Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal. These are cities that dominate the world stage and define eras; where ideas flourish, revolutions are born and history is made. Through 10 unique cities, from the founding of ancient...

The Florentines von Strathern, Paul

'I did almost believe the motion of the heart was known to God alone.' William Harvey From selfless geniuses to self-promoting quacks, medicine more than any other science seems to have attracted all manner of human characters....

It is generally accepted that the European Renaissance began in Italy. However, a historical transformation of similar magnitude also took place in northern Europe at the same time. This 'Other Renaissance' was initially centred on the...

From the founding of ancient capitals to buzzing modern megacities, this history of ten cities explores how urban centres have led civilisation forward. von Strathern, Paul

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind's quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev's dream of the Periodic Table. **One of Bill Gates' Top Five Book Recommendations**In 1869 Russian scientist...

A dazzling new history of the world through ten major empires. von Strathern, Paul

A wickedly entertaining read' The TimesA Daily Mail Book of the WeekThe sensational story of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious families in history, by the author of The Medici.The Borgias have become a byword for evil....

Rise and Fall opens with the Akkadian Empire, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our western and eastern roots. Next Strathern describes how a...

The sensational story of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious families in history, by the author of The Medici. von Strathern, Paul

Presents the history of the economic and naval power of the modern Western world, from its struggle to ascendancy, through the arc of its glory. This book offers the story of the Venice of Marco Polo, Titian, Tintoretto, Leonardo da...

Eminent historian Paul Strathern opens the story of Empire with the Akkadian civilization, which ruled over a vast expanse of the region of ancient Mesopotamia, then turns to the immense Roman Empire, where we trace back our Western and...