History

In The Cultural Tutor’s Grand Tour, the ephemera of the everyday opens up to reveal a world of high art and low cunning - where a love affair can trigger a World War, a lamp-post can birth a cathedral, and a cup of coffee can take you on a journey of a thousand years. In the 18th Century, young English gentlemen would embark on Grand Tours - educational journeys to foreign climes, absorbing the sights, sounds and stories that defined them. But we get it - you’re busy. These days, all you need to see the world is a pair of headphones.

‘Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience and telling detail. Compelling’ – Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge ‘Anyone interested in geopolitics should read it’ – Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc How do states actually exercise power in an age...

From the Sunday Times bestseller comes a gripping retelling of Hannibal's greatest trial - the battle of Cannae. Narrated by Phil Stevens, this audio-first novel features music, on-location sound effects and detailed sound design. Cannae, 216 BC - Under a blisteringly hot sun, Hannibal Barca...

In 2017, a small crew gathered in a windowless Pentagon room to put AI at the heart of how America makes war. Led by a Marine Corps colonel haunted by the deaths of US troops and prospect of AI-enhanced rivals, the Project Maven team raced to send AI into combat, igniting controversy and forever changing the US military. Summoning the mayhem of a tech startup, the group wrestled Pentagon bureaucrats and each other, enlisted an initially reluctant Silicon Valley, and convinced US forces to deploy little-tested AI systems in hot wars.

How, for just over a century, Britain ensured it would not face another Napoleon Bonaparte—manipulating European powers while building a global maritime empire At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent's borders were redrawn, and the French...

Soviet socialism was based on paradoxes that were revealed by the peculiar experience of its collapse. To the people who lived in that system the collapse seemed both completely unexpected and completely unsurprising. At the moment of collapse it suddenly became obvious that Soviet life had always seemed simultaneously eternal and stagnating, vigorous and ailing, bleak and full of promise. Although these characteristics may appear mutually exclusive, in fact they were mutually constitutive.

Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent for The Times and The Sunday Times, moved to Russia in the chaotic yet free final years of President Yeltsin's rule. Twenty-five years later, The Times pulled him out of Russia over concerns for his security following his arrest in Moscow at a protest against the war in Ukraine. From the "wild" 1990s in Moscow to narrowly escaping death under fire in Ukraine, The Descent is a unique and personal diary of how Russia spiraled into violent insanity.

British leaders use spies and Special Forces to interfere in the affairs of others discreetly and deniably. Since 1945, MI6 has spread misinformation designed to divide and discredit targets. It has instigated whispering campaigns and planted false evidence on officials working behind the Iron...

Em 1948, 700 mil palestinos foram forçados a deixar seus lares depois da primeira guerra árabe-israelense. Mais de 70 anos depois, a maioria de suas casas não existe mais, mas milhões de seus descendentes ainda estão registrados como refugiados, vivendo em campos destinados a eles. Esse grupo – diferentemente de vários outros que foram deslocados no pós-Segunda Guerra e outros conflitos – permaneceu desterrado, exigindo assentar-se no Estado de Israel. Sua crença no direito ao retorno é um dos maiores obstáculos a uma diplomacia bem-sucedida e uma paz duradoura na região.

Why the ongoing fascination with the ancient world? This witty, approachable book asks why—for better or (sometimes) worse—antiquity continues to exert such a powerful hold on the contemporary imagination. Recalling a formative childhood encounter with a four-thousand-year-old piece of bread in a museum, Beard introduces the idea of thauma, or wonder, that kick-started a lifetime engaging with classics.

Join acclaimed travel writer and incurably curious hiker Tom Chesshyre in this celebration of the Peak District, Britain’s first National Park, on its 75th anniversary 'Funny, fair and honest, and effortlessly readable' Matthew Parris In the heart of England lies a fascinating landscape of...

This audiobook narrated by Robert Slade shares a fascinating historical and philosophical account that unravels the mystery of whether Spinoza was an atheist.

A política internacional está em constante movimento. Diariamente, somos testemunhas de guerras, crises, conflitos, eleições e golpes, o que pode nos fazer acreditar em um mundo imerso no caos. No entanto, esse aparente desordem esconde uma ordem subjacente e estruturada. Este curso desvenda as origens históricas da política internacional contemporânea, revelando como eventos passados moldaram a dinâmica global que conhecemos hoje.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Misquoting Jesus comes a surprising history of Jesus’ most radical commandment—a new kind of altruism—tracing how the extraordinary duty to love even those who are strangers to us has shaped our world and our lives. When we donate money to...

A kaleidoscopic journey through the secret history of hues—and the story of the obsessive genius behind the definitions of colors we use today, from the beloved author of Word by Word begonia (n.): 3 -s : a deep pink that is bluer, lighter, and stronger than average coral (see coral 3b), bluer...

An authoritative biography of Thomas Arundel, the English archbishop who overthrew a king Thomas Arundel was a pivotal figure in English politics at the turn of the fifteenth century. His career began in 1373 when, at the age of just twenty, he was ordained as bishop of Ely. By 1396, he had...

Pulitzer Prize–winning author of G-Man and acclaimed historian Beverly Gage takes the ultimate road trip into the American past. Ride along with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage as she travels the country to see the museums, historic sites, roadside attractions, reenactments...

The Protestant Reformation is often associated most closely with Martin Luther, and it’s often considered to have started when Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. However, the Reformation cannot be reduced to a single, abrupt, and exceptional event, but must be traced to a much longer process of spiritual, social, and intellectual transformation that unfolded over the late medieval period.

Lord Vishnu is one of the Trinity of Gods. He is the destroyer of all the sufferings in the Universe, powerful, and the illuminator of all three realms. He resides in Vaikuntha and the Kshir Sagar as the Lord of Sri. Whenever there is a decline in righteousness on Earth, Vishnu incarnates to restore it.

You've seen Thor in the movies. But do you know the real god who sacrificed everything for wisdom? Fascinated by Norse mythology but unsure what's real and what's Hollywood invention? This comprehensive 6-in-1 guide offers a clear journey into the true world of Norse gods, myths, and beliefs. Unlike books that oversimplify into children's stories, this collection equips you with a genuine understanding of Odin's sacrifices, Thor's adventures, and Loki's chaos.

Die Kolonialisierung Indiens im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert war ursprünglich keine nationale Bestrebung Großbritanniens, sondern das Werk eines gewinnorientierten Unternehmens mit Sitz in London, das nur auf die Bereicherung seiner Investoren ausgerichtet war. Der völlig beispiellose und erbarmungslose Aufstieg der British East India Company zur dominierenden Welthandelsmacht wird hier in einem großen Panorama mitreißend nacherzählt.

O ataque terrorista cometido contra israelenses no dia 7 de outubro de 2023 entrou para a história como o pior ato de violência contra os judeus desde o Holocausto. No dia seguinte, em vez de condenação total do ato, o mundo testemunhou uma prova da desordem moral do Ocidente no século XXI: nas universidades, nas ruas e na imprensa, as pessoas tomaram partido não dos judeus, mas de seus assassinos. Como isso aconteceu? Por que tantos membros das elites educadas deram de ombros diante do pior pogrom antissemita em quase 80 anos? Por que “antifascistas” se aproximaram dos fascistas do Hamas?

Lírico e evocatório, este audiolivro é uma das tentativas mais convincentes de estabelecer um diálogo além do muro que separa israelenses e palestinos. Em uma série de cartas, Yossi Klein Halevi se empenha para desfazer o nó ideológico e emocional que tem definido o conflito israelense-palestino por quase um século. Fazendo uso da história e da experiência pessoal como seus guias, ele desemaranha os complexos filamentos de fé, orgulho, raiva e angústia que sente como um judeu vivendo em Israel.

Uma investigação das relações entre as igrejas neopentecostais e o varejo de drogas e o crescimento do racismo religioso. Em A culpa é do diabo: O que li, vivi e senti nas encruzilhadas a pesquisadora Carolina Rocha investiga a complexidade das relações estabelecidas, em termos de disputas político-religiosas, entre neopentecostalismo, varejo de drogas ilícitas e religiosidades afro-brasileiras em algumas das favelas do Rio de Janeiro.

A compelling examination of the rise of Islam as a global historical actor Until the nineteenth century, Islam was variously understood as a set of beliefs and practices. But after Muslims began to see their faith as an historical actor on the world stage, they needed to narrate Islam's birth...