Senior KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky's actual nature as a British spy throughout the Cold War saw him do a huge amount of damage to Russian operations across those years, brought to a close when Gordievsky signalled through a conspicuous Safeway bag his desire to be brought out of the USSR to safety. The story of the episode that followed is told with a compelling sense of adventure by "Agent Zigzag" author Ben Macintyre.

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.

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.

An innovative illustrated history of the Second World War, told with the help of personal stories from across the globe.

The story of the Gothic, from early architecture and literature to the modern horror genre, illustrated by the beautiful, the macabre and the strange.