"The history of the world told through the entertaining, horrifying, and inspiring characters that everyone should know. The giant characters of history--from Mozart to Michelangelo, Shakespeare to Einstein, Henry VIII to Pol Pot, Shaka to George Washington, Jesus Christ to Genghis Khan--lived lives of astonishing drama and adventure, debauchery and slaughter, but they also formed our world and will shape our future. In this eclectic and surprising...

A retelling of Dickens's story of the orphan forced to practice thievery and live a life of crime in nineteenth-century London. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.

Chronicles the history of France, from Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the mid-first century BC to the end of World War II.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the national bestselling author of Stalin: An "epic history on the grandest scale” (Financial Times) about the most successful dynasty of modern times, a family who created the world’s greatest empire—and then lost it all. 
"An essential addition to the library of anyone interested in Russian history.” —The New York Times Book Review
The...

Inspired by a true story, prize-winning historian and acclaimed novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the consequences of forbidden love in this heartbreaking epic of marriage, childhood, danger, and betrayal that unfolds in Stalin's Moscow during the bleak days after World War II.As Moscow celebrates the motherland's glorious victory over the Nazis, shots ring out on the crowded streets. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl-dressed in traditional...

"Discover the adventurous life of the stylish and scandalous Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston--a woman whose infamous trial was bigger news in British society than the American War of Independence. "Bridgerton fans take note: For sheer incident and drama, Chudleigh's story rivals any episode of the popular Regency-era Netflix series. And it's all true" (The Washington Post). As maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh enjoyed...

The internationally bestselling definitive history of the Arab world, named a best book of the year by the Financial Times, the Economist, and the Atlantic -- now updated to cover the latest developments in the Middle East In this groundbreaking and comprehensive account of the Middle East, award-winning historian Eugene Rogan draws extensively on five centuries of Arab sources to place the Arab experience in its crucial historical context. This...

"Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet nose, and a slice of mad courage. Shylo Tawny-Tail is proud to call himself one of the Royal Rabbits of London, a secret order of rabbits who live under Buckingham Palace and protect the royal family. But high up in London's famous skyscraper the Shard, the Ratzis are devising an evil plot to cause chaos during a visit from the president of the...