International History

A celebrated British historian of US intelligence explores how the CIA was born in anti-imperialist idealism but swiftly became an instrument of a new covert empire both in America and overseas.

On 26 November 1922 Howard Carter first peered into the newly opened tomb of an ancient Egyptian boy-king. When asked if he could see anything, he replied: 'Yes, yes, wonderful things.' In Tutankhamun's Trumpet, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson takes a unique approach to a well-worn subject. Instead of concentrating on the oft-told story of the discovery, or speculating on the (brief) life and (fractious) times of the boy-king, Wilkinson takes the objects buried with the king as the source material for a wide-ranging, detailed portrait of ancient Egypt - its geography, history, culture and legacy.

The Viking ship is one of the most iconic images of the Vikings and the longship in particular has been central to our understanding of the Vikings. This book explores the evolution of their sea-going vessels and celebrates this outstanding feature of the Viking Age.

John Davidson came to the North Carolina back country circa 1751. Davidson worked hard, prospered, married well and built a plantation on the Catawba River he called Rural Hill. Drawing on public documents, family papers and slave records, this history describes how a fiercely independent family grew their lands and fortunes into a lasting legacy.

The story of the Savoy's founders, through three generations and a hundred years of luxury

The horrific series of conflicts known as the Thirty Years War (1618-48) tore the heart out of Europe, killing perhaps a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to whole areas of Central Europe to such a degree that many towns and regions never recovered. This title explains a compelling series of events.

From the bestselling author Simon Winchester, a human history of land around the world: who mapped it, owned it, stole it, cared for it, fought for it and gave it back.

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes-here is award-winning writer Simon Winchester's brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

From bestselling author Simon Winchester, the extraordinary story of how America was united into a single nation.

The making of the "Oxford English Dictionary" was a monumental 50 year task requiring thousands of volunteers. One of the keenest volunteers was a W C Minor who astonished everyone by refusing to come to Oxford to receive his congratulations. In the end, James Murray, the "OED's" editor, went to Crowthorne in Berkshire to meet him.

Hidden behind velvet curtains above a stairway in a house in London's Piccadilly is an enormous and beautiful hand-coloured map - the first geological map of anywhere in the world. Its maker was a farmer's son named William Smith. Born in 1769 his life was beset by troubles. This title tells his story.