Britain's only ever "joint monarchs"William III (1689-1702) & Mary II (1689-94) changed the course of the entire country's history, coming to power through a coup (which invo
From the peerless author of The Lottery and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, this is a spectacular new volume of unpublished and uncollected stories, essays, lectures, letters and drawings. Let Me
Telegraph, Independent, Financial Times and Observer Books of the Year 2015. Hilarious, exuberant, subtle, tender, brutal, spectacular, and above all unexpected: these two extraordinary volumes contai
Telegraph, Independent, Financial Times and Observer Books of the Year 2015. Hilarious, exuberant, subtle, tender, brutal, spectacular, and above all unexpected: these two extraordinary volumes contai
The tragedy of Charles I dominates one of the most strange and painful periods in British history as the whole island tore itself apart over a deadly, entangled series of religious and political dispu
If Ethelred was notoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should bear the title of 'George the Dutiful'. He was not born to be king, but he made an admirable one, and was the figurehead
Edward VI, the only son of Henry VIII, became king at the age of nine and died wholly unexpectedly at the age of fifteen. This book gives full play to the murky, sinister nature of Edward's reign, and
A rich, strange anthology of the Western magical tradition, from the Old Testament toDoctor Faustus and Paradise Lost, in a beautiful hardcover editionThis wondrous collection celebrates the surprisin
Henry VIII's reign transformed the physical and spiritual landscape of England. Magnificent, tyrannical, a strong ruler, a 'pillager of the commonwealth', this most notorious of kings remains a figure
The concluding part of John le Carré's celebrated Karla Trilogy, Smiley's People sees the last confrontation between the indefatigable spymaster George Smiley and his great enemy, as their rivalry com
For a man with such conventional tastes and views, George V had a revolutionary impact. Almost despite himself he marked a decisive break with his flamboyant predecessor Edward VII, inventing the mode
Part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible format Queen Victoria inherited the throne at 18 and went on to become the longest-reigning fema
An unforgettable portrait of a self-deluded anti-hero and the failure of the American dream; a classic parable of mass hysteria that became a powerful indictment of McCarthyism; a depiction of a famil
The short, action-packed reign of James II (1685-88) is generally seen as one of the most catastrophic in British history. James managed, despite having access to tremendous reserves of good will and
The Cold War is over and Ned has been demoted to the training academy. He asks his old mentor, George Smiley, to address his passing-out class. There are no laundered reminiscences; Smiley speaks the
Henry II (1154-89) through a series of astonishing dynastic coups became the ruler of an enormous European empire. One of the most dynamic, restless and clever men ever to rule England, he was brought
Barley Blair is not a Service man: he is a small-time publisher, a self-destructive soul whose only loves are whisky and jazz. But it was Barley who, one drunken night at a dacha in Peredelkino during
