History

The social revolution that in 1959 brought down the bloody Batista dictatorship began in the streets of cities like Santiago de Cuba and the Rebel Army’s liberated mountain zones of eastern Cuba. The unprecedented integration of women in the ranks and leadership of this struggle was a true measure of the revolutiona... read more

On an icy morning in Paris in January 1943, 230 French women resisters were rounded up from the Gestapo detention camps and sent on a train to Auschwitz — the only train, in the four years of German occupation, to take women of the resistance to a death camp. The youngest was a schoolgirl of 15, the eldest a farmer&... read more

In a period when most ladies sat at home with their embroidery, Jane Franklin achieved fame throughout the western world, and was probably the best travelled woman of her day. Alison Alexander traces the life of this inimitable woman, from her birth in late 18th century London, her marriage at the ripe age of 36 years to Sir ... read more

When the married Isabella Robinson was introduced to the dashing Edward Lane at a party in 1850, she was utterly enchanted. He was 'fascinating', she told her diary, before chastising herself for being so susceptible to a man's charms. But a wish had taken hold of her, and she was to find it hard to shake...In one of the most... read more

In 1935, with a doctorate in art history and no prospect of a job, the 26-year-old Ernst Gombrich was invited to attempt a history of the world for younger readers. Amazingly, he completed the task in an intense six weeks, and Eine kurze Weltgeschichte fur junge Leser was published in Vienna to immediate success, and is ... read more

One of the most dynamic, exciting and innovative periods in the history of fashion, the 20th century was a time of dramatic change and reinvention. This comprehensive sourcebook traces these changes, from the elegant attire of Edwardian ladies, through World Wars I and II to the youth explosion of the 60s and 70s, and from th... read more

Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today's clash of civilizations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the ... read more

Simon Sebag Montefiore, one of our pre-eminent historians, presents the lives of the giants who have made our world. The cast varies from conquerors, poets, kings, empresses and whores to psychopaths, composers and explorers. Informative, entertaining, inspiring and sometimes horrifying, this is a history of the world that co... read more

In a bestselling work of profound and lasting importance, the late Albert Hourani told the definitive history of the Arab people from the seventh century, when the new religion of Islam began to spread from the Arabian Peninsula westwards, to the present day. It is a masterly distillation of a lifetime of scholarship and a un... read more

First published as Johnson's Life of London, now released with new material following Jubilee and Olympic celebrations in 2012. This updated history of London shows that the ingenuity, diversity, creativity and enterprise of the city are second to none. London's buildings may be famous, London's history may be lengthy and ill... read more

The Second World War might have officially ended in May 1945, but in reality it rumbled on for another 10 years ...Across Europe, landscapes had been ravaged, entire cities razed and more than 35 million people had been killed in the war. The institutions that we now take for granted - such as the police, the media, transport... read more

We know how the Wars of the Roses ended - with Richard III's body under a Leicester car park - but this is a thrilling history of the extraordinary noblewomen who lived through the battles and bloodshed. The events of the Wars of the Roses are usually described in terms of the men involved: Richard Duke of York, Henry VI, Edw... read more

A magisterial history of the greatest and most terrible event in history, from one of the finest historians of the Second World War. A book which shows the impact of war upon hundreds of millions of people around the world- soldiers, sailors and airmen; housewives, farm workers and children. Reflecting Max Hastings's thirty-f... read more

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the most popular novelists in the English language and that her work is more popular today than ever before. The wit and romance of her writing captivate television and cinema audiences worldwide, while boosting the readership of the novels themselves. "Jane Au... read more

Cave paintings at Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain, fraught with expression thousands of years later; point to an early human desire to form a cultural identity. In The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, David Leeming explores the role of mythology, or myth-logic, in history and determines that the dreams of specific cul... read more

In January 1788 the First Fleet arrived in New South Wales and a thousand British men and women, some of them convicts and some of them free, encountered the people who would be their new neighbours

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This book is an important contibution to New Zealand's proud military history, a soldier's eye view of an unpopular war. Duggan's war was typical of many who served, and he descibes it unflichingly and without embelishment or embarrassment. he is proud to have served, and to have continued to serve his comrades-at-arms since ... read more

From Neil MacGregor, the acclaimed creator of "A History of the World in 100 Objects" and the Director of the British Museum, comes a unique, enthralling exploration of the age of William Shakespeare to accompany a new BBC Radio 4 series. Shakespeare lived through a pivotal period in human history. With the discovery of the N... read more