World

Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in this book include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

From veteran Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth, an epic history of the debt that built the modern world. Long considered the "boring" corner of finance, bonds are anything but. They have funded everything from the Crusades to climate tech, Netflix series to AI data centers. They are...

When scholars study the history of the ancient Near East, several wars that had extremely brutal consequences (at least by modern standards) often stand out. Forced removal of entire populations, sieges that decimated entire cities, and wanton destruction of property were all tactics used by the various peoples of the ancient Near East against each other, but the Assyrians were the first people to make war a science. When the Neo-Assyrians are mentioned, images of war and brutality are among the first that come to mind, despite the fact the Assyrian culture prospered for nearly 2,000 years.

The definitive history of Japanese organized crime, from its origins in samurai-era black markets and gambling rings to the shadowy syndicates of the present. “The best book in English on this fascinating and misunderstood subject.” ―Richard Lloyd Parry, author of People Who Eat Darkness...

This radical reappraisal of human history will change the way you look at the past. In this expansive yet abridged volume, academic pariah and pseudo-historian Fin Taylor re-writes the human story, from the Big Bang to the Second Plane (minus all the stuff we can skip in between). Reader, you...

Everyone knows about Sir Ernest Shackleton or Amelia Earhart, but there are many adventurers whose accomplishments rival those of the most celebrated explorers, yet most people have never heard of them. This new account tells the true but little-known stories of five men and four women who once made world headlines but have virtually disappeared from the historical record.

See what it takes to track trophy-sized bucks like the legends do. If there is such a thing as hunting royalty, then the Benoit family is it. They have been raking in trophy-sized bucks since Larry Benoit first began to pioneer his unique tracking methods. As the family grew, so did the Benoit...

Our "American in Cairo" author goes beyond King Tut and tomb-raiders to discover one of the world's oldest civilizations in her fast-paced account across seven millennia Egypt looms large in the popular imagination, bringing to mind images of pyramids, pharaohs, tomb-raiders, and deserts...

Two catastrophes. One unshakable truth: the moment humanity declares something invincible is the moment disaster starts writing its opening line. Great Disasters 2-in-1 brings together Dominic Haynes's gripping accounts of the Titanic and Chernobyl — two of history's most devastating reminders that confidence is not the same as safety.

A new history of the Renaissance's greatest feat of exploration: Sir Walter Ralegh's search for the legendary city of El Dorado, by New York Times bestselling author David Gibbins. In 1594, English adventurer Sir Walter Ralegh heard the story of a lost city in South America from a Spanish...

At eighteen, Frank Bullen signs aboard the ramshackle whaler Cachalot, more out of desperation than choice, and finds himself thrown into one of the harshest trades on the high seas. What follows is a three-year voyage from New Bedford, Massachusetts, round the Cape of Good Hope, and on through...

Discover ancient stone wonders and the secrets of architectural preservation through the eyes and hands of one of the world's greatest stonemasons. Around the world and across time, the buildings of the gods and royalty have mostly been made of stone. For more than forty years, the eminent...

Christopher Columbus set out to end the world. He said so in writing, at length, with scriptural citations. He believed his voyages had been foretold by the prophets. He believed the gold of the Indies would finance the recovery of Jerusalem, without which the last act of history could not begin.

2025 BREWINGTON BOOK PRIZE WINNER The schooner America was a technological marvel and a child star. In the summer of 1851, just weeks after her launching at New York, she crossed the Atlantic and sailed to an upset victory against a fleet of champions. The silver cup she won that day is still...

SUBMERGED STORIES FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE PACIFIC Over the past 350 years, an untold number of ships have met their end along the northern Oregon and southern Washington coasts. Shipwrecks of the Pacific Northwest investigates some of the most compelling historic shipwrecks—from the infamous...

The Shipyard Agent reveals the untold story of Augusta Clawson, the undercover investigator who helped shape the future for World War II’s women welders. From the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast and up the Eastern seaboard, during World War II women welders worked at a fever pitch in the...

Along North Carolina's Outer Banks, where thousands of ships met their doom, the brave surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service braved raging seas, defied death itself, and saved countless lives from certain disaster. This gripping book chronicles the extraordinary men of the U.S. Life-Saving...

Two innovations in weaponry appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century and revolutionized warfare, turning it into a multidimensional contest: the modern diesel-powered submarine and the fixed-wing aircraft. Both saw extensive use during World War I, and the nations of the world soon...

According to textbooks, the media, and politicians of all stripes, the story of the United States is one of steady progress toward a "more perfect union." In this narrative, ideals of liberty and freedom explain the Revolution and the Civil War and drove racial progress. Similarly, foreign policy, if marked by stumbles, has been largely well-intentioned. In seven pithy and provocative essays, historian Marc Egnal challenges this account.

Bloomsbury presents After Tamerlane by John Darwin, read by Michael Hajiatonis. Tamerlane, the Ottomans, the Mughals, the Manchus, the British, the Japanese, the Nazis, and the Soviets: All built empires meant to last forever; all were to fail. But, as John Darwin shows in this magisterial book...

Discover the remarkable journey of coffee—from ancient forests to modern cafés. History of Coffee uncovers how a simple bean shaped economies, fueled revolutions, inspired creativity, and became one of the world’s most beloved daily rituals.

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. Step into the strangest corners of the human past, where dancing plagues swept medieval streets, popes put corpses on trial, and a Polish artillery unit enlisted a bear as an official soldier. This soothing collection of bizarre history facts is crafted...

Decode the rise and fall of ancient empires and modern nations in an epic world history narrative of human survival. Perfect for your daily commute, this cinematic exploration transports you from early river valley kingdoms to modern industrial superpowers. Experience the sweeping grand...

Discover the lost Silk Road caravan merchants who dominated ancient global trade and united vast desert empires. Perfect for your daily commute, this immersive historical journey explores the oasis city-states that served as the connective tissue between Byzantium and early China. Step into an...

Explore ancient history and human evolution to discover why nomadic hunter-gatherers risked everything to invent farming. This immersive, thought-provoking journey is the perfect companion for your daily commute or deep focus sessions. Experience the dramatic climate shifts of the late Ice Age...

Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in this book include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

Spices drove the early modern world economy, and for Europeans they represented riches on an unprecedented scale. Cloves and nutmeg could reach Europe only via a complex web of trade routes, and for decades Spanish and Portuguese explorers competed to find their elusive source. But when the Portuguese finally reached the spice islands of the Moluccas in 1511, they set in motion a fierce competition for control.

Hoje a coisa é simples. Você abre a torneira do filtro—ou a garrafinha de água mineral—e mata a sede à vontade. Mas, para nossos antepassados, água costumava ser um problemão: um gole podia levar à morte. E tomá-la não era o único problema. Neste audiolivro, você vai descobrir como era a vida nos tempos em que certos objetos (que hoje podem ser até banais) não haviam sido inventados ainda. Descubra como fazíamos sem água limpa, fósforos, vaso sanitário, óculos, anestesia, banho, papel higiênico, cemitério, divórcio, sobrenome e outras coisinhas mais.