Secondhand History Books

On 24 June 1948 the Soviet Union abruptly closed all land and water access to the Western Sectors of Berlin. Over 2 million civilians, dependent on the surrounding territory and...

With startling speed, Spanish conquistadors invaded hundreds of Native American kingdoms, took over the mighty empires of the Aztecs and Incas, and initiated an unprecedented redistribution of the world's resources...

In this remarkably powerful book, James Bradley takes as his starting point one of the most famous photographs of all time. In February 1945, American Marines plunged into the surf...

Dallek never shies away from Kennedy's weaknesses, but also explores his strengths. The result is a full portrait of a bold, brave and truly human John F. Kennedy.

Contrasting strong women and multiculturalism with portrayals of a heroic white male leading the nation into battle, The Prime-Time Presidency explores the NBC drama The West Wing, paying particular attention...

History always comes down to the details. And when it comes to the fall of the Soviet Union, the details are crucial, especially when such an era-defining event hinged on...

On 16 November 2010, the long-awaited engagement of HRH Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton was formally announced, with a London wedding promised for April 2011. Andrew Morton, famous the...

New York Times BestsellerEditors' Choice -New York Times Book ReviewIn this exceptional cultural history, Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein-"one of America's best political journalists" (The Economist)-tells the kaleidoscopic story of...

In 1936, Henry 'Chips' Channon gave a lavish dinner for King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson at his house in Belgrave Square. Feasting on blinis, caviare, sole and beef, served...

Sir Joseph Banks, botanist, explorer, President of the Royal Society and one of Australia's founding fathers, was among the most influential figures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As a...

When Thomas Harding discovered that his mother's family had made money from plantations worked by enslaved people, what began as an interrogation into the choices of his ancestors soon became...

In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan;...

An entertaining, impassioned polemic on the retreat of reason in the late 20th century. An intellectual call to arms, Francis Wheen's Sunday Times bestseller is one of 2004's most talked...

A bestseller in 2008, Remember Remember has continued to enlighten and entertain readers wanting to brush up on their history. Lively, exciting, full of great stories and humorous asides, this...

The incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, now a major motion picture directed by Angelina Jolie. THE INTERNATIONAL NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER In 1943 a bomber crashes into the Pacific Ocean....

More than four hundred years after her death, Mary Queen of Scots remains one of the most romantic and controversial figures in British history. Antonia Fraser's classic biography of her...

The extraordinary drama of Malta's WWII victory against impossible odds told through the eyes of the people who were there.In March and April 1942, more explosives were dropped on the...

Vast in scope, based on exhaustive original research, and written with passion, narrative skill and human sympathy, A People's Tragedy is the definitive account of the Russian Revolution for a...

The dramatic life of William Tyndale, the first person to translate the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew"A massive contribution to the history of the Reformation in...

What 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...

This will be the most refreshing, entertaining history of England you'll have ever read.Certainly, the funniest.Because David Mitchell will explain how it is not all names, dates or ungraspable historical...

China constitutes a fifth of the world's population. Over the last twenty years its economy has doubled to make it the fifth largest economy in the world; if the pace...

A great variety of activities to test your knowledge, whether highbrow or low culture. Proving you know it all about history has never been such fun - or so tricky.Do...

One of the most intelligent and influential women in America reflects on her eight years as First Lady of the United States in a revealing book -personal, political and newsmaking....

"Counting the Days is the story of six prisoners of war imprisoned by both sides during the conflict the Japanese called the ""Pacific War."" As in all wars, the prisoners...

An authoritative and entertaining account by one of our most talented writers of the courageous and unusual women who have been the backbone of the British Empire and foreign service....

TOP SECRET E M B A R G O E D !!!!!

'You can learn more about human nature from this brief account of the survival of one man throughout the war years in the devastated city of Warsaw than from several...

Asne Seierstad began her writing career as a Moscow correspondent; the conflict in Chechnya was the first war she covered. Now ten years later, she returns to Chechnya and discovers...

An ISIS terrorist planned to kill more than 500 people. He would have succeeded except for three American friends who refused to give in to fear.On August 21, 2015, Ayoub...

'I have always been fascinated by that charismatic hero of the Resistance, Josephine Baker, but it turns out I didn't know the half of it. Lewis' story-telling blew my mind....

This volume examines the development of two sovereign nations over seventy-four momentous years.

What is the meaning of love and death in a remote, forgotten, impossibly conflicted part of the world? In "Rebel Land" the acclaimed author and journalist Christopher de Bellaigue journeys...

Irish Sunday Times Bestseller A true story of war, peace and friendship: a Nazi colonel and an Irish priest The story begins in Rome at the outbreak of WWII, when...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERYanis Varoufakis, the world-renowned economist and #1 bestselling author, uses personal stories and famous myths to explain what economics is and why it has the power to...

In this entertaining and insightful biography, award-winning writer Andrew Morton, author of Diana, Her True Story and Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, takes you behind...

No criminal sparked as much fear and loathing among the public and law enforcement as underworld crime boss, Kenny Noye; a man with a central role in some of the...

Updated edition to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.It is difficult to overestimate the excitement that accompanied the birth of the Spitfire. An aircraft imbued with balletic...

When the Second World War broke out, Philipp von Boeselager fought enthusiastically for his country, leading a cavalry unit first in France and later on the Russian Front. However, when...

Overlooking the significance of America's Hispanic past, the United States is typically perceived as an offshoot of Britain, with its history unfolding east to west, beginning with the first settlers...