The idea that the British empire was built on freedom is a myth. Britain rose to global power in the eighteenth century on the backs of enslaved workers. And although Britain was the first European empire to abolish slavery, even British abolitionism was shaped by the slave empire.

Our origins as a slave species and the Anunnaki legacy in our DNA.

William M. Cavert investigates the origins of urban air pollution, explaining how this problem arose during the early modern period.

'A fascinating collection of military stories ... The sort of book that can be picked up at intervals ... [but] once tasted, is hard to put down' Washington Post A stunning anthology of great stories of war and peace collected and edited by Max Hastings.

One of Britain's best-loved historians tells the stories of the streets he has lived in for four decades. Starting in Roman times and continuing right up to the present day, he explains how Spitalfields' streets evolved, what people have lived there, and what lives they have led.

A stylish reissue of the bestselling contemporary classic, winner of the 2004 Samuel Johnson Prize.

A single-volume history told in a new way: mingling grand sweep narrative with deep-core, local, personal stories - all woven together with landscape history and the author's own travel journals.

Tells the story of one English community over fifteen centuries, from the moment that the Roman Emperor Honorius sent his famous letter in 410 advising the English to look to their own defences to the village as it is today.

Weaves a narrative out of the 10,000-year history of the subcontinent. This book is a mixture of history and travelogue, and a portrait of India.

Explores the ways in which records of human experience are collected. This work describes the crucial role libraries played in ancient Egypt, Han-dynasty China, the ancient Western Classical world (the great library of Alexandria, which was lost to us in stages over many years), the Baghdad of Harun-al-Rashid, and medieval and Renaissance Europe.

(Edward Stourton)From much-loved historian Neil Oliver, comes this beautifully written, kaleidoscopic history of a place with a story like no other. The British Isles, this archipelago of islands, is to Neil Oliver the best place in the world.

The fascinating story of the evolution of the country house in Britain, from its Roman precursors to the present

The Tower of London commissioned this captivating new history of a world-renowned palace, as told through the stories of its residents over the past 1,000 years. It reveals the lifestyles of its monarchs, their mistresses, courtiers and servants as well as the Tower's darker side and has 200 illustrations accompanied by informative captions.

A vivid and beautifully illustrated mythology of the British Isles - reframing ancient stories that deal with human themes of extinction, connection to landscape, parenthood, defiance, love and loss.

A moving and revealing insight into the real experiences of women welcoming home their menfolk from the Second World War

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020, a vivid work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in Edo - now known as Tokyo - and a portrait of a great city on the brink of momentous change 'Compelling...