history

A beautifully illustrated history of the iconic ocean-going gunboats of British 'gunboat diplomacy', the hundreds of little warships that for 50 years demonstrated the power of the Royal Navy worldwide,...

A ground-breaking narrative account of one of World War II's most exciting chase stories, the pursuit of the legendary German battleship Bismarck.Hunt the Bismarck tells the story of Operation Rheinubung,...

'A vivid account of a forgotten chapter of British naval history.' Dan Snow, Historian, TV Presenter and BroadcasterThe true story of one of the most notorious mutinies in naval history,...

A fascinating account of an often overlooked naval action of World War II, and one of the bloodiest chapters in the history of the Royal Navy. In April 1941, following...

In the summer of 793 AD Viking raiders attacked and looted the monastic island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland. This assault was only the beginning, within 18 months...

A fascinating look at the British naval intervention in the Baltic in 1918-20, and at the British, Soviet and Baltic nationalist fleets that fought.Following the Russian Revolution of October 1917,...

The first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i-Noor, arguably the most celebrated and mythologised jewel in the world. On 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old maharaja of the Punjab was...

'Reads like something from a thriller...colourful, detailed and meticulously researched' Sunday Times'Gripping from start to finish' Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads'Remarkable and brilliantly researched non-fiction thriller...focussing on one...

WINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE 2020 'Reads like a thriller...colourful, detailed and meticulously researched' Sunday Times'Gripping from start to finish' Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads'Remarkable and...

One of Hay Festival's 100 Best Books Written by Women in the Last 100 Years'Train to Nowhere speaks of another mood, a different time and a grittier generation...This, surely, is...

Written by one of Israel's most notable scholars, this volume provides a breathtaking history of Israel from the origins of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century to the...

Despite the number of books about the Third Reich, little attention is usually paid to the women who lived alongside the Nazi leaders. Magda Goebbels (1901-1945) is arguably the most...

A year in the life of a peasant woman in medieval England is vividly evoked in this extraordinary portrait of Marion, a carpenter's wife, and her extended family. Based on...

"Terrible Honesty" is a portrait of the soul of a generation, the story of the men and women who made New York the capital of American literature, music, and language...

Historians and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann Macmillan tell the real stories of the most powerful men and women in British history.From Alfred the Great to Charles III, Kings &...

The role which narrative discourse plays in the writing of history is an area of increasing interest to historians and literary theorists, resulting in some of the most stimulating and...

Looking for coffee table books that do more than look great on your table? Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World, delivers on both counts. Featuring...

Margery Kempe. Aemilia Lanyer. Aphra Behn. Lady Mary. Jane Austen.Warned not to write - and certainly not to bite - these women put pen to paper anyway and wrote themselves...

A BBC History Magazine Book of the YearA writer, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer, Sir Walter Ralegh lived more lives than most in his own time, in any time....

A provocative history of race, empire and myth, told through the stories of men who have been worshipped as gods - from Columbus to Prince Philip.Spanning the globe and five...

How does a man become a God?It can happen by accident, or by prophesy, or through an article found in an oldmagazine. It can be a means to absolute power,...

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards the two Germanies reunited, and East Germany ceased to exist. In a country where the headquarters of the secret police can become...

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards the two Germanies reunited, and East Germany ceased to exist. In Stasiland, winner of the 2004 Samuel Johnson Prize, Anna Funder tells...

WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'A heartbreaking, beautifully written book. A classic for sure' Claire Tomalin, GuardianExtraordinary true stories of those who lived in East Germany. Travel...

WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'A heartbreaking, beautifully written book. A classic for sure' Claire Tomalin, GuardianExtraordinary true stories of those who lived in East Germany. Travel...

'Riveting, tragic tale' New Yorker 'Anna Pasternak has produced an irresistible account of joy, suffering and passion' Financial Times The heartbreaking story of the passionate love affair between Boris Pasternak...

Anna Politkovskaya turns her steely gaze on President Putin and his early regime in this explosive book.From Putin's tyrannical grip on ordinary citizens to rampant corruption in highest ranks of...

The Ukraine is one of the most neglected countries in the world. It has a population of 52 million - larger than Britain's - and a land mass the size...

When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, he intended to capture Leningrad before turning on Moscow. Soviet resistance forced him to change tactics: with his forward troops only...

In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around...

This landmark book uncovers for the first time in detail one of the greatest horrors of the twentieth century: the vast system of Soviet camps that were responsible for the...

Chosen 16 times as a 'Book of the Year' - the top non-fiction pick of 2012'The best work of modern history I have ever read' A. N. Wilson, Financial TimesAt...

Winner of the DUFF COOPER and LIONEL GELBER prizes. A Sunday Times, The Times, FT and Evening Standard book of the year 2017The momentous new book from the Pulitzer Prize-winning...

Winner of the Duff Cooper and Lionel Gelber prizesIn 1932-33, nearly four million Ukrainians died of starvation, having been deliberately deprived of food. It is one of the most devastating...

Far from worrying about the onset of war, in the spring of 1938 the burning question on the French Riviera was whether one should curtsey to the Duchess of Windsor....

The lives of the three daughters of Lord Curzon: glamorous, rich, independent and wilful.Irene (born 1896), Cynthia (b.1898) and Alexandria (b.1904) were the three daughters of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of...

With 30 per cent more material than previous editions, this new contemporary and fully anglicized translation gives the reader a deeper insight into Anne's world. Publication of the unabridged Definitive...

Anne Frank wrote her diary whilst in hiding from the Nazis in claustrophobic, cramped rooms in Amsterdam; she wrote of war, the world and of growing up in one of...

Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is an inspiring and tragic account of an ordinary life lived in extraordinary circumstances that has enthralled readers for generations. This Penguin...

'One of the greatest books of the [last] century' - Guardian'In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart ...'A deeply moving and unforgettable portrait...

'One of the greatest books of the century' - Guardian'Hiding...where would we hide?... Margot and I started packing our most important belongings into a satchel. The first thing I stuck...

A Hay Festival and The Poole VOTE 100 BOOKS for Women SelectionOne of the most famous accounts of living under the Nazi regime of World War II comes from the...

One of the most famous accounts of living under the Nazi regime of World War II comes from the diary of a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, Anne Frank. Today, The Diary...

The Diary of a Young Girl abridged for younger readers and published in memory of Anne Frank, who died 70 years ago, just weeks before the end of World War...