European History

A concise history of Paris and the great events and personalities, from prehistory to the present, that have shaped its unique cultural legacy. Once described as 'that metropolis of dress...

A completely original history of one of the most extraordinary movements in the world - the Girl Guides - and how they helped win the war. Mention Girl Guides to...

Biographer and novelist A. N. Wilson, whose most recent work on the life of Queen Victoria was an enormous critical and commercial success, turns his clear eye to our own...

"Fascinating." - The Wall Street Journal "An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset." - Publishers Weekly The authors of The Bright Ages return with a "real-life Game of Thrones "...

'An electric biography' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Thrilling' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A masterclass in the possibilities of biography' FINANCIAL TIMES Vera Gedroits was a towering, sweet-faced lesbian princess, an ardent supporter of...

'Important, comprehensive, and superbly researched. All the more urgent at the present time' BART VAN ES 'A terrific, clear-eyed and balanced history that cuts through today's toxic debates' DAILY TELEGRAPH...

An original history of Russia's thousand-year past, tracing the forces and the myths that have shaped Putin's politics and rekindled the Cold War. Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has reshaped...

The Great War had a profound impact on Britain. Not only did families risk their sons in active combat; every member of society was required to make a contribution to...

A vivid, seminal portrait of early 1980s Britain- a period that changed Britain forever The early 1980s in Britain were a time of hope, and of dread- of Cold War...

The Story of Britain is a significant book published at a significant moment, for there can rarely have been a time when public concern about history and the teaching of...

Already famous throughout Europe for his theories of planetary motion and gravity, Isaac Newton decided to take on the job of running the Royal Mint. And there, Newton became drawn...

Examining the Roman world from an unusual and illuminating angle, this volume explores the central period of the Roman empire from Julius Caesar to Marcus Aurelius. Martin Goodman focuses on...

This, the third volume to appear in the New Oxford History of England, covers the period from the repeal of the Corn Laws to the dramatic failure of Gladstone's first...

The French countryside is as beloved by the many millions of tourists who visit it each year as it is of French people themselves. But it has not always looked...

'Brilliant, hilarious... My book of the year' INDIA KNIGHT 'A wonderful book' CRAIG BROWN, Mail on Sunday 'Funny, bloodcurdling and moving' Daily Mail The cruel teachers. The pashes on other...

From the bestselling author of The Long Weekend: a wild, sad and sometimes hilarious tour of the English country house after the Second World War, when Swinging London collided with...

How did the introduction of the button change medieval life? If you found yourself in Elizabethan England, should you kiss your hostess on the lips? Why were pistols safer than...

Heiresses is a glorious book, endlessly entertaining and about much more than its stated subject. Thompson is a fabulous writer' Caroline O'Donoghue 'Witty, insightful, deliciously gossip-laden and slightly scandalous... Heiresses...

This is the first detailed analysis of English barristers and the Inns of Court in the period 1680-1730. The four Inns of Court have constituted the principal institutional home of...

This is an anthology of women's letters written during times of conflict in Britain from the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century to the end of World War...

'An enthralling guide to one of the world's great cities - that blends history and insights into the present day from one of the most astute commentators on the politics...

Ireland is a strikingly different country now to the one it was in the mid-1990s. Dramatic economic, social and cultural changes, including the Celtic Tiger boom and increasingly secular debate...

Sparta - its legendary warriors and steadfast resilience are famous throughout the world as a model for toughness, justice and masculinity. The Spartans' reputation as fighters is matched only by...

For fans of the Netflix series The Crown and from the author of the New York Times bestseller 17 Carnations comes a captivating biography of Wallis Simpson, the notorious woman...

The gripping account of how the Royal family really operates, from the journalist who has spent years studying them. Who really runs the show and, as Charles III begins his...

At the beginning of each decade for 200 years the national census has presented a self-portrait of the British Isles. The census has surveyed Britain from the Napoleonic wars to...

Between 1890 and 1914 the city of London was all dominant, as Britain's legendary gold-standard reigned supreme across the globe. The author shows how this was possible, anatomizes an elite...

This book is a study in the evolution of English society between c. 1180 and c. 1280. The argument proceeds by means of a detailed analysis of the honour and...

At the end of the 20th century, tourism is the world's largest single industry. Tourism, however, is not only an economic and social phenomenon but can be "read" in semiotic...

The family has played a central role in most societies and the complexity, and variety of that role has engaged the minds of many froma wide range of disciplines. There...

A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 "A brilliant exploration of Cyprus's long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed." -- Guardian "Poetic...Compelling" -- New Statesman One of National Geographic 's...

A glorious illustrated history of sixteen of the world's greatest cathedrals, interwoven with the extraordinary stories of the people who built them. 'An impeccable guide to the golden age of...

' An instant classic' NIGELLA LAWSON 'Sweeping, intimate, defiant and brimming with love' LOUISE KENNEDY 'It is the roots that keep the trees from falling during a storm. Olia Hercules...

*A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week* 'Carefully observed, rich in detail, imaginative, compassionate and angry. A raw, unexpected portrait of Britain's grandeur, wealth, energy, cruelty and hypocrisy in...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE RUNCIMAN AWARD 2025 "A brilliant exploration of Cyprus's long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed." -- Guardian One of National Geographic 's Summer Reads 2024...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANGLO-HELLENIC LEAGUE RUNCIMAN AWARD 2025 "A brilliant exploration of Cyprus's long history of cultural resilience. Superbly composed." -- Guardian One of National Geographic 's Summer Reads 2024...

The second in a major two-part anthology uncovering the rich reality of life for queer men in London, from the end of the Second World War to decriminalization in 1967...

' An instant classic' NIGELLA LAWSON 'Sweeping, intimate, defiant and brimming with love' LOUISE KENNEDY 'It is the roots that keep the trees from falling during a storm. Olia Hercules...

This text offers a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of the history of Ireland. Written by a team of more than 80 distinguished historians, its 1800 entries explore every aspect...

'Delightful ... Venner builds an excellent narrative of a city that was thriving and bustling with life at the very point it was snuffed out.' The Times We all know...

This is an annotated translation of al-Tahtawi's "Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz", an Arabic account of a visit to Paris by a Muslim from the Near East. Its author, a...

IN 1937, Charles Madge and Tom Harrisson created the social survey organisation Mass Observation to capture the thoughts, feelings and minutiae of individuals across the British Isles. At its height...

A sharp-sweet memoir of change, identity and hybridity. I loved it - KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering The orange we know, waxed in vats, gathered in red netting and stacked...

"It's a nice piece of pageantry. . . . Rationally it's lunatic, but in practice, everyone enjoys it, I think."-HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Founded by Edward III in...

The 120 years that separate the first publication of John Stow's famous Survey of London in 1598 from John Strype's enormous new edition of the same work in 1720 witnessed...

The thrilling family saga of five unforgettable women who remade Europe. From the great courts, glittering palaces, and war-ravaged battlefields of the seventeenth century comes the story of four spirited...

Among the 70,000 refugees from Nazi Germany who had entered Britain by 1939 were many intellectuals of the Weimar era. This book tells the story of five emigre writers, three...