From the author of the bestselling EMPIRE OF THE DEEP, a globe-spanning narrative history of the 1850s - a time of electrifying change - seen through the eyes of the men and women who embraced the adventurous spirit of the times

Modern Iranians define themselves by their bloody experience of the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988 where the country stood alone against Iraq. The conflict was an unprovoked act of aggression by Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq. The rest of the world - France, the Soviet Union, later the US and the UK - all piled in to support Iraq, with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States bankrolling Saddam. It was this experience that has helped define Iran's view of the...

This is a succinct, expert guide to how we got to Brexit. After all the debates, manoeuvrings, recriminations, and exaltations, Brexit is upon us. But, as Kevin O'Rourke writes, Brexit did not emerge out of nowhere: it is the culmination of events that have been under way for decades and have historical roots stretching back well beyond that. Brexit has a history. O'Rourke, one of the leading economic historians of his generation, explains not only...

'Geography is Destiny' tells the history of Britain and its changing relationships with Europe and the wider world, from its physical separation at the end of the Ice Age to the first flickers of a United Kingdom, struggles for the Atlantic, and rise of the Pacific Rim. Applying the latest archaeological evidence, Ian Morris explores how geography, migration, government and new technologies interacted to produce regional inequalities that still affect...

The results of the EU referendum showed 52% in favour of leaving against 48% who voted to remain. This short book examines why this happened, examining the historical, economic, political, social and cultural reasons that led to the Brexit vote.