What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena? This book explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects.

A compelling book capturing the glory of Sicily’s most significant periods, revealing the island’s unique identity, history, achievements and culture.

In 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. But by the time they returned home, Zhu Di had lost control and China was turning inwards, leaving the records of their discoveries to be forgotten for centuries.

Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has reshaped history. In the decades after the collapse of Soviet communism, the West convinced itself that liberal democracy would henceforth be the dominant, ultimately unique, system of governance. An outburst of Western triumphalism proclaimed a US-led unipolar world entitled to 'impose democracy' on countries that failed to recognise the new order. Politicians foretold the universalisation of Western values as the final, enduring form of human society...

An epic account tracing the rise of the Mongol Empire.

The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots - three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.

'Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens' ALICE ROBERTS

'Takes us into the hearts and minds of three extraordinary women' AMANDA FOREMAN

'Conveys the vitality of the past as few books do. An enviable tour de force' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMB

Sixteenth-century Europe: Renaissance masters...

100 fascinating and brilliantly written stories about history's bravest, baddest but little known 'nasty' women from across the world.

Debut by an exciting young narrative historian - a revisionist history of Medieval Palestine