20th Century History

A brilliant, eye-opening espionage thriller by a former special forces officer 'now at the forefront of spy writing' 'The thinking person's John le Carre' Tribune 'Edward Wilson seems poised to...

'Chu's smart, iconoclastic portrait dismantles seven misconceptions' [NEW STATESMEN] about modern China and offers a corrective to Western assumptions. THE CHINESE ARE THE MOST HARDWORKING PEOPLE ON EARTH... so why...

One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Special Forces' operations - Daily Express In the bleak moments after defeat on mainland Europe in winter 1939, wartime leader...

'I wanted to climb inside this book and live there' PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE 'This witty, fascinating book is a delight. Read it' MIRIAM MARGOLYES 'Superb, sparky and reflective' The Spectator 'Gender...

Napoleon warned 'Let China sleep; when she wakes, she will shake the world'. Lawrence James's magisterial history analyses the relationship between Britain and China between the beginning of the Opium...

'Thrilling! The Hostage is an intense, white-knuckle ride from start to finish' LAURA GRIFFIN 'An action-packed, don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-something kind of novel, which makes it impossible to put down once you've started...

Featuring a new foreword by Molly Jong-Fast, THE NAUGHTY NINETIES is a sexual history of the 1990s when the tabloids, the tawdry, and the titillating took over Washington, Hollywood, and...

Winner of the information book category of the UKLA Book Awards 2020. Katherine Johnson is the mathematical genius who helped make the historic Apollo 11 moon landings possible and made...

Napoleon warned 'Let China sleep; when she wakes, she will shake the world'. Lawrence James's magisterial history analyses the relationship between Britain and China between the beginning of the Opium...

The Korean War of 1950-1953 ended in a frustrating stalemate, the echoes of which reverberate to this day. It was the only conflict of the Cold War in which forces...

'This is a book unlike any other, the definitive analysis of David's music, told in a quiet natural way, but with absolute authenticity, by the people around him.' - Hermione...

The complete story of how the German Enigma codes were broken. Perfect for fans of THE IMITATION GAME, the new film on Alan Turing's Enigma code, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Breaking...

The splendid finale to Eric Hobsbawm's study of the nineteenth century, THE AGE OF EMPIRE covers the area of Western Imperialism and examines the forces that swept the world to...

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Inspired by real life stories of the Windrush Generation and her mother's own experiences as a nurse coming to Britain from the Caribbean, Sarah Lee's debut novel An Ocean Apart...

From Annie Murray, the bestselling author of The Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green, comes another gritty family saga about love, war and chocolate . . . September...

The first in her much-loved Fleethaven Trilogy, Margaret Dickinson's Plough the Furrow begins the story of Esther, and her determination and dedication to the Lincolnshire farm land. Lincolnshire, 1910. Shunned...

A new heartwarming and engrossing tale from saga superstar Daisy Styles It is June 1940, and as the bombs fall the women at home must dig deep . . ....

Bestselling historical fiction author Molly Green is back with her most engrossing, heartfelt World War Two saga yet! Preorder The Wartime Librarian's Secret now! Her duty is to keep smiling...

A Number One Sunday Times Bestseller What happens when you take on the establishment? In Adults in the Room , the renowned economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis...

-Old man MacIver, military historian and one-time centre for Scotland's rugby team ('quite quick in his day'), recently widowed, has holed up in his holiday home. He makes rules to...

November 1907. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield sail from Liverpool on the maiden voyage of the Mauretania. While posing as a passenger George is in fact an undercover detective hired...

September 1907. George Dillman sets sail from Liverpool on the Lusitania's maiden voyage. While posing as a passenger George is in fact an undercover detective hired by the Cunard Line....

'A gem. Brief, authoritative and fair in its judgements - an intensely readable introduction to this most complex and fascinating man' - Graham Farmelo, award-winning author of The Strangest Man...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE VICTORIAN PREMIER'S AWARD FOR FICTION 2023 'This is a great novel of enduring significance and enormous beauty.' - Sydney Morning Herald Sometimes you need to delve into...

The "monumental" ( Washington Post ), field-defining history of gay life in New York City in the early to mid-20th century Gay New York brilliantly shatters the myth that before...

A magical and emotionally powerful novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Sallis , perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy, Fiona Valpy and Rosamunde Pilcher. READERS ARE LOVING NO...

A Waterstones History Book of the Year Longlisted for the Orwell Prize Shortlisted for the inaugural Jhalak Prize A vital re-examination of a shared history, published to accompany the landmark...

Should she stay loyal to her country, or the man she loves? A must read for fans of Katie Flynn, Fiona Valpy and Kristin Hannah - this is an enthralling...

From USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight comes an endearing and vivid novel told from the unique multi-narrative viewpoints of a young Queen Elizabeth; Hanna Penwyck, the fictionalized Keeper of...

'This is a gem. Kate Atkinson fans will love it' Irish Independent In a world of lonely hearts, are there enough happy endings to go around? Marriage matchmaker seeks assistant;...

"An absorbing account of romantics enchanted by Kiplingesque myths and the Lawrence of Arabia legend, who cynically harboured the self-contradictory ambition of democratizing the Arab world and Iran while arrogating...

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDS A TABLET BOOK OF THE YEAR 'One of the best memoirs I've read in years' SATHNAM SANGHERA 'Beautifully...

'A lyrical investigation ... both powerful and transcendent' CHIGOZIE OBIOMA'Acutely observed, hauntingly rendered and deeply affecting' AMINATTA FORNA'Both epic and intimate' MARGO JEFFERSON An astonishing search for a missing person,...

For readers who loved Wonder and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time this extraordinary debut will make you laugh and cry. A story that crosses time and...

The monumental biography of the most influential leader on the world stage in the last twenty years. Vladimir Putin is a pariah to the West. He has the power to...

A new history of modern Britain that makes sense of its contradictions today Imperial Island shows how empire, its disintegration and its ever-present aftermath have profoundly shaped the British people,...

Accessible, lively new biography of an under-served female writer, from a bestselling, acclaimed literary biographer ** The Sunday Times Best Literary Book of 2023** ** A Waterstones Best Book of...

An entertaining and informative journey across Italy in the footsteps of the great Italian political hero, Garibaldi. 'Elegantly written, full of wit and charm, this is travel writing at its...

Now the subject of a major BBC TV drama, this is the only full-length study of Charles Sobrhaj - one of the world's greatest conmen, and notorious serial killers. ***NOW...

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...

From one of the leading voices in aviation non-fiction, and the bestselling author of VULCAN 607, the untold story of the Falklands War and the iconic 809 Squadron. Perfect for...

Beautiful and haunting, a personal journey through Britain's flatlands and a reckoning with the painful memories and hidden histories they contain Noreen Masud has always loved flat landscapes - their...

An astonishing memoir of the Holocaust through the eyes of a child, and an exquisite meditation on memory and trauma Aharon Appelfeld was the beloved only child of middle-class Jewish...

An extraordinary, uncompromising and consoling celebration of a life - through childhood, faith, family, love, friendship, pain and loss - written as its author was facing her own mortality Gillian...

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 masterful tale of murder and intrigue in a small French town, from the celebrated author of the Maigret series Nobody mentioned the victims, or the terror that had gripped...

Illuminating reflections on painting and drawing from the great 'art-historical odd man out' 'Thank God for yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, and permanent green light' How does a painter see...