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A beautifully illustrated Flammarion history of Le Grand Hôtel and Café de la Paix — two Parisian institutions on the Place de l’Opéra since 1862, with a guest list spanning Proust, Wilde, and de Gaulle. An essential celebration of French luxury hospitality and la belle époque art de vivre.

The authoritative guide to Rosslyn Chapel — separating historical fact from popular legend about one of Scotland’s most extraordinary fifteenth-century buildings. Oxbrow and Robertson examine the intricate carvings and their real meanings with scholarly rigour and genuine engagement with the myths.

The definitive reference documenting over 400 tartans with full-colour illustration, clan histories, and cultural context. From disputed ancient origins to romantic Victorian reinvention, Zaczek and Phillips trace the full history of one of the world’s most recognisable design systems.

Georgian writer Levan Berdzenishvili’s remarkable testimony of Soviet Gulag imprisonment in the 1980s — a portrait gallery of poets, philosophers, and dissidents who maintained their intellectual lives in the camps. Vital historical document and profound meditation on preserving humanity under duress.

Peter Frankopan’s landmark work reframes the entire course of human civilisation through ecology and climate. Drawing on astonishing range, he argues that our relationship with the natural world has always been history’s defining force — essential reading for understanding our present crisis.

The definitive English edition of one of humanity’s oldest religious texts, reproduced in full colour from the Papyrus of Ani. Faulkner’s authoritative translation, accompanied by scholarly commentary, brings this 3,000-year-old guide through the afterlife to vivid, extraordinary life.

Uniforms of World War II by Andrew Mollo (Lorenz Books) — the uniforms of every major national force in the Second World War, from the Wehrmacht and the Red Army through the British, American, and Commonwealth forces to the Japanese Imperial Army and the Italian Regia Esercito, with full-colour illustrations and historical context for each national uniform tradition. A comprehensive reference for military history enthusiasts. Published by Lorenz Books.

The Japanese Myths by Joshua Frydman (Thames & Hudson) — one of the world’s great mythological traditions presented in its complete form: the creation of the islands from the cosmic ocean, the storm god Susanoo and the sun goddess Amaterasu, the descent into the underworld, the founding of the imperial dynasty. As rich, as strange, and as philosophically serious as the Greek or Norse myths — and significantly less familiar to Western readers. Published by Thames & Hudson.

The Rise of the Railways by DK — the extraordinary story of how the steam locomotive transformed the world in fifty years, reshaping economies, altering landscapes, creating cities, and changing the social fabric of every country it reached. From George Stephenson and the Rocket through the great Victorian railway builders to the golden age of steam and the transition to modern traction — comprehensive visual detail throughout. Published by DK.

A History of Astrology by DK — astrology’s full cultural and historical richness, from the celestial omens of ancient Mesopotamia through the mathematical astrology of the Hellenistic world, the medieval integration with natural philosophy, the challenge of the Copernican revolution, and contemporary astrological practice. Exceptional reproductions of original manuscripts, celestial charts, and astrological instruments throughout. An essential reference. Published by DK.

Exploration: Map by Map by DK — the complete history of the age of exploration told through the maps that explorers made as they went: original maps from the world’s great cartographic collections, some beautiful, some wildly inaccurate, all historically fascinating. Expert commentary draws out what each map shows, what the mapmaker understood, and how geographical knowledge developed through the cumulative work of centuries. Published by DK.

A History of Christianity by DK — the complete story of Christianity from the life and teachings of Jesus through the early church, the great councils, the medieval synthesis, the Reformation, and the global diversification of the faith into the modern era. The visual approach illuminates Christian art, architecture, and manuscript tradition with exceptional photography. An essential reference for students of religious history. Published by DK.

Philosophers Who Changed the World by DK — eighty of the most consequential thinkers in the history of philosophy, Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary, profiled with biographical depth, clear exposition of key ideas, and a genuine account of why each philosopher’s contribution mattered. Non-Western traditions — Buddhist, Confucian, Indian — receive the same seriousness as the European canon. The ideal companion for a serious philosophical reading list. Published by DK.