Tony Barber selects his best mid-year reads
Two books shed new light on the dynasties that laid the foundations of the modern European nation
Tiya Miles revisits the pivotal achievements of a woman who helped dozens escape slavery via the Underground Railroad
Carola Binder’s monetary history uncovers the deep entanglement of price rises and politics
Three books to help understand the challenges faced by new president Lai Ching-te and the dangers facing Taipei today
Clare Mulley’s biography of the heroic Elżbieta Zawacka and Poland’s turbulent history offers unique insights
Jon Savage’s dizzyingly detailed account of the shift in attitudes from the 1950s is a timely reminder of the value of today’s freedoms
Sergey Radchenko’s cold war history links Putin to Kremlin predecessors leading a Russia driven by empire, not ideology
A dramatic account of the 1961 Ashes is a compelling story of leadership, empire and class
Barbara Emerson examines how the two countries kept hostilities at bay and warns of the high-handedness of foreign imperialism
Corinne Fowler’s exploration of the dark histories behind the country’s landed wealth is both scholarly and nuanced
Rachel Cockerell movingly chronicles her ancestors’ migration from Kyiv to America — via a scheme for a homeland in Texas
Doris Kearns Goodwin has written award-winning studies of four former American presidents. Her latest book focuses on her own coming of age
As elections get under way on April 19, here’s a selection of the best titles to shed light on what’s at stake in the world’s biggest democracy
Anna Reid’s vivid history of an ill-judged intervention in 1918 demonstrates that we underestimate Russia at our peril
With the recent emergence of the country’s far-right Chega party in parliament, this is an important and timely read
As the alliance prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, three books consider its relevance, and argue that its most difficult years may lie ahead
An often overlooked battleground of the first world war offers valuable insights on today’s geopolitics
Fareed Zakaria’s ambitious history diagnoses many modern ills — but avoids simplistic remedies to populism
The Labour politician painstakingly traces the difficult story of the last two British men executed for sodomy
A fresh wave of historical studies shows that the ancient and medieval worlds were more closely linked than we used to think
In his new history, Patrick Joyce brings the rich cultures of pre-industrial rural communities movingly to life
From Art Deco to mock Tudor, Gavin Stamp’s quixotic, illuminating history celebrates buildings that still define Britain
Josephine Quinn’s 4,000-year history seeks to unpick our ‘privileged connections’ with the ancient Greeks and Romans
Peter Pomerantsev profiles a propagandist who targeted the Nazis — and warns of the fight needed to nail Putin’s lies on Ukraine
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