In The Age of Wonder, acclaimed biographer Richard Holmes looks at the early scientific movement in Britain at a time when the distinction between the arts and sciences had yet to be established, and when religious faith and scientific endeavour worked hand in hand in pursuit of answers to life’s more ineffable questions. Holmes shows how, as 18th-century Britain teetered on the cusp of modernity, a series of remarkable friendships between astronomers William and Caroline Herschel, the chemists Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday and their contemporaries came to define an age, nurturing ideas that challenged assumptions about identity, morality and religious belief.

This magisterial history of the first modern war is on the scale of Keegan’s classic A History of Warfare. In a sweeping, unputdownable narrative he highlights the geography, leadership and strategic logic at the heart of the conflict. Keegan describes his challenge with this book as being ‘… to relate the landmarks of the war to its events, chronology, strategy and logic…The Civil War is certainly a story of the struggle of man against man; it is equally a story of the struggle of man against geography, in which those who had a feel for the country eventually succeeded because they knew how to work with the landscape instead of ignoring or defying it.’

In equal parts an erudite, entertaining read and richly illustrated picture book, The Atlas of Legendary Lands presents ‘a history of the world as it never was, but as map makers once envisioned it’. Celebrating cartography’s bizarre inaccuracies before exploration revealed the true nature of our planet, there are depictions of sea monsters, treasure islands, oceanic black holes and other extraordinary aspects of our world imagined by early mapmakers. McLeod discusses historical maps of the world and mapped ideas of paradise, including Thomas More’s Utopia, fabled kingdoms such as Camelot and lost continents like Atlantis. She also reveals the geographical misconceptions that cast California and Florida as islands and led Columbus to believe his landing on Cuba placed him in China.

Books written by military historians usually concentrate on the battles, strategies and actions of war. Here, the focus is on the emotional experience and consequences of war, both for the men who fight and their families at home. In 1942, Micky Burn led his commando troop of 28 men on one of the most daring raids of WWII, the assault on St Nazair. Only seven men came home; the rest were killed or captured, held in the notorious Colditz prison. The book grew out of a cache of letters Micky had asked his parents to write to the families of his men if they didn’t return – resulting in this extraordinary archive. This is a moving and important book about the consequences and costs of war.

This well-paced history by the best-selling author of Agincourt takes an in-depth look at a fascinating yet neglected slice of French and English history: the final 30 years of the Hundred Years’ War. From 1417 (two years after Agincourt), there existed an English kingdom of France. At its height, this creation of Henry V extended from the Normandy coast to the Loire and Burgundy. Barker unwinds the tangled web of power struggles, alliances, conspiracies, murders, battles and sieges that led to the crowning and ultimate undoing of Henry’s son, Henry VI. The narrative includes a chronology of key events, noting the role of Joan of Arc, who died six months before Henry VI’s coronation.

In 2007 Washington Post editor and Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Finkel travelled to Iraq with the soldiers of the 2-16 battalion and their commander, Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich (who would become known by his soldiers as ‘Lost Cause’). From their deployment from Fort Riley, Kansas, as part of George W. Bush’s ‘surge’ into Baghdad, to their return from the dust and death of Iraq in April 2008, Finkel pulls no punches in delivering his grim firsthand report from the front lines. Combining the unflinching facts of reportage and the compelling rhythm of a well-told narrative, The Good Soldiers brings the personalities and experiences of the soldiers to life on the page as he chronicles the battles, near misses and fatalities that occurred during their tour of duty in Iraq.

This practical book, drawn from decades of experience, is an indispensable guide to writing history. Aimed at all kinds of people who write history – academic historians, public historians, professional historians, family historians and students of all levels – the book includes a wide range of examples from many genres and styles. It advises writers on how much research is necessary, how to manage notes and files, when you should start writing, whether to use the first person and whether to structure your work chronologically or thematically. It also offers tips on how to write a compelling narrative, discusses dialogue and how much to include, and gives guidance on referencing.

History has never been so enthralling, surprising and disturbingly enchanting as it is here, in this provocative collection of 600 vignettes that tell a refreshingly different version of world history. Eduardo Galeano, long revered in Latin America, shot to worldwide prominence earlier this year when Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez publicly presented Barack Obama with a copy of Galeano’s classic history, Open Veins of Latin America (see p17). History is traditionally written by the victors, but Galeano writes primarily from the point of view of the defeated, oppressed and betrayed. This is history as storytelling, written with the lyricism and charm of a poet, the caustic wit of a Jon Stewart or Michael Moore, and the encyclopaedic knowledge and sheer passion of Robert Fisk. Brilliant.

This impressive book-and-DVD ROM set provides access to world history as reported in one of its most influential and respected newspapers. More than 300 of the most significant NYT front pages have been carefully selected and beautifully reproduced in the book, and news summaries throughout highlight the most significant events of each era and put the front pages into a historical context. There are also 17 insightful essays by prominent Times writers on pivotal moments, including ‘The End of Slavery’ by William Safire, ‘Women’s Suffrage’ by Gail Collins and ‘The Age of Television’ by Frank Rich. The three DVD ROMs include each of the 54,266 front pages printed by the Times over the past 157 years and are completely searchable.

Seemingly minor episodes in history can, in retrospect, reveal much about the societies in which they took place. In May 1835, a Sydney man was charged with impersonating the long-vanished Edward, Viscount Lascelles, heir to one of Britain’s greatest fortunes. He was accused of being a serial trickster and conman, and his case of questioned identity drew much interest in a fledgling Australian society racked with divisions between the free and ex-convict classes. Meanwhile, the Lascelles family, made rich on the spoils of the West Indies, personified a similar divide in Britain. This compelling narrative, played out by a fascinating cast of characters, spans two continents – and two societies in transition.

The titles in Pier 9’s ‘Lost and Found in History’ series are beautifully produced, boasting eye-catching design, copious fullcolour illustrations and engaging, detailed storytelling. Cast Away tells 24 true stories of shipwreck, piracy and mutiny on the high seas, including Alexander Selkirk (the real-life model for Robinson Crusoe). First Encounters describes the details and experience of those moments when two cultures encounter each other for the first time – and the far-reaching, often tragic consequences. Lost Explorers tells 80 stories of explorers whose risks did not pay off, resulting in their deaths or disappearances in far-flung lands. Ghost Colonies brings to light the fascinating but rarely told stories of history’s lost colonies.

Another gripping military history by Beevor. This time he gives a vivid and meticulously researched account of the Battle of Normandy.

A wonderfully vivid image of Churchill through the eyes of British, American and Russian soldiers, civilians and newspapers.

The titles in Pier 9’s ‘Lost and Found in History’ series are beautifully produced, boasting eye-catching design, copious fullcolour illustrations and engaging, detailed storytelling. Cast Away tells 24 true stories of shipwreck, piracy and mutiny on the high seas, including Alexander Selkirk (the real-life model for Robinson Crusoe). First Encounters describes the details and experience of those moments when two cultures encounter each other for the first time – and the far-reaching, often tragic consequences. Lost Explorers tells 80 stories of explorers whose risks did not pay off, resulting in their deaths or disappearances in far-flung lands. Ghost Colonies brings to light the fascinating but rarely told stories of history’s lost colonies.

During the economic hardship of the Great Depression, boatloads of Americans left the US for the USSR, hoping to swap the unemployment and poverty of capitalism for the Five Year Plan of communism. Betrayal and tragedy awaited these forgotten immigrants to Stalin’s Russia, leading to executions and exile in labour camps as the years of terror proceeded. Tzouliadis highlights the failure of the American administration to provide assistance to its former citizens, and notes the political and economic links between the two countries despite US knowledge of the source of Russia’s forced labour. This disturbing, grim and very human history draws upon the memoirs of two of the very few survivors, and was awarded the 2009 Longman-History Today Book of the Year.

The titles in Pier 9’s ‘Lost and Found in History’ series are beautifully produced, boasting eye-catching design, copious fullcolour illustrations and engaging, detailed storytelling. Cast Away tells 24 true stories of shipwreck, piracy and mutiny on the high seas, including Alexander Selkirk (the real-life model for Robinson Crusoe). First Encounters describes the details and experience of those moments when two cultures encounter each other for the first time – and the far-reaching, often tragic consequences. Lost Explorers tells 80 stories of explorers whose risks did not pay off, resulting in their deaths or disappearances in far-flung lands. Ghost Colonies brings to light the fascinating but rarely told stories of history’s lost colonies.

Kirsch presents a sweeping history of the Spanish Inquisition and the ways in which it has served as the chief model for torture in the West to this day.

A portrait of world civilisation told through the stories of 70 of the world’s greatest cities.

A selection of episodes reflecting the diversity of the BBC’s In Our Time radio programmes about the history of ideas.

The full story of how author Roald Dahl became involved in a massive, secret campaign of propaganda to weaken isolationist sentiment in America in 1940.

The titles in Pier 9’s ‘Lost and Found in History’ series are beautifully produced, boasting eye-catching design, copious fullcolour illustrations and engaging, detailed storytelling. Cast Away tells 24 true stories of shipwreck, piracy and mutiny on the high seas, including Alexander Selkirk (the real-life model for Robinson Crusoe). First Encounters describes the details and experience of those moments when two cultures encounter each other for the first time – and the far-reaching, often tragic consequences. Lost Explorers tells 80 stories of explorers whose risks did not pay off, resulting in their deaths or disappearances in far-flung lands. Ghost Colonies brings to light the fascinating but rarely told stories of history’s lost colonies.

In this accessible jaunt through the first millennium to the tumultuous 11th century, historian Tom Holland, award-winning author of Rubicon and Persian Fire, sheds light on the so-called Dark Ages and the era of change that set the Western world on a trajectory towards modernity that continues to this day. Vikings, knights, crusaders and bloody campaigns fill the pages of this action-packed history, which begins with the conversion of Constantine in 312 and ends with the crusaders’ capture of Jerusalem in 1099. Holland identifies Pope Gregory VII as godfather to the future, setting in place the division of power between Church and state that would transform a group of scattered kingdoms into the powerful entity that would become Western Europe.

Has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America since its US debut 25 years ago. With a new introduction by Isabel Allende.

Beard uses the relics buried by the famous eruption in AD79 to bring everyday Roman culture alive. Winner of the 2008 Wolfson Prize for History.

Alistair Cooke was the greatest of all 20thcentury reporters and interpreters of America. This book presents the cream of his writings on the events that shaped modern American history, from the end of WWII through to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and of Bobby Kennedy (Cooke was actually present), the moon landings and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Almost all the material is previously unpublished in book form – transcripts of his legendary BBC Radio ‘Letters from America’ broadcasts, long-forgotten reports in the Guardian (he was the senior New York correspondent for 30 years) and other freshly discovered writings. The book is illustrated throughout in full colour with iconic photographs of the events Cooke is describing

The celebrated historian offers a fascinating exploration of the qualities that made Europe a world-changing civilisation. Clear, humorous and thought-provoking.

The author of The Third Reich in Power gives us a chilling history showing how the Nazis led Germany from conquest to disaster.

Peter Ackroyd, author of London (Vintage. PB. $45), is unrivalled in the art of evoking place in print. Now this masterful biographer and historian turns his attention to Venice, that city of myth, mystery and beauty. Venice is at once evocative and packed with facts. He leads us through the city’s history, from the first refugees navigating the mists of the lagoon in the fourth century to the rise of a great trading empire, the wars against Napoleon and the tourist invasions of today. Everything is here: the merchants on the Rialto and the Jews in the Ghetto; the mosaics of St Mark’s and the glass blowers of Murano; the doges and the destitute. There are wars and sieges, scandals and seductions – and, always, a dark undertone of shadowy corners and dead ends, prisons and punishment.

The true story of The Wolf, a formidable German warship that terrorised Australia and the Southern Ocean during WWI.