For more than a century successive US and UK governments have sought to thwart nationalist, socialist and pro-democracy movements in the Middle East. Through the Cold War, the ‘War on Terror’ and the
Suppose our knowledge of the Quran began only recently with the discovery of mysterious scrolls in a desert cave. Suppose there was no Islamic history and no Muslim community to help us understand thi
When it’s not attached to your head, your very own hair takes on a disconcerting quality. Suddenly, it is strange. And yet hair finds its way into all manner of unexpected places, far from our heads,
Cesare is 77 years old, a widower and cynical troublemaker, a man who has always had trouble caring for others and has given up trying. Aside from an intermittent fling with a mature nurse called Ross
Sentaro has failed: he has a criminal record, drinks too much, and hasn’t managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. Instead, he works in a confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of panca
A Guardian best history book of 2016Every family has its skeletons, but in 1823 the grand Wallop family was about to share theirs with the world. The 3rd earl of Portsmouth was a peculiar man but, by
Prompted by the EU referendum in the UK and the presidential election in the USA, A. C. Grayling investigates why the institutions of representative democracy seem unable to hold up against forces the
Euridice is young, beautiful and ambitious, but when her rebellious sister Guida elopes, she sets her own aspirations aside and vows to settle down as a model wife and daughter. And yet as her husband
We live in a world where the drive for economic growth is crowding out everything that can’t be given a monetary value. We’re stuck on a treadmill where only the material things in life gain traction
?If one keeps on walking, everything will be alright.” So said Danish writer Søren Kierkegaard, and so thought philosophy buff Gary Hayden as he set off on Britain’s most challenging trek: to walk fro
It’s all over our televisions, newspapers and the internet. Every day we’re bludgeoned by news of how bad everything is ? Brexit, financial collapse, unemployment, poverty, environmental disasters, di
Muslim pilgrims travel to a wide variety of places, not only the holy cities of Mecca and Karbala. Around the world there are countless sacred sites, including the graves of important historical and r
Why would a girl who has everything want to run away and never be found?Willow has staged runaways ever since she was a little girl. She has everything a young person should want: a rich daddy, clothe
Rosie Strange doesn't believe in ghosts or witches or magic. No, not at all. It’s no surprise therefore when she inherits the ramshackle Essex Witch Museum, her first thought is to take the money and
In 2005, twenty-two years of civil war in Sudan were brought to an end by the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Negotiations between north and south had ended in compromise, however, and h
What would a world without disease look like? With the victory against smallpox behind us, polio, malaria and measles each provide their own set of roadblocks as we fight for a world free of epidemic
The world of education is far more diverse and a great deal more interesting than the mainstream media would have us believe. The notion that our most valuable educators might have more to offer than
Growing up in the Nairobi of the 90s, a seething boiling pot of racial tension and conflicting cultural taboos, Leena and Jai are raised to believe in a Kenya full of possibility and potential. But as
When the Soviet Union collapsed on December 26, 1991, it looked like the start of a remarkable new era of peace and co-operation. Some even dared to declare the end of history, assuming all countries
Pradyumna Kumar, known as PK, was born into a poor, untouchable family in a small village in eastern India. All his life he has kept a palm leaf bearing an astrologer’s prophecy: ?You will marry a gir
A man drives alone along the vast, desolate roads of Patagonia, a mystical land. He comes across a starving and helpless teenager, who is now the prince grown older and returned to Earth. The two trav
The brief euphoria that followed the Arab Spring’ of 2011 quickly gave way to religious politics, sectarian war, bloody counter-revolutions and the most brutal incarnations of Islamic extremism ever s
When no longer attached to the head, human hair is disconcerting. Whether carefully preserved as a Victorian love token or displayed in museums as proof of mass atrocities, it can tells us stories abo
Following his critically acclaimed investigation of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in the 1940s, renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappe turns his attention to the annexation and occupation of Gaza a
Britain has been defined by its conflicts, its conquests, its men and its monarchs. To say that it’s high time that it was defined by its women falls some way short of an understatement.Jenni Murray,
The 3rd Earl of Portsmouth voted in the House of Lords, took county positions, invited Jane Austen to his balls, counted William Cobbett as one of his Hampshire neighbors and had Lord Byron as his bes
At 28,251 ft, K2 might be almost 800 ft shorter than Everest, but it’s a far harder climb. In this definitive account, Mick Conefrey grippingly describes the early attempts to reach the summit and pro
It’s on the televisions, in the papers and in our minds. Every day we’re bludgeoned by news of how bad everything is financial collapse, unemployment, growing poverty, environmental disasters, disease
Haunted by a past that has kept her from Nairobi for over three years, Leena returns home to discover her family unchanged: her father is still a staunch patriot dreaming of a better country; her moth
"It’s not particularly difficult to run a successful bookshop, thought Valerie: a grasp of the rudiments of business, a sensible plan, a little skill in negotiation, a couple of contacts and a la
All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.' So said Friedrich Nietzsche, and so thought philosophy buff Gary Hayden as he set off on Britain’s most challenging trek: to walk from John o’Gro
Before Socrates, philosophers sought explanations for naturally-occurring phenomena from earthquakes and eclipses to the existence of the entire cosmos. But the Socratic era saw a great shift towards
The Victorian period is crucial to any understanding of modern Britain, yet it is frequently understood only through the crude stereotypes of emotional repression, factories, child labour and the purs
Based on extensive reporting across the Middle East, this vital and timely book charts the rise of the most threatening strand of radical Islam to occur in the modern era. It is a totalitarian regime
In this stunning sequel to Peter Cave's bestselling philosophy books, Can a Robot be Human? and What's Wrong with Eating People, Peter Cave once again engages the reader in a romp through the best bit
A gripping tale of how even experts misread the role of chance - from the stock market to doctors' surgeries - Dance With Chance argues that we all fall foul of the The Illusion of Control, meaning th
"A Valuable guide to the underlying science, the possible impacts of change, and the political hazards now surrounding the debate", Sir Crispin Tickell - Director of the Policy Foresight Programme at
The father of modern philosophy, Descartes is still one of the most widely discussed philosophers today. Putting rationalism above all else, he sought to base all knowledge of the world on a single id
For centuries the phenomenon of play has perplexed scientists across the board. Studies by biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, and educators have excited keen debate and conte
Often quoted, influential, and highly divisive, Nietzsche remains an enigma long after his death. This clear primer moves deftly through the controversy to examine the philosopher's work in the contex
