This volume provides a collection of ‘imagined lives’—individuals who, no matter their position on the social hierarchy, were crucial to the development of medieval Europe and the modern period that followed.

International bestseller Tom Phillips (Humans; Truth; Conspiracy) is back with a fascinating and hilarious look at armageddon through the ages

Brilliantly conceived and majestically written, this monumental work of European history recasts the five-hundred-year history of Germany

Friso Wielenga’s detailed history of the Netherlands traces its political development from independence to today, incorporating significant explorations of culture, economics, international relations, colonisation and decolonisation in the process. It provides a thorough and well-balanced overview of the key moments in and vital aspects of Dutch history since 1500. Challenging incorrect assumptions concerning political consensus and religious toleration in the country, A History of the Neth...

This story of Dutch involvement in Atlantic slavery

The rise and fall of the business of slave trading - by a bestselling historian

An encyclopedic A-to-Z guide, this beautifully designed and illustrated volume offers hundreds of rich and fascinating definitions of 700 major and minor characters, creatures, and places of classical mythology. The perfect companion to the 75th anniversary illustrated edition of Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

'Wry, informative but deadly - a great book'

Will Hutton

'Fast-paced and impassioned'

Sunday Telegraph

Who said that dictatorship was dead? The world today is full of Strong Men and their imitators. A fascinating exploration of how and why Caesars seized power and why they fell.

There is a comforting illusion shared by historians and political commentators, that history progresses in a nice straight line towards liberal democracy or socialism, despite the odd hiccup.

Every democracy, however ...