Dan Snow

This book delves into the great rivalry between France and Germany during the First World War, focusing specifically on the devastating ten-month-long battle at Verdun where at least 700,000 men fell. Author Alistair Horne provides a sympathetic study of the battle and the men who fought there, making this an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the key events of the First World War. With its brilliantly written narrative that is both compelling and informative, this classic work is a must-read for history buffs all over the world.

Step into the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, a little-known Black writer and composer, through an illuminating and witty polemic. This brilliant tale charts his life in Regency London, from his early years to his rise as an important historical figure. Candid and characterful, this book offers an opportunity to revive the legacy of a remarkable man to a wider audience.

Set in East Prussia during January of 1945, All for Nothing tells the tale of the von Globig family as the German army retreats and the Red Army approaches. As strange visitors begin to arrive at their manor house, life continues for the family much like before. Until the events they never allowed themselves to imagine come to pass. This novel by Walter Kempowski is a poignant reminder of the heartbreak felt by many families during World War II.

Discover the truth behind the Nazi's widespread use of drugs during WWII. Norman Ohler's gripping book reveals the shocking prevalence of cocaine, heroin, morphine, and most notably, crystal meth, that permeated the entire Third Reich. Learn how drugs contributed to troop resilience and even potentially explained German victory in 1940. With dangerous drug use at the highest levels impairing decision-making, Ohler's book sheds new light on events of the Second World War. Don't miss this crucial missing piece of history.

A Million Years in a Day takes you on a journey through human history, exploring the fascinating origins of our daily rituals, from cleaning our teeth to bedtime rituals. Through Roman rubbish bins, Egyptian tombs, and Victorian sewers, Greg Jenner provides a delightful and entertaining study of the development of human routine. This book is a treasure trove of historical delights that will leave you pondering the story of your life, a million years in the making. From the Wall Street Journal: "It would be a staggeringly learned person who could not glean anything new from this work." As Dr. Peter Frankopan, author of THE SILK ROADS: A NEW HISTORY OF THE WORLD says, "One of my all-time favorite books about history: erudite, witty and packed with things you've never thought about."

Explore the true nature of warfare and the role of battles in victory with this insightful book. From Marathon to Stalingrad, the author challenges the idea that decisive battles determined the outcome of wars. Instead, he maps the descent into total war and shows how victory was often decided by prolonged stalemate and attrition. This masterful work places battles in the context of the wider conflict to correct distorted views of their role in wars. Accessible, provocative, exhaustive, and illuminating, The Allure of Battle will spark fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare.

Explore the enigmatic life of Socrates in this innovative biography that sheds new light on the philosopher's formative journey. Classicist Armand D'Angour uncovers the passions and motivations that transformed Socrates into the first and greatest philosopher. With neglected sources, D'Angour reveals the identity of the woman who inspired Socrates to pursue a new way of thinking about existence, presenting a figure of Socrates that has never been seen before — a heroic warrior, an athletic wrestler and dancer, and a passionate lover.

A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal.

¿Cómo logró nuestra especie imponerse en la lucha por la existencia? ¿Por qué nuestros ancestros recolectores se unieron para crear ciudades y reinos? ¿Cómo llegamos a creer en dioses, en naciones o en los derechos humanos; a confiar en el dinero, en los libros o en las leyes? ¿Cómo acabamos sometidos a la burocracia, a los horarios y al consumismo? ¿Y cómo será el mundo en los milenios venideros? En De animales a dioses Yuval Noah Harari traza una breve historia de la humanidad, desde los primeros humanos que caminaron sobre la Tierra hasta los radicales y a veces devastadores avances de las tres grandes revoluciones que nuestra especie ha protagonizado: la cognitiva, la agrícola y la científica. A partir de hallazgos de disciplinas tan diversas como la biología, la antropología, la paleontología o la economía, Harari explora cómo las grandes corrientes de la historia han modelado nuestra sociedad, los animales y las plantas que nos rodean e incluso nuestras personalidades. ¿Hemos ganado en felicidad a medida que ha avanzado la historia? ¿Seremos capaces de liberar alguna vez nuestra conducta de la herencia del pasado? ¿Podemos hacer algo para influir en los siglos futuros? Audaz, ambicioso y provocador, este libro cuestiona todo lo que creíamos saber sobre el ser humano: nuestros orígenes, nuestras ideas, nuestras acciones, nuestro poder... y nuestro futuro.