'Much more than a portrait of a Congolese herd boy who becomes an important military man, it is a portrait of a vast and chaotic country in a state of near-anarchy. I have long admired Lieve Joris's African books, but this one is both powerful and timely, intensely imagined.' Paul Theroux

A sweeping, hugely readable account of history's biggest ecological invasion, when Europe and the Americas collided for the first time in millennia.

The history of medieval Britain through twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts.

Packed with fascinating facts, intriguing mysteries and breathtaking discoveries, from the ancient wonders of Egypt and Pompeii to the mysteries of lost Mayan civilizations and the enigmatic Nazca Lines in Peru, this captivating guide offers a whirlwind tour of humanity's past through the art of archaeology.

The Colonies of Benevolence are seven impressive cultural landscapes in The Netherlands and Belgium. They tell a story that started 200 years ago. It is a story of the greatest ambitions: eliminating poverty, creating a better life for people, cultivating poor soil... The scale on which this took place was unique.

Two centuries later, the Colonies are embarking on a new future. They are globally unique as testimonies of an Enlightened, utopian experiment and of what followed afterwards.

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For four centuries, people from the Netherlands have gone to America by boat or plane, to explore the country, to trade, to colonise, to settle, to do business, to find a new future or simply to visit the country as a tourist. And for four centuries, Americans, of diverse backgrounds, of native, African or European descent, have come to the Netherlands. These are their stories.

This book begins in the seventeenth century, when settlers commissioned by the West India Company settled on the sou...

The Netherlands and water: a story of conflict and concord, calamity and prosperity. For centuries the Dutch have been masters at controlling the water. They have wrested land from the water and turned Dutch waterworks into a global export product. The knowledge and technology with which the 'Low Lands' deal with water are an inspiration to many countries. Climate change is increasing the threat of both flooding and drought, and the consequences of a potential disaster are incalculable. It is...