History and Archaeology

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A bold, urgent appeal from the acclaimed columnist and political commentator, addressing one of the most important issues of our time “At this painful moment, Peter Beinart´s voice is more vital than ever. His reach is broad—from the tragedy of today´s Middle East to the South Africa he knows well to events centuries ago—his scholarship is deep, and hi

Delve into the beguiling history of witches and uncover a fascinating world laden with myth, magic, and superstition. The Story of Witches offers tantalizing insight into the dark past and modern fascination with the occult in its many forms. Demonic and deviant or liberated and revered, witches have cast a compelling spell over the cultural zeitgeist for hundreds of years, often occupying a spac

Archaeologists have always insisted most strenuously that lenses did not exist in ancient times. Robert Temple’s real-life detective story proves them wrong. His research began with the discovery that an ancient artifact in the British Museum, believed to be a piece of rock crystal, had, in fact, been ground to form a lens. In this fascinating book, one of the most revolutionary studies in

The definitive account of the Tokyo war crimes trials of 1946-8 and the impact the settlement has had on post-war China and Japan, and on the wider the world right up to the present day.

TIME´S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP 10 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “Patricia Evangelista´s searing account is not only the definitive chronicle of a reign of terror in the Philippines, but a warning to the rest of the world about the true dangers of despotism—its nightmarish consequences and its terrible human cost.”—Patrick Radden Keefe, N

A New York Times Notable Book “Henry Louis Gates is a national treasure. Here, he returns with an intellectual and at times deeply personal meditation on the hard-fought evolution and the very meaning of African American identity, calling upon our country to transcend its manufactured divisions.” — Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste “This is a litera

London: A Guide for Curious Wanderers presents a miscellany of historic and quirky curiosities to spot as you wander around the capital.

Garden and social historian Advolly Richmond (of Gardener’s World) unravels the surprising histories of 60 flowers that shape our gardens. Have you ever wondered where your favourite garden flowers came from? Where their names derived? Or why some cultivars go in and out of favour? Every flower in your herbaceous border has a story, and in this book Advolly Richmond takes you on a tour of the mo

This rich and beautiful guide from bestselling garden writer Ambra Edwards explores the most magnificent botanic havens from every continent across the world. There has never been a better time to celebrate botanic gardens. From Brooklyn and San Francisco, to Colombia and Brazil; Oxford and Kew, to Cape Town and Mauritius; Norway and Germany, to Sydney and Thailand, discover surprising diversity

A romantic journey through forty captivating gardens lost to time.   All over the world, once-flourishing horticultural spaces have been abandoned and forgotten. From the once-crumbling grandeur of the Villa d’Este and the magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, to the sculptural surrealism of Las Pozas and the colourful rebirth of Le Jardin Majorelle, there are countless gardens around the worl

Turn the pages of this thought-provoking book and discover maps that challenge conventional wisdom, confront social and political norms and offer fresh perspectives on familiar landscapes. This meticulously curated selection of 40 maps spans the ages, from ancient parchment scrolls to cutting-edge digital creations. Each map is a window into a different facet of our world, shedding light on the

Nobody knows the city of light like Paris resident and travel writer John Baxter – and nobody is able to write about its culture quite so intriguingly. Let him guide you around the Paris you’ve always wanted to know. How was Ernest Hemingway received by the city he wrote so much about, and where did he rub shoulders with other literary greats? Are Parisian waiters really as rude as their reputat

A vibrant visual celebration of the iconic cube.  The Rubik’s® Cube was created in 1974 by Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architecture professor. Rubik later used the Cube as a learning exercise to teach his students about three-dimensional spaces. Little did he know his ‘magic cube’ (as he originally named it) would become one of the most famous puzzles of all time! By the 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube was

The world’s biggest religion has a problem. There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist – the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains a mystery for today’s 2.5 billion faithful. The Im

This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and femi

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020'As brilliant a history of the Vikings as one could possibly hope to read' Tom HollandThe 'Viking Age' is traditionally held to begin in June 793 when Scandinavian raiders attacked the monastery of Lindisfarne in Northumbria.

In THE ARK BEFORE NOAH, British Museum expert Dr Irving Finkel reveals how decoding the symbols on a 4,000 year old piece of clay enable a radical new interpretation of the Noah's Ark myth.

The History of Colour explores the rich history of humans relationship with colour, from ancient times to today.

Travel to Planet Drag and explore the styles, influences, artists and events that have made the art of drag so outrageously popular in 15 countries around the world. Exquisitely styled by top drag artists and with a foreword by Canada’s Drag Race judge Brooke Lynn Hytes, this is the ultimate guide to drag – a glittering, feathered foray into the past and present of this much-loved art form. Gl