Geschiedenis

‘Everitt vertelt het allemaal fraai, met veel inlevingsvermogen.’ – Fik Meijer in NRC Handelsblad

In Ondanks de zwaartekracht toont Suzanna Jansen hoe dwarsdenkers van een eeuw geleden onze tijd hebben vormgegeven. Van de auteur van de bestseller Het pauperparadijs.

Anthony Everitt geeft in deze biografie naast het verhaal van Cicero ook een helder beeld van de roerigste en meest belangwekkende periode uit de Romeinse geschiedenis.

In this intimate memoir, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai recounts her path through adulthood, exploring first love, self-doubt, and reclaiming her story beyond the spotlight.
 

Ontdek hoe Nederlanders eeuwenlang het water bedwongen met slimme technieken; deze strijd vormde de samenleving en blijft een indrukwekkende prestatie.

Pilgrim Fathers van Frans Verhagen is het historische verhaal van de reis met de Mayflower en de Leidse periode van deze ‘eerste kolonisten’ van Amerika.

Een meeslepende geschiedenis van zeven Habsburgse zussen. Hoe de uiteenlopende levens van de zeven prinsessen het moderne Europa vormden.

Hoe een verzetsman de regie over zijn leven verloor

In zes kleurrijke portretten van pioniers beschrijft Jacqueline Oskamp op een aanstekelijke wijze de ontwikkelingen in de elektronische muziek in de tweede helft van de twintigste eeuw.

Dit boek verbindt persoonlijke observaties met harde feiten en cultuurfilosofische bespiegelingen en beschrijft welke factoren hebben bijgedragen aan de dreigende teloorgang van de muziekarchieven.

‘De Kruisvaarders’ van historicus Dan Jones is een kleurrijke geschiedenis over een bloedige tijd, verteld door de ogen van bekende en onbekende personen: ridders, Vikingen, vrouwen en moslims.

Commandant van de Poolse Parachutistenbrigade

‘De koning van Brugge en Breda’ onthult een vergeten hoofdstuk uit de Europese zeventiende-eeuwse geschiedenis: de jarenlange ballingschap van de Britse koning Charles II in de Lage Landen.

Arco Gnocchi vertelt op zijn karakteristieke wijze 30 jaar aan bijzondere verhalen, bizarre anekdotes en mooie herinneringen die van deze bespotte betonbak, de ArenA, een geliefd thuis maakten.

The cultural and scientific significance of animal magnetism as performance.

The Achilles Trap masterfully untangles the people, ploys of power and geopolitics that led to America's disastrous war with Iraq and, for the first time, details America's fundamental miscalculations during its ruinous, decades-long relationship with Saddam Hussein.

Beginning with Saddam's rise to power in 1979 and the birth of Iraq's secret nuclear weapons programme, Steve Coll traces Saddam's motives through understanding his inner circle. He brings to life the diplomats, scientists, family members and generals who had no choice but to defer to their leader - a leader directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, as well as the torture or imprisonment of many more. This was a man whose reasoning was impossible to reduce to a simple explanation, and the CIA and successive presidential administrations failed to grasp critical nuances in his paranoia, resentments and inconsistencies - even when the stakes were incredibly high.

Using unpublished and underreported sources, interviews with surviving participants, and Saddam's own transcripts and audio files, The Achilles Trap is a remarkable picture of a dictator who was convinced the world was out to get him and acted accordingly. A work of great historical significance, it is the definitive account of how corruptions of power, lies of diplomacy and vanity - on both sides - led to avoidable errors of statecraft: ones that would enact immeasurable human suffering and forever change our political landscape.

*A GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN, PROSPECT AND WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2025* 'The fascinating story of ancient words … new revelations await' The Guardian 'A magisterial feat' New Scientist ________________________________ One ancient language transformed our world. This is its story. Star. Stjarna. Stare. Thousands of miles apart, people look up at the night sky and use the same word to describe what they see. Listen to these English, Icelandic and Iranic words and you can hear echoes of one of the most extraordinary journeys in humanity’s past. All three of these languages – and hundreds more – share a single ancient ancestor. Five millennia ago, in a mysterious Big Bang of its own, this proto tongue exploded, forming new worlds as it spread east and west. Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language. How did this happen? In Proto, acclaimed journalist Laura Spinney sets off to find out. With her we travel the length of the steppe, navigating the Caucasus, the Silk Roads and the Hindu Kush. We follow in the footsteps of nomads and monks, Amazon warriors and lion kings – the ancient peoples who spread these tongues far and wide. In the present, Spinney meets the linguists, archaeologists and geneticists racing to recover this lost world. What they have discovered has vital lessons for our modern age, as people and their languages are on the move again. Proto is a revelatory portrait of world history in its own words.

Ontdek de volledige geschiedenis van Egypte, van de farao's tot het hedendaagse leven. Dit boek belicht de ontwikkeling van taal, religie en hoe het oude Egypte nog zichtbaar is.

Ontdek hoe de Inca's in korte tijd een machtig rijk in de Andes opbouwden en hoe dit imperium ten onder ging.

Ontdek hoe Cyrus de Grote een wereldmacht creëerde met een revolutionair bestuur. Dit boek belicht de bloei en ondergang van het Perzische Rijk.

Ontdek de vormende geschiedenis en de unieke, rijke verscheidenheid aan culturen, religies en landschappen van dit eilandrijk.

Ontdek achter de grenzen van Ethiopië een duizenden jaren oude, unieke beschaving, cultuur en rijke biodiversiteit.

Ontdek de ware Vikingen voorbij het gehelmde krijgersbeeld; zij waren moedige ontdekkingsreizigers, slimme kooplieden en bekwame bouwers.

Dit boek onthult een veelzijdig Polen, van historische grootmacht tot moderne natie, rijk aan cultuur en unieke levenswijzen.

Ontdek de fascinerende geheimen van het oude Egypte, van farao's tot gewone Egyptenaren. Dit boek onthult hoe zij leefden, geloofden en bouwden.

Dit boek belicht de volledige geschiedenis van Taiwan, van kolonisatie tot moderne democratie. Ontdek de Taiwanese cultuur en de complexe verhouding met China.

Ontdek de Renaissance, een periode van ongekende ideeën, uitvindingen en meesterwerken.

Ontdek het verhaal van Botswana, een land dat transformeerde van armoede naar stabiliteit dankzij diamanten, vee en gemeenschapszin.

Ontdek de ziel van Ierland door de turbulente geschiedenis, rijke Keltische cultuur en gedenkwaardige identiteit.

Cuba is een fascinerende wereld waar revolutie, architectuur en natuur samenkomen. Ontdek de bewogen geschiedenis en de rijke culturele invloeden van het eiland.

Ontdek hoe diepgewortelde spanningen leidden tot de onvermijdelijke Franse Revolutie. Dit boek ontrafelt deze omwenteling en toont hoe idealen en terreur samengingen.

From the bestselling author of FEMINA, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited for political, nation-building ends. From Joan of Arc to Lady Godiva, Isabella of Castile to Catherine of Siena, famous medieval women have become national icons, their legends burnished and celebrated. But over the centuries their lives have been exploited, their stories twisted and weaponised. Searching for the real women behind the legends, bestselling historian Janina Ramirez reveals how history is often hijacked to serve the ideological and political agendas of the present. Praise for LEGENDA:'Fearless, stunning and shockingly relevant' Alice Roberts, author of Domination'A history like no other. Fabulous, invigorating and beguiling' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth'Sensational! Janina Ramirez is writing women back into history one by one' Lauren Laverne'A brilliant concept, conveyed with that dynamo mix: academic authority and storytelling pizzazz!' Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen

Ontdek de ware geschiedenis, rituelen en invloed van machtige geheime genootschappen door de eeuwen heen. Dit boek scheidt feit van fictie.

'At last, a history of the Roman state as it has always been crying out to be told, and never has been!' RODERICK BEATON

The greatest empire in Western history - told as never been told before.

Rome is often remembered for its spectacular collapse. But for over two thousand years - through civil wars, plagues, invasions, and religious upheaval - the Roman state survived, adapted, and reinvented itself. From a muddy settlement on the banks of the Tiber to the glittering court of Constantinople, this is the untold story of a civilisation that endured.

In The Romans, acclaimed historian Edward J. Watts tells the first truly complete history of Rome in all its epic sweep: the Punic Wars, the fall of the republic, the coming of Christianity, Alaric's sack of Rome, the rise of Islam and the onslaught of the Crusaders who would bring about the empire's end. This is the Rome of Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine. But it is also the Rome of Charlemagne, Justinian, and Manuel Comnenus, and countless diverse men and women who shaped the empire: African emperors, Byzantine intellectuals and ordinary citizens whose loyalty together made it the most resilient state the world has ever seen.

An expansive, eye-opening portrait, this the definitive history of Rome and its citizens.

An indispensable guide to Greenland—why it matters, who covets it and why this wilderness of 56,000 inhabitants could become the next global flashpoint.

Dit boek ontleedt in tien heldere stappen hoe dictators aan de macht komen door herkenbare patronen te volgen. U leert waarschuwingssignalen herkennen.

'Absorbing' The Times'Gripping' Sam Leith'There are few bits of history more mythologised, sensitive and political than Sparta, but luckily we have Bayliss' Dan Snow, creator of History HitSparta - its legendary warriors and steadfast resilience are famous throughout the world as a model for toughness, justice and masculinity. The Spartans' reputation as fighters is matched only by their mythic code of honour. Their torch has been carried by footballers and politicians, video games and philosophers alike.But who really were the Spartans? And what was the driving force behind the rise - and dramatic fall - of Sparta?Sparta traces the story of Ancient Greece's most iconic city-state, from its humble beginnings as a hamlet in the Peloponnese to its meteoric rise as the foremost military superpower of the Classical world. Andrew Bayliss uncovers the eclectic quirks that set Sparta above its rivals: its famous double monarchy, the harsh methods for raising children as soldiers and the unique role of women in Spartan life.Sparta was an ancient superpower, and its legacy is still shaping popular culture and politics today. This is the story of its rise and fall.

A thrilling true story of courage, resistance and ultimately betrayal in the Third Reich captured by internationally bestselling author and prize-winning journalist Jonathan Freedland.

The Traitors Circle tells the true, but scarcely known, story of a group of secret rebels against Hitler. Drawn from Berlin high society, they include army officers, government officials, two countesses, an ambassador's widow and a former model - meeting in the shadows, whether hiding and rescuing Jews or plotting for a Germany freed from Nazi rule. One day in September 1943 they gather for a tea party - unaware that one among them is about to betray them all to the Gestapo. But who is the betrayer of a circle themselves branded 'traitors' by the cruellest regime in history?

In another page-turning work of nonfiction that reads like a thriller, Jonathan Freedland, acclaimed author of The Escape Artist, sheds light on one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war, telling a story of courage, resistance and ultimate betrayal that has deep moral resonance for our own time, and asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny.

PRAISE FOR THE ESCAPE ARTIST:

'Thrilling' Daily Mail
'Gripping' Guardian
'Heartwrenching' Yuval Noah Harari
'Magnificent' Philip Pullman
'Excellent' Sunday Times
'Inspiring' Daily Mail
'An immediate classic' Antony Beevor
'Awe inspiring' Simon Sebag Montefiore
'Shattering' Simon Schama
'Utterly compelling' Philippe Sands
'A must-read' Emily Maitlis
'Indispensable' Howard Jacobson

The definitive story of the slackers and shoegazers who reinvented rock.

Twenty years after his acclaimed postpunk best-seller, Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds tells the tale of what happened next: the underground explosion of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock and grunge that reverberated through the late Eighties into the early Nineties.

Capturing the musical exhilaration of the era along with the alienation of youth during a period of ascendant conservative politics and glitzy mainstream pop, Still in a Dream celebrates a golden age of guitar reinvention, a second psychedelia of mind-blowing sounds pioneered by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. In Britain, groups like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive escaped into shimmering dreamworlds while American underground rockers like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement blended apathy and urgency into thrilling noise.

A propulsive and personal account from a journalist who covered this music in real time from the frontlines, Still in a Dream vividly recreates a period that was the last blast for the analogue culture of vinyl records and music papers, before the Internet changed everything.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

On the 250th anniversary of America's founding - a landmark history of the US Constitution for a troubling new era.

The US Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world - and one of the most difficult to amend. Although nearly twelve thousand amendments have been proposed since 1789, only twenty-seven have ever been ratified. Tellingly, the Constitution has not been meaningfully amended since 1971. Without amendment, the risk of political violence rises. So does the risk of constitutional change by presidential power.

Leading Harvard historian Jill Lepore captures the stories of generations of ordinary people who have attempted everything from abolishing the Electoral College to guaranteeing environmental rights, hoping to mend their nation. Recounting the history of America through centuries of efforts to realize the promise of the Constitution, we witness how nearly all those bids have failed.

We the People is the sweeping account of a struggle, arguing that the Constitution was never intended to be preserved, but was expected to be gradually altered. At a time when the risk of political violence is all too real, it hints at the prospects for a better, amended America.

Ontdek het fascinerende en veelzijdige Duitsland met zijn rijke geschiedenis, cultuur en diverse landschap.

Poor boy. Dark star. Spy. Transgressor. Genius. This is the extraordinary story of Christopher Marlowe – Shakespeare’s greatest inspiration and rival. In brutally repressive Elizabethan London, artists are frightened; foreigners are suspect; crowds revel in animal fights and public executions. Into this crude world comes an ambitious boy whose uncanny ear for poetry and radical streak would change England forever. Enter Christopher Marlowe. A cobbler’s son from Canterbury, by the time of his murder in 1593 Marlowe is the most celebrated playwright of his time, setting the stage for an explosion of artistic creativity. Written by one of our greatest writers on the Elizabethan era, Dark Renaissance tells Marlowe’s story: a thrilling tale of daring, scandal and tragedy which reveals Marlowe to be a blazing talent who helped break England out of the cultural darkness and into the light.

A cultured, engaging collection of historical vignettes ranging from prehistoric times to the early 20th century - all focused on the ancient roads, tracks and pathways of Europe

For a million years people have been traveling throughout Europe. From the mysterious homo antecessor which left its footprints on the coast of England to the traveller on the motorways of today. Under every footstep lies an older one, under every paved road a donkey trail or wagon rut, under every footpath the prints of a hunter or prey.

And yet the long through roads of Europe don't hold a special place in the imaginations and identities of its residents. Why does the European have such an ambivalent relationship with the long roads of his or her continent?

Why have no classics been written about the E30, such as the Americans have written about Route 66? Are Europeans too attached to their own home patch? Or have they too often seen armies marching towards them along those roads?

In search of the answer to that question, Mathijs Deen follows the refugees, bandits, pilgrims, fortune seekers, conquerors and racers who found their way along the coasts and via the rivers and roads of Europe. From Boekelo to Smolensk, and from the first Europeans to the barons who raced the open roads of Europe circa 1900: Down the Old Roads is a journey through Europe and a trip through time.

Translated from the Dutch by Jane Hedley-Prole and Jonathan Reeder

Over de raadselachtige getijdenstroom aan de rand van Nederland en Duitsland.

Another charming and romantic cosy YA fantasy from the author of A Witch's Guide to Love and Poison and The Baby Dragon Cafe, Aamna Qureshi.

Unlike her brothers, Sonya was not made for the crown. Born without magic and often disregarded, she decides to run away from the castle and leave her old life behind.

Having never left the castle grounds, it isn't long before she finds herself in trouble and a handsome stranger comes to her rescue. Azam, a 'stitch-witch', offers her a place to stay in his cosy cottage where he lives with his grandmother and little sister.

Sonya falls in love with her new life and the little cottage where she is free to be herself.

But news of the missing princess soon spreads, and when Sonya's new life is threatened, she must decide who she can trust...

Perfect for fans of:
- will-they-wont-they romance
- cottagecore with a Pakistani twist
- found family
- gorgeous outfits!

Ontdek tientallen bizarre en hilarische beroepen uit de geschiedenis die je vandaag de dag niet meer voor mogelijk houdt.

Betrayal charts the dramatic collapse of the post-1945 international system. Ours is now a world in which Trump's America has effectively endorsed Putin's land-grab in Ukraine and painted Europe as an enemy. Meanwhile, an anti-western alliance has taken shape featuring China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Countries find themselves in an uncertain and dangerous era. It is a return to nineteenth century imperialism and spheres of influence - but with withering modern firepower. Written in thrilling style, this vital and clear-eyed book reports from the frontlines of a new age of conquest. Luke Harding visits villages in eastern Ukraine under Russian bombardment, talks to Greenlanders about a US takeover, tours the divided Korean peninsula and sits down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Betrayal tells the story of presidents and ordinary people, caught up in conflict and war. Harding offers an essential guide to brutal Great Power politics and how it came back.

'illuminating' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
'fascinating' THE SPECTATOR
'compelling' THE INDEPENDENT

Women have been fighting for control over their bodies for thousands of years. From Neolithic hunter-gatherers to the reversal of Roe v. Wade, this is their story.

Acclaimed cultural historian Lucy Inglis takes the reader on an epic journey through the stories of women over hundreds of thousands of years. From ancient Mesopotamian birthing practices to the lost contraceptives of Ancient Rome and the strange story of the feminists who fought for the right to forget childbirth, this is a truly sweeping history that explores the competing ideologies and lived realities that have shaped so many lives.

Lucy Inglis charts the battle for control throughout history over reproduction, birth and women’s bodies - a fight still raging in many places across the world. With birth rates falling and infant mortality in many societies on the rise once more, this bold and timely book raises vital questions about how we think about motherhood and pregnancy today. Lucy Inglis has spent over a decade researching the history of childbirth, drawing on new and unseen sources from a wide-ranging array of disciplines.

Charting the powerful interests and dedicated scientists that have shaped women’s maternal experiences, this is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand how we all came to be here.

Als weeskind overleefde zij de Holocaust tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Deze autobiografie in de vorm van een dagboek beschrijft haar spannende zoektocht naar haar familie.

In zijn nieuwe boekessay De Verenigde Steden van Europa benadrukt prof. dr. Eric Corijn (VUB) het belang van de steden voor het verzet tegen dit autoritarisme.

WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY GILES MILTON'Peter Hopkirk is truly the Laureate of the Great Game' Jan Morris'One of the paciest and most exciting works of narrative history I have ever read' William Dalrymple'There can be few more fascinating subjects, or few authors better qualified to write about it' IndependentFor nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth, Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia, fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized by Rudyard Kipling. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This classic book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horse-traders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned. The violent repercussions of the Great Game are still convulsing Central Asia today.

'You will love Harry Sidebottom’s magnificent, blood-drenched study of the life of a gladiator … Was I not entertained? I absolutely was.' Dominic Sandbrook, The Times'Grippingly original' Tom HollandA TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEARLONGLISTED FOR THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN AWARD------In ancient Rome, a single day could decide a gladiator’s fate. Follow in their footsteps with bestselling author Harry Sidebottom. Take a seat at the feast on the eve of the games and watch as the men marked for combat enjoy their final meal. At dawn, Roman citizens rush to the Colosseum to see the spectacles: wild-beast hunts, public executions and carefully choreographed violence – all part of a good day’s entertainment. Watch as the gladiators enter the arena – armour gleaming, shields locked, they step into the light, fighting not just for survival but for the favour of the crowd. Gripping, immersive and grounded in ancient sources, A Day in the Life of a Gladiator illuminates the reality of Roman life and death in all its glory. This is history as it happened – not in the marble halls of emperors, but on the blood-darkened sand of the arena. Previously published in hardback as Those Who Are About to Die.

Ontdek de ongeziene wereld binnen Vaticaanstad, van geheime archieven tot wereldwijde invloed. Dit boek onthult tweeduizend jaar geschiedenis, machtsspelen en intriges van het kleinste land op aarde.

'Clever . . . Full of memorable details.' DOMINIC SANDBROOK, THE TIMES (HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR)
'An engaging story of political odysseys.' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
'A salve for our current reactionary times.' ANDREW HARTMAN

The gripping, untold story of how six epic journeys launched the three communist revolutions that changed world history forever.

From the streets of Petrograd during the heady autumn of 1917, to Mao’s stunning victory in October 1949, and Fidel’s triumphant arrival in Havana, in January 1959, the history of the twentieth century was transformed in dramatic and profound ways by the Russian, Chinese, and Cuban revolutions.

In Three Revolutions, the stories of these epoch-defining events are told together for the first time. At the heart of each revolution was an epic journey: Lenin's 1917 return to Russia from exile in Switzerland; Mao's 'Long March' of 1934–35, covering some 6,000 miles across China; and Fidel Castro's return to Cuba in 1956 following his exile in Mexico. Told in tandem with these are the corresponding journeys of three extraordinary journalists – John Reed, Edgar Snow and Herbert L. Matthews – whose electric testimony from the frontlines of each revolution would make a decisive contribution to how these revolutions were understood in the wider world.

Here, in Simon Hall's masterful retelling, these six remarkable journeys are brought vividly to life. Featuring a stellar cast, extraordinary drama and an epic sweep, Three Revolutions raises fundamental questions about the nature of political power, the limits of idealism and the role of the journalist - questions that remain of utmost urgency today.

Ontdek de ware oorzaken en de blijvende erfenis van de bloedige conflicten die twee eeuwen lang het Heilige Land teisterden.

Ontdek Oostenrijk, een land met een rijke geschiedenis en levendige cultuur dat de Europese geschiedenis heeft gevormd.

Ontdek de verrassende mix van cultuur, natuur en geschiedenis van Suriname, een diverse republiek in Zuid-Amerika.

Ontdek het veelzijdige Tsjechië voorbij de toeristische paden met een rijke geschiedenis van koninkrijken tot de Fluwelen Revolutie.

Ontdek hoe deze hoogontwikkelde beschaving leefde, regeerde en waarom het Maya-rijk plotseling verdween.

Verraad en verzet in één familie. In ‘De hooiberg van Mussert’ verhaalt Anton Kos de onderduik van NSB-leider Mussert en de Huizer familie die hem daarbij hielp.

Ontdek de rijke geschiedenis en veelzijdige cultuur van Nepal, een land tussen hoge bergtoppen en eeuwenoude beschavingen.

Ontdek vijfduizend jaar Chinese geschiedenis, van dynastieën en filosofie tot baanbrekende uitvindingen die de wereld veranderden.

'Glamour, scholarship and superlative storytelling [...] an enthralling read.'
LUCY WORSLEY

Adrian Tinniswood opens the doors on the excess, intrigue and absurdities of life in the late Victorian and Edwardian country house

In the decades before the First World War, the owners of the nation’s stately homes revelled in a golden age of glory and glamour. Nothing lay beyond their reach in a world where privilege and hedonism went hand-in-hand with duty and honour.

This was a time when the ancestral seats of ancient nobility stood side-by-side with the fabulous palaces of Jewish bankers and Indian princes, when dukes and duchesses mixed with aristocratic society hostesses who had learned to dance in the chorus line and self-made millionaires who had been raised in the slums of Manchester and Birmingham.

The Power and the Glory explores the country house during this golden age, when Britain ruled over a quarter of the world’s population, when its stately homes were at their most opulent and when, for the privileged few, life in the country house was the best life of all.

'A wonderful book.'
JUDITH FLANDERS

'Scintillating and brilliant, from a master of the subject.'
GARETH RUSSELL

The multiple Sunday Times bestselling brand and creators of the #1 podcast sensation return with a hilarious deep dive into history's biggest heroes and most infamous villains

‘[An] authoritative, fascinating account . . . Crucible of Light underlines the complexity of relations, both individual and collective, between the Islamic world and Europe’ The Spectator

Focusing on major turning points, individual stories, and key places, from Mecca to Cordoba, from Damascus to Venice, and from Vienna to Istanbul, Drayson tracks the themes that unite us – classical learning preserved in Islamic libraries, the enduring influence of Moorish architecture and design, the food we share, the goods we have traded, and the continuing dialogue between individuals and cultures that has permeated Europe’s history and shaped its borders.

It is a history that sweeps across cities and continents, from Spanish patios and palaces to Ottoman-inspired coffee houses in seventeenth-century London to the Mezquita in Cordoba, once a mosque, now a cathedral, the physical embodiment of the ongoing discourse that continues to shape European identity.

‘Absolutely fascinating. At a time when a historical Christian Nationalism and chauvinism are gaining ground, this book arrives as an essential corrective’ Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and author of Secularism: a Very Short Introduction

‘A treasure of a book, exploring the frequently misunderstood, often unsung, yet extraordinarily rich intertwining of Islamic and European culture over nearly one and a half millennia’ Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred

A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2026'A horrific tale of the slave trade, destined to become a classic' New York Times* History Writers Association Non-Fiction Crown Longlist 2026* PEN Literary Award Finalist 2026* New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025* Time’s 100 Must Read Books of 2025* The New Yorker 12 Essential Non-Fiction Reads 2025From the author of New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Cobalt Red, discover the shocking true story and riveting account of the 18th century slave ship whose journey from the high seas to the High Court sparked the human rights campaign to end the slave trade. Perfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides. In 1781, the Zorg set off from the Netherlands to buy slaves in West Africa to sell in the Caribbean. By the time its journey ended, the Zorg became the first undeniable argument against slavery. When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the crew's solution was to throw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save themselves and the most valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance. The insurers refused to pay the claim due to the unusually high mortality rate of the slaves on board, leading to a trial which initially found in favour of the ship's owners, with the slaves equated to horses with a compensation value of £30 per slave. Due to the outrage of one man present in court that day who wrote an anonymous letter to the press objecting to the result, a retrial was held. For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?In this riveting book, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara brings the true horror of the Atlantic slave trade to life. The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history.

Ontdek de rijke geschiedenis, levendige cultuur en bijzondere natuur van de zes unieke Antilliaanse eilanden.

Reis langs de Zijderoute waar kooplieden en monniken beschavingen verbonden tussen Rome en China. Ontdek de uitwisseling van goederen, religies en wetenschap die de wereld vormde.

A Spectator Book of the Year.

Taking you on a time-travelling adventure around the 'spindly, sea-wracked islands' we call home, The Discovery of Britain is history that's panoramic and intimate, poignant and shocking, seriously funny, and enlightening in the most surprising way.

'Robb has found a new format for writing history just as Craig Brown found a fresh way to write biography' – Alan Johnson

'Rarely does history feel so beguiling' – The Observer

In the hands of the prize-winning author of The Discovery of France, and often from the unique vantage point of his bicycle, we encounter an entertaining cast of characters foreign and homegrown, drop in on places and events, and dwell on the successes and catastrophes across British history.

From ancient settlements swallowed up by the sea and the creation of Stonehenge to the advent of multiculturalism and recent political earthquakes, all is seen as it’s never been seen before.

With intriguing maps and illustrations throughout, The Discovery of Britain can be devoured whole or each chapter read in the time it takes to change a bicycle tyre or drink a cup of coffee. The wonderful choice of how to enjoy this original and sweeping history of Britain is yours.

'A treasure house of a book' – The Spectator

'Entertaining . . . offers a fresh way of seeing the nation’s past' – The i

From a leading scholar of Palestine-Israel, a brief, essential history of the besieged strip of land, revealing the roots of the current crisis.

Toegankelijk en leesbaar boek over bitcoin van autoriteiten Bert en Peter Slagter

'A wonderful debut by a talented and exciting young historian' Peter Frankopan
'Simultaneously capacious and personal . . . a masterful achievement' Tom Holland
'Elegant and powerful, Pepera's magnificent book elevates our understanding of Africa's overlooked histories' Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans

Motherland is a ground-breaking exploration of African culture and identity, told via Luke Pepera's journey through 500,000 years of history to connect with his extraordinary heritage. Pepera tackles the questions many people of African descent ask - Who are we? Where do we come from? What defines us? And how might knowledge of deep history affect our understanding of our identity?

Interwoven with Luke's own experiences of exploring his Ghanaian family history, this is a comprehensive, relevant and beautifully told account of the stories that have shaped Africa.