Macartney's 1793 mission was a failure, but the Dutch were better informed. This new study argues that the Qing court was not arrogant and narrow-minded, as the English concluded, but was in... read more
The first of a two-volume history of this cosmopolitan and romantic landscape, stretching from the mountains of Georgia to the shores of the Caspian sea. Baumer, an historian and explorer (a... read more
A rich and sweeping history of the colourful Ottomans, from their rise to their downfall after WW1. It shows how they shifted from a policy of integration to one of exclusivity. Multiethnic,... read more
Over 100,000 Jews were killed in the Ukraine during the pogroms of 1918-1921. JV draws on trial records and witness testimony to argue that this chilling violence was a harbinger of the Holo... read more
A panorama spanning 150 years and three generations of 'the Rothschilds of the East', written with full access to family documents. Emerging as Jewish refugees from Ottoman Baghdad, their em... read more
Mazower has written extensively on Eastern European history and the Balkans; it should come as no surprise that his new book is an impressive and thorough account of this first 'romantic' Eu... read more
Beard on the faces of power through history. She asks why - for over two millennia - the striking, stony realism of Roman portraiture has been a touchstone for subsequent depictions of power... read more
From Longleat to Cliveden, Tinniswood explores the ways in which the raffish and anti-hierarchical mood of the 1960s embraced the idea of the country house.
An unflinching look at Britain's past, showing how the empire was built - and depended on - institutionalised, racialised violence. The Pulitzer-winner argues that the empire only waned when... read more
An ambitious book that traces the collapse of empires and their ramifications in contemporary Eurasian geopolitics - in particular Iran, China, Turkey and Russia.
Subtitled 'Three Hundred Years of Extraordinary Groves, Burrowings, Mountains and Menageries', this is an illustrated study of the rare, the wonderful, the bizarre and the delightfully batty... read more
The Great Game has not changed though the players have: Keay looks at the history of this contested and remote area and at those that have roamed its wildernesses.
An anthology of the writings by the often overlooked women of the Raj, many of whom flourished in India - Fanny Parks, Emily Eden et alia. A fascinating counterpoint to the stereotypical vie... read more
Two experts incorporate much new evidence from wrecks and archives: this new book has a reasonable claim to be the definitive account of the Armada. Illustrated.
A broad survey that considers the roles of individual leaders in C20th European history. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini of coures, but also Tito, Adenauer, Thatcher, Kohl, Gorbachev and others... read more
Encompasses natural events and their consequences on a vast scale, showing how these have shaped human responses, trade, empires... Particularly trenchant as we try to understand climate cha... read more
A fascinating exploration of travel in C17th India: merchant-cum-gentleman Thomas Roe is whisked away as ambassador to Mughal India where he plays the dangerous (and often disappointing) gam... read more
In less than a month in 1870, the Prussian army invaded France, captured Napoleon III and changed the balance of world power. Its success had far-reaching effects...