England’s Lost Eden: Adventures in a Victorian Utopia
A kaleidoscopic story of myth, Spiritualism, and the Victorian search for Utopia from one of the brightest and most original non-fiction writers at work today.
European history
Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Great in the Age of Enlightenment
In one corner, a godless young warrior, Voltaire’s heralded ‘philosopher-king’, the It Boy of the Enlightenment. In the other, a devout if bad-tempered old composer of ‘outdated’ music, a scorned genius in his last years. The sparks from their brief conflict illuminate a turbulent age.
Encyclopédie: The triumph of reason in an unreasonable age
The story of one of the most revolutionary books in history – the Encyclopedie and the young men who risked everything to write it.
1066: and the Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry
A brilliant new reading of the Bayeux Tapestry that radically alters our understanding of the events of 1066 and reveals the astonishing story of the survival of early medieval Europe’s greatest treasure.
How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions
The new book from the multiple-award nominated biographer of KARL MARX. Combine the intellect of Will Hutton, the campaigning vigour of Naomi Klein and the wit of Michael Moore and you have the ingredient of the next non-fiction polemical bestseller.
The Speckled People
‘This is the most gripping book I’ve read in ages … It is beautifully written, fascinating, disturbing and often very funny.’ Roddy Doyle
The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots’ Invention of the Modern World
‘Every Scot should read it. Scotland now has the lively, provocative and positive history it deserves.’ Irvine Welsh, Guardian
A dramatic and intriguing history of how Scotland produced the institutions, beliefs and human character that have made the West into the most powerful culture in the world.
The Lost King of France: Revolution, Revenge and the Search for Louis XVII
A true story of royalty, revolution and mystery – the fascinating detective story of the brief life and many possible deaths of Louis XVII, the son of Marie-Antoinette.
Ready, Steady, Go!: Swinging London and the Invention of Cool
Shawn Levy, author of ‘Rat Pack Confidential’ brings alive London in the swinging sixties with a gripping, groovy story of those who created the scene that changed the world.
A Very English Deceit: The Secret History of the South Sea Bubble and the First Great Financial Scandal
A morality tale for our times: the South Sea Bubble was a scandal of immense proportions. A classic collision of political ambition, mercenary greed and financial revolution that ensnared the Crown, Parliament and Bank of England in an C18th plot of sheer devilry.
To Father: The Letters of Sister Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623–1633
The story of Galileo’s daughter, Sister Maria Celeste, as told through her letters to her father. A companion to the bestselling Galileo’s Daughter, the letters are edited and introduced by Dava Sobel.
Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse
The moving story of Marengo, ‘Bonaparte’s personal charger’ and ‘favourite horse’, whose career spanned the whole of the Napoleonic Wars.
Hellish Nell: Last of Britain’s Witches
The 1735 Witchcraft Act was used for the last time in Portsmouth in 1944. The accused was Helen Duncan, a plump Scotswoman, convicted as a fraud yet believed by hundreds to possess the power to speak to the dead. This is her extraordinary story.
Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kiev
In 1942 at the centre point of the Second World War an extraordinary event took place not on the battlefield but in a municipal stadium in Kiev. This is the true story of courage, team loyalty and fortitude in the face of the most brutal oppression the world had ever seen.
SS 1: The Unlikely Death of Heinrich Himmler
First serious examination of the curious demise of Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler that also investigates an extraordinary web of secret deals and international intrigue.‘Thomas has produced the non-fiction equivalent of a Robert Harris or Frederick Forsyth novel.’ Roger Hutchinson, Scotsman