It transformed the relationship between England, Scotland and Ireland, reset the compact between the monarch and the people, and re-fashioned the story the British told - and continue to tell - about themselves. REPUBLIC is a richly engrossing year-by-year account of this exhilarating and daring period.

There are tales of footballing bees and Viking mice, the beginning of the thesaurus and the end of the library of Alexandria. Spend just two minutes a day with this brilliant almanac of curious treasure and you'll end your year full of wonder and just that little bit wiser.