History & Classics
Pompeii
Mary Beard
'Much of what you think you know about Pompeii may turn out, on reading this eye-opening book, to be wrong. The town was not full of brothels (Bea…
Vermeer's Hat
Timothy Brook
Vermeer's Hat offers us a rich new understanding both of Vermeer's paintings and of the era they portray. 'Effortless and compelling, Broo…
Templars
Michael Haag
The definitive guide to Templars' history, legends and mysteries – and the belief that their hand can be seen in everything from the Cathar heresy…
Stonehenge
Rosemary Hill
Stonehenge is the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe and is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year. 'Impressively researche…
The Forbidden City
Geremie Barme
At the heart of Beijing lies the great walled compound of the Forbidden City, whose changing fortunes have run parallel with China's dramatic hist…
Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge
Lindy Woodhead
The men who created the first department stores – what Zola called 'great cathedrals of shopping' – made vast fortunes, but no one understood…
Nella Last's Peace
Patricia Malcolmson
Picking up where bestseller Nella Last's War left off, this fascinating and unique diary of 1945-48 delves into the private life of housewife, mot…
Our Longest Days: A people's history of the Second World War
Sandra Koa Wing
A powerful, detailed and warming story of the Second World War – told through the previously unheard voices of those (such as Nella Last) who describe…
The Transformation Of Ireland 1900-2000
Diarmaid Ferriter
This is a landmark book, full of insight and intelligent judgement and sheer diligent research, which deals with the complexity of the Irish revolutio…
The Universe, The Gods And Mortals
Jean-Pierre Vernant
Storytelling at its best … A rich treasury for all readers
Vigor Mortis
Kate Berridge
From Diana to Damien Hirst, this is a provocative account of how and why we have tamed the thing we most fear. The end of the death taboo is arguably…
World of the Castrati
Patrick Barbier
One of the strangest episodes in operatic history is the story of the castrati. In their heyday they were the toast of Europe: idolised, fêted, a…