Nazis, Islamists, and the Making
of the Modern Middle East
During the 1930s and 1940s, a unique and lasting political alliance was forged among Third Reich leaders, Arab…
Extracts
Nazis, Islamists, and the Making
Translating Marcel Proust
One hundred years have passed since Marcel Proust published the first volume of what was to become a…
Stay: A History of Suicide and the Philosophies Against It
Any discussion of suicide is incredibly emotionally charged. The sudden departure of an individual, as well as the…
Primo Levi and the War
Midway through the Second World War Primo Levi had just embarked upon a career in chemistry. Despite the…
Visiting Pagan Britain
Britain’s pagan past, with its astonishing number and variety of mysterious monuments, atmospheric sites, enigmatic artefacts, bloodthirsty legends…
Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World
Jonathan Swift is best remembered today as the author of Gulliver’s Travels, the satiric fantasy that quickly became…
The Philosophy of Friendship
A central bond, a cherished value, a unique relationship, a profound human need, a type of love. What…
The Catholic Church and World Development
With 1.3 billion members, the Catholic Church is the world’s largest organization and perhaps its most controversial. The…
What is Literature?
John Sutherland’s ‘Little History’ tackles a very big subject: the glorious span of literature from Greek myth to…
Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe
In Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe, John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great…
Butterfly’s Sisters: The Geisha in Western Culture
The figure of a geisha can be troubling to Westernised eyes. Yoko Kawaguchi, the author of Butterfly’s Sisters: The…
The Victorian with whom you would most want to have dinner
Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) was a prominent Victorian lawyer, businessman, essayist and journalist. For 17 years he was editor…
Antoine–Laurent Lavoisier and the myth of phlogiston
Yale University Press’ Little Histories collection is a family of books that take a closer look at some…
Measuring pressure is tricky, just ask Stephen Hales’ horse!
Robert Boyle was fascinated by the world and he spent his life trying to explain why things are…
‘This diary must never be printed!’: Playwright August Strindberg and The Occult
The Swedish playwright August Strindberg was, amongst other things, a mercurial talent, artist, occultist, husband and father. He…