An engaging and witty compendium of ninety-four notable men and women who shaped and experienced one of the most creative and inventive periods in human civilization.

‘A notable account of an epic human experience' Max Hastings, Sunday Times‘Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war’ Sir Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons, 18 June 1940The Nazi Blitzkrieg was unlike any invasion the world had ever seen.

The fifteenth century experienced the longest and bloodiest series of civil wars in British history. The crown of England changed hands violently five times as the great families of England fought to the death for the right to rule. Some of the greatest heroes and villains in history were thrown together in these chaotic years.

Philosopher, dramatist, rhetorician, Stoic and pragmatist, Seneca was one of the most contradictory figures in ancient Rome, embracing a stern ascetic morality while amassing a fortune under Nero and eventually committing suicide. This definitive biography reveals a life lived perilously in the gap between ideals and reality.

'A fascinating exploration of human greed and self-delusion and also a tribute to our ageless search for beauty' DEBORAH MOGGACH.

The gripping - and little-known - story of the courtroom drama that was a stunning victory for the young Adolf Hitler and precipitated the rise of the Nazi party.

A lively and immersive global history of witchcraft which shows its evolution from the Middle Ages to the present day and shines a light on the stories of the victims, told in thirteen trials.

The remarkable life of William Marshal, the forgotten power behind five English thrones, by internationally renowned expert on the history of the Crusades, Thomas Asbridge.