven essential lessons from The Odyssey; a timeless story of strength against adversity, resilience and never losing sight of your goals.Who are you?How can you be who you want to be?How do you treat those around you?What really matters?The Odyssey Mindset translates the ancient wisdom of Homer's classic epic into a reassuring and helpful toolkit for modern life. Each of the seven lessons are explained in parallel to our modern context, with practical takeaways and applications.Dr Sam Akbar, an Oxford Classicist and Clinical Psychologist, guides you through Odysseus's physical journey from Troy to Ithaca, but also the mental lessons of this ancient journey of self-knowledge.Wherever you are on your journey, The Odyssey Mindset will help you navigate the obstacles that life presents.
£14.99
-
The Butterfly Season
The phenomenal Danish bestseller: a transporting, inspirational story of home, of endings, rebirth and new beginningsIn the darkness of winter on the first day of the year, a woman in Denmark is making a list. She plans to set out and see all of the country's butterfly species in a single summer. She knows nothing about butterflies. She doesn't even know why she wants to see them. She just knows that something is calling her. The pull is irresistible. The Butterfly Season tells the story of what happened next. We follow Lea Korsgaard as her list takes her to landscapes she never knew existed, shaped by the wind and by the sea. She discovers secret places and meets strangers who help along the way. And she is led into the past: into the lives of her ancestors and the worlds of philosophy and myth. Because ever since ancient times, the butterfly has symbolized humanity's hope of rebirth-and confronted us with the biggest questions of existence: why do we live? And what are we living for?
£24.00
-
£25.00
-
The Beginning Comes After the End
notes on a world in change
£14.99
-
Consolations
UPLIFTING, PRACTICAL AND SURPRISING WISDOM FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING CLASSICIST'Wonderful. Thoughtfully chosen, carefully explained and beautifully expressed' NATALIE HAYNES'A literary phenomenon' TLS'She leaves her readers inspired, invigorated and sincerely grateful' TELEGRAPHWhy do some loves endure while others fade? Is happiness something we can learn? Why do some things feel like work and others like leisure?Every new page of Consolations offers a thought-provoking idea about life - from friendship and family arguments to ageing and narcissism. Renowned classicist Irene Vallejo shows us how each of these ideas has its roots in ancient times, drawing on the wisdom of Aristotle and Seneca, as well as lesser known philosophy and history. Each entry brings a surprising insight, and helps us to think differently about our daily life. These are fascinating little gems to read every day, and to savour slowly.
£22.00
-
No Comment
'Essential reading for anyone interested in the questions being asked of the Met today' Katherine FaulknerJess McDonald was a true crime junkie and Line of Duty sofa sleuth with a strong sense of justice. Under a year later, thanks to a controversial new initiative, she was a detective in the London Metropolitan Police Service.The Met Police's Direct Entry Detective scheme was aimed at turning people with no experience of the police into detectives. When it was launched, to tackle an unprecedented recruitment crisis, over 4,500 people, Jess included, applied. But why, within just a year of qualifying, had the majority of Jess' cohort resigned?No Comment is Jess' candid, eye-opening and often shocking account, exploring the reality of being a detective in the Met and responsible for 'keeping London safe for everyone'. In her incisive book she explores the challenges of life on the front line, dealing almost exclusively with serious crimes against women, and what that reveals about the Met Police now.5***** Mail on Sunday 'An absolute gripping read' Andrew Marr'A must-read for anyone who has ever wondered what happens after they've called 999 and a shocking indictment of a system not fit for purpose' Angela KirwinLONGLISTED FOR THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION 2024
£9.99
-
Centrists of the World Unite!
We live in an age of extremes: populist leaders are setting the agenda, autocracies are on the march, and the liberal establishment is a bewildered blob, devoid of new ideas or fresh solutions. Having once powered progress in the form of democracy, mass welfare and defeating totalitarianism, liberals have the power to save the world again - but only if they rediscover the lost genius of their creed. Guiding us skilfully and entertainingly through the intellectual, cultural and political histories of liberalism, this book lays out a centrist agenda for today's problems. It reminds us of the dynamism and fixed principles that have shaped the successes of liberalism and warns us against splitting into sub-groups that fail to grapple with the common good.
£25.00
-
The Edges of the World
We tend to think that everything important comes from the centre: from big cities, from established orthodoxies in the sciences and the arts, from the Establishment in all its forms. We think this because the centre tells us it is so, but it's a lie. It is only at the edges that we think, innovate and thrive. This book travels to the frontiers of human culture and consciousness; to the edges of continents, of evolution, of artistic and political movements, and life itself: from a rocky precipice in the Peloponnese where the first human set foot in Europe to an ancient Egyptian temple where monotheism was invented; from St Francis, kissing lepers to the giant bird-eating mice of St Kilda.
£22.00
-
The Bright Side
Optimism, irrational though it might be, is central to the human psyche: it seems to give us an advantage both in everyday life and in the evolutionary race. What does Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition have in common with the chicken that crossed the road? Or James Baldwin's campaign for civil rights with the development of AI? Or even Crossrail and George Bush's 'mission accomplished'? 'The Bright Side' makes a vital and transformative new argument: that optimism is not only the natural state of humanity, but an essential one.
£10.99
-
Moral Ambition
The inspiring, life-changing new book from global sensation Rutger Bregman, Moral Ambition shows how our world has been shaped by a small group of committed individuals who changed the course of history - and how you can, too.
£10.99
-
Shaking Hands With Death
When Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his fifties he was angry - not with death but with the disease that would take him there, and with the suffering disease can cause when we are not allowed to put an end to it. In this essay, he argues for our right to choose - our right to a good life, and a good death too.
£9.99
-
How the World Eats
How we live is shaped by how we eat. You can see this in the vastly different approaches to growing, preparing and eating food around the world, such as the hunter-gatherer Hadza in Tanzania whose sustainable lifestyle is under threat in a crowded planet, or Western societies whose food is farmed or bred in vast intensive enterprises. And most of us now rely on a complex global food web of production, distribution, consumption and disposal, which is now contending with unprecedented challenges. The need for a better understanding of how we feed ourselves has never been more urgent. In this wide-ranging and definitive book, philosopher Julian Baggini expertly delves into the best and worst food practises in a huge array of different societies, past and present.
£10.99
-
Against the Machine
Novelist, poet, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth presents a wholly original - and terrifying - account of the technological-cultural matrix enveloping all of us. With insight into the spiritual and economic roots of techno-capitalism, Kingsnorth reveals how the Machine, in the name of progress, has choked Western civilization, is destroying the Earth itself, and is reshaping us in its image. From the First Industrial Revolution to the rise of artificial intelligence, he shows how the hollowing out of humanity has been a long game - and how your very soul is at stake. It takes effort to remain truly human in the age of the Machine. Here Kingsnorth reminds us what humanity requires: a healthy suspicion of entrenched power; connection to land, nature and heritage; and a deep attention to matters of the spirit.
£25.00
-
Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion
Rhetoric once sat at the centre of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, Jr. used it to build empires, write deathless literature and inspire democracies. Here, Heinrichs shows us how these persuasive tools, honed over more than three thousand years of use persuading others, can be turned on our most difficult audiences - ourselves. Using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by some of history's most persuasive characters, we see how rhetoric can convert the gloomiest of situations into positive ones.
£20.00
-
Fatherhood
A sweeping but intimate history - from the Bronze Age to the modern day - exploring where our inherited ideas of fatherhood have come from, how the role has changed over the centuries, and what it now means to be a dad.
£20.00
-
Quartet for the end of time
Here is a personal reckoning with grief, doubt, faith and poetry set to one of the most celebrated musical works of the twentieth century, from the award-winning poet and librettist. The story goes like this: on a freezing winter night in 1941, a new piece of chamber music was performed to a crowd of prisoners of war on a three-stringed cello, clarinet, violin and pub piano with sticky keys. It was the premiere of Olivier Messiaen's 'Quatuor pour la fin du Temps'. Listeners since then have been captivated by the ecstatic music and mythology of Messiaen's masterpiece. 'Quartet for the End of Time' is a moving, intimate and unforgettable book, attentive to ways of listening - in our noisy world - to birdsong, music, poems and radio silence, and to the call and response that we may find.
£20.00
-
Living peacefully
Discover the wisdom of our greatest writers and philosophers to help you tackle life's big questions.
£11.99
You have seen 24 out of 108 products