History

Nicholas Breakspear has been overlooked for centuries, even though his achievements outshone those of his contemporary, the martyr Thomas Becket. Born in poverty and probably illegitimate, Breakspear rose to become the only Englishman to ascend the throne of Saint Peter, ruling over the papal sta...

Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, renowned geologist Andrew H. Knoll delivers a rigorous yet accessible biography of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story.

The British monarchy is at a turning point. Concise and engaging, this book charts the very beginnings of British reign through to the longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - and looks forward to the reign of King Charles III. Much more than a linear history, this is the intertwined story o...

Presenting an account of the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon, this work recounts the history of these storm troopers of the papacy, founded during the crusades but who got so rich and influential that they challenged the power of kings.

A magisterial and profoundly perceptive survey of Britain's post-war role on the global stage, from Suez to Brexit. In 1962, the US Secretary of State observed that post-war Britain had 'lost an empire and not yet found a role'. His gentle rebuke still rings true. Britain, clinging to its self-im...

This title opens with one of the greatest disasters in British military history - the fall of Singapore in February 1942. Unlike in the aftermath of Dunkirk there was here simply no redeeming narrative available - Britain had been totally defeated by a far smaller Japanese force in her grandly pr...

The British in this book lived in India from shortly after the reign of Elizabeth I until well into the reign of Elizabeth II. They were soldiers, officials, businessmen, doctors and missionaries of both sexes, planters, engineers and many others, together with children, wives and sisters. This b...

This title is an authoritative and enthralling history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail. Drawing on extensive research and in-depth access, Christian Wolmar provides a new perspective on a story long simplified.

More than 100,000 British troops fought in Korea between 1950 and 1953, of which just over 1000 died, with a further 1000 being captured and held in atrocious conditions by the Chinese or Koreans. At least half of those captured died in prison camps. More than 70% of those who fought were teenage...

Ysenda Maxtone Graham's book is about summer holidays of the mid-20th century and how they were spent. Through this prism, she paints a revealing portrait of how we were, how families functioned, what houses and gardens and streets were like, what journeys were like, and what people did all day i...