History

The Sunday Times no. 1 memoir now in paperback The Pigeon Tunnel, John le Carre's memoir and his first work of non-fiction, is a thrilling journey into the worlds of...

The essential writings of black lesbian poet and feminist writer Audre Lorde The woman's place of power within each of us is neither white nor surface; it is dark, it...

From Walkley Award-winning writer Gary Linell comes the true and epic story of George Scott, an Irish-born preacher who becomes, along with Ned Kelly, one of the nation's most notorious...

From Walkley Award-winning writer, Gary Linnell comes the greatest Australian story never told - until now. 'Always compelling, very entertaining.' Daily Telegraph 'A fabulous yarn. Highly recommended.' Better Reading He...

From bestselling author Michael Pollan comes a radical challenge to how we think about drugs Of all the many things humans rely on plants for, surely the most curious is...

'Thoroughly engrossing ... his literary gifts and prodigious research make for a deeply satisfying reading experience studded with narrative surprise, hopping back and forth between El Salvador and the wider...

Is mathematics a discovery or an invention? Do numbers truly exist? What sort of reality do formulas describe? The complexity of mathematics - its abstract rules and obscure symbols -...

The myth-busting science behind our modern attitudes to exercise In industrialized nations, our sedentary lifestyles have contributed to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diseases like diabetes. A key remedy, we...

An unflinching, brilliant book on the Parachute Regiment and the Falklands War Our Boys brings to life the human experiences of the paratroopers who fought in the Falklands, and examines...

A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019- the astonishing story of how culture enabled us to become the most successful species on Earth Humans are a planet-altering force. Our closest living...

Extraordinary stories about Soviet children's experiences in the Second World War, from Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich What did it mean to grow up in the Soviet Union during the Second...

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...

This is the epic story of the universe and our place in it, from 13.8 billion years ago to the remote future How did we get from the Big Bang...

The acclaimed historical portrait of the love triangle between an opera star, a writer and an impresario - and their role in Europe's 19th-century cultural Renaissance The Europeans is a...

Moving from the Modern Classics into the successful Wells series in the Penguin Classics. Spanning the origins of the Earth to the outcome of the First World War, this is...

A searing account of George Orwell's observations of working-class life in the bleak industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire in the 1930s, The Road to Wigan Pier is a brilliant...

Charting the waves a mere fish can send through history, Kurlansky has fashioned an epic masterpiece out of a seemingly small subject. 'Who would ever think that a book on...

Now included in UQP's First Nations Classics series with an introduction by Fiona Foley, Finding Eliza is a vital Indigenous perspective on colonial storytelling. Aboriginal lawyer, writer and filmmaker Larissa...

A luminously original exploration of the deep roots of diet culture by an award-winning historian'A courageous and beautifully written exploration of a vitally important subject' The Herald'Fascinating' Katherine May'These books...

*A Waterstones Best Book of 2023**A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week**A New York Times Editor's Pick*'Terrific' SARAH DUNANT'Lively and intriguing ... You'll never look at Renaissance portraits in...

Between 1942 and 1943, Qantas lost eight aircraft during its involvement in Australia's war against the Japanese. Over sixty passengers and crew died as a result. Yet Qantas' exemplary contribution...

'The underwater worlds of past and present collide in the depths of the ocean in this gripping and suspenseful narrative by David Mearns, a true expert on the mysteries of...

Monash and Chauvel follows the extraordinary campaigns of the two most outstanding battlefield commanders of the First World War across all the Allied armies: John Monash and Harry Chauvel. John...

The history of the Freemasons has often been shrouded in mystery and suspicion. Since 1717, with the establishment of the Grand Lodge in London, the Freemasons have been a power...

In this radical re-evaluation of American history, Saidiya Hartman uses her singular talents to create a striking portrait of nineteenth century slavery and its many afterlives. By turning critical attention...

A journalist takes readers into the science and history of intermittent fasting, an ancient practice in the middle of a red-hot resurgence, exploring the body's power to heal itselfOne in...

Despite being relatively brief, this very readable history covers environmental, political, social, economic, cultural and artistic elements, and is very open to regional variations and to the extent that the...

An extraordinary exploration of the ancestry of Britain through seven burial sites. By using new advances in genetics and taking us through important archaeological discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts helps us...

'Pacy, witty and authoritative' Jonathan Freedland'In her hands, ancient history becomes a vivid avenue of approach to a burning modern-world concern... a powerful and important book' Daily Telegraph A superb...

'If a house could gossip, this is the book that Hampton Court would whisper. An enjoyable and readable stroll through 500 years of Hampton Court history: royal residents, common visitors,...

'A lively picture of multiple operators scrambling to steal a march on the competition . . . Lavishly detailed'FINANCIAL TIMES 'This is Shakespearean scholarship at its best, brilliantly researched yet...

The squares of London are amongst its most famous and best loved features. Berkeley Square, Eaton Square, St James's Square - the names are inextricably linked with the history of...

This is a classic account by one of the officers who took part in one of the great escapades of WWII. In 1943, W. Stanley Moss and Patrick Leigh-Fermor, both...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'An absolute must-read . . . Emmanuel Acho dives into important subjects like cultural appropriation and white privilege, urging you to find a way to...

Author: Marilynne Robinson Format: Paperback Number of Pages: 224 Of Marilynne Robinson, Michael Arditti said that there is 'no contemporary novelist whose work I would rather read'. However she is...

British Summer Time Begins is about summer holidays of the mid-twentieth century and how they were spent, as recounted to Ysenda Maxtone-Graham in vividly remembered detail by people who were...

'A triumph' INDEPENDENT'A thought-provoking and indispensable book' DAILY MAIL'An instant classic ... I have been reading it with unalloyed admiration and delight' EVENING STANDARDRoy Strong has written an exemplary introduction...

Since the formation of the state of Israel in 1948, the Nakba (or 'disaster' as the Palestinians call it), there have been many opportunities to move towards peace and equality...

A Waterstones Travel Book of the Year 2023A funny, warm and timely meditation on identity and belonging, following the scenic route along the England-Wales border: Britain's deepest faultline. There is...

Triumphs and disasters in the deep seaThis is a journey through time and water, to the bottom of the ocean and the future of our planet. We do not see...

'A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter' New York Times'An ebullient, irrepressible spirit invests this book. It is erudite and...

The vivid and masterful story of Isabella Stewart Gardner-creator of one of America's most stunning museums-an American original whose own life was remade by art. Includes archival photos of Isabella's...

Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in).From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women...

It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to twentieth century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry,...

In the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARD 2023'Exceptionally well-written and intelligent ... if you are interested in this remarkable microcosm of England, the book will grip you; if you aren't,...

'Uproarious . . . [Phillips and Elledge] pair the abundant good humour of this book with a warning about the corrosive effects of conspiracy theories' The TimesFrom the Satanic Panic...

In his timely new book, Mikhail Shishkin, argues that Russia is not a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma': we just don't know enough about it. So what...