History & Archaeology Books

A “compelling” (The Wall Street Journal) account of the only mutiny in the history of the United States Navy—a little-known but once notorious event that cost three young men their lives—part murder mystery, part courtroom drama, and as propulsive and...

For more than 60 years, Barbie has reflected fashion trends and set them. Now, her iconic outfits are paired with the legendary looks from iconic designers for a fascinating celebration of the relationship between the runway and the toy aisle.Barbie has...

The first joint biography of Bennelong and Governor Arthur Phillip, two pivotal figures in Australian history – the colonised and coloniser – and a bold and innovative new portrait of both.Winner of the 2024 ACT Literary Awards, Non-Fiction Shortlisted...

Meet the Jewish salon host in 1930s Shanghai who brought together Chinese and expats around the arts as civil war erupted and World War II loomed on the horizon.Bernardine Szold Fritz arrived in Shanghai in 1929 to marry her fourth husband. Only...

*Updated with a new introduction*Journalist Rebecca Traister’s New York Times bestselling exploration of the transformative power of female anger and its ability to transcend into a political movement is “a hopeful, maddening compendium of righteous...

A riveting and illuminating exploration of the transatlantic slave trade by an intrepid team of divers seeking to reclaim the stories of their ancestors.“For me, Enslaved is an attempt to give a voice to the millions whose voices were...

An “extraordinarily brilliant” and “pleasurably naughty” (André Aciman) investigation into the Shakespeare authorship question, exploring how doubting that William Shakespeare wrote his plays became an act of blasphemy…and who the Bard might really be...

“Impeccably researched…captivating!” —Elin Hilderbrand * “A well-paced history.” —The New York Times Book Review * “Fascinating…with new details and well-sourced reporting.” —Associated PressNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! The intimate, multigenerational...

The incredible account of Sister Betty Jeffrey OAM and the Australian war nurses who survived the bombing of evacuation ship SS Vyner Brooke in February 1942, and subsequently spent three years in Japanese prison camps in Sumatra.During those perilous...

The history books are full of heroes and villains … but what about all the idiots? Comedian and armchair historian Mikey Robins tells the astonishing story of human stupidity, one idiot at a time.Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity,...

A rich portrait of a compelling, complex woman who emerged from a sheltered rural childhood into the fraught, often deadly world of the French royal court and Parisian high society—and who would come to rule them both.Married off at sixteen to a...

'Edward Brooke-Hitching's delightful book is a collection of curiosities. From a 19th-century lonely hearts ad to a nuptial blessing of the bride’s buttocks, an entertaining history of love over the millennia that proves when it comes to the heart,...

A “captivating” (The Washington Post) true story of “courage, resolve, and determination” (The Christian Science Monitor), author Ralph White’s successful effort to save nearly the entire staff of the Saigon branch of Chase Manhattan bank and their...

The lost world of the “gay paradises” in San Francisco and New York is beautifully documented in this collection of remarkably intimate portraits and street scenes taken by photography activist and chronicler Nicholas Blair from 1979–1986. The lovely,...

A classic David & Goliath tale, complete with colorful heroes, cold-hearted villains, and nail-biting games—with the hockey rink serving as an arena for a nation’s resistance.During the height of the Cold War, a group of small-town young men would...

“Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve” (The Wall Street Journal), this is the definitive account of the disastrous siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, featuring never-before-seen documents, photographs, and...

Award-winning writer Richard Williams tells the remarkable story of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one of the world's most iconic motorsports events, which celebrates its centenary in 2023. The event was created by a group of Frenchmen in 1923 and remains...

A collection of key dissenting and majority opinions from U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.During her 27 years as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg became well known for her strongly worded dissenting...

This glittering, “wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told” (Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys) explores the darkly intertwined fates of infamous socialite Ann Woodward and literary icon Truman Capote, sweeping us to the upper echelons...

A history of the colorful and complex kingdom of cosplay and fandom fashion by Andrew Liptak, journalist, historian, and member of the legendary fan-based Star Wars organization the 501st Legion.In recent years, cosplay—the practice of dressing up in...

The harrowing story of the Allied airmen who experienced the true horrors of Nazism firsthand.It was the summer of 1944 as liberating Allied forces surged towards Paris following the D-Day landings. For a large group of downed airmen being held in that...

A revelatory portrait of Chekhov during the most extraordinary artistic surge of his life.In 1886, a twenty-six-year-old Anton Chekhov was publishing short stories, humor pieces, and articles at an astonishing rate, and was still a practicing...

Every part of the human body has a name - and story. But how familiar are you with your arachnoid mater or your Haversian canals? Anatomical Oddities is an artistic and linguistic adventure, taking the reader on a journey to discover the hidden...

You thought you knew the story behind the world’s most notorious rock band…the music, the mayhem…it is the stuff of rock n roll legend, chronicled in the New York Times bestselling book and subsequent Netflix movie, The Dirt. Now, as Nikki Sixx, Tommy...

A stunning portrait of the complicated woman who becomes Ernest Hemingway's fourth wife, tracing her adventures before she meets Ernest, exploring the tumultuous years of their marriage, and evoking her merry widowhood as she shapes Hemingway's literary...

‘A damn hilarious read.’ Nazeem Hussain‘A true barbarian.’ Andrew BoltOur world is in chaos lol. And no, Australian Millennials, it’s not your imagination: things are especially f**ked for us.Millions of Baby Boomers got beach houses, free education,...

A perfect gift for Downton Abbey fans, the official film companion provides a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the art and making of the sequel to the globally successful Downton Abbey film.The worldwide phenomenon and multi-award winning Downton Abbey...

A brilliant examination of the enigmatic Russian revolutionary about whom Winston Churchill said "few men tried more, gave more, dared more and suffered more for the Russian people," and who remains a legendary and controversial figure in his...

This updated edition of the best-selling Crimes that Shocked Australia, is a true anthology of shocking proportions. Learn more about these gruesome crimes that will send shivers down your spine as the most memorable moments in Australia’s crime...

From one of America’s most respected journalists and modern historians comes the highly acclaimed, “splendid” (The Washington Post) biography of Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States and Nobel Prize–winning humanitarian.Jonathan...

A young teen escapes to America from Mao’s China in the early 60s and experiences the consequent culture shock of cruel racism, financial hardships, unexpected freedom, bewildering sexual mores, and the aching rejection and loneliness that so...

A guide to the history and practice of Kimbanda, the black magic tradition of Brazil• Explains how Kimbanda’s presiding deity Eshu embodies both masculine and feminine principles, both god and devil, and thus represents human nature itself with all its...

A truly comprehensive account of 617 Squadron, RAF, ​who carried out one of the most dangerous and audacious aerial bombing raids of World War II. It was the evening of 16 May 1943. Nineteen modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron RAF, under the...

An intensive investigation into the evidence for a forgotten fountainhead of civilization lost at the end of the last ice age• Reveals evidence of advanced ancient technology, anomalous ancient maps, time travel, crystal science, ancient Armageddon, and...

During the 1940s and ‘50s in Australia there rose to prominence many icons of Aboriginal descent, representative of the culture of the day and of their own people. Some permanently influenced the minds of Australians and remain famous to this day. Others...

Discover 50 fascinating tales of female pirates, fraudsters, gamblers, bootleggers, serial killers, madams, and outlaws in this illustrated book of lawbreaking and legendary women throughout the ages.Many of us are familiar with the popular slogan...

"The date, September 11, 2001, now has a certain permanence, graven on ourcollective memory, like a very few others December 7, 1941, and November 22, 1963, dates which seem to separate yesterday from today, and then from now. They become the rarest of...

An epic cultural journey that reveals how Venetian ingenuity and inventions—from sunglasses and forks to bonds and currency—shaped modernity.How did a small, isolated city—with a population that never exceeded 100,000, even in its heyday—come to...

A dramatic and expertly rendered narrative of the Allied liberation of the South of France during Operation Dragoon in 1944.Operation Dragoon is the story of the Allied invasion of the South of France on August 15, 1944. It was, in effect, the...

A detailed look into ancient advanced technology, science, and medicine--some of which has yet to be reproduced today • Explores countless examples of ancient high tech, including robotics, artificial intelligence, aircraft, solar-powered cannons,...

A collection of tales from the Middle Ages that reveal voyages to Heaven and Hell, the realm of the Faery, mystical lands, and encounters with mythic beasts • Shares travelers’ accounts of voyages into the afterlife, alarming creatures of unparalleled...

Examines how the similarities of symbols and wisdom across many cultures point to an ancient civilizing plan and system of ancient instruction • Reveals the shared cosmological knowledge of Dogon and Maori cultures, ancient Egypt, Gobekli Tepe, Vedic...

An intimate portrait of Evola and his wartime activities that rebuts many of the Fascist pseudo-myths about him • Traces the Baron’s activities in Italy, Germany, and Austria during World War II • Clarifies Evola’s relations with Nazism and Fascism and...

The life and legends of the god Ganesh in your hand, accompanied by a glorious gallery of historical imagery and art, including paintings by the renowned Indian artist, Indra Sharma.Son of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh is the...

Rollicking and informative, Reprehensible: Polite Histories of Bad Behaviour is your guide through some of the most shameful behaviour indulged in by humanity’s most celebrated figures, as told by Mikey Robins, one of Australia’s most loved comedians.It...

Pyramid Power, the secret energy harnessed by the ancients, preserves food stuffs, amplifies thought forms, and increases sexual vitality. Here is the latest fabulous and provocative information on pyramids around the world, instructions on building your...

An investigation into the lost treasures of Jesse James and the Freemasons and their connections to the Templars, Rosicrucians, and the Founding Fathers • Explains how Jesse James used techniques involving sacred geometry, gematria, and esoteric symbols...

Overturns the long-established historical narrative about the origins and purpose of the Knights Templar • Explains how and why the Templars created Europe’s first nation-state, Portugal, with one of their own as king • Reveals the Portuguese roots of...