National history is a vital part of national self-definition. Most books on the history of the world try to impose a uniform narrative, written usually from a single writer’s point of view. Histories of Nations is different: it presents 28 essays written by a leading historian as a ‘self-portrait’ of his or her native country, defining the characteristics that embody its sense of nationhood. The countries have been selected to represent every continent and every type of state, large and small, and together they make up two-thirds of the world’s population. They range from mature democracies to religious autocracies and one-party states, from countries with a venerable history to those who only came into being in the 20th century. In order to get to grips with the national and cultural differences that both enliven and endanger our world, we need above all to understand different national viewpoints – to read the always engaging and often passionate accounts given in this remarkable and unusual book. Original and thoughtprovoking, this is a crucial primer for the modern age. Read more

*A Newstatesman Book of the Year*‘Nimble, vital, unexpectedly affecting’ ObserverBestselling travel writer Horatio Clare joins an icebreaker for a voyage through the ice-packs of the far north.'We are celebrating a hundred years since independence this year: how would you like to travel on a government icebreaker?' A message from the Finnish embassy launches Horatio Clare on a voyage around an extraordinary country and an unearthly place, the frozen Bay of Bothnia, just short of the Arctic circle. Travelling with the crew of Icebreaker Otso, Horatio, whose last adventure saw him embedded on Maersk container vessels for the bestseller Down to the Sea in Ships, discovers stories of Finland, of her mariners and of ice.Aboard Otso Horatio gets to know the men who make up her crew, and explores Finland’s history and character. Surrounded by the extraordinary colours and conditions of a frozen sea, he also comes to understand something of the complexity and fragile beauty of ice, a near-miraculous substance which cools the planet, gives the stars their twinkle and which may hold all our futures in its crystals. Read more

In The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope. Read more

An illustrated exploration of the design, meaning and symbolism of world football club crests.Why is there a devil shown on the crest of Manchester United? Which club's crest motto is 'To Dare Is To Do'? And whose emblem depicts a bear and a strawberry tree?From the seahorses of Newcastle United to the royal crown of Real Madrid, via the riveting hammers of West Ham United, Valencia's famous bat design and German club St Pauli's unofficial skull-and-crossbones emblem, there is a story behind every crest, a tale of identity.Covering more than 200 clubs from 20 different leagues, World Football Club Crests explores the design, meaning and symbolism of the game's most famous club crests to reveal why the badges look as they do.This carefully curated collection charts the continuing evolution of the designs and describes the changing styles, varied influences and remarkable controversies that have shaped football's most iconic crests. These important symbols of football heraldry will never be viewed in the same way again. Read more

The Danes are the happiest people in the world, and pay the highest taxes.'Neutral' Sweden is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.Finns have the largest per capita gun ownership after the US and Yemen.54 per cent of Icelanders believe in elves.Norway is the richest country on earth.5 per cent of Danish men have had sex with an animal.Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic and hygge that has engulfed the rest of the world. He leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades.'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York TimesWinner of the Best Narrative Travel Book Award from the British Guild of Travel Writers Read more

A SUNDAY TELEGRAPH AND GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF SWEDEN'S AUGUST PRIZEWINNER OF THE WARWICK PRIZE FOR WOMEN IN TRANSLATIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE'Osebol is a magnificent success; it is hard to imagine it better ... Kapla is a magician ... mesmerizing' Sara Wheeler, TLS'A simple, pared-back and down-to-earth masterpiece' James Rebanks'We listen to them like something caught on the wind ... so moving and so strangely beckoning' Nicci Gerrard, Observer'[Among] the year's most pleasing books' Rishi Dastidar, Guardian, Books of the Year'Engrossing and humbling and quietly revelatory' Max Porter'Fascinating ... I was riveted' Lydia Davis'Like standing outside an open window on a warm summer evening and listening to a piece of contemporary history' Länstidningen'What a wonderful book . . . You want to move into it' ExpressenNear the river Klarälven, snug in the dense forest landscape of northern Värmland, lies the secluded village of Osebol. It is a quiet place: one where relationships take root over decades, and where the bustle of city life is replaced by the sound of wind in the trees.In this extraordinary and engrossing book, an unexpected cultural phenomenon in its native Sweden, the stories of Osebol's residents are brought to life in their own words. Over the last half-century, the automation of the lumber industry and the steady relocations to the cities have seen the village's adult population fall to roughly forty. But still, life goes on; heirlooms are passed from hand to hand, and memories from mouth to mouth, while new arrivals come from near and far.Marit Kapla has interviewed nearly every villager between the ages of 18 and 92, recording their stories verbatim. What emerges is at once a familiar chronicle of great social metamorphosis, told from the inside, and a beautifully microcosmic portrait of a place and its people. To read Osebol is to lose oneself in its gentle rhythms of simple language and open space, and to emerge feeling like one has really grown to know the inhabitants of this varied community, nestled among the trees in a changing world. Read more

Shortlisted for the Military History Matters Book of the Year AwardFew causes have given rise to such dramatic tales of loyalty, passion and betrayal as the Jacobite dream of restoring the Stuarts to the British throne. Although its failure brought savage retribution from the Hannoverians, the Jacobite flame continued to burn decades after Culloden.This is the first modern history of the entire Jacobite movement in Scotland, England and Ireland, from the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688 that drove James II into exile and the death of his grandson, Cardinal Henry, Duke of York, in 1807. The Battle of Culloden and Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight through the heather are well known, but not the other risings and plots that involved half of Europe and even revolutionary America. The King Over the Water weaves together all the strands of this gripping saga into a vivid, sweeping narrative, full of insight, analysis and anecdote. Read more

The Last Train to Zona Verde is an ode to the last African journey of Paul Theroux. 'Happy again, back in the kingdom of light,' writes Paul Theroux as he sets out on a new journey though the continent he knows and loves best. Having travelled down the right-hand side of Africa in Dark Star Safari, he sets out this time from Cape Town, heading northwards in a new direction, up the left-hand side, through South Africa and Namibia, to Botswana, then on into Angola, heading for the Congo, in search of the end of the line.Journeying alone through the greenest continent in what he feels will be his last African journey, Theroux encounters a world increasingly removed from both the intineraries of tourists and the hopes of post-colonial independence movements. Leaving the Cape Town townships, traversing the Namibian bush, passing the browsing cattle of the great sunbaked heartland of the savannah, Theroux crosses "the Red Line" into a different Africa: "the improvised, slapped-together Africa of tumbled fences and cooking fires, of mud and thatch", of heat and poverty, and of roadblocks, mobs and anarchy.A final African adventure from the writer whose gimlet eye and effortless prose have brought the world to generations of readers, The Last Train to Zona Verde is Paul Theroux's ultimate safari.Praise for Paul Theroux:'Always a terrific teller of tales and conjurer of exotic locales, he writes lean prose that lopes along at a compelling pace' Sunday Times'One needs energy to keep up with the extraordinary, productive restlessness of Paul Theroux ... [He is] the most gifted, most prodigal writer of his generation' Jonathan Raban'His ability to sum up a city or a people in a few lines is undiminished' Daily TelegraphPaul Theroux's books include Dark Star Safari, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Riding the Iron Rooster, The Great Railway Bazaar, The Elephanta Suite, A Dead Hand, The Tao of Travel and The Lower River. The Mosquito Coast and Dr Slaughter have both been made into successful films. Paul Theroux divides his time between Cape Cod and the Hawaiian islands. Read more

A journey along the seemingly endless Russian border - from North Korea in the Far East through Russia's bordering states in Asia and the Caucasus, crossing the Caspian Ocean and the Black Sea along the way."Erika Fatland [is] shaping up to be one of the Nordics' most exciting new travel writers" National Geographic**SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORDS DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**"A hauntingly lyrical meditation to the contingencies of history" Wall Street Journal"[An] impressive mix of history, reportage and travel memoir" Washington PostThe Border is a book about Russia and Russian history without its author ever entering Russia itself; a book about being the neighbour of that mighty, expanding empire throughout history. It is a chronicle of the colourful, exciting, tragic and often unbelievable histories of these bordering nations, their cultures, their people, their landscapes.Through her last three documentary books - one about terrorism in Beslan, one about the 2011 terror attacks in Norway and one about post-Soviet Central Asia - social anthropologist Erika Fatland has established herself as a sharp observer and an outstanding interviewer at the forefront of Nordic non-fiction.Translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson Read more

THE STORY OF ANDERS BREIVIK AND THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NETFLIX FILM 22 JULY, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BOOKSELLER OF KABULOn 22 July 2011 Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 of his fellow Norwegians in a terrorist atrocity that shocked the world. One of Us is the definitive account of the massacres and the subsequent trial. But more than that, it is the compelling story of Anders Breivik and a select group of his victims. As we follow the path to their inevitable collision, it becomes clear just what was lost in that one day.SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NON-FICTION DAGGER 2015A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Read more

The Danes are the happiest people in the world, and pay the highest taxes.'Neutral' Sweden is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.Finns have the largest per capita gun ownership after the US and Yemen.54 per cent of Icelanders believe in elves.Norway is the richest country on earth.5 per cent of Danish men have had sex with an animal.Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic and hygge that has engulfed the rest of the world.He leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades.'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York Times'Beautifully observed and very funny' Rory StewartWinner of the Best Narrative Travel Book Award from the British Guild of Travel Writers Read more

In this third of three volumes examining the flags of the Napoleonic Wars [Men-at-Arms 77, 78 & 115] Terence Wise details colours, standards and guidons of Anhalt, Kleve-Burg, Brunswick, Denmark, Finland, Hanover, Hesse, the Netherlands, Mecklenburg, Nassau, Portugal, Reuss, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland & Westphalia in a text containing a plethora of illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Guido Rosignoli. Read more

On 22 July 2011 Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 of his fellow Norwegians in a terrorist atrocity that shocked the world. One of Us is the definitive account of the massacres and the subsequent trial. But more than that, it is the compelling story of Anders Breivik and a select group of his victims. As we follow the path to their inevitable collision, it becomes clear just what was lost in that one day.SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NON-FICTION DAGGER 2015 Read more

'How I loved reading Fruit of Knowledge ... Clever, angry, funny and righteous, also informative to an eye-popping degree' Rachel Cooke, OBSERVER GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE MONTHFrom Adam and Eve to pussy hats, people have punished, praised, pathologised and politicised vulvas, vaginas, clitorises, and menstruation. In the international bestseller Fruit of Knowledge, celebrated Swedish cartoonist Liv Strömquist traces how different cultures and traditions have shaped women's health and beyond. Her biting, informed commentary and ponytailed avatar guides the reader from the darkest chapters of history (a clitoridectomy performed on a five-year-old American child as late as 1948) to the lightest (vulvas used as architectural details as a symbol of protection). Like Alison Bechdel and Jacky Fleming, she uses the comics medium to reveal uncomfortable truths about how far we haven't come.'Just the thing for all the feminists in your life' Observer Books of the Year'This book made me laugh in public (and also cry a little). It is the book I gave to my younger sister the next time I saw her because of its anger and brilliance and because it is an overwhelming source of knowledge about things we should all already know' Daisy Johnson, author of the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted Everything Under'There are moments of genuine hilarity, as when Strömquist pictures the dinner party chatter of men living under a matriarchy, and others of fierce anger in this wild, witty and vital book' Observer Books of the Year Read more

This book is an exciting journey through the history and culture of the Vikings, the famous warriors and explorers who dominated northern Europe for centuries.From their origins in the Nordic countries to their role in Viking society, their weapons and combat tactics, their religion, art, and code of honor, this book will take you through all facets of Viking culture.In addition, it explores the different eras of Viking history, from their early incursions into foreign lands to their decline in the 11th century.It is a captivating read for those interested in the history of Europe and Viking culture.Discover how these brave warriors managed to conquer and colonize vast areas of Europe, and even reach North America long before Christopher Columbus discovered the continent.Don't miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in Viking culture and uncover the fascinating history of these legendary warriors and explorers! Read more

In The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.The brand we now know as "Scandinavia" is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt and pity. What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope. Read more

*A Newstatesman Book of the Year*‘Nimble, vital, unexpectedly affecting’ ObserverBestselling travel writer Horatio Clare joins an icebreaker for a voyage through the ice-packs of the far north.'We are celebrating a hundred years since independence this year: how would you like to travel on a government icebreaker?' A message from the Finnish embassy launches Horatio Clare on a voyage around an extraordinary country and an unearthly place, the frozen Bay of Bothnia, just short of the Arctic circle. Travelling with the crew of Icebreaker Otso, Horatio, whose last adventure saw him embedded on Maersk container vessels for the bestseller Down to the Sea in Ships, discovers stories of Finland, of her mariners and of ice.Aboard Otso Horatio gets to know the men who make up her crew, and explores Finland’s history and character. Surrounded by the extraordinary colours and conditions of a frozen sea, he also comes to understand something of the complexity and fragile beauty of ice, a near-miraculous substance which cools the planet, gives the stars their twinkle and which may hold all our futures in its crystals. Read more

Prepare to embark on an unforgettable voyage to the heart of Sweden with "Sweden: Everything You Need to Know." This captivating book, filled with text-only content, is your passport to discovering the enchanting beauty, rich history, and vibrant culture of this Scandinavian gem.Delve into the country's fascinating history, from its Viking origins to its modern-day status as a global leader in eco-friendly practices and innovation. Discover the resilience of Swedish society through its politics, government, and thriving economy. Dive into the world of Swedish cuisine, from iconic dishes like meatballs to culinary innovations by top-tier chefs. Immerse yourself in the traditions of Sweden's festivals and admire the stunning architecture that graces its cities.Sweden's contributions to art, design, music, literature, and cinema are celebrated, offering a glimpse into the nation's creative spirit. Uncover the secrets of Swedish customs and etiquette, gaining insight into the character of this welcoming and inclusive society.This text-only book invites you to explore Sweden's natural beauty, outdoor adventures, and commitment to preserving biodiversity through its national parks and nature reserves. Learn about the Sami people and their rich culture, folklore, and myths, adding depth to Sweden's diverse heritage. "Sweden: Everything You Need to Know" is the perfect companion for those planning a trip to Sweden, seeking a deeper understanding of its culture and history, or nurturing their curiosity about this Scandinavian wonder. Read more

This guide to the Balearic Islands will help you find your way around each of these beautiful islands, and help you decide exactly where to visit.From the historic streets of Palma to the intriguing grounds of La Granja, and the beauty of the Cabrera Island National Park to Formentera's picturesque beaches, this guide will help you uncover a different side to the Balearic Islands. Inside you'll find itinerary suggestions, restaurant recommendations, and handpicked hotels. Although famed for the vibrant atmosphere of the island's party towns, there's plenty more to experience here. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that illuminate every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Mallorca, Menorca & Ibiza truly shows you this city as no one else can. Read more