British Colonial History

Narrated by Audiofile Golden Voice Rupert Degas Danger, passion and bravery in nineteenth-century Australia, Europe and onto the battlefi eld of Kandahar. As the son of 'the Colonial', legendary Queen's Captain Ian Steele, Josiah Steele has big shoes to fill. Although his home in the colony of...

The Sunday Times Bestseller A new assessment of the West’s colonial record In the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet empire in 1989, many believed that we had arrived at the ‘End of History’ – that the global dominance of liberal democracy had been secured forever. Now however, with...

Narrated by Audiofile Golden Voice, Rupert Degas In October 1863, Ian Steele, having taken on the identity of Captain Samuel Forbes, is fighting the Pashtun on the north-west frontier in India. Half a world away, the real Samuel Forbes is a lieutenant in the 3rd New York Volunteers and is facing...

In the days of the British Empire, things were taken that probably shouldn't have been. So how come they're still in museums, galleries and some much stranger places? British museums are home to millions of fascinating objects. The trouble is, a whole bunch of them were stolen in wildly dodgy...

FROM THE WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE and author of EAST WEST STREET THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Should be read by anyone who cares about justice, humanity and human rights' Elif Shafak 'An essential account' Sunday Times 'Powerful and persuasive . . . superb' Abdulrazak Gurnah...

Winner of the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize Winner of the Longman History Today Trustees’ Award Longlisted for the Orwell Prize Unflinching and revealing, Black and British is a vital history that reveals how black British lives have been woven into the fabric of the nation for centuries – from...

WINNER OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE FOR GLOBAL CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING SHORTLISTED FOR THE PEN-HESSEL TILTMAN PRIZE 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 2021 ‘Helps re-centre how we look at the world’ PETER FRANKOPAN ‘Global history at its finest’ SUNIL AMRITH ‘A master...

New York City. The Big Apple. The city of dreams. The city so nice they named it twice. These are just some of the monikers given to not only the most highly populated city in North America, but perhaps the most culturally diverse region in all the world. Modern age New York is stamped on the map for its breathtaking skylines and iconic financial centers, as well as being the quintessential melting pot, where people go to "make it big" and take a chance on long-awaited dreams.

In the vein of Sound Man and The Soundtrack of My Life, a lyrical memoir from the founder of one of the greatest music labels of all time, Island Records, about his astonishing life and career helping to bring reggae music to the world stage and working with Bob Marley, U2, Grace Jones, Cat...

Brought to you by Penguin. The British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Much of it still sits in museums, galleries and private collections today, accompanied by calm labels and polite plaques. The reality, however, is far messier. The British Museum alone holds eight million objects, many taken in...

Winner of the Book of the Year, Children's Illustrated and Non-Fiction at The British Book Awards, 2021 Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2020 A short, essential introduction to Black British history for readers of 12+ by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. When did...

The American Revolution is replete with seminal moments that every American learns in school, from the "shot heard 'round the world" to the Declaration of Independence, but the events that led up to the fighting at Lexington and Concord were borne out of 10 years of division between the British and their American colonies over everything from colonial representation in governments to taxation, the nature of searches, and the quartering of British regulars in private houses.

Donald F. Johnson chronicles the everyday experience of ordinary people living under military occupation during the American Revolution. Focusing on day-to-day life in port cities held by the British Army, Johnson recounts how men and women from a variety of backgrounds navigated harsh conditions, mitigated threats to their families and livelihoods, took advantage of new opportunities, and balanced precariously between revolutionary and royal attempts to secure their allegiance. 

Winner of the Book of the Year, Children's Illustrated and Non-Fiction at The British Book Awards, 2021 Inspire young readers with this short, essential introduction to Black British history by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. When did Africans first come to Britain? Who...

While the battle had a profound impact, it has also been romanticized and mythologized beyond even epic proportions. Though often forgotten today (more than 250 years after the battle), the Battle of the Plains of Abraham was the culmination of a long siege, and the decisive action itself was an incredibly short affair at less than half an hour. Despite that brevity, both commanding generals were mortally wounded in the exchange, making British General James Wolfe a national hero on both sides of the Atlantic and French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm a convenient scapegoat.