Taking us from the beginning of our story to the present day, A Cold Spell examines how ice has shaped our thoughts, actions and societies - and what it means for us that it is rapidly disappearing from our planet

'Bracingly original . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this' MICHAEL PALIN

'A book of limitless fascinations' OLIVIA LAING

'Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful' LITERARY RE...

An intimate, riveting portrait of modern Turkey, combining memoir, politics and history.

A gripping royal tragedy set against a portrait of a world in turmoil

Read the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals the Earth’s awesome impact on the shape of human civilisations. ‘Stands comparison with Sapiens… Thrilling’ Sunday Times Human evolution in East Africa was driven by geological forces.

A captivating A-Z compendium of our fixations by the bestselling author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

The first illustrated biography of Hans Holbein, the painter who depicted some of the most powerful people of the early sixteenth century, in three decades.

An exquisite collection of objects relating to the traditions of samurai warriors, from swords and armor to dishes and paintings

The astounding story of the quest to find the living descendants of the most monstrous tyrant in history - Adolf Hitler

The history of a demonic tradition that was stolen from women - and then won back again.

Creatures like Lilith, the seductive first wife of Adam, and mermaids, who lured sailors to their death, are familiar figures in the genre of monstrous temptresses who use their charms to entice men to their doom.

But if we go back 4,000 years, the roots of these demons lie in horrific creatures like Lamashtu, a lion-headed Mesopotamian demon who strangled infants and murdered pregnant w...