Recommended Items
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Christmas Advent Calendar 2023 Jigsaw Puzzle | 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Adults | Gift for Women, Men, Kids | Countdown To Christmas Home Decoration
- Challenging Countdown Puzzle: Experience the thrill of solving a 24-day Christmas puzzle! Add a new piece each day, starting from the bottom right corner. Complete it on Christmas Eve for a satisfying finish.
- Safe & High-Quality Materials: Our puzzle is made from recyclable cardboard with non-toxic ink treatment, ensuring safety and durability. The precision-cut pieces fit snugly together, providing a seamless puzzle experience.
- Family Bonding & Entertainment: Bring your family together with this engaging advent calendar puzzle. Enjoy the satisfaction of teamwork as you complete the puzzle. Extra number patterns on the back of the pieces help you solve it faster.
- Timeless Christmas Gift: This 1000-piece puzzle is a perfect Christmas gift for adults, teenagers, and puzzle enthusiasts. Beautifully boxed, it adds excitement to the holiday season and creates lasting memories.
- Stunning Christmas Decoration: Once completed, the puzzle transforms into a charming “Holiday Mantel” scene. Frame it and hang it on your wall to enhance your home decor and create a warm festive atmosphere. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!
£9,692,888,480,767,450.00 -
Jigsaw Advent Calendar 2023, Puzzle Advent Calendar Jigsaw 2023 for Adults 1000 Piece Christmas Countdown Calendar Gifts for Women Men Teens Kids (A)
- Christmas Countdown with 24-Day Jigsaw Puzzle Calendar: Our unique Jigsaw Advent Calendar 2023 adds a delightful twist to your festive preparations. Starting with the 24th piece in reverse order, each day unveils a new puzzle piece, creating an exciting and challenging countdown to Christmas. The final piece on Christmas Eve completes the entire Christmas puzzle.
- Quality and Safety Assured: Inside the package, you’ll find a generous 70*50CM/27.6” x 19.7” large Christmas puzzle, a 1:1 reference poster, and a handy puzzle card. Crafted from eco-friendly cardboard and treated with safe, non-toxic ink, the puzzle boasts high quality and matte finish, ensuring it won’t glare or fade. Precision-cut pieces fit snugly together with smooth, burr-free edges for a satisfying experience.
- Family Fun: Our Advent calendar puzzles are designed to be entertaining challenges that bring families together. Completing a Christmas puzzle is a source of pride, achieved through family cooperation. Say goodbye to frustration with added number patterns on the back of puzzle pieces, corresponding to those on the poster, to expedite your puzzle-building journey.
- Festive Gift Delight: The 1000 Piece Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle isn’t just a puzzle; it’s a timeless entertainment game. Packaged beautifully, it’s the perfect Christmas gift for adults, teenagers, couples, and parents, adding an extra layer of excitement to your Christmas countdown in 2023.
- Charming Christmas Decor: Once your puzzle is complete, it transforms into a heartwarming “Holiday Mantel” scene. Frame it and hang it on your wall to enhance your home’s beauty and warmth during the holiday season. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!
£9,692,888,480,767,450.00 -
Elf 24 Day Kit, 2023 Elf Kit 24 Days of Christmas, Props, Xmas Countdown Advent Calendar Elf Accessories Cartoon Box Toys, Christmas Party Gifts for Kids Teens Boys Girls
- Christmas Elf Adventure Begins: Elevate the festive spirit at home with our 24-Day Kit! Embark on a delightful Christmas journey with the entire family using this charming Christmas elf kit.
- Daily Surprises Await: Unbox the joy of stress-free and super-fun December days with our Kit. Each morning, witness the excitement as your kids discover intricate and creative scenes, adding a magical touch to their countdown to Christmas.
- Countdown to Joyful Moments: Let the Elf Advent Calendar enchant your home for 24 days of pure joy. Revel in the anticipation as your children explore complex and creative scenes each morning, making every day leading up to Christmas merry and bright.
- Versatile Festive Fun: Beyond its enchanting countdown, this Kit is designed for multifaceted festive enjoyment. Hide a fun surprise every day, count down to Christmas with your kids, and gift them an unforgettable Christmas filled with laughter and excitement. Perfect for family, friends, and kids alike.
- Christmas Pop Toys Extravaganza: These Christmas pop toys are the ideal companions for children, boys, and girls. Whether it’s for parent-child games, children’s party gifts, New Year celebrations, or adding a festive touch to Christmas scenes and decorations, our naughty props promise magical Christmas gifts for all.
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Charles Darwin’s on the Origin of Species: Big Ideas for Curious Minds (Arcturus Genius Ideas)
Every once in a while, an idea comes along that is so radical, so surprising, that it completely transforms the way that we look at the world.
This beautifully illustrated book brings to life Charles Darwin’s extraordinary notion-evolution by natural selection – for a new generation of inquisitive readers.
Bright young things will quickly level up their understanding of biology thanks to the way that complex ideas are cleverly unpacked in clear, easy-to-follow language.
. Explore Darwin’s life story, his voyages of discovery, and the series of revelations that led to his great discovery.
. Take a tour through the great scientist’s theories as they’re set out in an accessible and entertaining way.
. Uncover the world in which Darwin lived, how his ideas were received, and how they influenced later thinkers.Readers aged 8+ will be drawn in by the lavish illustrations of Juanita Londoño-Gaviria, featured throughout.
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LA Woman
Estevan Oriol is hailed as the eye of the new wave Latino aesthetic. Coming up from the streets and the Hip Hop scene, his rough and ready images of his neighborhood homies caught the attention of major media and music players. Oriol has since been commissioned by Nike and Cadillac, as well as directing music videos for Eminem, Linkin Park, D12 and Xzibit. He began taking pictures of his neighborhood and low-rider culture and soon discovered his incredible talent for capturing raw street life. He is now one of the most sought after photographers in the urban community.Read more
£543.90LA Woman
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Nancy Drew Complete Set 1-56 (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories)
Nancy Drew Hardcover Set 1-56 HardcoverRead more
£512.80 -
SQE Bundle FLK 1 & 2: 3e (SQE1)
The Law & Professional Practice (FLK1 & FLK2) bundle contains all 15 study manuals that have been specially collated to focus on the Law area of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) syllabus for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1) in a concise and tightly focused manner.
Published and updated regularly, these user-friendly study manuals are designed to help you successfully prepare for the SQE1 exams. They provide solid knowledge and understanding of fundamental legal principles and rules, while bringing the law and practice to life with example scenarios based on realistic client problems.
Each title is complemented by worked examples and sample assessment questions that enable you to test your knowledge and understanding through single best answer questions that have been modelled on the SRA’s sample assessment questions.
For students at The University of Law, the study manuals are used alongside other learning resources and the University’s assessment bank to prepare students not only for the SQE1 exams, but also for a future life in professional legal practice.
The legal principles and rules contained within this study manual are stated as at 1 April 2023 (titles with tax elements to 30 April 2023)
Titles included in this bundle:
- Business Law and Practice
- Dispute Resolution
- Contract
- Tort
- Legal System of England and Wales
- Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law
- Legal Services
- Property Practice
- Wills and the Administration of Estates
- Solicitors Accounts
- Land Law
- Trusts
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Practice
- Ethics and Professional Conduct
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£407.80£455.90SQE Bundle FLK 1 & 2: 3e (SQE1)
£407.80£455.90
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How to Survive History
A humorous and informative guide to surviving history’s most challenging threats, from outrunning dinosaurs to making it off the Titanic alive.
History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero ― at least, not if you know where to go and what to do.
In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, drowning on board the Titanic, falling prey to the Black Death, and more. Using hindsight and modern science to estimate everything from how fast you’d need to run to outpace a T. rex to the advantages of different body types in surviving the Donner Party tragedy, Cassidy gives you a detailed battle plan for survival, helping you learn about the era at the same time.
History may be the most dangerous place on earth, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit. You can, and you should. And with a copy of How to Survive History in your back pocket, you just might make it out alive.
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£8.90£10.40How to Survive History
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Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
The American West, 1860-1890: years of broken promises, disillusionment, war and massacre.
Beginning with the Long Walk of the Navajos and ending with the massacre of Sioux at Wounded Knee, this extraordinary book tells how the American Indians lost their land, lives and liberty to white settlers pushing westward. Woven into a an engrossing saga of cruelty, treachery and violence are the fascinating stories of such legendary figures as Sitting Bull, Cochise, Crazy Horse and Geronimo.
First published in 1970, Dee Brown’s brutal and compelling narrative changed the way people thought about the original inhabitants of America, and focused attention on a national disgrace.
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Oliver Cromwell: The brave, bad man of British history
Not since Antonia Fraser’s major biography (1975) has there been a life of Cromwell so sympathetic to its subject and based on so many years of scholarship and research.
As General Editor for Oxford University Press of the five-volume edition of all the recorded words (writings and recorded speech acts) of Oliver Cromwell, Professor Morrill is perfectly equipped to write this biography. He argues that Cromwell has been seriously misinterpreted by historians, not least by left-wing thinkers such as Tony Benn claiming Cromwell as their own and thus misunderstanding the nature of Cromwell’s political thought. This was a product of his religious ideas, and, argues the author, in this Cromwell was entirely sincere.
Cromwell felt propelled by God to become head of state but in the process the savagery and cruelty he meted out to his opponents – especially the Irish and the Scots – seems today to be beyond human imagining. And yet he described this as the ‘cruel necessity’ of God’s will. After the Siege of Drogheda he murdered 3,000 people and Catholic clergy and the religious were killed on sight. He cast a long shadow over Irish history which is still remembered to this day even in popular songs. To many this would appear to verge on genocide but with this and the signing of the act of execution of Charles I, Cromwell never doubted that he was doing God’s will.
Morrill’s book sheds exciting new light on Cromwell, both political and religious, and is based on the latest scholarship of the highest quality. Morrill argues against contemporary critics and claims that Cromwell was a man of fundamental sincerity and devotion to high Puritan principles.
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World History: From the Ancient World to the Information Age
An essential gift for every history buff, this boldly illustrated book maps out the events that have shaped our world – from the dawn of human civilization to the present day.
A comprehensive and accessible guide to the history of human civilisation, World History profiles everything from the emergence of Homo Sapiens to the Greek and Roman empires, through Chinese dynasties, the rise of the Vikings, and the Renaissance, to the Industrial Revolution and World War I and II.
Offering a concise and insightful overview of key historical milestones that have occurred over the course of the last century, the book also covers more recent events such as the rise of ISIS, the Arab Spring, and Brexit and populism in the Western world.
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£19.80£23.80 -
The Basque History Of The World
The Basques are Europe’s oldest people, their origins a mystery, their language related to no other on Earth, and even though few in population and from a remote and rugged corner of Spain and France, they have had a profound impact on the world. Whilst inward-looking, preserving their ancient language and customs, the Basques also struck out for new horizons, pioneers of whaling and cod fishing, leading the way in exploration of the Americas and Asia, were among the first capitalists and later led Southern Europe’s industrial revolution.
Mark Kurlansky, the author of the acclaimed Cod, blends human stories with economic, political, literary and culinary history to paint a fascinating picture of an intriguing people.
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The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA
THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CODE GIRLS RETURNS WITH A REVELATORY HISTORY OF THREE GENERATIONS AT THE CIA – THE WOMEN WHO FOUGHT TO BECOME OPERATIVES, T RANSFORMED SPYCRAFT, AND TRACKED DOWN OSAMA BIN LADEN.
‘This masterful book cements Liza Mundy as one of our foremost historians. It’s an absolute epic. Ignore this book – and these astonishing women – at your peril.’ ― Kate Moore, bestselling author of The Radium Girls
‘A rip-roaring read about spycraft and the CIA’s inner workings . . . an inspiring group portrait of extraordinary CIA women whose careers are multisided profiles in courage.’ ― Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars
‘An indispensable history, untold until now, The Sisterhood has stellar reporting, sparkling writing, and shocking revelations of power struggles inside the world’s most famous secret intelligence service.’ ― Tim Weiner, National Book Award-winning author of Legacy of Ashes
‘A must-read for anyone interested in national security, secrets, and the CIA.’ ― Annie Jacobsen, bestselling author of Surprise, Kill, Vanish
‘A vivid, compelling, and important book.’ – Kirkus Reviews
Created in the aftermath of World War II, the Central Intelligence Agency relied on women even as it attempted to channel their talents and keep them down. Women sent cables, made dead drops, and maintained the agency’s secrets. Despite discrimination – even because of it – women who started as clerks, secretaries, or unpaid spouses rose to become some of the CIA’s shrewdest operatives.
They were unlikely spies – and that’s exactly what made them perfect for the role. Because women were seen as unimportant, pioneering female intelligence officers moved unnoticed around Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets from under the noses of their KGB adversaries. Back at headquarters, women built the CIA’s critical archives – first by hand, then by computer. And they noticed things that the men at the top didn’t see. As the CIA faced an identity crisis after the Cold War, it was a close-knit network of female analysts who spotted the rising threat of al-Qaeda – though their warnings were repeatedly brushed aside.
After the 9/11 attacks, more women joined the agency as a new job, targeter, came to prominence. They showed that data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape – an eff ort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA’s successful eff ort to track down bin Laden in his Pakistani compound.
Propelled by the same meticulous reporting and vivid storytelling that infused Code Girls, The Sisterhood offers a riveting new perspective on history, revealing how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age, and how their silencing made the world more dangerous.
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History of Britain and Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide
Discover the pivotal political, military, and cultural events that shaped British and Irish history, from Stone Age Britain to the present day, in this revised and updated book.
Combining over 700 photographs, maps, and artworks with accessible text, the History of Britain and Ireland is an invaluable resource for families, students, and anyone seeking to learn more about the fascinating story of the England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Spanning six distinct periods of British and Irish history, this book is the best way to find out how Britain transformed with the Norman rule, fought two world wars in the 20th century, and faced new economic challenges in the 21st century.
DK’s visual guide places key figures – from Alfred the Great to Winston Churchill – and major events – from Roman invasion to the Battle of Britain – in their wider context, making it easier than ever before to learn how they influenced Britain and Ireland’s development through the age of empire into the modern era.
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Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire
A NEW YORK TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, HISTORY TODAY AND BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Masterly… This book is dynamite’ – ROBERT GILDEA, author of Empires of the Mind
**Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize**
A searing, landmark study of the British Empire that lays bare its pervasive use of violence throughout the twentieth century.
Drawing on more than a decade of research on four continents, Caroline Elkins reveals the dark heart of Britain’s Empire: a racialised, systemised doctrine of unrelenting violence, which it used to secure and maintain its interests across the globe.
When Britain could no longer maintain control over that violence, it simply retreated – and sought to destroy the evidence. Legacy of Violence is a monumental achievement that explodes long-held myths and deserves the attention of anyone who seeks to understand empire’s role in shaping the world today.
‘Not so much a history book as a book of historical significance’ BBC History Magazine
‘Riveting’ New Statesman
‘Crucial…as unflinching as it is gripping, as carefully researched as it is urgently necessary’ Jill Lepore, author of These Truths
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£13.00£16.10Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire
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Brilliant Black British History
‘This powerful, vividly illustrated book proudly reframes Black British history’
The Guardian‘… a brilliant, fascinating history book’
The Week Junior, Book of the Week‘I started reading and couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of book I wish I’d had when I was a kid’
Joseph Coelho, Children’s Laureate‘This book is revolutionary’
Kelechi Okafor, actor, writer and podcast hostAn eye-opening story of Britain, focusing on a part of our past that has mostly been left out of the history books: the brilliant Black history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Did you know that the first Britons were Black? Or that some of the Roman soldiers who invaded and ruled Britain were Black, too? Join this fascinating journey through the ages to meet those first Britons, as well as the Black Tudors, Georgians and Victorians who existed in every walk of life here. The incredible journey through time is brought to life through Atinuke’s fascinating storytelling and illustrated scenes, detailed maps, and timelines created by illustrator Kingsley Nebechi.
From science and sport to literature and law, celebrate the brilliant Black people who have helped build Britain. Learn about key and complex historical topics such as the world wars, slavery, the industrial revolution, Windrush and the Black Lives Matter movement. This fascinating book will change everything you thought you knew about our green-grey British isles.
‘We would recommend this book to any child, adult or teacher’
Stop Hate UKRead more
£11.40£12.30Brilliant Black British History
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Arsenal Scrapbook: A Backpass Through History
The Arsenal Scrapbook provides an insight into the unique journey of Arsenal one the most famous football club’s in the world. Follow the authoritative text charting a nostalgia-packed journey through the club’s evolution from its beginnings as a south London munitions factory team right through to the mighty Gunners and their ascent to the top of English football whilst having on their books some of the most talented players ever seen. With player career retrospectives and in depth statistical information together with a focus on the managers who have guided the club, including a special feature on Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal Scrapbook looks at the special moments in Arsenal’s history using rare photographs, memorabilia, programmes and tickets from the biggest matches in the club’s history.Read more
£17.20£20.00Arsenal Scrapbook: A Backpass Through History
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History Year by Year: A journey through time, from mammoths and mummies to flying and facebook
Journey through a mammoth timeline, richly illustrated with over 1500 photos, maps and illustrations. Written in association with the esteemed Smithsonian Museum.
A beautiful visual reference book with key events of world history, written in an elementary language for budding historians.
Take chronological steps through human history, starting long before we even began to write. Learn about significant global events like the rise of different societies, revolutions, invasions, and new discoveries. Meet the most memorable people from history books including charismatic leaders, brutal dictators, influential thinkers, and innovative scientists.
Written with kids ages 9 to 12 in mind, this book uses unpretentious language and gives straightforward fun facts. The “Child Of The Time” feature encourages young people to imagine themselves in the past and lets them know that children had a place in history. Older readers will love this engaging educational book too! Dive in and explore the parts of the past you haven’t yet discovered.
The multitude of photos, maps and graphics make reading about history simple and enjoyable. This visual reference guide provides the reader with an overview of the most fascinating events in history, with concise and bite-sized information. Follow the timeline from our most distant past, all the way through to recent events that you may still remember happening!
The History of the World, From the Stone Age to the Digital Age
Go beyond British history and explore the world in this modern twist on an old-fashioned history book. It is easier to follow, organised along a timeline with photos of archaeological artefacts, old maps and exciting pictures. You won’t just read about world history, you’ll see it too.
Take a step back in time! This history book covers the following eras:
– 6.5 MYA – 3000 BCE Before History Began
– 3000 BCE – 700 BCE Really Ancient History
– 700 BCE – 500 CE Much More Civilisation
– 500 – 1450 The Marvellous Middle Ages
– 1450 – 1750 Exploring and Reforming
– 1750 – 1850 Time for Change
– 1850 – 1945 Empires and World Wars
– 1945 – Present Fast ForwardRead more
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Fear: An Alternative History of the World
It’s been said that, after 9/11, the 2008 financial crash and the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re a more fearful society than ever before. Yet fear, and the panic it produces, have long been driving forces – perhaps the driving force – of world history: fear of God, of famine, war, disease, poverty, and other people. In Fear: An Alternative History of the World, Robert Peckham considers the impact of fear in history, as both a coercive tool of power and as a catalyst for social change.
Beginning with the Black Death in the fourteenth century, Peckham traces a shadow history of fear. He takes us through the French Revolution and the social movements of the nineteenth century to modern market crashes, Cold War paranoia and the AIDS pandemic, into a digital culture increasingly marked by uniquely twenty-first-century fears.
What did fear mean to us in the past, and how can a better understanding of it equip us to face the future? As Peckham demonstrates, fear can challenge as well as cement authority. Some crises have destroyed societies; others have been the making of them. Through the stories of the people and the moments that changed history, Fear: An Alternative History of the World reveals how fear and panic made us who we are.
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£19.60£23.80Fear: An Alternative History of the World
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The Usborne History of Britain (Usborne Internet-linked Reference): 1
From the Ice Age to the dawn of the 21st century, this book tells the story of Britain, its people and the events that have shaped their lives. It charts the dramatic developments and twists and turns of Britain’s history, and describes characters from all walks of life, from conquering kings, revolting peasants and troublesome priests, to intrepid explorers, cunning inventors and outrageous artists.
Contents:
The people of Britain
Prehistoric Britain
Roman Britain
The early Middle Ages
The Middle Ages
Tudors and Stuarts
The Georgians
The Victorians
The early 20th century
The Second World War
Post War Britain
Factfile Britain’s long and varied history comes to life with intriguing facts, stunning illustrations, photographs, detailed reconstructions, paintings, maps and family trees. Includes a factfile with places to visit and internet links to recommended websites via the Usborne Quicklinks Website. Beautifully presented with a cloth cover, dust jacket and ribbon marker.Read more
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The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER AND BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2022
‘Pacey and potentially revolutionary’ Sunday Times
‘Iconoclastic and irreverent … an exhilarating read’ The Guardian
For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike – either free and equal, or thuggish and warlike. Civilization, we are told, could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or, alternatively, by taming our baser instincts. David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a reaction to indigenous critiques of European society, and why they are wrong. In doing so, they overturn our view of human history, including the origins of farming, property, cities, democracy, slavery and civilization itself.
Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology, the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we begin to see what’s really there. If humans did not spend 95 per cent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers, what were they doing all that time? If agriculture, and cities, did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination, then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to? The answers are often unexpected, and suggest that the course of history may be less set in stone, and more full of playful possibilities than we tend to assume.
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision and faith in the power of direct action.
‘This is not a book. This is an intellectual feast’ Nassim Nicholas Taleb
‘The most profound and exciting book I’ve read in thirty years’ Robin D. G. Kelley
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A Little History of the World
E. H. Gombrich’s sweeping history of the world, for the curious of all ages. The international bestseller.“Brilliant, irresistible: a wonderful surprise,” – Philip Pullman
The product of a generous and humane sensibility, this timeless account makes intelligible the full span of human history.
In forty concise chapters, Gombrich tells the story of man from Stone Age to the atomic bomb. He paints a colourful picture of wars and conquests; of grand works of art; of the advances and limitations of science; of remarkable people and remarkable events – from Confucius to Catherine the Great to Winston Churchill.
This is a text dominated not by dates and facts, but by the sweep of mankind’s experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity’s achievements and an acute witness to its frailties.
For adults seeking a single-volume overview of world history, for students in search of a quick refresher course, or for families to read and learn from together, Gombrich’s A Little History of the World both enchants and educates.
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£6.60£9.50A Little History of the World
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History: The Definitive Visual Guide (DK Definitive Visual Encyclopedias)
This lavishly illustrated visual encyclopedia tells the story of our world in depth and detail from the dawn of civilization to the present day.
Charting human endeavour from every angle, History chronicles the significant events, ground-breaking ideas, political forces, and technological advances that have shaped our planet. Every historical episode is explored and explained with the help of stunning images that bring the authoritative text to life.
Important points in history, from the battle of Hastings and the storming of the Bastille to D-Day and 9/11, have clear but concise coverage, together with profiles of influential figures, such as Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Nelson Mandela.
It’s time to head back in time and explore the past with this striking history book, which features:
– Profiles of key people who have made history
– Features on inventions, discoveries, and ideas that changed the world
– Graphics lend immediacy and impact to key statistics
– National Histories section separately chronicles key events of every countryAs each moment in history is defined and detailed, supporting panels note the causes and consequences, providing wider context and broadening our horizons. New and enhanced coverage of recent events – such as the Arab Spring – and contemporary issues such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, bring the book firmly into the present.
With its broad-themed approach to important historical events, this book shows that ours is a history with genes and viruses, not just battle and treaties – and the stories and biographies of men and women from every corner of the globe who have shaped today’s world reaffirm that History is the story of humankind in which everyone has a part to play.
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Why Do Shepherds Need a Bush?: London’s Underground History of Tube Station Names
Who travelling through Totteridge and Whetstone is aware that the station got its name from the medieval soldiers who sharpened their swords at the whetstone before the bloody Battle of Barnet? Or that Canary Wharf was built for importing fruit from the Canary Islands? Or that Shepherd’s Bush was previously known as Gagglegoose Green? The names of the 300 or so underground stations are part of everyday life for Londoners, but we hardly ever question their meanings or history. This entertaining book delves into their origins, ensuring you never view your journey beneath the city in the same way again.
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£7.30£8.50 -
GCSE Edexcel History: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 (Oxford Revise: History)
Oxford Revise Edexcel GCSE History: Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941-91 is a complete revision and practice book covering the full topic specification.Revise everything you need to know for this choice of period topic in the GCSE Edexcel History exam, from early tension between East and West to the collapse of the USSR. Each development or crisis is clearly covered.
By working through the Knowledge – Retrieval – Practice sections, you will be using proven ways to revise, check and recall so that what you revise sticks in your memory.
Knowledge Organisers arrange the information you need to revise helping you to make connections with what you already know. Timelines and charts are used so that key information is presented in a meaningful way. An online glossary helps you to learn the definitions to key terms.
Use Retrieval questions to check that you have remembered what you have just revised before moving on to the exam practice. Regular retrieval questions help to combat the forgetting curve.
Finally, exam-style Practice questions give you loads of experience of the type of question you will face in your exam. This will strengthen your ability to recall and apply knowledge in their exams. All the answers to the practice questions as well as a helpful mark scheme are provided online.
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Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain
‘Delicious… Wonderful’ Guardian
‘Fascinating… Full of incident and food for thought’ Mail on Sunday
‘A fact-stuffed romp through our edible history’ The Times
A WATERSTONES BEST FOOD & DRINK BOOK OF 2023
The fascinating history of the people, the ideas and the dishes that have fed – and starved – the nation, by the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Scoff.
In times of plenty, we stuff ourselves. When the food runs out, we’re stuffed too. How have people in the British Isles shared the riches from our fields, dairies, kitchens and seas, as well as those from around the world? And when the cupboard is bare, who steps up to the plate to feed the nation’s hungry children, soldiers at war or families in crisis?
Stuffed tells the stories of the food and drink at the centre of social upheavals from prehistory to the present: the medieval inns boosted by the plague; the Enclosures that finished off the celebratory roast goose; the Victorian chemist searching for unadulterated mustard; the post-war supermarkets luring customers with strawberries. Drawing on cookbooks, literature and social records, Pen Vogler reveals how these turning points have led to today’s extremes of plenty and want: roast beef and food banks; allotment-fresh vegetables and ultra-processed fillers.
It is a tale of feast and famine, and of the traditions, the ideas and the laws which have fed – or starved – the nation, but also of the yeasty magic of bread and ale, the thrill of sugary treats, the pies and puddings that punctuate the year, and why the British would give anything – even North America – for a nice cup of tea.
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Ghosts (Horrible Histories)
Boo! Discover all the frightful stories behind iconic ghost tales and legends from around the world with history’s most horrible headlines: the ghost and ghouls edition.
The master of making history fun, Terry Deary, turns his attention to spooks and spirits.
From the ancient evils of Egypt, cutthroat Celtic sacrifices, Anne Boleyn and other restless royals, a deathly drummer boy trapped in the underground passages of Edinburgh, as well as ghost busters and spook rumblers, combined with tons of Horrible Halloween facts and top tips for getting rid of ghouls, it’s all in Horrible Histories: Ghosts:
- Fully illustrated throughout and packed with hair-raising stories – with all the horribly hilarious bits included
- With a fresh take on the classic Horrible Histories style, perfect for fans old and new
- The perfect series for anyone looking for a fun and informative read
- Horrible Histories has been entertaining children and families for generations with books, TV, stage show, magazines, games and 2019’s brilliantly funny Horrible Histories: the Movie – Rotten Romans.
Get your history right here and collect the whole horrible lot.
Read all about it!
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£6.00£6.60Ghosts (Horrible Histories)
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The Earth Transformed: An Untold History
A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK | AN INSTANT #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘Humanity has transformed the Earth: Frankopan transforms our understanding of history’ Financial Times
‘Vast, learned and timely work’ Sunday Times
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From the international bestselling author of The Silk Roads comes a major history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time.When we think about history, we rarely pay much attention to the most destructive floods, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts or the ways that ecosystems have changed over time.
In The Earth Transformed, Peter Frankopan, one of the world’s leading historians, shows that the natural environment is a crucial, if not the defining, factor in global history – and not just of humankind. Volcanic eruptions, solar activities, atmospheric, oceanic and other shifts, as well as anthropogenic behaviour, are fundamental parts of the past and the present. In this magnificent and groundbreaking book, we learn about the origins of our species: about the development of religion and language and their relationships with the environment; about how the desire to centralise agricultural surplus formed the origins of the bureaucratic state; about how growing demands for harvests resulted in the increased shipment of enslaved peoples; about how efforts to understand and manipulate the weather have a long and deep history. All provide lessons of profound importance as we face a precarious future of rapid global warming.
Taking us from the Big Bang to the present day and beyond, The Earth Transformed forces us to reckon with humankind’s continuing efforts to make sense of the natural world.
—–
‘This is epic, gripping, original history that leaps off the page’ Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland
‘All Historians aiming to tell a narrative face the problem of when exactly to start it. Only Peter Frankopan would go back 2.5 billion years to the Great Oxidation Event’ Tom HollandA 2023 HIGHLIGHT FOR: BBC NEWS * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE * FINANCIAL TIMES * NEW EUROPEAN * GUARDIAN * NEW STATESMAN * THE TIMES * THE WEEK * WATERSTONES * BLACKWELL’S
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£23.80£28.50The Earth Transformed: An Untold History
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History of Ireland in Maps
Explore Ireland’s fascinating story with more than 100 maps.
From the early history of the Emerald Isle to the modern day, Ireland has evolved rapidly – along with the ways in which it has been mapped. Cartography has not only kept pace with these changes, but often driven them.
Combining the artistic world of early cartography with modern computerised surveys, this is a beautiful and unique addition to any map- or history-lover’s collection. Irish author and historian Pat Liddy produces an invaluable history of Ireland and its relationship with its neighbours, and indeed, the world.
Featured maps include:
- Ptolemaic Map of Ibernia, 15th century
- Mercator’s Irlandiae Regnum, c. 1560
- Battle of Kinsale, 1601
- John Speed’s Map of Ireland, 1610
- Down Survey, 1683
- Siege of Londonderry, 1689
- Survey of Dublin Bay, 1800
- INFOMAR’s Map of the Seabed, 2019
Other books in the Collins History in Maps series: - History of War in Maps by Philip Parker (ISBN 9780008506490)
- History of World Trade in Maps by Philip Parker (ISBN 9780008409296)
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£19.00£23.80History of Ireland in Maps
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SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
Mary Beard’s new book Emperor of Rome is available now
Ancient Rome matters.
Its history of empire, conquest, cruelty and excess is something against which we still judge ourselves. Its myths and stories – from Romulus and Remus to the Rape of Lucretia – still strike a chord with us. And its debates about citizenship, security and the rights of the individual still influence our own debates on civil liberty today.
SPQR is a new look at Roman history from one of the world’s foremost classicists. It explores not only how Rome grew from an insignificant village in central Italy to a power that controlled territory from Spain to Syria, but also how the Romans thought about themselves and their achievements, and why they are still important to us. Covering 1,000 years of history, and casting fresh light on the basics of Roman culture from slavery to running water, as well as exploring democracy, migration, religious controversy, social mobility and exploitation in the larger context of the empire, this is a definitive history of ancient Rome.
SPQR is the Romans’ own abbreviation for their state: Senatus Populusque Romanus, ‘the Senate and People of Rome’.
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£8.00£11.40SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
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Pearson REVISE Edexcel GCSE History Elizabethan England Revision Cards (with free online Revision Guide and Workbook): For 2024 and 2025 exams (Revise … learning, 2022 and…
Exam Board: Edexcel
Level & Subject: GCSE History
First teaching: September 2016 First exams: June 2018REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Early Elizabethan England Revision Cards are perfect for students who want to turbocharge their revision time! Each pack includes access to a FREE online edition of the REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History: Early Elizabethan England Revision Guide and contains:
- 30 Revision Cards and three organising dividers (with a handy ‘how to use’ guide)
- Multiple choice questions and answers
- Worked examples
- Topic summaries and key facts to remember
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A Really Short History of Nearly Everything
Perfect for ages 8 to 80!
Adapted from A Short History of Nearly Everything, this stunningly illustrated book from Bill Bryson takes us from the Big Bang to the dawn of science, and everything in between!
Ever wondered how we got from nothing to something?
Or thought about how we can weigh the earth?
Or wanted to reach the edge of the universe?Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book – a journey from the centre of the planet, to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between.
And discover our own incredible journey, from single cell to civilisation, including the brilliant (and sometimes very bizarre) scientists who helped us find out the how and why.
The ideal book for curious young readers everywhere.
************************************************************************
Reviews for A Short History of Nearly Everything:
‘It’s the sort of book I would have devoured as a teenager. It might well turn unsuspecting young readers into scientists.’ Evening Standard
‘I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again’ Daily Express
‘The very book I have been looking for most of my life’ Daily Mail
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£14.00£23.80A Really Short History of Nearly Everything
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The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (Ian Mortimer’s Time Traveller’s Guides)
Discover an original, entertaining and illuminating guide to a completely different world: England in the Middle Ages.
Imagine you could travel back to the fourteenth century. What would you see, and hear, and smell? Where would you stay? What are you going to eat? And how are you going to test to see if you are going down with the plague?
In The Time Traveller’s Guide Ian Mortimer’s radical new approach turns our entire understanding of history upside down. History is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived, whether that’s the life of a peasant or a lord. The result is perhaps the most astonishing history book you are ever likely to read; as revolutionary as it is informative, as entertaining as it is startling.
‘Ian Mortimer is the most remarkable medieval historian of our time’ The Times
‘After The Canterbury Tales this has to be the most entertaining book ever written about the middle ages’ Guardian
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A Village in the Third Reich: How Ordinary Lives Were Transformed By the Rise of Fascism – from the author of Sunday Times bestseller Travellers in the Third Reich
___________
A Waterstones Paperback of the Year 2022
A New Statesman Book of the Year 2022
‘Fascinating… You’ll learn more about the psychological workings of Nazism by reading this superbly researched chronicle… than you will by reading a shelf of wider-canvas volumes on the rise of Nazism.’Daily Mail
‘An utterly absorbing insight into the full spectrum of responses from ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.’The Times
‘Boyd is an outstanding micro-historian.’iNews
___________Hidden deep in the Bavarian mountains lies the picturesque village of Oberstdorf – a place where for hundreds of years people lived simple lives while history was made elsewhere.
Yet even this remote idyll could not escape the brutal iron grip of the Nazi regime.
From the author of the
Sunday Times bestselling
Travellers in the Third Reich comes
A Village in the Third Reich: an extraordinarily intimate portrait of Germany under Hitler, shining a light on the lives of ordinary people. Drawing on personal archives, letters, interviews and memoirs, it lays bare their brutality and love; courage and weakness; action, apathy and grief; hope, pain, joy and despair.Within its pages we encounter people from all walks of life – foresters, priests, farmers and nuns; innkeepers, Nazi officials, veterans and party members; village councillors, mountaineers, socialists, slave labourers, schoolchildren, tourists and aristocrats. We meet the Jews who survived – and those who didn’t; the Nazi mayor who tried to shield those persecuted by the regime; and a blind boy whose life was judged ‘not worth living’.
This is a tale of conflicting loyalties and desires, of shattered dreams – but one in which, ultimately, human resilience triumphs.
These are the stories of ordinary lives at the crossroads of history.
___
‘Exceptional… Boyd’s book reminds us that even the most brutal regimes cannot extinguish all semblance of human feeling’Mail on Sunday
‘Masterly… [an] important and gripping book… [Boyd is] a leading historian of human responses in political extremis.’The Oldie
‘Gripping… vividly depicted… [a] humane and richly detailed book’ Spectator
‘Vivid, moving stories leave us asking “What would I have done?”‘ Professor David Reynolds, author of
Island Stories
“An absorbing, thoroughly recommended read”Family Tree magazine‘Laying bare the tragedies, the compromises, the suffering and the disillusionment. Exemplary microhistory.’ Roger Moorehouse, author of
First to Fight
‘Compelling and evocative’All About History
‘The rise of Nazi Germany through the prism of one small village in Bavaria. […] Astonishing’ Jane Garvey on
Fortunately… with Fi and Jane
‘incredibly engaging’History of War magazine‘Intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and rendered in almost cinematographic detail, Julia Boyd’s A Village In The Third Reich is deeply evocative, redolent of those times and truly revelatory. I learned so much. This is a book I will need to return to again and again, to relearn, refresh and remember. A triumph.’ Damien Lewis, author of
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Operation Pedestal: A Times Book of the Year 2021
The Sunday Times bestseller
‘One of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings’ DAILY MAIL
In August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the ‘island fortress’ must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain’s fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb.
The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort fourteen fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by six hundred German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain’s war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were appalling: defeat seemed to beckon.
This is the saga Max Hastings unfolds in his first full length narrative of the Royal Navy, which he believes was the most successful of Britain’s wartime services. As always, he blends the ‘big picture’ of statesmen and admirals with human stories of German U-boat men, Italian torpedo-plane crews, Hurricane pilots, destroyer and merchant-ship captains, ordinary but extraordinary seamen.Operation Pedestal describes catastrophic ship sinkings, including that of the aircraft-carrier Eagle, together with struggles to rescue survivors and salvage stricken ships. Most moving of all is the story of the tanker Ohio, indispensable to Malta’s survival, victim of countless Axis attacks. In the last days of the battle, the ravaged hulk was kept under way only by two destroyers, lashed to her sides. Max Hastings describes this as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. Until the very last hours, no participant on either side could tell what would be the outcome of an epic of wartime suspense and courage.
Max Hastings’ book ‘Abyss’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 15-05-2023.
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Knowledge Encyclopedia History!: The Past as You’ve Never Seen it Before (Knowledge Encyclopedias)
Journey back in time and marvel at the history of our world like never before with this children’s encyclopedia perfect for curious kids.
Forming part of a fantastic series of kid’s educational books, this bold and brilliant kid’s encyclopedia uses ground-breaking CGI imagery to reveal the world as you’ve never seen it before. Informative, diverse in subject matter, easy-to-read and brimming with beautiful graphics, young learners can explore the incredibly detailed cross-sections and cutaways that reveal the inner workings of just about everything!
This charming children’s encyclopedia opens the world in new ways, with:
-Packed with facts, charts, timelines, and infographics that cover a vast range of topics.
-Encompassing a visual approach with illustrations, photographs and extremely detailed 3D CGI images.
-Crystal clear text distills the key information.
-DK’s encyclopedias are fact-checked by subject experts to offer accuracy beyond online sources of information.This fully-updated edition of Knowledge Encyclopedia History! is the perfect encyclopedia for children aged 9-12, ideal for inquisitive minds, bringing key moments in history to life, from exploring the lives of early humans to visiting the Vikings, learning about The Industrial Revolution, and looking towards a greener future! Jam-packed with fun facts about the world, including fascinating statistics, maps, timelines, graphics, and superb photorealistic cross-sections, young history lovers can peer inside ancient buildings, marvel at elaborate outfits, and get close to the battles of history!
Explore, Discover And Learn!
DK’s Knowledge Encyclopedia History! uncovers the marvels of our world in unprecedented detail and with stunning realism. Encompassing engaging historical facts about our world, you can spend quality time diving into the past with your children, accompanied by impressive visuals to engage their senses. A must-have volume for curious kids with a thirst for knowledge, this enthralling children’s encyclopedia is structured in such a way that your child can read a bit at a time, and feel comfortable to pause and ask questions. Doubling up as the perfect gift for young readers, who are always asking questions about our planet!
At DK, we believe in the power of discovery.
This thrilling kid’s encyclopedia is part of the Knowledge Encyclopedia educational series. Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they complete the collection and discover diverse facts about the world around them. Dive into the deep blue with Knowledge Encyclopedia Ocean! Travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth with Knowledge Encyclopedia Dinosaur! And hone your knowledge on how the human body works with Knowledge Encyclopedia Human Body! Whatever topic takes their fancy, there’s an encyclopedia for everyone!
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History Find it! Explore it!: More than 250 things to find, facts and photos! (National Geographic Kids)
Travel back in time with this fun search and find fact book from National Geographic Kids.
Find it! Search the busy illustrated scenes to find more than 250 objects, animals and people. From the Iron Age to Ancient Egypt, The Vikings to Victorian Britain they are sure to keep young readers entertained.
Explore it! Discover amazing facts all about the things spotted. Did you know that the Romans built around 8,000 kilometres of roads across the whole empire? That cats were very important in Ancient Egypt? Or that Queen Victoria came to the throne when she was just 18 years old?
With colourful photos and lots of fun activities that kids will love it’s the perfect book for kids and grown-ups to enjoy together!
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Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History
This rich and magisterial work traces Palestine’s millennia-old heritage, uncovering cultures and societies of astounding depth and complexity that stretch back to the very beginnings of recorded history.Starting with the earliest references in Egyptian and Assyrian texts, Nur Masalha explores how Palestine and its Palestinian identity have evolved over thousands of years, from the Bronze Age to the present day. Drawing on a rich body of sources and the latest archaeological evidence, Masalha shows how Palestine’s multicultural past has been distorted and mythologised by Biblical lore and the Israel–Palestinian conflict.
In the process, Masalha reveals that the concept of Palestine, contrary to accepted belief, is not a modern invention or one constructed in opposition to Israel, but rooted firmly in ancient past. Palestine represents the authoritative account of the country’s history.
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The World: A Family History
THE TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF THE ECONOMIST’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEARFrom the master storyteller and internationally bestselling author – the story of humanity from prehistory to the present day, told through the one thing all humans have in common: family.
We begin with the footsteps of a family walking along a beach 950,000 years ago. From here, Montefiore takes us on an exhilarating epic journey through the families that have shaped our world: the Caesars, Medicis and Incas, Ottomans and Mughals, Bonapartes, Habsburgs and Zulus, Rothschilds, Rockefellers and Krupps, Churchills, Kennedys, Castros, Nehrus, Pahlavis and Kenyattas, Saudis, Kims and Assads.
A rich cast of complex characters form the beating heart of the story. Some are well-known leaders, from Alexander the Great, Attila, Ivan the Terrible and Genghis Khan to Hitler, Thatcher, Obama, Putin and Zelensky. Some are creative, from Socrates, Michelangelo and Shakespeare to Newton, Mozart, Balzac, Freud, Bowie and Tim Berners-Lee.
Others are lesser-known: Hongwu, who began life as a beggar and founded the Ming dynasty; Kamehameha, conqueror of Hawaii; Zenobia, Arab empress who defied Rome; King Henry of Haiti; Lady Murasaki, first female novelist; Sayyida al-Hurra, Moroccan pirate-queen. Here are not just conquerors and queens but prophets, charlatans, actors, gangsters, artists, scientists, doctors, tycoons, lovers, wives, husbands and children.
This is world history on the most grand and intimate scale – spanning centuries, continents and cultures, and linking grand themes of war, migration, plague, religion, medicine and technology to the people at the centre of the human drama. As spellbinding as fiction, The World captures the story of humankind in all its joy, sorrow, romance, ingenuity and cruelty in a ground-breaking, single narrative that will forever shift the boundaries of what history can achieve.Read more
£11.40£16.10The World: A Family History
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The Seaside: England’s Love Affair
“…a fascinating barometer of the state of the nation right now, in the wake of austerity, Brexit and Covid.” – Travis Elborough
England’s seaside is made up of a striking variety of coastlines including cliffs, coves, pebbled shore, wide sandy beaches, salt marshes, and estuaries cutting deep inland. On these coastal edges England’s great holiday resorts grew up, developed in the early eighteenth century originally as spas for medicinal bathing but soon morphing into places of pleasure, entertainment, fantasy and adventure.
Acclaimed writer Madeleine Bunting journeyed clockwise around England from Scarborough to Blackpool to understand the enduring appeal of seaside towns, and what has happened to the golden sands, cold seas and donkey rides of childhood memory. Taking in some forty resorts, staying in hotels, caravans and holiday camps, she swims from their beaches and talks to their residents to delve into their landscapes, histories and contemporary plight.
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£11.90£19.00The Seaside: England’s Love Affair
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The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union
BY THE AUTHOR OF CHERNOBYL: HISTORY OF A TRAGEDY, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2018WINNER OF THE PUSHKIN HOUSE RUSSIAN BOOK PRIZE 2015
On Christmas Day 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union. By the next day the USSR was officially no more and the USA had emerged as the world’s sole superpower. Award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy presents a page-turning account of the preceding five months of drama, filled with failed coups d’état and political intrigue.
Honing in on this previously disregarded but crucial period and using recently declassified documents and original interviews with key participants, he shatters the established myths of 1991 and presents a bold new interpretation of the Soviet Union’s final months. Plokhy argues that contrary to the triumphalist Western narrative, George H. W. Bush desperately wanted to preserve the Soviet Union and keep Gorbachev in power, and that it was Ukraine and not the US that played the key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union. The consequences of those five months and the myth-making that has since surrounded them are still being felt in Crimea, Russia, the US, and Europe today.
With its spellbinding narrative and strikingly fresh perspective, The Last Empire is the essential account of one of the most important watershed periods in world history, and is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to make sense of international politics today.
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A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women
Rome as you’ve never seen it before – brazenly unconventional, badly behaved and ever so feminine.‘Hugely entertaining and illuminating’ —Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den
Here’s how the history of the Roman Empire usually goes…
We kick off with Romulus murdering his brother, go on to Brutus overthrowing Tarquin, bounce through an appallingly tedious list of battles and generals and consuls, before emerging into the political stab-fest of the late Republic. After ‘Et tu, Brute?’, it runs through all the emperors, occasionally nodding to a wife or mother to show how bad things get when women won’t do as they’re told, until Constantine invents Christianity only for Attila the Hun to come and ruin everything.
Let’s tear up this script. The history of Rome and its empire is so much more than these ‘Important Things’.
In this alternative history, Emma Southon tells another story about the Romans, one that lives through Vestal Virgins and sex workers, business owners and poets, empresses and saints.
- Discover how entrepreneurial sex worker Hispala Faecenia uncovered a conspiracy of treason, human sacrifice and Bacchic orgies so wild they would make Donna Tartt blush, becoming one of Rome’s unlikeliest heroes.
- Book yourself a table the House of Julia Felix and get to know Pompeii’s savviest businesswoman and restauranteur. Indulge in an array of locally sourced delicacies as you take in the wonderful view of Mount Vesuvius… what could possibly go wrong?
- Join the inimitable Septimia Zenobia, who – after watching a series of incompetent, psychopathic and incompetently psychopathic emperors almost destroy the Empire – did what any of us would do. She declared herself Empress, took over half the Roman Empire and ran it herself.
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Tudor England: A History
A compelling, authoritative account of the brilliant, conflicted, visionary world of Tudor England
When Henry VII landed in a secluded bay in a far corner of Wales, it seemed inconceivable that this outsider could ever be king of England. Yet he and his descendants became some of England’s most unforgettable rulers, and gave their name to an age. The story of the Tudor monarchs is as astounding as it was unexpected, but it was not the only one unfolding between 1485 and 1603.
In cities, towns, and villages, families and communities lived their lives through times of great upheaval. In this comprehensive new history, Lucy Wooding lets their voices speak, exploring not just how monarchs ruled but also how men and women thought, wrote, lived, and died. We see a monarchy under strain, religion in crisis, a population contending with war, rebellion, plague, and poverty. Remarkable in its range and depth, Tudor England explores the many tensions of these turbulent years and presents a markedly different picture from the one we thought we knew.Read more
£12.30£14.20Tudor England: A History
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The Histories (Penguin Classics)
‘The first example of non-fiction, the text that underlies the entire discipline of history … it is above all a treasure trove’ Tom Holland
One of the masterpieces of classical literature, The Histories describes how a small and quarrelsome band of Greek city states united to repel the might of the Persian empire. But while this epic struggle forms the core of his work, Herodotus’ natural curiosity frequently gives rise to colourful digressions – a description of the natural wonders of Egypt; tales of lake-dwellers, dog-headed men and gold-digging ants. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fact and legend, The Histories offers a compelling Greek view of the world in the fifth century BC, in Aubrey de Sélincourt’s elegant and celebrated translation.
Translated by AUBREY DE SÉLINCOURT
Revised with an Introduction and notes by JOHN MARINCOLARead more
£10.40£12.30The Histories (Penguin Classics)
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Off Duty: The Worlds Greatest Chefs Cook at Home
In Off Duty, forty-eight of the world’s top chefs and food writers abandon the heat of the professional kitchen and share their passion for home cooking. Revealing the favorite menus they love to cook for family and friends, they place the emphasis on delicious, straightforward recipes using ingredients and techniques familiar to the home cook. An interview with each chef offers fascinating insights into everything from their favorite piece of cooking gear to what they feed their children. With 144 recipes — 48 starters, 48 main courses and 48 desserts — there is something to suit every mood and every capability level. A sample menu might feature Gary Rhodes’s starter of Toasted Tomato Salad with Melting Gorgonzola and Rocket Leaves or Delia Smith’s Baked Eggs in Wild Mushroom Tartlet. For a meaty main course there is Nigella Lawson’s Shin of Beef Stew with Pasta or Gordon Ramsay’s Calves’ Liver with Sweet and Sour Mushroom and Rocket Marmalade. At-home desserts include Jamie Oliver’s Raspberry and Blackberry Meringue with Hazelnuts, Caramel and Chantilly Cream and Michel Roux’s White Peaches Baked with Honey and Lavender. Off Duty has a range of vegetables, fish and meat dishes to tempt every palate and a roll call of chefs to inspire, day after day. Bringing together today’s top culinary talents,, this collection is a must-have for the home cook.Read more
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The Best Ever 20 Minute Cookbook: 200 Fabulous Fuss-free Recipes for the Busy Cook, Including Instant Indulgences, Healthy Snacks, Family Meals and … Cook, with Over 800…
This title features 200 fabulous fuss-free recipes for the busy cook, including instant indulgences, healthy snacks, family meals and last-minute entertaining, with over 800 photographs. There are 200 fuss-free recipes: quick and easy cooking for every kind of meal and occasion, with over 800 photographs to guarantee success. How to make clever use of fresh and tasty ingredients to produce delectably quick appetizers, quick-fix lunches, nutritious main courses, irresistible desserts and tempting drinks? This title offers advice on how to create meals with flavour and texture from fewer ingredients, make use of quick-cook methods, minimize kitchen utensils, and rustle up a wide range of simple and speedy accompaniments. Clear step-by-step instructions guide you through every stage of preparation and explain specific techniques, and there is an inspiring colour photograph of every dish. Full nutritional information listed for every recipe makes it easy to work out healthy options for special diets. This is the ultimate guide to producing fast and flavoursome food in a matter of minutes, with delicious recipes that require minimal preparation and cooking time. There are recipes in the book to suit every kind of meal and appetite, from a simple smoked salmon and chive omelette for an indulgent midday lunch, to a quick yet classic dish of mussels in white wine for supper. There are fantastic ideas for rustling up quick but unusual accompaniments, such as creamy polenta with dolcelatte, and perfect speedy party dishes such as chilli-spiced chicken wings. Home-made delights like grilled pineapple and rum cream will leave the frozen supermarket desserts sitting on the shelf.Read more
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How They Blew It: The CEOs and Entrepreneurs Behind Some of the World’s Most Catastrophic Business Failures
How They Blew It is a series of eye-popping tales of entrepreneurs and business leaders who went from corporate gurus to financial disaster zones in rapid and humiliating fashion. Full of surprising details and mind-blowing sums of money, it looks at the characteristics of these leaders and the fine line between hero and zero.How They Blew It is about the people at the heart of these business catastrophes. It is about what drives them to succeed and then to fail. It is a compelling examination of the rights and wrongs of each case and it seeks to get into the minds of the people behind the business disasters and ask “Why the hell did they do that?”
The characteristics of successful entrepreneurs include resilience and the ability to learn from failure, and so the aim of How they Blew It is ultimately positive. By examining how business ventures can go so badly wrong, you can learn to avoid those mistakes in the first place.
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£2.70
