Secondhand History Books

The Ulster volunteers began by organizing against the British during the Home Rule Crisis and finished by fighting and dying as British soldiers at the Somme. Their tragic story has...

Rescuing the premodern family from the grim picture many historians have given us of life in early Europe, Ancestors offers a major reassessment of a crucial aspect of European history-and...

This powerful interpretation of English history provides a completely new framework for understanding how Britain emerged in the eighteenth century as a major international power. John Brewer's brilliant analysis makes...

American philanthropy today expands knowledge, champions social movements, defines active citizenship, influences policymaking, and addresses humanitarian crises. How did philanthropy become such a powerful and integral force in American society?...

During its clandestine construction in Liverpool, it was known as 'Number 290'. When it was finally unleashed as the CSS Alabama, the Confederate warship triggered the last great military campaign...

In the final moments of the Spanish Civil War, as the remnants of the Republican army retreat north to exile, fifty prominent Nationalist prisoners are taken out to be shot....

D-Day, 6 June 1944, the turning point of the Second World War, was a victory of arms. But it was also a triumph for a different kind of operation: one...

This is an introduction to the study of America since 1945 - the period in which the US became a hyperpower. Alternate chapters provide the historical background and illuminate themes...

This beautiful, large-format book showcases the best of Britain with stunning photographs of the landscapes, settlements and people that make this nation unique. The photographs, selected from the AA's own...

In Christian tradition, the Grail is anything that has held the body and blood of Christ; usually the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper or the vessel used by...

In The Jesus Relics Joe Nickell examines the authenticity of numerous Christian relics, investigating not only the objects themselves, but also the methods that were used to substantiate these proposed...

From one of the world's most admired women, this is former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's compelling story of eight years serving at the highest levels...

From the author of A Diary of a Century', this text presents a history of New York City. When Edward Robb Ellis's Epic of New York City first appeared in...

In The Favourite, Mathew Lyons strips away the myth - and the self-mythologising - to find Sir Walter Ralegh in the one role in which his contemporaries knew him best:...

The Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful - and most secretive - of the military orders that flourished in the crusading era. Their story - encompassing as it does...

The revealing story of the legendary Wallis Simpson's controversial and formative year in China in the 1920s. 'Compelling' Dr Amanda Foreman'Fascinating' Lisa See'Riveting' Anne Sebba'Surprising' Anne de Courcy'Convincing' Hugo Vickers'Intriguing'...

General Stanley McChrystal, the innovative commander of international and US forces in Afghanistan, was living large. Loyal staff liked to call him a 'rock star'. During a spring 2010 trip...

The extraordinary story behind A Very British Scandal, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany?Margaret was debutante of the year, the beautiful fairy-tale heiress immortalised in Cole Porter's 'You're The Top'...

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...

The paradise myth has been one of the most powerful motivators in human history, influencing and energizing all kinds of individuals and groups. From the Assassins of twefth-century Persia to...

In Rory MacLean's groundbreaking debut travel book, Winston the pig drops on to Uncle Peter's head and kills him dead. Unwilling to be left alone in her house Aunt Zita,...