European History

The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...

Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer provides a compelling and comprehensive chronicle of the darkest chapter in modern history, delving into the twelve years when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime seized and held power in Germany. Shirer, a renowned journalist and historian, offers an unparalleled eyewitness account, charting the meteoric ascent and devastating collapse...

NOW WITH A FUN PUB QUIZ 'An idiosyncratic ride through history' Independent 'Holland and Sandbrook have pretty much reinvented popular history for the modern age' The Times The nation’s favourite historians, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, take on the most curious moments in history, answering the questions we didn’t even think to ask... - What was the most disastrous party...

‘Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.’ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...

A brilliant memoir of adolescence in New Zealand and of the migration of European manuscripts to the far side of the world. Christopher de Hamel is one of the world's best-known scholars and writers on illuminated manuscripts. He was mostly brought up in the south of New Zealand, where his family moved when he was four. This book magically evokes...

The Anglo-Saxons by Marc Morris meticulously charts the turbulent history of Britain from the end of Roman rule to the Norman Conquest. As the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain in the early fifth century, the island swiftly descended into chaos and decay. This vacuum of power attracted waves of foreign invaders, primarily the Anglo-Saxons, who emerged from across the sea...

The Templars by Dan Jones masterfully chronicles the extraordinary history of the Knights Templar, from their humble beginnings to their dramatic downfall. This captivating narrative delves into the enigmatic and illustrious lives of the Templars, who were the wealthiest and most influential military order in the crusading era. Dan Jones takes readers on an exhilarating journey through the medieval world,...

From the bestselling author of Emperor of Rome and SPQR "The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome" – Financial Times "The reigning Queen of Classics" – Spectator What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the...

From a little-known chapter of Holocaust history, Rebecca Frankel's Into the Forest is one family's inspiring true story of love, escape, and survival. In the summer of 1942, the Rabinowitz family narrowly escaped the Nazi ghetto in their Polish town by fleeing to the forbidding Bialowieza Forest. They miraculously survived two years in the woods—through brutal winters, Typhus outbreaks, and...

'Vivid storytellers.' THE TIMES 'As well as highly entertaining read, How To Kill A Witch is a tour de force of research, understanding and compassion.' PROFESSOR SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains 'Fascinating, angering' THE MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A work of real historical investigation and a fierce warning for our times.' MALCOLM GASKILL, author of The Ruin Of All...

The sky above war-torn Europe was ablaze during the third week of February 1944, as the combined Allied air forces launched an unprecedented round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Big Week by bestselling author James Holland delves into this pivotal moment in World War II history with unmatched depth and intensity. This battle sought to cripple the main factories and production...

This brilliant new book explores the lives of eight generations of the greatest kings and queens that this country has ever seen, and the worst. The Plantagenets – their story is the story of Britain. England’s greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to...

SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘The most important book of the year’ Daily Mail The brilliant and provocative new book from one of the world’s foremost political writers: ‘The anti-Western revisionists have been out in force in recent years. It is high time that we revise them in turn…’ In The War on the West, international bestselling author Douglas Murray asks:...

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is a compelling and insightful guidebook on how to resist and challenge the forces of authoritarianism and preserve democratic values. Bringing together lessons from history, Snyder provides concrete strategies and principles that individuals can employ to protect freedom and stave off the threat of tyranny. This essential read is not only a reflection on the...

Step into the mythical, magical realm of King Arthur... Uncover the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table in intricate detail as you piece together his fabled kingdom and read all about the epic tales that have fascinated storytellers for centuries. Spot the sword in the stone, Guinevere and Lancelot, the Lady of the Lake, Merlin,...

The first joint biography of William and Catherine to be written in over a decade, by acclaimed royal journalist and broadcaster Russell Myers. From the relentless media scrutiny and controversies of their 2022 Caribbean Tour to the shock cancer diagnoses of both the Princess of Wales and the King, this captivating biography by acclaimed royal journalist Russell Myers intimately traces...

The real story of Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, endorsed by the Mayne family Summer 1944: the SAS were charged with the most crucial D-Day missions, taking on the might of the Nazi Reich deep behind enemy lines. Facing Hitler's fearsome Panzer divisions with little more than raw courage and their nimble Willys jeeps, it would take maverick thinking and unconventional warfare...

The first joint biography of the women who have shaped - and shaken - the modern Royal Family. Diana. Camilla. Catherine. Meghan. Outsiders by birth, insiders by marriage. Four women united by their decision to enter the most famous family in the world, and by their place in the centre of its greatest upheavals. From Diana's emotional revolution to Camilla's...

Vivid biographies of famous characters from the Ancient Greek world, in a revised edition of Ian Scott-Kilvert's seminal translation. The Parallel Lives of Plutarch are cornerstones of Western literature, and have exerted a profound influence on writers and statesmen since the Renaissance, most notably Shakespeare. This selection of ten biographies spans the period from the start of the fourth century...

The blockbuster biography of the greatest Briton, by one of Britain's bestselling historians. Winston Churchill towers over every other figure in twentieth-century British history. By the time of his death at the age of 90 in 1965, many thought him to be the greatest man in the world. There have been over a thousand previous biographies of Churchill. Andrew Roberts...

One of the greatest and most controversial feats of twentieth-century journalism. Hannah Arendt's authoritative and stunning report on the trial of German Nazi SS leader Adolf Eichmann first appeared as a series of articles in the New Yorker in 1963. A major journalistic triumph by an intellectual of singular influence, Eichmann in Jerusalem is as shocking as it is informative...

The Sunday Times Bestseller ‘A lasting work of social history’ — The Times ‘A genuinely new history of our nation’ — Dan Jones ‘This celebration of women is a triumph of popular history’ — Spectator From the multi-million bestselling historical novelist comes the culmination of her life’s work. Did you know that there are more penises than women in the...

The definitive account of D-Day from the author of international bestsellers Stalingrad and Berlin: D-Day by Antony Beevor is a landmark historical narrative that captures the epic scale and human cost of the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. Drawing from first-hand accounts, archival research, and a keen historian's eye, Beevor immerses readers in the gripping details of...

In Thomas Cromwell, Diarmaid MacCulloch offers an unrivalled exploration of one of Tudor England’s most enigmatic and influential figures. From his humble beginnings in Putney to his meteoric rise within the court of Henry VIII, Cromwell's life is a testament to the power and peril of ambition. Firmly rooted in historical context, this biography delves into the intricate and often...

The most celebrated historical work in the English language Spanning thirteen centuries from the age of Trajan to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is one of the greatest narratives in European Literature. David Womersley's masterly selection and bridging commentary enables the reader to acquire a general sense...

The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans is a masterful exploration into the origins and rise of Nazi Germany, vividly recounting the transformation of a modern and culturally rich nation into the epicentre of one of history’s darkest periods. This meticulously researched work takes readers on a journey through the tumultuous years that saw Germany descend from...

The most pivotal, brutal, and shattering campaign the Allies faced in World War II by bestselling historian James Holland. Holland knows his stuff when it comes to military matters - Daily Mail James Holland is the best of the new generation of WW2 historians - Sebastian Faulks With the invasion of France the following year taking shape, and hot on...

The Trouble With Being Born by E. M. Cioran is a deeply introspective and profoundly philosophical exploration of the human condition. The book navigates the bleak and often darkly comic territories of existence, examining fundamental questions such as birth, death, the concept of God, the relentless passage of time, the complexity of human relationships, and the daily struggle to find...

The Forgotten Soldier is an international bestseller that presents a German soldier's first-hand account of life on the Russian front during the second half of World War II. When Guy Sajer joins the infantry, full of ideals in the summer of 1942, the German army is enjoying unparalleled success in Russia. However, he quickly discovers that for the foot soldier,...

The Western Front by Nick Lloyd offers a transformative view of one of the most infamous battlegrounds in military history, the Western Front during World War I. Spanning from August 1914 to November 1918, Lloyd's narrative illuminates the strategic evolution and the human experiences that defined the Great War's main theatre of conflict. This volume, marking the first instalment of...

Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's memoir of his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, a groundbreaking work of dissident literature drawn from vivid personal experience. There are occasions where it pays better to fight and be beaten than not to fight at all... Orwell volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War, was near-fatally wounded, and survived to write...

From the international bestselling author and notable journalist Aldo Cazzullo comes a brilliantly researched and extremely accessible journey through the history and legacy of the Roman Empire. “The only way to narrate over a thousand years of history is to understand what it has left us. To tell the reasons, the things and the stories, thanks to which Roman civilization...

One of the great books in Western history and the very first work of non-fiction, in Tom Holland's compelling new translation. The Histories of Herodotus, completed in the second half of the 5th century BC, is generally regarded as the first work of history and the first great masterpiece of non-fiction writing. Joined here are the sheer drama of Herodotus'...

A brilliant reinvention of the detective novel, set in Renaissance Florence and packed with art, scandal, murder and scheming - from the author of the international bestseller HHhH. Florence, New Year's Day 1557. As dawn breaks, a painter is discovered lying on the floor of a church, stabbed through the heart. Above him, the paintings he laboured over for more...

A wonderful, epic story that tells the history of the greatest city in the world, from Roman times to the present day. London has perhaps the most remarkable history of any city in the world. Now its story has a unique voice. In this epic novel, Edward Rutherfurd takes the reader on a magnificent journey across sixteen centuries from the...

An unforgettable coming-of-age story, Free by Lea Ypi explores the profound meanings of freedom—personal, collective, and political—through the eyes of a young girl growing up in one of the most isolated countries on earth. Albania, where communist ideals replaced religion, stood as the last Stalinist stronghold in Europe, virtually impossible to visit or leave. It was a land of scarcity...

The Notebook was named a 'Best Book of the Year 2023' by the New Statesman, Spectator, and Waterstones. "From plans for flying machines to philosophy - the remarkable joy of jotting things down" - Guardian "Surprisingly revealing" - The Sunday Times We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did this simple invention come from? How did they revolutionise our...

The sensational account of the overwhelming role of drug-taking in the Third Reich - from Hitler and his entourage to ordinary troops. The Nazis styled themselves as warriors against moral degeneracy. Yet, as Norman Ohler's gripping bestseller reveals, the entire Third Reich was permeated with drugs—cocaine, heroin, morphine and, most of all, methamphetamines, or crystal meth. These substances were used...

Winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography - Andrew Roberts overturns received wisdom on Britain's longest-reigning king. Andrew Roberts's magnificent new biography portrays George as intelligent, benevolent, scrupulously devoted to the constitution of his country and (as head of government as well as head of state) navigating the turbulence of eighteenth-century politics with a strong sense of honour...

The instant Sunday Times bestseller The UK’s bestselling medieval historian brings unforgettably to life the astonishing rise of Henry V, who survived rebellion, a near-fatal arrow wound, and a lengthy and precarious princely apprenticeship to become England’s greatest warrior king. 'A historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist.' Observer Henry V reigned over England for only nine years...

Revealed for the first time: the true story of the entrapment and deception of Princess Diana The death of Princess Diana in August 1997 was one of the most shocking events in recent history. Many events surrounding the tragedy have been shrouded in mystery, particularly the BBC Panorama interview Diana gave to journalist Martin Bashir less than two years before...

A harrowing true story about a young girl's struggle to survive Nazi persecution, and a man's attempt to unveil his family's secrets. The last time Lien saw her parents was in the Hague, where she was collected at the door by a stranger and taken away to be hidden from the Nazis. She was raised by her foster family as...

The astounding history that masterfully and decisively rewrites the causes of the First World War as we know them. The moments that it took Gavrilo Princip to step forward to the stalled car and shoot dead Franz Ferdinand and his wife were perhaps the most fateful of the modern era. An act of terrorism of staggering efficiency, it fulfilled its...

The Last Viking is a masterful and pulse-pounding narrative that transports the reader into the middle of the action.’ Carl Gnam, Military Heritage Harald Sigurdsson burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. But from these humble origins, he became one of...

The definitive history of the dynasty that dominated Europe for centuries. In The Habsburgs, Martyn Rady tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium. From modest origins, the Habsburgs grew in power to gain control of the Holy Roman Empire in the fifteenth century, before their possessions...

Ardennes 1944 by Antony Beevor is a masterful narrative that captures the dramatic and harrowing final offensive of Nazi Germany during World War II. Renowned for its rich and detailed historical accounts, this book delves deeply into the pivotal Battle of the Bulge, where Hitler made his desperate bid to turn the tide of the war. On 16 December 1944,...

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum delves into the dark and intriguing world of Ancient Rome, where the best stories are tainted with bloodshed. Romulus, driven by ambition, kills his brother Remus to lay the foundation of Rome. Julius Caesar's assassination is orchestrated in a desperate bid to save the Republic. The theatre becomes a bloody...

The fascinating story of how Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and the SAS changed the world. The early 1980s were the most dramatic, colourful and controversial years in our modern history. Margaret Thatcher had come to power in 1979 with a daring plan to reverse Britain's decline. But as factories closed their doors, dole queues lengthened and the inner cities exploded...

The life of Father Joseph, Cardinal Richelieu's aide, was a monstrous paradox. After spending his days directing operations on the battlefield, Father Joseph would pass the night in prayer, or in composing spiritual guidance for the nuns in his care. He was an aspirant to sainthood, a practising mystic, yet his ruthless exercise of power succeeded in prolonging the Thirty...

A vivid double biography of two fearless Early Medieval queens, and an enthralling journey of discovery across the unfamiliar and blood-soaked historical landscape of sixth-century Merovingian France. 'Brings the Merovingian empire to thrilling, bewildering, horrifying life' Helen Castor 'Restores two half-forgotten and much-mythologized queens to their proper place in medieval history' Dan Jones 'A story of scheming and savagery to...

Through compelling eye-witness testimony and renowned historian James Holland's expert analysis, Brothers in Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe from the powerful perspective of one of the greatest tank regiments - the Sherwood Rangers. It took a certain type of courage to serve in a tank in World War Two. Encased in steel, surrounded by...

The French Revolution and What Went Wrong by Stephen Clarke is a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of one of history's most tumultuous periods. With his signature wit and engaging narrative style, Clarke delves into the intricacies of the French Revolution, shedding light on how a nation teetering on the brink of change spiralled into chaos and bloodshed. This isn't just...

The Sunday Times Top Ten & New York Times Bestseller Blackwell's Non-Fiction Book of the Year Shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2023 Extraordinary ... a deliciously varied tapestry of detail drawn from across nearly three centuries – Telegraph What was it really like to rule and be ruled in the Ancient Roman world? In her international best-seller...

Every mother of good blood will be sacred to us, wrote Heinrich Himmler, as he founded his Lebensborn ('Fount of Life') programme in 1935. The Lebensborn programme was founded in Nazi Germany to breed racially pure Aryans, from mothers who believed it was their national duty to provide 'A Child for Hitler', and fathers who served in the SS, selected...

BY THE AUTHOR OF CHERNOBYL: HISTORY OF A TRAGEDY, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2018 WINNER OF THE PUSHKIN HOUSE RUSSIAN BOOK PRIZE 2015 On Christmas Day 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. By the next day, the USSR was officially no more, and the USA had emerged as the world’s sole superpower. Award-winning historian...

The acclaimed author of Free returns with an imaginative investigation into dignity and historical injustice through the story of a family. When Lea Ypi discovers a photo of her grandmother, Leman, honeymooning in the Alps in 1941 posted by a stranger on social media, she is faced with unsettling questions. Growing up, she was told records of her grandmother's youth...

Ed Moloney's A Secret History of the IRA is the best-informed account yet written of the IRA's evolution from ruthless guerrilla army into governmental party, ruling Northern Ireland alongside its most intransigent former enemies. But reconciliation between political figures who until very recently wished each other dead or in jail has not been accompanied by very much truth-telling about the...

A propulsive narrative history of the motivation and mentality behind the Nazis and their supporters. How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly—often enthusiastically—oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? In The Nazi Mind, bestselling author Laurence Rees combines history and the...

The Widow Clicquot is the New York Times bestselling business biography of the visionary young widow who built a champagne empire, became a legend in her tumultuous times, and showed the world how to live with style. Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life the woman behind the label, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, in this utterly intoxicating book that is as much...

This defining period in world history is explored and explained as never before. World War II- The Definitive Visual Guide is captured in hundreds of compelling images, presenting the people, places, and politics involved in the epic conflict. Inside this complete visual guide is chronological coverage of the lead up to war, major military battles around the globe, and the...

The Romanovs offers a spellbinding exploration into the rise and fall of one of the world's most powerful dynasties. Spanning over three centuries, this meticulously researched work delves into the intricate tapestry of Russian history, unravelling the story behind twenty tsars and tsarinas who shaped the destiny of their nation. From the transformational reign of Peter the Great to the...

'I don't know where to stop praising Benny and this amazing book...' - HEATHER MORRIS, The Tattooist of Auschwitz 'This book...is the stuff folk tales are made of. How wonderful that sometimes they are true' - MARTIN FREEMAN What a century of life experience can teach us about happiness, ambition, courage, love and how to make the most of the...

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION WATERSTONES' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORY The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots – three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men. 'Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens' — ALICE ROBERTS 'Takes us...

The Weimar Years by Frank McDonough offers a meticulous and enthralling exploration of one of the most consequential periods in German and world history. Set in the aftermath of Germany's crushing defeat in the First World War, the book delves into the era of the Weimar Republic, an epoch marked by immense social reform, profound cultural renaissance, and hitherto unprecedented...

The Years by Annie Ernaux is an extraordinary autobiographical narrative that transcends the traditional boundaries of memoir. Available in English for the first time, this remarkable book has established itself as a literature classic, lauded globally for its unique approach to storytelling and profound introspection. Spanning from 1941 to 2006, Ernaux's work doesn't merely recount her own life, but instead...

Elie Wiesel's Night is a harrowing autobiographical account that follows his experiences as a young Jewish boy during one of history's most brutal chapters. Transported from a Jewish ghetto in Hungary to the unforgiving confines of Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, Wiesel's narrative is filled with the escalating horrors he faced. The book captures his profound loss of...

Hitler: Volume I by Volker Ullrich is a landmark biography that delves deep into the uncharted territories of Adolf Hitler's early years, shedding light on the man behind one of the most infamous figures in history. This compelling first volume meticulously chronicles Hitler's life from his humble beginnings to the precipice of the Second World War, presenting readers with a...

The Baltic will decide the course of the West in the coming years. These nine borderlands are not only the historical battleground of Russian aggression; they are also a factory of ideas for how to revive Europe. Shaped by the past one hundred years, each Baltic country offers lessons in adaptability, hope, and prosperity in an era of instability. Innovation...

Napoleon the Great by Andrew Roberts offers an unparalleled insight into the life and times of one of history's most remarkable figures. Spanning the crucial twenty years from 1795 to 1815, this definitive modern biography chronicles how Napoleon Bonaparte rose from relative obscurity to become the master of Europe. As he catapulted from a Corsican military officer to the Emperor...

The story of humanity is the story of textiles—as old as civilisation itself. Textiles created empires and powered invention. They established trade routes and drew nations' borders. Since the first thread was spun, fabric has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel traces this surprising history, exposing the hidden ways textiles have made our...

From the bestselling author of The Templars, Dan Jones brings you an exhilarating and expansive history of the Crusades. Crusaders delves into the dramatic and tumultuous sequence of religious wars fought between the late eleventh century and the late medieval period. These epic clashes between European Christian states and Islamic rulers aimed to control the Holy Land and have left...

The Sunday Times Bestseller A new assessment of the West’s colonial record In the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet empire in 1989, many believed that we had arrived at the ‘End of History’ – that the global dominance of liberal democracy had been secured forever. Now however, with Russia rattling its sabre on the borders of Europe and...

Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy delves into the riveting narrative of one of history's most influential figures, Gaius Julius Caesar. From the outset, Caesar's life is coloured with episodes of near-death experiences, tremendous achievements, and a relentless ambition that shaped the future of Rome. As a teenager, Caesar narrowly escaped execution under the repressive rule of the dictator Sulla, an early...

In this account of the origins of World War II, Taylor provides a narrative of the years and events preceding Hitler's invasion of Poland on 1st of September 1939. The historian debunks previously accepted truths about World War II, arguing that Hitler did not set out to cause the war as part of an evil master plan, but blundered into...

The internationally bestselling and prize-winning history of German life in the fallout of the Third Reich, filled with eye-opening, shocking, and vitally human stories of ruin, repression, and revival. The Times Top 10 Bestseller Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlisted for the British Academy Book Prize Shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize A Book of the Year...

'An outstanding work of historical artistry, a brilliantly woven and pacy story of the men who surrounded, influenced and sometimes plagued Henry VIII.' Alison Weir Henry VIII is well known for his tumultuous relationships with women, and he is often defined by his many marriages. But what do we see if we take a different look? When we see Henry...

First time in Modern Classics Born into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity—the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family, and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity, and faith....

The astonishing story of one of the most brutal and hard-fought battles of the Second World War in Italy, told by one of the most acclaimed and insightful historians in the UK. 'It should become a standard work on this campaign' - Telegraph 'James Holland is now our foremost authority on the Italian campaign' - John C. McManus 'A heart-pounding...