Social & Cultural History Books

'Paris is the World, the rest of the Earth is nothing but its suburbs' - Marivaux In this intelligently-written and supremely entertaining new history, Colin Jones seeks to give a sense of the city of Paris as it was lived in and …

Unintended Consequences reveals how America's door closed on legal Irish immigration in the 1960s, and how America's Irish mounted a counterattack when nation-changing political forces were sweeping the country during the era of c…

The history of the world through the eye of a needle . . .I recommend this book to anyone' THE SPECTATOR 'A charming, absorbing and history that takes us on a journey from the silk roads to sportswear, from ruffs to spacesuits . .…

What makes us human? Waging war? Sex for pleasure? Creating art? Mastery of fire? In this thrilling tour of the animal kingdom, Adam Rutherford tells the story of how we became the unique creatures we are today. Illuminated by the…

The complete history of the world, from the beginning of time to the present day, based on the beliefs and writings of the secret societies. Jonathan Black examines the end of the world and the coming of the Antichrist - or is he …

From patriots to pirates, warriors to writers, and mistresses to male impersonators, this book looks at the unorthodox lives of inspiring Irish women. In times when women were expected to marry and have children, they travelled th…

The Irish have always been a travelling people. In the centuries after the fall of Rome, Irish missionaries carried the word of Christianity throughout Europe, while soldiers and mariners from across the land ventured overseas in …

In Death in Ten Minutes Fern Riddell uncovers the story of radical suffragette Kitty Marion, told through never before seen personal diaries in Kitty's own hand. Kitty Marion was sent across the country by the Pankhurst family to …

'A thrilling celebration of lighthouses' i newspaper An enthralling history of Britain's rock lighthouses and the people who built and inhabited them. Lighthouses are enduring monuments to our relationship with the sea. They encap…

In a land like ours, the old beliefs bring pleasure and wisdom... Exploring the legends, special places and treasured practices of old, Jo Kerrigan reveals a rich world beneath Ireland's modern layers. So many of today's Irish tra…

A funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by television's favorite rare-book expert from HISTORY's hit series Pawn Stars. Since the Gutenberg B…

A compelling portrait of a unique moment in American history when the ideas of Charles Darwin reshaped American notions about nature, religion, science and race Throughout its history America has been torn in two by debates over i…

In this compelling, powerful book, highly respected writer and commentator Jack Holland sets out to answer a daunting question: how do you explain the oppression and brutalization of half the world's population by the other half, …

Most people's concept of the 'end of the world' comes from the book of Revelation. Alternative apocalypses can be found in the Zoroastrianism of ancient Persia, in ancient Hindu scriptures and Norse myths. Today, there are an esti…

It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's niece started to scream and convulse.It ended less than a year later, but not before panic had infected the entire colony, nineteen men and women …

Dotted throughout this remote and beautiful landscape are pianos created during the boom years of the nineteenth century. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, …

In the 1930s, as official government expeditions set their sights on conquering Everest, a little-known World War I veteran named Maurice Wilson conceived his own crazy, beautiful plan: he would fly a Gipsy Moth aeroplane from Eng…

An updated edition of the Sunday Times BestsellerBritain's best-known classicist Mary Beard, is also a committed and vocal feminist. With wry wit, she revisits the gender agenda and shows how history has treated powerful women. He…

True crime meets local history. This book contains 39 true historical murders in West Cork. From Clonakilty in the east to the Beara Peninsula and the Kerry border, murder is never more than a few miles away. Each crime is complet…

A delightful book about Italy's unexpected history, told through its citrus fruitsThe story of citrus runs through the history of Italy like a golden thread, and by combining travel writing with history, recipes, horticulture and …

SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD*The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of th…

'It is absolutely brilliant, I think every woman should read it' PANDORA SYKES, THE HIGH LOW 'My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect ... Essential…

The Irish language has thirty-two words for field. Among them are:Geamhar - a field of corn-grassTuar - a field for cattle at nightReidhlean - a field for games or dancingCathairin - a field with a fairy-dwelling in itThe richness…

Murder Most Local: Historic Murders of East Cork contains 47 true historical murder stories from East Cork. Some are well known cases that have lived on in folklore, others are long forgotten… From Youghal to Fermoy and Aghada to …

A BARACK OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR. WINNER OF THE 2020 CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION. SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION. A SUNDAY TIMES, ECONOMIST AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE Y…

This book tells of the pivotal role played by 'ordinary' Cork women in the War of Independence, 1916-1923. Most of these women did not feature in recorded history, and their importance to Ireland's struggle for independence is onl…

This is a story about you. It is the history of who you are and how you came to be.It is unique to you, as it is to each of the 100 billion modern humans who have ever drawn breath. But it is also our collective story, because in …

True crime meets local history. Murder Most Local: Historic Murders of North Cork covers over thirty historical murders in the North Cork area. The map from Mitchelstown in the east all the ways to the Kerry border is dotted with …

For as long as there have been wars there have been fears about the next war. Where are the new dangers? What is the best defence? How might peace come about? This is the history of how over the last 150 years we have tried - righ…

The first volume of the graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's global phenomenon and smash Sunday Times #1 bestseller, with gorgeous full-colour illustrations and a beautiful package - the perfect gift for the curious beings in…