In the eyes of many, Benjamin Britten was our finest composer since Purcell (a figure who often inspired him) three hundred years earlier. He broke decisively with the romantic, nationalist school of
The young Edward III's triumph would launch both countries, as we now know, into a grim cycle of some 90 years of further fighting ending with English defeat, but after Crecy anything seemed possible.
The author has travelled the length and breadth of England to select his thousand best churches. Organised by county, each church is described - often with delightful asides - and given a star-rating
As the military's needs wound down and Britain ceased to be a great power, National Service came to be seen as just an embarrassment, and its culture of rank and discipline something which many Britis
Looks beyond the familiar exploits of the army and navy to the politicians and civil servants, and examines how they made it possible to continue the war at all. This book shows the degree to which, a
From Alexandria to York, this unique illustrated guide allows us to see the great centers of classical civilization afresh. The key feature of Cities of the Classical World is 120 specially drawn maps
Michael Barber shares the secrets of a successful government and provides suggestions for carrying out lasting improvements in public lifeBillions of citizens around the world are frustrated with thei
'With emotional and psychological insight, Barton unlocks this sleeping giant of our culture. In the process, he has produced a masterpiece.' Sunday TimesThe Bible is the central book of Western cultu
'Matt Parker shows off math at its most playful and multifarious' Jordan Ellenberg, author of How to Not Be WrongWhat makes a bridge wobble when it's not meant to? Billions of dollars mysteriously van
This is the sensational second volume of Charles Moore's bestselling authorized biography of the Iron Lady. In June 1983, Margaret Thatcher won the biggest increase in a government's Parliamentary maj
Bundled together in 1969 to stymie an international takeover attempt on the part of Chase Manhattan Bank of New York, Standard Chartered Bank has come to consolidate its status as one of the world's l
SPECTATOR BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2015. Britain's empire has gone. Our manufacturing base is a shadow of its former self; the Royal Navy has been reduced to a skeleton. In military, diplomatic and economic
This book was short-listed for the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. A New York Times technology and business reporter charts the dramatic rise of Bitcoin and the fascinati
'Beguiling ... Limpidly written, effortlessly learned' William Boyd, TLS, Books of the YearIn November 1838 Frédéric Chopin, George Sand and her two children sailed to Majorca to escape the Parisian w
The first popular book on the science of the individual, in which Todd Rose draws upon the very latest findings in the fields of psychology and sociology to show how, when we focus on individual findi
Born to a plebeian family in 63 BC, Augustus went on to become the heir to Julius Caesar and the founder of the Roman Empire. In this monumental biography, translated into English for the first time b
In Zero Zero Zero, Roberto Saviano maps the international cocaine trade. He investigates the evolution of cocaine trafficking, from Mexican drug cartels to money laundering through Wall Street and the
'Masterfully opens up a little explored realm: how the quest for religion and spirituality drives hundreds of millions of Chinese' Pankaj Mishra 'A fascinating odyssey ... a nuanced group portrait of
The dominant view in economics is that money and government should play only a minor role in economic life. Money, it is claimed, is nothing more than a medium of exchange; and economic outcomes are b
The British in this book lived in India from shortly after the reign of Elizabeth I until well into the reign of Elizabeth II. Who were they? What drove these men and women to risk their lives on long
