Summer Reads

'He had brought nothing but trouble to the navy: how would he fare as King?'Known as the 'Sailor King', William IV was sent to join the navy by his father to discipline him, but instead became notorious for his calamitous years of service, his debts and...

'He seems to have laboured under an almost child-like misapprehension about the size of his world. Had greatness not been thrust upon him, he might have lived a life of great harmlessness'The reign of Edward II was a succession of disasters. Inept in...

'No other medieval king had such demonstrably serious mental health issues; no other king was so notoriously susceptible to those around him; no other king was so clearly uninterested in the business of government'Henry VI, son of the all-conquering...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperbackCharles II has always been one of the most instantly recognisable British kings - both in his physical appearance, disseminated through endless...

London 1946. An actress is murdered, not just on camera but in full view of a crowded film set. Only six people had an opportunity to administer the poison yet not one of them had a conceivable motive. As Evadne Mount, bestselling crime novelist,...

(Available after 3-20 days)Penguin Island is a satirical novel by Anatole France first published in 1908. The book details the history of the penguins and is written as a critique of human nature, and is also a satire on France's political history,...

A Penguin ClassicIt is April 1793 and the final power struggle of the French Revolution is taking hold: the aristocrats are dead and the poor are fighting for bread in the streets. In a Paris swept by fear and hunger lives Gamelin, a revolutionary young...

(Available after 3-20 days)In July 1947, fresh out of college and long before he would win the Pulitzer Prize and become known as one of America's finest historians, Stanley Karnow boarded a freighter bound for France, planning to stay for the summer. He...

Reach your goals with Kaizen—the Japanese art of gentle self-improvementFrom Hygge to Ikigai, positive philosophies have taken the world by storm. Now, Kaizen—meaning “good change”—will help you transform your habits, without being too hard on yourself...

A message has reached the Round Table, and in response, Shiroe and his comrades leave Akiba on a quest to establish exchange with the Continental Alliance. Meanwhile, the summer training camp where rookie players from every guild will hone their skills...

Having won hearts and topped charts in Japan, this hotly anticipated series about an older gentleman and his unique, adorable cat is available in English for the first time!Spying a bedraggled cat outside the window one day, Fukumaru is shocked to...

Having won hearts and topped charts in Japan, this hotly anticipated series about an older gentleman and his unique, adorable cat is available in English for the first time!The kind and elegant Fuyuki Kanda has a lot of fans, not least of whom is his cat...

A Sunday Times bestseller | A New York Times Book Review Editors' ChoiceNamed a best book of the year by The Economist | Financial Times | New Statesman | The Telegraph"[Putin's People] will surely now become the definitive account of the rise of Putin...

“[Red Notice] does for investing in Russia and the former Soviet Union what Liar’s Poker did for our understanding of Salomon Brothers, Wall Street, and the mortgage-backed securities business in the 1980s. Browder’s business saga meshes well with the...

“A beautifully written evocation of Ukraine's brutal past and its shaky efforts to construct a better future.”—Financial Times   Borderland tells the story of Ukraine. A thousand years ago it was the center of the first great Slav civilization, Kievan...

(Available after 3-20 days)With a warm yet political humor, Ukraine’s most famous novelist presents a balanced and illuminating portrait of modern conflict. Little Starhorodivka, a village of three streets, lies in Ukraine's Grey Zone, the no-man's-land...

A globe-spanning history of sewing, embroidery, and the people who have used a needle and thread to make their voices heardFrom the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, and the maps sewn by schoolgirls in...

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress,...

Join us on a fascinating journey through the ages! Explore historical events through engaging explanations, incredible illustrations, and stunning computer-generated images.A gorgeously illustrated guide to the history of the world, from what everyday...

The Horrible History of the World presents the foul but fascinating story of humans from brain-nibbling Neanderthals to terrified teenage soldiers in the twentieth century. You can discover: >Why Alexander the Great banned beards >What smelly sport...