The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene and Joost Elffers Drawn from 3,000 years of the history of power, this is the definitive guide to help readers achieve for themselves what Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, Louis XIV and Machiavelli learnt the hard way. MORE
Adam Smith: and the Pursuit of Perfect Liberty James Buchan The new face of the £20 note, Adam Smith was long ago adopted as the father of a neo-conservative economic ideology, not least by Thatcher and Reagan. More recently New Labour has tried to kidnap him as an ancestor. In a vigorous and informal book James Buchan shows that Smith fits no modern political category. As befits the most accessible of all philosophers, this biography does entirely without jargon. MORE
The Alhambra Robert Irwin The Alhambra, the ‘red fort’ on its rocky hill above Granada, with its fountained courts and gardens, and intricate decoration, has long been a byword for exotic and melancholy beauty. In a stimulating new book in the ‘Wonders of the World’ series Robert Irwin, Arabist and novelist, examines its engrossing and often mysterious history. MORE
The Ancient Guide to Modern Life Natalie Haynes How modern are our lives? Or are we still living the lives our ancestors lived? Whether political, cultural, or social, there are endless parallels between the ancient and modern worlds. Whether it’s the murder of Caesar or the political assassination of Thatcher; the narrative arc of the hit HBO series, The Wire, or that of Oedipus; the popular enthusiasm for the Emperor Titus or President Obama – over and over again we can be seen to be living very much like people did 2,000 or more years ago. MORE
