East Europe

Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger’s stunning account of five years spent crossing the Arabian Peninsula by foot and on camels, with nomadic Bedouin tribesmen as guides. Travelling between 1945 and 1950, the British explorer treks through Yemen, the Empty Quarter, Oman, and parts of the then Trucial States, crossing and re-crossing around 250,000 miles of this most inhospitable terrain. He was the first European ever to set eyes on the dunes and wadis of these deserts.

In just over a hundred years - from the death of Muhammad in 632 to the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 - the followers of the Prophet swept across the whole of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Their armies threatened states as far flung as the Franks in Western Europe and the Tang Empire in China. The conquered territory was larger than the Roman Empire at its greatest expansion, and it was claimed for the Arabs in roughly half the time.

Brought to you by Penguin. Central Europe is not just a space on a map but also a region of shared experience - of mutual borrowings, impositions and misapprehensions. From the Roman Empire onwards, it has been the target of invasion from the east. In the Middle Ages, Central Europeans cast...

The riveting story of the hundred-year intelligence war between Russia and the West with lessons for our new superpower conflict with China 'A masterpiece' CHRISTOPHER ANDREW, author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorised History of MI5 'The book we have all been waiting for' BRENDAN SIMMS...

“Bowles is at his best when writing about places. He can evoke a place with a few sure strokes.” —New York Times “His work is art. At his best, Bowles has no peer.” —Time Travels is a thrilling anthology of the travel writings of Paul Bowles, author of the era-defining post-war novel...

The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational. Its trading empire encircled the globe, importing Asian luxuries such as spices, textiles and teas. But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium. The Company’s practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today. This expanded edition explores how the four forces of scale, technology, finance and regulation drove its spectacular rise and fall.

Brought to you by Penguin. The definitive new history of East Germany by an acclaimed historian In 1990, a country disappeared. For the previous forty-one years, East Germany had existed in Western minds as more of a metaphor than a place, more of a grey communist blur than a land of real people...

At the age of 24, Alastair Humphreys set off to try to cycle round the world. By the time he arrived back home, four years later, he had ridden 46,000 miles across five continents on a budget of just £7,000. From frozen Siberia tundra to the jungles of central Africa, Alastair recounts his...

Blaues Land ist das Hörbuch für alle, die verstehen wollen, warum die AfD in immer mehr Regionen zur prägenden politischen Kraft wird und was das für Demokratie, Gesellschaft und das Zusammenleben bedeutet. Der Journalist Olaf Sundermeyer reist dorthin, wo die AfD längst den politischen Alltag bestimmt: in ostdeutsche Kleinstädte, ländliche Regionen und neue Hochburgen im Westen.

Experience the epic European history of fierce steppe nomads who forged a resilient kingdom against impossible odds. Perfect for transforming your commute into a dramatic journey, this immersive narrative tracks a civilization's rise from obscure tribal origins to a pivotal power. Feel the...

Brought to you by Penguin. Thomas Asbridge’s remarkable new book reveals the global impact of humanity’s greatest natural disaster, and the terrible human cost of this calamity. In the mid-fourteenth century, a lethal plague struck the medieval world, causing unimaginable suffering and...

Master the brutal holy wars and sweeping medieval history of the Middle East in an immersive, fast-paced audio journey. Uncover the fierce struggle for Jerusalem that pitted legendary kings against brilliant sultans. This concise narrative cuts through academic clutter to deliver the explosive...

A gripping exploration of the fall of Constantinople and its connection to the world we live in today. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmet II, Sultan of the Ottoman...

How the Mongol invasions of the Near East reshaped the balance of world power in the Middle Ages. For centuries, the Crusades have been central to the story of the medieval Near East, but these religious wars are only part of the region's complex history. As The Mongol Storm reveals, during the...

Bloomsbury presents The Girl I Used To Know by Faith Hogan, read by Flora Montgomery. 'Another heart-warming read from Faith Hogan' Trisha Ashley. 'Heart-warming, poignant and uplifting' Lucy Coleman, author of Snowflakes Over Holly Cove. *** Two women. Two very different lives. One unexpected...

Born in Rafah, raised in Gaza, subjected both to Israeli bombs and to Islamist tyranny, and in the face of prison, death threats, abuse, misogyny, violence, and repression, Asmaa Alghoul has continued to speak her truth. She has continued to live and to love, to laugh and to protest. In this...

“Wholly immersive and impeccably researched, Bryn Turnbull’s tale brings the time vividly to life.”—Toronto Star on The Paris Deception For fans of Kate Quinn and Kristin Hannah, this sweeping love story follows a young couple whose lives are irrevocably changed when they’re separated...

A GRIPPING POLITICAL THRILLER SET IN THE HEART OF THE ARAB SPRING, FROM THE AUTHOR OF A DYING BREED 'Topical, authoritative and gripping' CHARLES CUMMING | 'Tight, pacy and strong on atmosphere' MICHAEL PALIN | 'Completely unputdownable - gripping' SEB EMINA | 'Compelling' MISHAL HUSSAIN |...

Brought to you by Penguin. *WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2024* A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. 'A pivotal – and exhilarating – moment in 20th century...

Experience the tense, hour-by-hour political revolution that shattered the Iron Curtain and redefined Cold War history. Perfect for your daily commute, this dramatic historical immersion drops you directly onto the divided streets of 1980s Germany. Feel the suspense of ordinary citizens facing...