Weaving together the accounts of the ancient historian Herodotus with other ancient sources, this is the engrossing story of the triumph of Greece over the mighty Persian Empire.

The Persian War is the name generally given to the first two decades of the period of conflict between the Greeks and the Persians that began in 499 BC and ended around 450. The...

Charlotte Despard, social reformer and suffragette, was always known as Mrs Despard, never Charlotte. Her name should be synonymous with those of Emmeline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett. Instead, she remains overlooked. Born in 1844, Charlotte’s childhood was difficult: she found solace in great literature, identifying with Milton’s Satan and the...

The Holocaust is without doubt one of the most abhorrent and despicable events not only of the Second World War, but of the twentieth century. What makes it even more staggering is that it was not perpetrated by just one individual, but by thousands of men and women who had become part of the Nazi ideology and belief that Jews were responsible for all of...

The dawning of the nineteenth century brought with it a new era for entertainment. Vaudeville was the preferred form of entertainment, until the popularization of the silent film. This new medium proved to be a draw for many of the stars of the Vaudevillian stage and soon they migrated to the exciting possibilities that the movies had to offer. Audiences...

Returning to England to try to reclaim his throne, King Charles II was defeated at the Battle of Worcester – but the battle to save his own life had only just begun. Pursued wherever he went by soldiers from the conflict as well as local militia, Charles donned peasant clothing, crudely cut his hair and tried to adopt a rustic accent. With the secret help...

Few men have lived such an extraordinary life as Admiral Albert Hastings Markham. Besides dedicating five decades of his career to the Royal Navy, Markham was a voracious reader, prolific writer, keen naturalist, and daring explorer. He battled Chinese pirates during the Second Opium War and Taiping Rebellion; chased down Australian blackbirding ships in...

THE DIGITAL AGE IS USHERING IN A SEX POSITIVE REVOLUTION

Millennial disrupter Dr Kelly Neff believes radical change is underway in our love and sex lives. Fuelled by developing technology and shifting cultural beliefs, the Sex Positive movement is a social, political and philosophical wave that promotes and embraces sexuality and sexual expression, with an...

At any time in our history, you will find significant and seemingly indisputable events occurring, the kind that can change the course of our lives -- the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Yet for every one of them, somebody, somewhere will loudly dispute the 'official' account, doubting that the truth has been told...

'Equal tells a personal story that changed the public debate' Guardian

'[An] absorbing account . . . she laces her tale with mordant humour' Financial Times

'A gripping personal story told with warmth and wit, combined with a 'how to' guide for anyone who wants to ensure women are paid as true equals' Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister

Equal pay...

A meditation on solitude as a font of creativity and spirituality.

Known for his lyrical prose and clear insight, Fenton Johnson explores what it means to be not “single”—meaningless outside of coupledom—but “solitary,” able to be alone, inclined to mine the treasures of inner life. Americans tend to celebrate “fortress marriage,” turning an equal right into...

We are living in the ‘post-truth’ era – a time of alternative facts, fake news, social media echo chambers, dodgy statistics and outright lies. Caught in the middle of a tsunami of information, we are arguably more politically engaged than ever; but when politicians and the media tell us the truth, we’re just not buying it.

How did it come to this? And what...

'What a remarkable book this is; tender, funny, brave, heartfelt, radiant with love and life. It brought me often to laughter and - several times - to tears. It sings with joy and kindness' Robert Macfarlane

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Your Life in My Hands comes this vibrant, tender and deeply personal memoir that finds light and love in...

At the beginning of World War II, the devastating impact of German submarines on both the Royal Navy and merchant shipping saw Britain on the brink of starvation and defeat.

The enemy was formidable. U-boat crews saw themselves as an elite and they preferred to scuttle their vessels at the end of the war rather than surrender. They suffered the heaviest...

Many are haunted and obsessed by their own eventual deaths, but perhaps no one as much as Sue William Silverman. This thematically linked collection of essays charts Silverman’s attempt to confront her fears of that ultimate unknown. Her dread was fomented in part by a sexual assault, hidden for years, that led to an awareness that death and sex are in some...

Born in Rome in 1965, Angelica A. Brewer faced a tough childhood. Lonely and abused by her mother and family friends, her school life brought her some relief as refuge from the ravages of home.

At the age of 16, Angelica ran away from her new home in Australia and lived for a while in a youth refuge. Enrolling as a TAFE student, Angelica met Rhys and...

Malibu is known as an earthly paradise of multi-million-dollar mansions, movie stars and unimaginable natural beauty. But all that changed on November 8, 2018.

Go deep behind the scenes of the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. Alongside his wife and son, Robert Kerbeck battled the fire that threatened to take their home. He knows first-hand...

The meaning of Bob Dylan’s songs has long been debated by fans, critics and academics. When, in 2016, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the significance of his songs was confirmed. Yet their meaning has never been demonstrably explained. Dylan himself has said that people can learn everything about him through his songs: “if they know where...

Hard work and hard truths inside the back-to-the-land movement

You’re either buried with your crystals or your shotgun. That laconic comment captures the hippies-versus-hicks conflict that divides, and in some ways defines, modern-day homesteaders. It also reveals that back to-the-landers, though they may seek lives off the grid, remain connected to the most...

The press, women, and the long road to the Nineteenth Amendment

Suffragists recognized that the media played an essential role in the women's suffrage movement and the public's understanding of it. From parades to going to jail for voting, activists played to the mass media of their day. They also created an energetic niche media of suffragist journalism...

Pioneering women and their soundtrack of searching in country music

From the 1930s to the 1960s, the booming popularity of country music threw a spotlight on a new generation of innovative women artists. These individuals blazed trails as singers, musicians, and performers even as the industry hemmed in their potential popularity with labels like woman...

IT HURTS DOESN'T IT?

The pain and discomfort that seems to accompany every food you eat like your very own bodyguard. The heartburn, bloating and gas that doesn't let up sometimes even hours after you have eaten and ruining your entire day consistently.

Are you tired of feeling this way on a daily basis? Feeling lethargic and not being able to do the things...

Doug Henderson has evolved into a shrewd and sadistic businessman and gang member, driven by hatred and revenge. Above all he is highly successful.

Find out what drives the success of a highly organised outlaw motorcycle gang, led by their president Doug.Follow the twists and turns of the missing cocaine.

Stick to the rules of engagement. But whatever you...

Getting cancer is like a bomb going off in your life.

Having chemotherapy can feel like another bomb.

When faced with chemotherapy, you have many questions--but searching for answers on the internet can be overwhelming and pamphlets from your oncologist don't begin to tell you all you need to know.

In Braving Chemo, Harvard-educated physician and cancer...

How does the anatomy of a plant adjust to the unique characteristics of local pollinators?
How do animals develop specific features that make exquisite examples of mimicry possible?
How do unrelated species form mutualistic relationships?

In habitats around the globe, many organisms exhibit adaptations that are well-suited to their exact circumstances. For...

Derek Esp didn’t set out to forge a career in education: but, after enrolling in an Education course at university, he discovered a love for learning and a passion for teaching.

Appointed as the Youth Officer for Central Shropshire in 1959, Derek found that he had a talent for leadership. He later worked in three counties as an education officer, moving...

Maybe no one knows it yet—and maybe you’re not sure yourself—but you’re a nudist.

You feel good when you’re not wearing anything. It’s not a sexual thing. It’s a physical thing: you’re more comfortable without clothes on. And maybe it’s an emotional or spiritual thing too: you feel better, more at peace when you’re not wearing anything.

If this is...

Consequences, then, is a “walk with me” through the process survivors must follow to tell the Anglican church their stories. It was not a pleasant journey but was a necessary one, and there is no such thing as “closure” at the end. However, this may be as close as it comes for many survivors. I came out of it stronger and freer than I had ever been. Now I...

Organisations that make it big and survive the test of time are shapeshifters. Shapeshifters generate a strategy supple enough to adapt to changing environments and they disrupt themselves and the world around them to bring about positive change. In a volatile world that is changing at an ever-accelerating rate, it’s time our approach to strategy and...

Raise Your Innovation IQ – a new book by Leena Patel, a prominent innovation consultant and CEO of Sandbox2Boardroom.com – is a page-turning solution set of twenty-one strategies that will lead you to think differently in times of change.

In her easy-to-read conversational style, Leena draws you in and takes you on a journey that opens your eyes to the big...

A shocking and darkly funny account of the reality of Britain's prisons. 

Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Which British education system struggles with 50% illiteracy? Where do teetotal Muslims attend AA meetings? Where is it easier to get 'spice' than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow?

Welcome to Her Majesty's...

Trends have become a commodity—an element of culture in their own right and the very currency of our cultural life. Consumer culture relies on a new class of professionals who explain trends, predict trends, and in profound ways even manufacture trends. On Trend delves into one of the most powerful forces in global consumer culture. From forecasting to cool...

The conventional wisdom about historical memory is summed up in George Santayana's celebrated phrase, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Today, the consensus that it is moral to remember, immoral to forget, is nearly absolute. And yet is this right? David Rieff, an independent writer who has reported on bloody conflicts in...

From the Charge of the Light Brigade to Scott of the Antarctic and beyond, it seems as if glorious disaster and valiant defeat have been essential aspects of the British national character for the past two centuries. In this fascinating book, historian Stephanie Barczewski argues that Britain's embrace of heroic failure initially helped to gloss over the...

The US is one of the largest democracies in the world – or is it?

America is experiencing an age of profound economic inequality. Employee protections have been decimated, and state welfare is virtually non-existent, while hedge fund billionaires are grossly under-taxed and big businesses make astounding profits at the expense of the environment and of their...

With intolerance and inequality increasingly normalised by the day, it's more important than ever for women to share their experiences. We must hold the truth to account in the midst of sensationalism and international political turmoil. Nasty Women is a collection of essays, interviews and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century.

People...

You’re Hired! Graduate Career Handbook is the complete guide to career planning and job hunting for students and graduates, offering vital guidance on how to discover your potential, maximise your employability, and kick-start your career. 

The book is organised in simple chapters designed to help you address the various issues you experience as you move...

As mums, we’ve all had that feeling of “not being good enough”, not measuring up to expectations of how we should be doing – where parenting is concerned this is a really unhelpful trap to fall into, and doesn’t help you or your children. It can lead to feelings of anxiety, guilt and failure. Especially if you’re attaining to be an unrealistic figure:...

Home Life Around the World is about the relationship we have with that most private and intimate space – our home.

Step into personal homes of architects, designers, photographers and other creatives. Food and art lovers. People passionate about the environment. All with their own stories and destinies. The homes are located in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Cape...

Paulette Tourdes was born in Jussac, a village in south-west Auvergne, in 1916. She spent half of her childhood there and half in the nearby town of Aurillac, growing up as part of a large extended family in typically rustic rural France. She went to Spain for several months at the start of the Civil War, and not long after moved to England, having met her...

What School Could Be offers an inspiring vision of what our teachers and students can accomplish if trusted with the challenge of developing the skills and ways of thinking needed to thrive in a world of dizzying technological change.

Innovation expert Ted Dintersmith took an unprecedented trip across America, visiting all fifty states in a single school...

The untold story of how FDR did the unthinkable to save the American economy

The American economy is strong in large part because nobody believes that America would ever default on its debt. Yet in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt did just that when, in a bid to pull the country out of depression and get people back to work, he depreciated the U.S. dollar in...

The Investing QuickStart Guide offers a simplified but expansive introduction to the world of investing.

Author Ted Snow brings 30 years of experience in the finance industry, much to the benefit of novice learners and experienced investors alike.

Snow provides readers with the complete picture on stocks, bonds, treasuries, ETFs, mutual funds, indexes...

This is the revolutionary book that expertly simplifies accounting fundamentals. It’s an invaluable resource for accounting students,business owners, bookkeepers, and other finance and recordkeeping professionals worldwide!

Whether you are a business owner looking to boost your bottom line or an accounting student looking to boost your grade, this book will...

How to Write and Publish a Book: My journey from firefighter to bestselling author, and how you can do it too! is written by bestselling author Richard McMunn, who has written and published over 150 books. 

In this book, he covers everything you need to know in order to write and self-publish your own book in print and ebook format, and also how to get your...