Non-Secondhand Books

Emotions are not universal, but are experienced and expressed in diverse ways within different cultures and times. This overview of the history of emotions within nineteenth-century British imperialism focuses on...

How did a small market town on the edge of the Fens become famous throughout the world? And how do Cambridge's two communities - 'town' and 'gown' - get along?...

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was an era of continuity as well as change. Though properly portrayed as the era of 'Protestant Ascendancy' it embraces two phases - the eighteenth...

Since it was first published in 2005, A History of Thailand has been hailed as an authoritative, lively and readable account of Thailand's political, economic, social and cultural history. From...

In mythology, art history and religious iconography, the apple has been imbued with every imaginable human desire. It has been a symbol of love and beauty, of temptation, of immortality,...

A highly entertaining read for anyone with even a passing interest in art and art history. This myth-busting book takes you on a great ride through the lives of starving...

For centuries, women were denied equal access to money and the freedom and power that came with it. They were restricted from owning property or transacting in real estate. Even...

This deeply-reported narrative illuminates the battle for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America, a decades-long struggle led by teenagers, parents, activists, and everyday Americans. Weaving in his own...

'Entertaining and vivid... This is a gripping account of an intriguing and little-known Cold War moment' OBSERVER 'Reads like a thriller' THE SUN The astonishing story of the ten million...

A must-have anthology of the leading Black women and femmes shaping today's food and hospitality landscape-from farm to table and beyond-chronicling their passions and motivations, lessons learned and hard-won wisdom,...

In this unique book, His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells the full story of his 75-year struggle with China to save Tibet and its people. Instant New York Times Bestseller...

An immersive history of a pivotal stretch of water 'Fascinating, spellbinding, erudite and great fun.' Roddy Doyle 'Remarkable. Lively ... Gower writes beautifully [and] the book is profoundly popular.' Times...

Romantic victim? Ruthless other woman? Innocent pawn? Religious reformer? Fool, flirt and adulteress? Politician? Witch? During her life, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's ill-fated second queen, was internationally famous - or...

New York City, 1912: in downtown Greenwich Village, a group of women gathered, all with a plan to change the world. This was the first meeting of 'Heterodoxy', a secret...

It tells of times when 'the air between people seems to alter' as art achieves profound change, across the globe and across history. Dominic Dromgoole has created a radical and...

British architecture between the wars is most famous for the rise of modernism - the flat roofs, clean lines and concrete of the Isokon flats in Hampstead and the Penguin...

From New York to New Delhi, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on our urban world - how can we adjust to this new reality and what lessons can we...

'I can't think of a more enjoyable or more illuminating guide to Cornwall than Petroc Trelawny, who knows it intimately, loves it deeply, and shares it generously' - THE REVEREND...

Fifty bridges from all over the world to be crossed on foot or with one's imagination. Throughout history bridges have been used as a way to link people, places and...

Amidst bloody battles and political maneuvering, thousands of African Americans spent the Civil War trying to hold their families together. This moving book illuminates that struggle through the letters they...

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...

Organized as a field guide, a literary anthology filled with classic and contemporary poems and essays inspired by wildflowers-perfect for writers, artists, and botanists alikeAmerican Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide...

How do we define patriotism in a diverse society? What divides us and what brings us together? Why do we feel uncomfortable celebrating our country's history? How to be a...

Drawing on fifty years of interviews and experience, Homelands tells the epic story of how Europe in the early twenty first century, having emerged from its wartime hell, recovered and...

A definitive and ambitious new history of the Indian subcontinent - this is Tony Judt's Postwar for South Asia Shadows at Noon is an ambitious synthesis of decades of research...

Perfect for readers of Women in Clothes , this beautifully designed philosophical guide to fashion explores art, literature, and film to uncover the hidden meaning of a well-chosen wardrobe. We...

A dazzling history of Africans in Europe, revealing their unacknowledged role in shaping the continent One of the Best History Books of 2021 -- Smithsonian Conventional wisdom holds that Africans...

'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,...

'An extraordinary treasure trove' Andrew Marr A unique collection of unpublished letters from the climbing legend George Mallory to his family, revealing his innermost thoughts about people, places and mountains....

An unprecedented look at women's everyday clothes-from Sylvia Plath's Girl Scout uniform to psychedelic microminis, modern suits, and fast-food workers' uniforms-this fascinating volume shows how American women from every background...

A visual feast of 50 weird, wonderful and architecturally astounding swimming pools from around the world. Swimming pools are no longer simply places to swim, they are versatile sites of...

Winner of a 2020-2021 New York City Book AwardIn a rapidly changing New York, two forces battled for the city's soul: the pro-slavery New Yorkers who kept the illegal slave...

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 dazzling history of Africans in Europe, "masterfully" ( Smithsonian ) revealing their unacknowledged role in shaping the continent A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History...

A captivating, eloquent and nuanced book, We All Go into the Dark is an absolute must-read for true-crime fans across the board. Three women were brutally murdered between early 1968...

Discover the iconic and enduring beauty of English gardens, the people who made them, and the legacy they leave We may all feel we know what an "English" garden is,...

'A surprising page-turner, full of humour and startling details' THE TIMES ' If I read a better history this year, I will be lucky' TOM HOLLAND 'An astonishing tour de...

Economic thinking - about globalisation, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation and much more - in its most digestible form For decades, a single free market philosophy has dominated global economics....

This rich history of Antwerp in the sixteenth century was a Times Book of the Year and R4 Book of the Week A rich history of Antwerp from the author...

A spellbinding exploration of the emergence of the digital age and an unsettling vision of what comes next In a world where humans coexist with technologies they no longer control...

'No one else makes history this fun' AMANDA FOREMAN 'All the Rage sits you at the dressing table of history: a place of dreams, doubts, self-harm and hopes' SARAH DITUM,...

Skulduggery, power struggles and politics. A fascinating re-examination of Anglo-Saxon England told through the secret lives of the saints. From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Femina 'Ramirez blasts a...

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction "There Kevin Young goes again, giving us books we greatly need, cleverly disguised as books we merely want. Unexpectedly essential." --Marlon James...

An exploration of infamous, controversial figures and how they exert control.Amos Barshad has long been fascinated by the powerful. But not by elected officials or natural leaders-he's interested in their...

With new forewords and an afterword by Martin Luther King III, Dr. Bernice A. King, and Dexter Scott King A beautiful collectible edition celebrating the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin...

"Winning, cheeky, and illuminating....What appears initially as a folly with a look-at-this cover and title becomes, thanks to Radke's intelligence and curiosity, something much meatier, entertaining, and wise." - The...

Formed in 1921 to provide welfare to soldiers returning from the First World War, the Royal British Legion is today the UK's leading military charity. In May 2021 the Legion...

The history of British gambling is a history that stretches back nearly one thousand years, reaching into some of the nation's most fabled periods. It's now an industry worth billions...