At the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union unexpectedly found itself in control of a huge swathe of territory in Eastern Europe. Stalin and his secret police set out to convert a dozen radically different countries to a completely new political and moral system: Communism.

What caused the Russian Revolution? Did it succeed or fail? Do we still live with its consequences? This book deals with these questions.

Describes the key members of Stalin's court: Beria, Malenkov, Zhukov, Molotov and Khruschchev.

Written by the greatest authority on the French Revolution, this masterly overview has taken its place as the definitive account.

Explores the lives of over forty men and women – great and otherwise – whose pioneering journeys beyond the Irish shore played a profound role in world history.

A guide to the Greek and Roman Myths. It features a blend of stories, facts and quotations from ancient authors, and places ancient myths in a modern context, discussing the afterlives of the myths and the relevance of their messages. It includes factfiles on heroes and heroines and family trees of the gods.

A worldwide survey on the idea of utopia, from classical mythology to contemporary science fiction.

The story of one of the most colourful dynasties in history, from Caesar’s rise to power in the first century BC to Nero’s death in AD 68.