Charts world history from the dawn of civilisation to the modern culture we live in today. From the origins of homo-sapiens to the release of Nelson Mandela, from the French Revolution to the Space Race, this book presents an exploration of the human timeline up to and including modern Islam, the world wide web, and the global financial crisis.

Spying has changed. In this era of email intercepts and drone strikes, spooks are expected to uncover plots buried in mountains of data. Yet this makes the need for trained field operatives who can verify facts and uncover secrets more acute than ever. The human factor endures. This book gives an account of how modern espionage works.

Wonderful . . . a thoughtful discussion of what made [the Greeks] so important, in their own time and in ours. Natalie Haynes, Independent"

Literary Hub'sThe Island at the Center of the World

The third edition of David Potter’s lively history, which tells the extraordinary story of Rome from its origins, through the Republic and Empire, to the period of its decline and fall.