Recommended non-fiction
Explore our curated list of top recommended non-fiction books across various genres. Discover must-read titles for knowledge, inspiration, and personal growth.
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The World
by Jan Morris
A breathtakingly vivid guide to our greatest cosmopolitan cities and culturesfrom Manhattan to Venice and from Baghdad to Barbados, this book assembles 50years of Morris's …
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The World of Venice
by Jan Morris
A fascinating exploration of the history, sights, seasons, arts, food, and people of an incomparable city. “A highly intelligent portrait of an eccentric city, written …
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Conundrum
by Jan Morris
One of the first-ever books on gender transition, this poignant memoir by a trans woman is “the best first-hand account ever written by a traveler …
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The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson
by Emily Dickinson
Presents selections of poems along with a chronology of Dickinson's life and an essay offering background information on her works.
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I'm a Stranger Here Myself
by Bill Bryson
A classic from the New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body. After living in Britain for two decades, …
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A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If …
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The Lost Continent
by Bill Bryson
An unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.
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Neither Here Nor There:
by Bill Bryson
Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies -- in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later …
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Made in America
by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson, who gave glorious voice to The Mother Tongue, now celebrates her magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how …
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Clara Schumann
by Nancy B. Reich
This absorbing and award-winning biography tells the story of the tragedies and triumphs of Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)--at once artist, composer, editor, teacher, wife, and …
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Johannes Brahms
by Jan Swafford
A New York Times Notable Book "This brilliant and magisterial book is a very good bet to...become the definitive study of Johannes Brahms."--The Plain Dealer …
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A Traveller in Rome
by Henry Vollam Morton
This is H.V. Morton's account of his sojourn in Rome. He leads the reader on a well-informed and insightful journey around the city from the …
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Shakespeare's Sonnets
by William Shakespeare
A bestselling, beautifully designed edition of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, complete with valuable tools for educators. The authoritative edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets from The Folger Shakespeare …
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The Children of Henry VIII
by Alison Weir
“Fascinating . . . Alison Weir does full justice to the subject.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer At his death in 1547, King Henry VIII left four heirs …
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Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley
by Alison Weir
Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the …
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Marie Antoinette
by Evelyne Lever
A biography of the French queen explores the intrigue surrounding her life, as well as the events leading up to her death
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Jacqueline Du Pre
by Carol Easton
First time in paperback: A "strong, compelling, and compassionate book" ("Boston Globe") about the acclaimed and ill-fated cellist who died at the age of forty-two.
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The Adventure of English
by Melvyn Bragg
Bragg's landmark history of the English language details how and where it began 1,500 years ago, and how it evolved to become the tongue of …
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The Fatal Shore
by Robert Hughes
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • This incredible true history of the colonization of Australia explores how the convict transportation system created the country we know today. "One …
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Sisters to the King
by Maria Perry
"Much has been written about Henry VIII and his six wives, but his sisters, Margaret and Mary, have had less of the limelight ... In …
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King George V
by Kenneth Rose
The Whitbread (and Wolfson and Yorkshire Post) Prize Winning account of the king whose life spanned the centuries. Grandfather of the present Queen, George V …
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Queen Mary
by James Pope-Hennessy
The award-winning biography of Princess May of Teck tells the moving story of her relatively impoverished childhood, her very significant reign, and her old age …
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Queen Victoria
by Elizabeth Longford
In this biography, Lady Longford, long recognized as an authority on the subject, gives a full account of Queen Victoria's life and provides her unique …
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Queen Victoria's Children
by John Van der Kiste
Queen Victoria and Albert, the Prince Consort, had nine children who despite their very different characters, remained a close-knit family. This is not only the …
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The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England
by Antonia Fraser
A compendium of illustrated biographies of the British monarchs, revised throughout and updated to include the recent history of the Windsors.
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Umbria
by Paul Hofmann
Offers a personal account of the cities, towns, villages, and natural sights of Umbria, and reveals its hidden wonders from the great Etruscan and Roman …
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King, Kaiser, Tsar
by Catrine Clay
Traces the shared history of George V of England, Wilhelm II of Germany, and Nicholas II of Russia, in an account that draws on previously …
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Becoming Queen
by Kate Williams
Our perception of Victoria the Queen is coloured by portraits of her older, widowed self - her dour expression embodying the repressive morality propagated in …
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1788
by David Hill
An extraordinary narrative history of the First Fleet, by the bestselling author of The Forgotten Children. Never before or since has there been an experiment …
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That's Another Story
by Julie Walters
The number-one Sunday Times bestseller Her mum wanted her to be a nurse so that is what Julie did. But in her heart she had …
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Marie-Therese
by Susan Nagel
The biography of Marie Antoinette's only child to survive the revolution and the woman who helped shape the future of nineteenth-century Europe.
