History Books

He has lived his whole life in the public eye, yet he remains an enigma. He was born to be king, but he aims much higher. A landmark publication, Charles: The Heart of a King reveals Prince Charles in all his complexity: the passionate views that mean he will never be as remote and impartial as his mother; the compulsion to make a difference and the many and startling ways in which the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom and fifteen other realms has already made his mark. The book offers fresh and fascinating insights into the first marriage that did so much to define him and an assessment of his relationship with the woman he calls, with unintended accuracy, his 'dearest wife': Camilla. We see Charles as a father and a friend, a serious figure and a joker. Life at court turns out to be full of hidden dangers and unexpected comedy. Poignant, funny and often surprising, the first significant study of the Prince in over a decade reveals a man in the sight of happiness yet still driven by anguish and a remarkable belief system, a charitable entrepreneur, activist, agitator and avatar of the Establishment who just as often tilts against it. Based on multiple interviews with his friends and courtiers, palace insiders and critics, and access to Charles himself during research lasting more than a year, this biography explores the Prince’s philanthropy and his compulsive interventionism, his faith, his political leanings and philosophy that means when he seeks harmony he sometimes creates controversy. Gripping, at times astonishing, often laugh-out-loud, this is a royal biography unlike any other.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780753560440 • Author:  Catherine Mayer  • Publisher:  WH Allen • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  448 • Dimensions:  16.13 x 3.91 x 24.03 cm

Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London 1772... A young artist called Thomas Rowlandson is making his way through the grimy backstreets of the capital, on his way to begin his studies at the Royal Academy Schools. Within a few years, James Gillray and Isaac Cruikshank would join him in Piccadilly, turning satire into an artform, taking on the British establishment, and forever changing the way we view power. Set against a backdrop of royal madness, political intrigue, the birth of modern celebrity, French revolution, American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, UPROAR! follows the satirists as they lampoon those in power, from the Prince Regent to Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Their prints and illustrations deconstruct the political and social landscape with surreal and razor-sharp wit, as the three men vie with each other to create the most iconic images of the day.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781785789540 • Author:  Alice Loxton • Publisher:  Icon Books • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  240 • Dimensions:  16 x 3.5 x 24.2 cm

Three great strands of practice and belief run through human history: science, religion and magic. But magic - the idea that we have a connection with the universe - has developed a bad reputation. It has been with us for millennia - from the curses and charms of ancient Greek, Roman and Jewish magic, to the shamanistic traditions of Eurasia, indigenous America and Africa, and even quantum physics today. Even today seventy-five per cent of the Western world holds some belief in magic, whether snapping wishbones, buying lottery tickets or giving names to inanimate objects. Drawing on his decades of research, with incredible breadth and authority, Professor Chris Gosden provides a timely history of human thought and the role it has played in shaping civilization, and how we might use magic to rethink our understanding of the world. Product Information: • ISBN: 9780241997871 • Author: Chris Gosden • Publisher: Penguin • Format: Paperback • Pages: 512 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 3.1 cm

The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz presents a rare living testimony through the eyes of a child who had the unique ability to observe and remember every detail around him and chose to document it all. Thomas Geve was just 15 years old when he was liberated from Buchenwald concentration camp on 11 April 1945. It was the third concentration camp he had survived. Upon arrival at Auschwitz- Birkenau, Thomas was separated from his mother and left to fend for himself in the men’s camp of Auschwitz I, at the age of 13. During the 22 months he was imprisoned, he was subjected to, and forced to observe first-hand, the inhumane world of Nazi concentration camps. On his eventual release Thomas felt compelled to capture daily life in the death camps in more than eighty profoundly moving drawings. Infamous scenarios synonymous with this dark period of history were portrayed in poignant but simplistic detail with extraordinary accuracy. Despite the unspeakable events he experienced, Thomas decided to become an active witness and tell the truth about life in the camps. He has spoken to audiences from around the world and continues to raise awareness about the Holocaust.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780008406394 • Author:  Thomas Geve • Publisher:  HarperCollins • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.7 x 19.8 cm

Decode the secrets and uncover the origins and meanings of over 2,000 signs and symbols, from ancient hieroglyphs to modern-day logos. Why is a heart pierced by an arrow a classic symbol of love? What are the ancient roots of fertility symbols? Why are scales a symbol of justice? Delve into the meaning of each symbol and investigate how they have been interpreted in myth, religion, folklore, and art over time, with authoritative text from experts in the field and striking line drawings and photography that emphasize the visual strength and beauty of signs. Divided into six thematic sections - the cosmos, the natural world, human life, myths and religions, society and culture, and symbol systems - this guide to the secret language of signs and symbols is a must-have for those who want to understand the world around them.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780241387047 • Author: Miranda Bruce-Mitford • Publisher:  DK • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions:  19.8 x 2.8 x 23.3 cm

Did COVID-19 actually break out to kill 6 million people because of a leak from a Chinese laboratory? What are the links between QAnon and Russiagate, Alex Jones and Donald Trump? Why did our own MI5 try to block evidence about the death of Iraq weapons inspector Dr David Kelly and the radioactive poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko? Putin is a brute who lies as a matter of policy. Hitler tried to blame Poland for starting WWII. We live in a world of fake news and false flags, secret plots and unexplained deaths. But what on earth can you believe, when nothing's ever quite what it seems? In Conspiracy, Ian Shircore cuts through the fog and the fairy tales to deliver a balanced analysis of the stories that shape the times we live in. New evidence - from Freedom of Information requests, WikiLeaks files, deathbed confessions and declassified archives - has solved some classic mysteries. Yet it raises more questions than ever about the assassinations of the 1960s, the dirty secrets of the late 20th century and the deadly traumas of the last few years. Now fully updated with new cases, material and evidence. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781789466164 • Author: Ian Shircore • Publisher: John Blake • Format: Paperback • Pages: 384 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm

In the darkest moment of history, one child found the courage and strength to survive the unimaginable. This is Henry's true story. One hot, humid day in July, 1944, the Gestapo abducted fifteen-year-old Henry and his mother, forcing them onto cramped cattle cars in the Lódz Polish Ghetto. Like so many Jews before them, they had been selected to disappear - they were being sent to Auschwitz. Exhausted after hours of traveling, they finally emerged from the stifling, filth-ridden cattle car. Already devastated at having lost his father to starvation, Henry clutched his mother's frail hand, knowing she was all he had left in the world, and that he was the only one left to protect her. In a flash, he felt them being brutally torn apart. Crying out for her, his heart shuddered as he watched her disappear into a sea of other women. Henry knew that was the last time he would ever see her, and he felt like he had failed her. He was now completely alone in the world. Starving, and close to giving up all hope, Henry volunteered to work in the stables, responsible for breeding horses for the war effort. As he watched other prisoners leave and never return, Henry quickly realised these horses were his only lifeline - because every morning he was sent to the stables, was one more morning he escaped the gas chambers. Before long, caring for the horses became a passion, and their comfort and strength gave Henry a glimmer of life and hope in an ocean of death. Although with every second that passed, Henry knew if he became too weak or made one mistake, he would be mercilessly replaced... This is the heart-wrenching and inspirational true account of a courageous little German boy who, against all odds, after losing almost everything a human being can lose, survived to tell his story.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781804190869 • Author: Henry Oster and Dexter Ford  • Publisher: Thread • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  256 • Dimensions:  12.8 x 2.6 x 19.6 cm

'I am a survivor. That comes with a survivor's obligation to represent one and half million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis. They cannot speak. So I must speak on their behalf.' Tova Friedman was one of the youngest people to emerge from Auschwitz. After surviving the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto in Central Poland where she lived as a toddler, Tova was four when she and her parents were sent to a Nazi labour camp, and almost six when she and her mother were forced into a packed cattle truck and sent to Auschwitz II, also known as the Birkenau extermination camp, while her father was transported to Dachau. During six months of incarceration in Birkenau, Tova witnessed atrocities that she could never forget, and experienced numerous escapes from death. She is one of a handful of Jews to have entered a gas chamber and lived to tell the tale. As Nazi killing squads roamed Birkenau before abandoning the camp in January 1945, Tova and her mother hid among corpses. After being liberated by the Russians they made their way back to their hometown in Poland. Eventually Tova's father tracked them down and the family was reunited. In The Daughter of Auschwitz, Tova immortalizes what she saw, to keep the story of the Holocaust alive, at a time when it's in danger of fading from memory. She has used those memories that have shaped her life to honour the victims. Written with award-winning former war reporter Malcolm Brabant, this is an extremely important book. Brabant's meticulous research has helped Tova recall her experiences in searing detail. Together they have painstakingly recreated Tova's extraordinary story about the world's worst ever crime. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781529423501 • Author: Tova Friedman & Malcolm Brabant • Publisher:  Quercus • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions: 12.8 x 3 x 19.6 cm

The incredible story of the crack team of men and women who transformed RAF Bomber Command and helped the Allies deliver decisive victory over Nazi Germany. The Pathfinders were ordinary men and women from a range of nations who revolutionised the efficiency of the Allies' air campaign over mainland Europe. They elevated Bomber Command - initially the only part of the Allied war effort capable of attacking the heart of Nazi Germany - from an impotent force on the cusp of disintegration in 1942 to one capable of razing whole German cities to the ground in a single night, striking with devastating accuracy, inspiring fear and loathing in Hitler's senior command. With exclusive interviews with remaining survivors, personal diaries, previously classified records and never-before seen photographs, The Pathfinders brings to life the characters of the airmen and women - many barely out of their teens - who took to the skies in legendary British aircraft such as the Lancaster and the Mosquito, facing almost unimaginable levels of violence from enemy fighter planes to strike at the heart of the Nazi war machine. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780753560587 • Author: Will Iredale  • Publisher:  WH Allen • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  448 • Dimensions: 16.2 x 4 x 24 cm

It was to be the battle to end the air war once and for all... During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first-ever round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. The aim was to smash the main factories and production centres of the Luftwaffe and at the same time draw the German fighter force up into the air and into battle. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this monumental air assault was very quickly became known simply as Big Week. In the six months up to its launch, for the Allies, the bomber war was not turning out as planned. Raids by the US Eighth Air Force and the RAF deep into Germany were being decimated and falling far short of its purpose. With D-Day drawing ever-closer, that was a massive problem. The Allies needed clear skies to invade. The clock was ticking inexorably. Yet the Luftwaffe was also in crisis. Short of resources, of fuel, and on properly trained pilots, the strain on those still flying was immense, their losses severe. And despite the chaos of their leadership, they were achieving far more than should have been reasonably expected against the superior numbers of the Allied planes. Big Week is the knife-edged story of bomber against flak gun and fighter, but also, crucially, fighter against fighter, as the stakes rose higher and higher. Following the fortunes of pilots, aircrew and civilians from both sides, this is a blistering narrative of one of the most critical periods of the entire war, one that culminated in the largest air battle ever witnessed. It is also one that has been largely forgotten, but which has been brilliantly brought back to life by award-winning historian, James Holland. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780552179324 • Author: James Holland • Publisher:  Bantam Press • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  432 • Dimensions: 16.2 x 3.9 x 24 cm

History's greatest unexplained events revealed... Learn more about paranormal events with Leo Moynihan's incredible book! Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781802420920 • Author: Leo Moynihan • Publisher: New Burlington • Format:  Paperback • Pages: 160 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm

A gripping and explosive account of Vladimir Putin's tyranny, charting his rise from spy to tsar, exposing the events that led to his invasion of Ukraine and his assault on Europe. In Killer in the Kremlin, award-winning journalist John Sweeney takes readers from the heart of Putin's Russia to the killing fields of Chechnya, to the embattled cities of an invaded Ukraine. In a disturbing exposé of Putin's sinister ambition, Sweeney draws on thirty years of his own reporting - from the Moscow apartment bombings to the atrocities committed by the Russian Army in Chechnya, to the annexation of Crimea and a confrontation with Putin over the shooting down of flight MH17 - to understand the true extent of Putin's long war. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and compelling testimony from those who have suffered at Putin's hand, we see the heroism of the Russian opposition, the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance, and the brutality with which the Kremlin responds to such acts of defiance, assassinating or locking away its critics, and stopping at nothing to achieve its imperialist aims. In the midst of one of the darkest acts of aggression in modern history - Russia's invasion of Ukraine - this book shines a light on Putin's rule and poses urgent questions about how the world must respond.  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781804991206 • Author:  John Sweeney • Publisher:  Penguin • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  352 • Dimensions:  12.7 x 2.1 x 19.8 cm

The Crime Files takes a look at some of history's most disturbing crime cases! Discover terrifying crimes! Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781802420937 • Author: Sam Pilger • Publisher: Quarto Publishing • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  160 • Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.2 cm

A classic collection the Art of War and other Chinese military texts, beautifully presented with a striking, foil-embossed cover design. Written between 500 BCE and 700 CE, these seven texts have inspired generals for millennia, both in China and the wider world. These seven texts display an understanding of strategy and warfare still relevant more than 2,000 years after they were originally written. Together, they present a uniquely eastern tradition of warfare that emphasizes speed, stealth, and cunning. This collection includes seven of the most famous military texts of ancient China: The Art of War, Wuzi, Wei Liaozi, Taigong's Six Secret Teachings, The Methods of the Sima, Three Strategies of Huang Shigong, and Questions and Replies Between Emperor Taizong of Tang and General Li Jing. These new translations bring to light several texts that display an understanding of strategy and warfare that still has relevance millennia after their original publication. From the 11th-century AD onward, these texts became required reading for Chinese military officers. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781839401596 • Author: Sun Tzu • Publisher:  Arcturus • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  384 • Dimensions: 23.7 x 3.3 x 19.2 cm

From the earliest migrations to the dawn of space tourism, experience the excitement of travel throughout the ages in this gloriously illustrated book! The quest for adventure has defined human history since the beginning of time. Whether it be for food, pilgrimages, trade, or scientific curiosity, people have been compelled to set forth into the wild for centuries. Trace their incredible journeys in this beautifully illustrated book! From the first trade networks in ancient Sumer to the Crusades, the Grand Tour, and the Voyager missions in outer space. This enthralling visual history of travel includes maps, paintings, photographs, and journal entries to fascinate every armchair traveller. Be transported through space and time with the only comprehensive and fully illustrated book on the history of travel. Inside it you'll find: stories of great exploration, migration, and scientific discovery, accompanied by historic maps, paintings and photographs, themed spreads and feature panels explaining developments in history, geography, religion, and science. Alongside catalog pages showcasing the evolution of transport networks across the globe, a foreword written by adventurer and New York Times bestselling author, Simon Reeve and an optional 80-page illustrated directory profiling great explorers and expeditions. Voyage with Vikings, and pursue plundering pirates!  Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780241363638 • Author: Simon Adams, R. G. Grant & Andrew Humphreys • Publisher:  Dorling Kindersley • Format:  Hardback • Pages:  360 • Dimensions: 22.1 x 26.1 x 3.2 cm

Kim Philby's life and career has inspired an entire literary genre: the spy novel of betrayal. He was one of the leaders of the British counter-intelligence efforts, first against the Nazis, then against the Soviet Union. He was also the KGB's most valuable double-agent, so highly regarded that today his image is on the postage stamps of the Russian Federation. Philby was the mentor of James Jesus Angleton, one of the central figures in the early years of the CIA who became the long-serving chief of the counter-intelligence staff of the Agency. James Angleton and Kim Philby were friends for six years, or so Angleton thought. They were then enemies for the rest of their lives. This is the story of their intertwined careers and a betrayal that would have dramatic and irrevocable effects on the Cold War and US-Soviet relations. Featuring vivid locations in London, Washington DC, Rome and Istanbul, Spies and Traitors anatomises one of the most important and flawed personal relationships in modern history. Product Information: • ISBN: 9781474617826 • Author: Michael Holzman • Publisher: W&N • Format: Paperback • Pages: 352 • Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 2.2cm

The moment Britain fought back. It was in North Africa that the tide turned; that Britain began its long fightback against Nazi dominance. The distinguished military historian Major General John Strawson's vivid, unputdownable book describes how the balance of power in North Africa was see-sawed between the Italians, the British and the Germans through the years 1940 to 1943, and how ultimate victory was won by the Allies. In following the nail-biting course of battles during this three-year desert campaign, Strawson brings together the strategic considerations, the changing tactics and the searing impressions of those who did the actual fighting. His exciting narrative is brought to life with numerous eyewitness accounts, from German officers to Gurkhas and British tank crews and Americans. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781804364062 • Author: John Strawson • Publisher:  Canelo • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  288 • Dimensions:  12.8 x 19.8 x 2.1 cm

April 1982. Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. In response, Britain despatches a naval task force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just twenty Sea Harriers against the two hundred-strong might of the Argentine Air Force. The odds against them are overwhelming. The MoD's own estimates suggest that half the Harriers will be lost in the opening days of the conflict. They need backup. Within three weeks 809 Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and heading south, ready for war. Not since World War Two had so much been expected of such a small band of pilots. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9780552179386 • Author: Rowland White • Publisher:  Corgi • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  512 • Dimensions: 13 x 3 x 19.9 cm

The Cult Files explores the history, features and beliefs of thirty cults through the ages.  Riveting, sometimes amusing, often horrifying stories show the inside workings of these groups, and trace their history and often their demise. The book includes the Aum Shinrikyo followers, who killed twelve people in a poison gas attack on the Tokyo subway; Scientology (now known for its celebrity followers), which was established in the 1950s by a science fiction writer; and the People's Temple, in which Jim Jones convinced hundreds of followers to commit suicide en masse. Discover the unbelievable power and wealth held by cult leaders, and the physical and mental authority they wield over their followers.  The full story of some of these cults is told for the first time in this book. Key points: each gripping story eight to ten pages in length and 17 accounts in total is easy to finish in one reading; here true crime meets history, combining two strong-selling categories. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781802420913 • Author: Chris Mikul  • Publisher:  Murdoch Books • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  248 • Dimensions: 15.9 x 2.8 x 24 cm

On 1 August, 1990, British Airways Flight 149 departed from Heathrow Airport, destined for Kuala Lumpur. It never made it there, and neither did its nearly 400 passengers and crew. Instead, Flight 149 stopped in Kuwait, as Iraqi troops invaded - delivering the passengers and crew into the hands of Saddam Hussein. Why did BA Flight 149 land, even as all other flights were rerouted - and even though British and American governments had clear intelligence that Saddam was about to invade? The answer lies in a secret, unaccountable organization - authorised by Margaret Thatcher - carrying out a 'deniable' intelligence operation. The plane was the 'Trojan Horse', and the plan - as well as the horrific consequences for the civilian passengers - has been lied about, denied and covered up by successive governments ever since. Soon to be a major TV drama, this explosive book is written with the full cooperation of the survivors, as well as astonishing and conclusive input from a senior intelligence source. It is a story of scandal, betrayal and misuse of intelligence at the highest levels of UK and US governments - which has had a direct impact on terror attacks in the West and the shape of the Middle East today. It is high time the truth is told. Product Information:  • ISBN:  9781789465365 • Author:  Stephen Davis • Publisher:  John Blake • Format:  Paperback • Pages:  336 • Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.13 x 19.8 cm