Global History

The disturbing true story of the notorious Cecil Hotel in downtown LA, by its general manager for a decade and star of the controversial Netflix documentary series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. When Amy Price took a temporary design job at an Art Deco hotel in Los Angeles to help a friend, she had no idea the...

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND AMAZON BESTSELLER America’s most effective conservative intellectual proves once and for all that Marxist radicals have taken over our nation's institutions. In the 1960s, Mao launched China’s Cultural Revolution. Cities grew overcrowded. Technocrats demanded progress from above. Anyone opposed was sent to be “re-educated.” China’s revolution was bloody, fast, and a failure,...

A magical book which explores how the world was seen at twelve points in history, through twelve extraordinary maps and the minds of those who made them. Throughout history, maps have been fundamental in shaping our view of the world, and our place in it. But far from being purely scientific objects, maps of the world are unavoidably ideological and...

How did two men move the world away from wars for land and treasure to wars over ideas and ideologies—a change that would go on to kill millions? In April 1917, Woodrow Wilson—champion of American democracy but also of segregation, advocate for free trade and a new world order based on freedom and justice—thrust the United States into the First...

The past is capricious enough to support every stance—no matter how questionable. In 2002, the Bush administration decided that dealing with Saddam Hussein was like appeasing Hitler or Mussolini, and promptly invaded Iraq. Were they wrong to look to history for guidance? No; their mistake was to exaggerate one of its lessons while suppressing others of equal importance. History is...

A provocative, original and compelling history of catastrophes and their consequences. Disasters are by their very nature hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises, and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when...

The definitive biography of the world's most important body of water – the Atlantic. One hundred and ninety million years ago, the shifting of two of the world's tectonic plates led to the creation of an immense chasm. This giant gash in the flanks of the planet slowly opened up and eventually evolved into the most important and most travelled...

BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Anybody who loves the printed word will be bowled over by this amusing, erudite, beautiful book about books. It is in every way a triumph. One of the loveliest books to have been published for many, many years' — Alexander McCall Smith 'Quite simply the best gift for any book lover this year,...

Dateline featured cold-case detective and best-selling author J. Warner Wallace investigates Jesus, the most significant person in history, like one of his "missing body, cold-cases," demonstrating why Jesus still matters today, even in a world that is sceptical of the Bible. Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was...

The New York Times Bestseller Winner of the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award Omaha Beach legend Ray Lambert's unforgettable firsthand account of D-Day “Lambert landed on [Omaha Beach] as a 23-year-old Army medic. ... As the bullets cut down his comrades, he raced repeatedly back into the sea to drag out wounded soldiers.” —New York Times Seventy-five years ago,...

In this uplifting memoir, a professor and activist shares what birds can teach us about life, social change, and protecting the environment. Trish O’Kane is an accidental ornithologist. In her nearly two decades writing about justice as an investigative journalist, she'd never paid attention to nature. But then Hurricane Katrina destroyed her New Orleans home, sending her into an emotional...

A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump...

The True Story Behind the Events on 9/11 that Inspired Broadway's Smash Hit Musical Come from Away, Featuring All New Material from the Author When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island...

Thoroughly revised and expanded for a new generation of readers, this classic guide to enjoying literature to its fullest—a lively, enlightening, and entertaining introduction to a diverse range of writing and literary devices that enrich these works, including symbols, themes, and contexts—teaches you how to make your everyday reading experience richer and more rewarding. While books can be enjoyed for...

Noam Chomsky dissects the multiple crises facing humankind and the planet and provides a roadmap for resistance. In this completely original set of interviews between the legendary duo of Noam Chomsky and David Barsamian, they confront topics such as the pandemic, the wealth gap (made worse because of the pandemic), climate destruction, the increasing power of the corporate-owned media, systematic...

Taking readers on a global journey through human history, Natasha Tidd examines how lies can change the world around us, from Julius Caesar’s deceptive PR machine to the cover-ups that caused Chernobyl. From forgeries that created centuries worth of conflict and domination, such as The Donation of Constantine, the Protocols of Zion and the mysterious Testament of Peter the Great,...

Blending the journalistic rigour of Masha Gessen with the call to action of We Should All Be Feminists, a startling denunciation of Vladimir Putin’s war on women that reveals how modern Russia’s history of weaponising sexual violence against women is part of the Russian leader’s strategy to retain political influence and domination. On March 22, 2023, the Swedish Academy organised...

NEW BOOK - The perfect companion to Farts Aren't Invisible! Read the newest fun and interesting fact book from Mick O'Hare, Yawns Freeze Your Brain. Includes quick fire fact sections designed to astound, enlighten and make you laugh. OUT NOW A mind-bending, brain-expanding cornucopia of facts for curious minds from the bestselling author of Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? and...

‘This splendid and often moving work of history… Schama has a gift for combining novelistically colourful detail, serious analysis and wryly amusing asides’ Daily Telegraph ‘Superb’ Observer ‘Extraordinary… A meticulous retelling of a terrible yet scientifically innovative period… Makes an urgent case for building a better future on our toxic past’ Guardian ‘This is history of the best sort –...

'History doesn't repeat itself, it rhymes.' One day in 1988, an enigmatic priest knocks on Pieter Waterdrinker's door with an unusual request—will he smuggle seven thousand bibles into the Soviet Union? Pieter agrees and soon finds himself living in the midst of one of the biggest social and cultural revolutions of our time, working as a tour operator with a...

Written with dignity, candour and surprising wit, this soldier's story of the horror of the Western Front trenches is a testament to the power of the human spirit. It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade...

The definitive biography of Saladin. Saladin remains one of the most iconic figures of his age. As the man who united the Arabs and saved Islam from Christian crusaders in the 12th century, he is the Islamic world's preeminent hero. Ruthless in defence of his faith and brilliant in leadership, he also possessed qualities that won admiration from his Christian...

Ross McMullin's masterly work retrieves a significant Australian from undeserved obscurity. It also judiciously reassesses notable battles he influenced—including the Gallipoli Landing, Lone Pine, Fromelles, Polygon Wood, and Villers-Brettoneux—and illuminates numerous aspects of Australia's experiences during his lifetime, particularly the often-overlooked period of the aftermath to the Great War. Pompey Elliott was a remarkable Australian. During the Great War he...

A dazzling history of the world's emperors, spanning the last thousand years. For millennia, much of the world was ruled by emperors—a handful of individuals claimed no limit to the lands they could rule over and no limit to their authority, and indeed often claimed a superhuman or divine authority. In practice, they ran the gamut from being some of...

A dazzling exploration of the intersections of beauty and power around the globe, told through the lens of an iconic cosmetic. Fascinating Nigella Lawson Awe-inspiring Funmi Fetto A treat to read Kassia St Clair A Sunday Times Style Barometer and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Pick. For centuries, humans have been drawn to lining our eyes. The aesthetic...

The acclaimed magnum opus of one of Britain's most wide-ranging historians. Capitalist enterprise has existed in some form since ancient times, but the globalisation and dominance of capitalism as a system began in the 1860s, when states all over the world developed their modern political frameworks: the unifications of Italy and Germany, the establishment of a republic in France, the...

The world-renowned economist and former Greek finance minister presents a devastating critique of how Europe has mishandled the Eurozone crisis, offering concrete reforms for how we can save European capitalism and democracy from itself. THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER The most recognisable economist on the planet, Yanis Varoufakis, puts forth his case to reform an EU that currently fails...

A highly acclaimed, bestselling work from one of France's pre-eminent historians What does it mean to be a good man? To be a good father, or a good partner? A good brother, or a good friend? In this clear-sighted analysis, social historian Ivan Jablonka offers a re-examination of the patriarchy and its impact on men. Ranging widely across cultures, from...

Based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse, whose photographs exposed the atrocities of the Holocaust and helped to convict the Nazis at Nuremberg. When Germany invaded Wilhelm Brasse's native Poland in 1939, he refused to swear allegiance to The Wehrmacht. He was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp as political prisoner number 3444. A trained portrait photographer, he was ordered...

The dramatic story of how steam power reshaped our cities and our seas, and forged a new world order. Steam power transformed our world. It revolutionised work and production, but also the ease and cost of movement over land and water. The result was to throw open vast areas of the world to the rampaging expansion of Europeans and Americans...

Massmarket edition of the hardback bestseller - In The Story of the World in 100 Moments, Oliver presents a remarkable journey through time, curating one hundred moments that shaped our world, from 5000 BC to the present. 'Oliver is an evocative storyteller, vividly bringing his tales to life' BBC History From Genghis Khan's domination on earth to Armstrong's first steps...

Big ideas, simply explained Travel back in time with the latest instalment in the bestselling Big Ideas series, in a brand new portable format. The Little Book of History charts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution...

An updated and retitled edition of History of the World in 1,000 Objects Discover how humans created their world from the objects they left behind - from the US Constitution to the first iPhone - in DK's latest history book. From the beginning of human history, the one thing that has defined us is our talent for making things, from...

A unique reframing of human history as shaped by our physical abilities and limitations - by the Sunday Times-bestselling author of Origins. Being Human is history made flesh. It will change the way you see the world. 'Illuminating' TIM MARSHALL 'Refreshing' THOMAS HALLIDAY 'Fascinating' GUARDIAN We're a wonder of evolution, capable of incredible feats. But we're also deeply flawed. Our...

Following the success of his A Short History of the World, eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey abridged his account of the grand adventure of human history to create an even more accessible version of his absorbing work. A Short History of the World traces the story of the world's people during the last four million years, beginning before the human race...

The origin story of our modern oil age Petroleum has always been used by humans: as an adhesive by Neanderthals, as a waterproofing agent in Noah's Ark, and as a weapon during the Crusades. Its extraction from the earth in vast quantities transformed light, heat, and power. A Pipeline Runs Through It is a fresh, in-depth look at the social,...

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER 2022 IPPY AWARDS GOLD MEDALIST — SCIENCE NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALIST — POLITICAL 2021 WORLD MAGAZINE ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR — HONORABLE MENTION Unsettled is a remarkable book—probably the best book on climate change for the intelligent layperson—that achieves the feat of conveying complex information clearly and in depth.” —Claremont Review of Books...

2020 Foreword Indie Award Honorable Mention in the "Science & Technology" Category Late in 2017, the global significance of the conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) changed forever. China put the world on alert when it released a plan to dominate all aspects of AI across the planet. Only weeks later, Vladimir Putin raised a Russian red flag in response by...

From Stonehenge to microchips, discover the one simple method used to engineer the world as we know it—now in paperback! "This book unravels the mysteries behind humanity's greatest masterpieces." - Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again Discover the secret method used to build the world... For millennia, humans have used one simple method to solve...

An interrogation of why we don't talk to strangers, what happens when we do, and why it affects everything from the rise and fall of nations to personal health and wellbeing, in the tradition of Susan Cain's Quiet and Rutger Bregman's Humankind. In our cities, we barely acknowledge one another on public transport, even as rates of loneliness skyrocket. Online,...

Niall Ferguson's pithy, digestible polemic on the decline of the West. The Great Degeneration is a powerful—and in places polemical—indictment of an era of negligence and complacency. While the Arab world struggles to adopt democracy, and while China struggles to move from economic liberalisation to the rule of law, Europeans and Americans alike are frittering away the institutional inheritance of...

A radical retelling of the history of science that foregrounds the scientists erased from history. In this major retelling of the history of science from 1450 to the present day, James Poskett explodes the myth that science began in Europe. The blinkered Western gaze focusing on individual 'genius'—Copernicus, Newton, Darwin, Einstein—was only one part of the story. The reality was...

A horological history of human civilisation, told through twelve world-changing clocks. The measurement of time has always been essential to human civilisation, from early Roman sundials to the advent of GPS. But while we have one eye on the time every day, are we aware of the power clocks have given governments, military leaders and business owners, and how they...

An authoritative rethinking of global history by a leading Yale professor. When did globalization begin? Most observers have settled on 1492, the year Columbus discovered America. But as celebrated Yale professor Valerie Hansen shows, it was the year 1000, when for the first time new trade routes linked the entire globe, so an object could in theory circumnavigate the world....

A stupendous history of intelligence, its uses and its neglect—by 'the doyen of intelligence historians' (New Statesman). The history of espionage stretches back over millennia, yet it has largely been forgotten. This book sets out to recover that lost history, to demonstrate the role of intelligence in global events, and to challenge histories which have so overlooked the intelligence dimension....

A major new reinterpretation of the religious superstate that defined both Europe and Christianity, by one of our foremost medieval historians. In the fourth century AD, a new faith exploded out of Palestine. Overwhelming the paganism of Rome, and converting the Emperor Constantine in the process, it resoundingly defeated a host of other rivals. Almost a thousand years later, all...

A compelling, powerful argument about the roots of current global disorder. How can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world—from American 'shooters' and ISIS to Trump, from a rise in vengeful nationalism across the world to racism and misogyny on social media? In Age of Anger, Pankaj Mishra answers...

The untold story of the world's greatest empire and the creation of modern China. Genghis Khan is one of history's immortals—a leader of genius, driven by an inspiring vision for peaceful world rule. Believing he was divinely protected, Genghis united warring clans to create a nation and then an empire that ran across much of Asia. Under his grandson, Kublai...

From prehistoric times to the 21st century, the compelling story of world history may both surprise and inspire. This lavishly illustrated visual encyclopedia tells the story of our world in depth and detail from the dawn of civilization to the present day. Charting human endeavour from every angle, History chronicles the significant events, ground-breaking ideas, political forces, and technological advances...

A comic history of humankind's love affair with booze, from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of The Etymologicon. Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place, drunkenness is a little bit different. It can be religious, it can be sexual, it can be the duty...

Celebrated historian John Hirst offers a fascinating exploration of the qualities that made Europe a world-changing civilisation. The Shortest History of Europe begins with a rapid overview of European civilisation, describing its birth from an unlikely mixture of classical learning, Christianity, and German warrior culture. Over the centuries, this unstable blend produced highly distinctive characters—pious knights and belligerent popes, romantics...

In his introduction, John Keegan discusses Churchill's historical methods and the extraordinary achievement of The Second World War. This volume also includes appendices, an index, maps, and diagrams. Winston Churchill's six-volume history of the Second World War.

An acclaimed historian of ideas shows how capitalist extremists profit from the collapse of the democratic nation. Look at a map of the world and you'll see a neat patchwork of nation-states. But this is not where power actually resides. From the 1990s onwards, globalisation has shattered the map, leading to an explosion of new legal entities—tax havens, free ports,...

A uniquely illustrated guide to the history of our world. Witness our incredible human story unfold—from the very first people in Africa to the collapse of Communism and beyond—exquisitely charted map by map. Come on a journey through global history, told in more than 130 specially made maps that each offer a window on a key event. Step into the...

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in...

Why Empires Fall poses a fundamental question: Why did Rome fall, and what lessons can it teach us about the decline of the West today? In this insightful exploration, a historian and a political economist delve into these pressing topics. Over the last three centuries, the West rose to dominate the planet. Then, suddenly, around the turn of the millennium,...

A fascinating new history of the early days of the British Empire, told through the stories of the forgotten international powerhouses who aided, abetted and resisted the march of the British, by the award-winning historian David Veevers. The story of the British Empire is a familiar one: Britain came, it saw, it conquered, forging a glorious world empire upon which...

A delightfully captivating journey across the medieval world; perfect for fans of Ian Mortimer, who calls this book 'rich and wonderful'. From the medieval bazaars of Tabriz to the mysterious island of Caldihe, where sheep were said to grow on trees, Anthony Bale brings history alive in A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages, inviting the reader to travel across...

The epic story of the past, present, and future of world order, revealing how the decline of the West may be a good thing for the world. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, the West has been in crisis. Social unrest, political polarisation, and the rise of other great powers—especially China—threaten to unravel today's Western-led world order. Many fear...

In 1628, the Dutch East India Company loaded the Batavia, the flagship of its fleet, with a king’s ransom in gold, silver, and gems for her maiden voyage to Java. The ship itself was a tangible symbol of the world’s richest and most powerful monopoly. The company also sent along a new employee to guard its treasure. He was Jeronimus...

A truly global view of history covering over 350 of the world's most important milestones and key turning points. An essential gift for every history buff, this boldly illustrated book maps out the events that have shaped our world—from the dawn of human civilisation to the present day. A comprehensive and accessible guide to the history of human civilisation, World...

An exciting account of the origins of the modern world Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free-market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the...

Fascist politics is running rampant in America and spreading around the world. A Yale philosopher identifies its ten pillars and charts its horrifying rise and deep history. "No single book is as relevant to the present moment." - Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen "One of the defining books of the decade." - Elizabeth Hinton, author of From the War on...

The Devil’s Chessboard by David Talbot is a riveting exposé that unveils a chilling narrative of power, deception, and intrigue at the highest levels of the United States government. Delving into the intricately woven saga of America’s ascent to international supremacy, Talbot turns the spotlight on Allen Welsh Dulles, the enigmatic and influential figure who served as the CIA’s longest-tenured...

The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm transports readers to a pivotal era in 20th-century history, stretching from 1940 to 1965. This magnificent narrative opens against the backdrop of a beleaguered Great Britain, just as Winston Churchill steps into the premiership. The world teeters on the precipice, with Nazi Germany unleashing its formidable power across Europe. Through eloquent and meticulous...

The History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer is a meticulously crafted narrative that charts the sweeping developments of a transformative era, spanning from the fracturing of Rome and Constantinople to the cultural and political ascendancy of the T'ang Dynasty. Delve into the intricate tapestry of history as the book navigates through pivotal moments such as the birth...

The History of the Ancient World by Susan Wise Bauer offers an enthralling journey through the early civilisations of humanity, traversing across continents and centuries. With keen insight and narrative flair, Bauer meticulously weaves the captivating saga of the world's first empires, kingdoms, and societies, exploring their unique characteristics and shared experiences. This first instalment in an ambitious series brilliantly...

Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Empire is a masterful exploration of the final decades of the nineteenth century and the dawn of the twentieth century, a period marked by rapid industrialisation, colonial expansion, and profound social transformations. In this compelling narrative, Hobsbawm intricately examines the economic and political forces that dominated the era, leading up to the outbreak of World...

In The Age of Capital by Eric Hobsbawm, readers are taken on a profound journey through the transformative years between 1848 and 1875—an era that witnessed the sweeping rise of capitalism across the globe. Hobsbawm, an eminent historian, meticulously dissects this period which was marked by profound economic, social, and political changes. The narrative delves into how capitalism, a term...

In Stalingrad, Antony Beevor brings to life one of the most devastating and pivotal battles of World War II. With an incredible attention to detail and a gripping narrative style, Beevor captures the harrowing experiences of soldiers and civilians alike as they were drawn into the brutal struggle for control of this strategic city on the Volga. As the German...

5/5 A true joy. A work of staggering complexity and bewildering economy. TELEGRAPH A rattling, wonderful read. OBSERVER Every page glitters SPECTATOR Mesmerising NEW STATESMAN An exquisite book, beautifully put together... What a very wonderful book. STEPHEN FRY Absolutely gorgeous. It blew my socks off JAY BLADES An intensely personal, finely-tuned meditation. A beautiful book EDMUND DE WAAL Beautiful, bewitching...

In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West, from Lewis and Clark's expedition in the early 19th century to the closing of the frontier by the early 20th. He introduces us to explorers, mountain men, cowboys, missionaries and soldiers, taking us from John Jacob Astor's fur trading campaign...

Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened which completely revolutionised Western civilisation. Painting, sculpture, and architecture would all visibly change in a striking fashion. Likewise, the thought and self-conception of humanity would take on a completely different aspect. Sciences would be born — or emerge in an entirely new guise. In...

The Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder is a compelling exploration of our contemporary political landscape, meticulously examining the erosion of liberal democracy and the ascent of authoritarian ideologies. Through a detailed examination of recent historical events, Snyder delves into the mechanisms of influence that threaten the very foundation of Western civilisations. In this visionary work, Snyder presents a lucid...

Niall Ferguson's Empire takes readers on a riveting journey through the highs and lows of the British Empire, offering a bold reinterpretation of its impact on the modern world. This enthralling narrative captures the essence of the excitement, brutality, and adventure that characterised the British Empire's expansion from the late 16th century to its zenith in the 19th century, and...

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Dr Neil MacGregor is a captivating journey through human history, uniquely told through the examination of one hundred carefully selected artefacts from the extensive collection of the British Museum. This masterfully crafted narrative spans two million years and delves deep into the past, presenting a mosaic of historical moments that have...

Wanderlust by Reid Mitenbuler is an epic narrative following the extraordinary life of Peter Freuchen, an eccentric adventurer whose escapades spanned some of the most remote and perilous frontiers of the twentieth century. The story opens with a heart-pounding scene set in the Arctic wilderness, where Freuchen finds himself buried alive under the snow during a sudden blizzard. As he...

The World Before Us by Tom Higham takes readers on a captivating journey back to a time when our ancestors shared the planet with several other human species. Set approximately 50,000 years ago, this enthralling narrative explores the lives, interactions, and eventual fates of these ancient humans, painting a vivid picture of a world teeming with diversity and humanity on...

In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte für junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is now available in twenty-five...

Getting to grips with the overlapping geopolitical, economic, and political crises faced by Western democratic societies in the 2020s. The 21st century has brought a powerful tide of geopolitical, economic, and democratic shocks. Their fallout has led central banks to create over $25 trillion of new money, brought about a new age of geopolitical competition, destabilised the Middle East, ruptured...