History

The true history of tattoo as both art and profession in the West There is a pervasive stereotype of tattoo culture as relating to an underworld of scoundrels, sailors, and...

The first authoritative account of the Hell-Fire Clubs, who joined them, and which notorious legends about them are true The Hell-Fire Clubs scandalized eighteenth-century English society. Rumors of their orgies,...

The Secret Museum is a unique treasure trove of the most intriguing artifacts hidden away in museum archives from all over the world - curated, brought to light, and brought...

A sophisticated contribution to debates in both the academic and the public realms regarding the nature of antisemitism today. This groundbreaking anthology addresses the history and challenges of using "antisemitism"...

The extraordinary true story of intertwined lives that lies behind Handel's Messiah, the most performed piece of classical music ever written 'A delicious history of music, power, love, genius, royalty...

Neverland is a social history of a surf town in Australia - which happens to be Byron Bay. It is the story of the surfers, American and Australian, who found...

A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year A BBC History Magazine Best Book of the Year "Excellent...A fascinating, authoritative account of the paths for China's future explored during a...

A Financial Times Best Book of the Year Winner of the Norris and Carol Hundley Award Winner of the US-Russia Relations Book Prize "The achievement of a lifetime." -Stephen Kotkin,...

A fascinating and approachable deep dive into the colonial roots of the global wine industry. Imperial Wine is a bold, rigorous history of Britain's surprising role in creating the wine...

"There is no better book on fascism's complex and vexed relationship with truth."-Jason Stanley, author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them In this short companion to...

The Mycenaean civilization of the Greek Bronze was identified 150 years ago, yet its origins remain obscure. Jack L. Davis, codirector of ongoing excavations at the Palace of Nestor at...

Victor Hugo meets Papillon in this effervescent memoir of war, slavery, and self-discovery, told with aplomb and humor in its first English translation. A pioneering work of Ottoman Turkish literature,...

A revelatory history of the women who brought Victorian criminals to account-and how they became a cultural sensation From Wilkie Collins to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the traditional image...

A sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of the rise of American naval power during World War II "When he is at his best, as he often is in these pages,...

"Overflowing with surprises."-William Dalrymple, The Spectator "Essential reading."-Dan Jones, Times (UK) "Fascinating and authoritative."-Jerry Brotton The unlikely beginnings of the East India Company-from Tudor origins and rivalry with the superior...

A case for why regionalization, not globalization, has been the biggest economic trend of the past forty years The conventional wisdom about globalization is wrong. Over the past forty years...

The remarkable story of how a handful of intrepid scientific navigators underpinned British naval dominance in the conflict with Napoleon During the Napoleonic Wars, more than twice as many British...

An investigation into the evolution of the seven-day week and how our attachment to its rhythms influences how we live "[Henkin] scours American literature, diaries, periodicals, menus and other ephemera...

A fast-paced narrative about the world-famous libertine Giacomo Casanova, from celebrated biographer Leo Damrosch "Fully succeeds in communicating that 'vivid presentness,' that 'joyful eagerness' for life, which is what keeps...

A major new biography of Antoine Barnave-the politician and writer who advocated for a constitutional monarchy in revolutionary France Antoine Barnave was one of the most influential statesmen in the...

A lively new history of London told through twenty-five buildings, from iconic Georgian townhouses to the Shard A walk along any London street takes you past a wealth of seemingly...

A compelling, authoritative history of how women shaped the Reformations and transformed religious life across the globe The Reformations, both Protestant and Catholic, have long been told as stories of...

A fascinating journey through Europe's old towns, exploring why we treasure them-but also what they hide about a continent's fraught history Historic quarters in cities and towns across the middle...

An engaging, accessible introduction to war, from ancient times to the present and into the future "Forty short chapters . . . describe war from the ancient world to the...

The Second World War was the defining moment in the history of the Soviet Union. With Stalin at the helm, it emerged victorious at a huge economic and human cost....

Amongst the Ruins explores the loss of ancient civilisations, the collapse of ruling elites and the disappearance of more recent communities and their local traditions. Some of these are now...

A pioneering history of cross-cultural knowledge that exposes enduring fractures in unity across the world's largest continent The nineteenth century saw European empires build vast transport networks to maximize their...

What happened on the last day of the Great War? Each year since we have marked the end of the war with tributes and remembrance, solemnity and respect. But as...

The East India Company was the most powerful commercial enterprise in British history. Yet its speculative, highly risky origins are now all but forgotten. A revolution in commerce during the...

The fascinating history of American bookishness as told through the sale of Charles Lamb's library in 1848 Charles Lamb's library-a heap of sixty scruffy old books singed with smoke, soaked...

A compelling intellectual biography of Stalin told through his personal library In this engaging life of the twentieth century's most self-consciously learned dictator, Geoffrey Roberts explores the books Stalin read,...

A compelling, expansive history of the relationship between China and Russia, from the seventeenth century to the present Russia and China, the largest and most populous countries in the world,...

The extraordinary story of the Popish Plot and how it shaped the political and religious future of Britain In 1678, a handful of perjurers claimed that the Catholics of England...

Late one night in December 2008, police arrived at the home of Liu Xiaobo-China's leading dissident, a key figure in the prodemocracy manifesto Charter 08-and took him away. When Liu...

An imam banished from eastern Indonesia to the Cape of Good Hope in 1780 builds a new Muslim community with a mix of fellow exiles, enslaved people, and even the...

A history of how, in the mid-twentieth century, we came to believe in the concept of creativity. Named a best book of 2023 by the New Yorker and a notable...

The economist and historian Deirdre Nansen McCloskey has been best known recently for her Bourgeois Era trilogy, a vigorous defense, unrivaled in scope, of commercially tested betterment. Its massive volumes,...

A sweeping narrative history of the Atlantic slave trade and slavery in the Americas. During the era of the Atlantic slave trade, more than twelve million enslaved Africans were forcibly...

This essential volume examines the foundations of cuisine, starting with its earliest sources. Tracing every element of the produce, implements, and skills involved in food preparation, it asks such timely...

Real-life accounts of the world's most notorious pirates-both men and women, from the Golden Age of Piracy and beyond-compiled by the New York Times bestselling author of A True Account-...

Rollicking and informative, Reprehensible: Polite Histories of Bad Behaviour is your guide through some of the most shameful behaviour indulged in by humanity's most celebrated figures, as told by Mikey...

'A deeply thought-provoking book full of wisdom, insight and common sense, by two of our foremost strategists' James Holland, bestselling author of The War in the West FOREWORD BY SIR...

A wonderfully concise and readable, yet comprehensive, history of the Mediterranean Sea, the perfect companion for any visitor -- or indeed, anyone compelled to stay at home. 'The grand object...

The 'true' history of humanity's greatest moments, as told by comedian and TikTok sensation, Adrian Bliss History belongs to the heroes. But to get the full story, sometimes you have...

A true detective story from the age of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers- the literary crime that fooled the world - and the daring young booksellers who uncovered it...

Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the life of the best-known figure of the ancient world- the Roman gladiator Bestselling author Harry...

A brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been misrepresented and co-opted over centuries for political, nation-building ends. By Professor Janina Ramirez, bestselling historian and author of FEMINA...

A brief and thrilling introduction to Japan from one of the country's leading British historians In this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japan's rich history...