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An unsentimental but quietly witty history lifts the veil on the business of bereavement and burial
David Van Reybrouck’s history of the end of Dutch rule shines an overdue spotlight on a country that is at last taking its place on the world stage
The Ibis trilogy author looks back at how Britain used the drug to pummel India, corrupt China and prop up its empire
Alexander Christie-Miller’s encounters with communities near the city walls evoke a rich heritage in danger of being swept away
Politicians everywhere are making appeals to ancient history — but their thinking is based on a myth
From yoga to mindfulness, Christopher Harding’s rich history looks at the spiritual connections that have long influenced American and European culture
Sathnam Sanghera embarks on a globetrotting quest for nuance and honesty about the UK’s imperial past
An entertaining historical survey explores marriage and relationships of all kinds among Austen and her Regency contemporaries
Clair Wills’s story of a family discovery is compelling not just on a personal level but as a vignette of recent Irish history
Gary Bass’s grand account of the postwar trial of Japan’s leaders shows politics and public opinion matter more than legalities
A captivating if gory history of Mongol Asia sheds gruesome light on a conqueror who began life as a sheep-stealer
Álvaro Enrigue revisits Spain’s conquest of Mexico through the eyes of Cortés, the conquistadors and the vanquished natives
Anthony Grafton’s scholarly account of the learned ‘magicians’ who claimed to raise the dead has fascinating parallels to self-help gurus and influencers
From an AI-guided future to scandals in the art world and new fiction from Rachel Cusk and Colm Tóibín, a preview of some of the titles to look out for in the coming year
The MoJ’s consultation on digitising these documents fails to consider crucial points
Was the great 18th-century revolution in learning the pride of European civilisation — or a tool of empire? Two books debate its consequences
In a toothsome history, Pen Vogler tells a fascinating story about how politics and culture shaped our relationship with food
Daniel Schulman’s richly detailed chronicle is a timely corrective to historical distortions that have helped feed antisemitism
Memoirs of the socialites and swells of an earlier era offer perfect festive reading — without today’s celebrity spin
‘Fire Weather’ named winner of UK’s leading award for non-fiction at ceremony in London
Tony Barber selects his must-read titles
Robert Darnton digs deep into 18th-century France to find the roots of the political unrest that culminated in 1789
England’s legal framework has been bolted together over centuries, and not always in the most efficient way
History book disappears from shops and online searches are blocked as Beijing strengthens control of information flows
Alice Albinia tours the British Isles in search of eccentrics, radicals and rebels
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