Books & Music

The First World War was one of the deadliest conflicts in modern history and produced horrors undreamed of by the young men who cheerfully volunteered for a war that was supposed to be over by Christmas. Whether in the patriotic enthusiasm of Rupert...

‘It was only two days after I arrived that I realised I had actually joined MI5. It did not exactly throw the doors wide and welcome scrutiny. The existence of the service was avowed but very little else about it was. Who worked for it? Where were its...

Delve deep under London's streets from the days when the Romans ruled through to the hustle and bustle of the modern-day capital in this fantastic flap book. The book includes double page spreads on medieval times, the Tudor period, the Plague, the Great...

A stunning foiled cover does justice to Shakespeare’s elegant sonnets in this first book of a new series of inspirational writing. The sonnets here are given space to breathe: divided thematically and sparsely illustrated, the beautiful verse delivers...

Making a major part of England's literary heritage accessible to a new audience, Peter Ackroyd's The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling renders Geoffrey Chaucer's timeless tales in lucid, compelling modern English prose, with illustrations by Nick...

Journalism has the vital function to defend and promote truth in public discourse. And yet the news media has never been under so much pressure to move away from this critical role into more partial campaigns or commercial public relations. Here four of...

The role of the Supreme Court has often been portrayed as incomprehensible to the vast majority of the public, while judges might be seen as a caste apart from society. The Power of Judges tried to defy this logic, exploring the fundamental concept of...

The Power of Politicians is an account of Tessa Jowell’s experience of entering politics and making effective sense of her role. Here, with Frances D’Souza, she gives fascinating insights into the workings of Parliament, the successful development of...

Essays on the state of democracy from those who occupied positions at the heart of British politicsDemocracy operates on consent. That means politicians have to argue their causes and win consensus. But democracy has its flaws, not least in the lack of...

Meet Charles Ignatius Sancho: his extraordinary story, hidden for three hundred years, is about to be told. I had little right to live, born on a slave ship where my parents both died. But I survived, and indeed, you might say I did more… It’s 1746 and...

A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year. ‘One of the most important books to be written about the Tudors in a generation.’ Tracy Borman In this groundbreaking history, Sarah Gristwood reveals the way courtly love made and marred the Tudor...

This is London is a facsimile edition of Miroslav Sasek's original title. His brilliant, vibrant illustrations have been meticulously preserved and remain true to his vision. With the passing of time facts have been updated where applicable. This book is...