Historical

'A majestic, sparkling account of one of the most important rulers in history . . . modern history writing at its finest' Peter Frankopan'Superb and gripping. Epic historical biography that brings the emperor to life . . . filled with new ideas and...

An Austro-Hungarian with a dark streak, Victor Lustig was a man of athletic good looks, with a taste for larceny and foreign intrigue. He spoke six languages and went under nearly as many aliases in the course of a continent-hopping life that also saw...

On 8 October 1833 Coroner Thomas Higgs opened an inquest into the death of John Bickerton, an elderly eccentric who, despite rumours of his wealth and high connections, had died in abject squalor, ‘from the want of the common necessaries of life’.Over...

A family man who ran afoul of the Nazis, Josef Jakobs was ill-prepared for an espionage mission to England. Captured by the Home Guard after breaking his ankle, Josef was interrogated at Camp 020, before being prosecuted under the Treachery Act 1940 and...

The Last Days of Richard III contains a new and uniquely detailed exploration of Richard’s last 150 days. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, we discover a new Richard: no passive victim,...

A fascinating and moving biography of Colin Anson, the German refugee who became an elite British commando Born in Germany in 1922, Colin Anson’s (Claus Ascher) childhood was marked by the trials of Nazism. His father was arrested by the Gestapo in 1937...

Volume 4: Red Union, Red Paper, Red Train, 1905–1910 gathers for the first time approximately 180 articles, speeches, letters, and interviews from the prime years of American socialist and labor leader Eugene V. Debs. These include materials relating to...

George and Emily Eden were a devoted sibling pair. Both unmarried, they were accepted as a mildly unconventional couple by friends in the dynastically conscious governing class. George (1784-1849) entered politics as a Whig to replace his elder brother,...

From Empire to Revolution is the first biography devoted to an in-depth examination of the life and conflicted career of Sir James Wright (1716–1785). Greg Brooking uses Wright’s life as a means to better understand the complex struggle for power in both...

This book studies the revealing autobiographical sources left by Rev. James Fraser of Kirkhill (1634 1709), a Gaelic-speaking scholar, traveller and minister. It examines Fraser's self-presentation and situates him within his locality, Scotland, the...

Clive, Proconsul of India (1976) examines the life of the man held by many to be one of the main originators of European imperialism in Asia in the eighteenth century. Dupleix of France and Clive of England set the drive to imperialism in motion – and...

From Pilgrims to Robber Barons, martyred witches to Confederate officers, artists to statesmen, founders of towns, states, and industries, from journalists to pirates, or pioneers to war heroes, each person in the narrative has an individual destiny and...

Step into the tumultuous world of music stardom with this collection of obituaries from The Times. From the rock’n’roll pioneers of the 1950s, to the pop superstars of the 21st century, and lesser-known innovators with undeniable influence, this book...

He may be little known today, but Ben Daniels was a feared gunman who typified the journeyman gunfighter every bit as much as those whose names have become legend. Yet his story has eluded researchers and yarn-spinners alike—until now.Two prominent...

Experience the world of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the tremendous challenges he faced and overcame with the help of Stoic philosophy “[Robertson] thoughtfully and readably capture[s] the essence of this great man and his great life. It’s a must...

The BBC and HBO series Gentleman Jack brought Anne Lister to international attention, awakening tremendous interest in her diaries, which run to nearly five million words and are partly written in her secret code. They record in intimate detail the ways...

From the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize, an extraordinary story of the meteoric rise and fall of King James I’s favourite, George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham. As the king’s lover, Buckingham was one of the most flamboyant and enigmatic...