A sweeping history of the British village, both rural and urban, which makes a compelling case for why we need to protect our local communities, from bestselling author Simon JenkinsWe are a nation of villages, from the rural, picturesque hamlets of Castle Combe and Clovelly, to the tight-knit urban communities of Leeds’ terraces and Cricklewood’s backyards. Villages link us with our past and are the stuff of art, poetry, folklore and song — and for many they offer...

A reissue of a truly classic title on the Batsford backlist. First published in 1935, it is a wonderful snapshot of our capital before the Second World War, and a charming insight into our attitudes to urban life back in the Thirties. Our posh guide Cohen-Portheim offers us his interpretation of life in London through her people, her buildings and her history.The chapters include:Towns withinTown Streets and their LifeGreen LondonLondon and the Arts

‘Jenkins sets about his task with infectious enthusiasm and draws out all the most important themes in America’s 250-year history' The TimesIn the two hundred and fifty years since its foundation, the United States of America has grown to become the world’s richest and most powerful union. How did this new nation come to dominate global culture, economics, politics and warfare?Informed by years of close observation, bestselling author Simon Jenkins...

'Provocative, elegant, intriguing - Jenkins is a bold, imaginative writer, brilliant at challenging old assumptions and encouraging you to look at British architecture in a new light' Rory StewartThe story of Britain is revealed through its buildings, and yet the language of architecture is a mystery to all but a few. In this enlightening history, spanning castles and cathedrals to factories and railway stations, Jenkins translates the hidden narratives infused in...

'Fascinating and timely. Required reading for every developer, planner or councillor who holds London in trust today' Griff Rhys Jones'Accessible, clear and readable' Rowan Moore, The Observer________________________LONDON: a settlement founded by the Romans, occupied by the Saxons, conquered by the Danes and ruled by the Normans.This unremarkable place - not even included in the Dom...

**'Excellent' Financial Times'Stirring, impressively detailed' Time magazineThe Battle for the Falklands is a thoughtful and informed analysis of an astonishing chapter in modern British history from journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings and political editor Simon Jenkins.**Ten weeks. 28,000 soldiers. 8,000 miles from home.The Falklands War in 1982 was one of the strangest in British history. At the time, many Britons s...

England's cathedrals are the nation's glory. They tower over its landscape, outranking palaces, castles and mansions. They attract roughly half the nation's population each year. For a millennium they have been objects of pilgrimage for those seeking faith, consolation and beauty. Still at the start of the twenty-first century, they remain unequalled in their size and splendour.More than any other English institution, cathedrals reflect the vicissitudes of history and should be tre...

Discover the history of Europe - from the Dark Ages to present day - by the author of the bestselling A Short History of EnglandEurope is an astonishingly successful place. But it would take volumes to tell its story, right? Wrong. From warring peoples to peace, wealth and freedom, Andrew Jenkins distils its evolution into this short, single-volume history.From Greece and Rome, through the French Revolution to the Second World War and modern times....

A WATERSTONES BEST HISTORY BOOK'Simon Jenkins, as ever, writes with clarity and insight' Times'One of the liveliest commentators in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian' Jeremy Paxman, GuardianWho were the Celts? Were they a people, a civilisation, an empire, or a fiction of historical imagination? They flit as ghosts through Europe's ancient past, purported ancestors of the Iris...

READERS OF EUROPEAN HISTORY WILL LOVE THIS BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED BOOK!"Simon Jenkins has provided a feast for both eyes and mind in this sumptuously illustrated guide to Europe's greatest cathedrals" John Barton, author of A History of the Bible"As ever, Simon Jenkins is here the best sort of guide to some of Europe's greatest buildings and their settings: well-informed, elegantly opinionated and passionate" Diarmai...

Discover the architectural gems that are Britain's 100 Best Railway Stations in this Sunday Times top 10 bestseller'This is a cracker . . . a beautiful book' Chris EvansIt is the scene for our hopeful beginnings and our intended ends, and the timeless experiences of coming and going, meeting, greeting and parting. It is an institution with its own rituals and priests, and a long-neglected aspect of Britain's architecture. ...

England's views are remarkable for their beauty and variety. In this illustrated, first-of-its-kind guide, bestselling author Simon Jenkins picks the very best views from North East England, including Bempton cliffs, Gordale Scar, Hebden Bridge, Richmond, Rievaulx, Saltaire, Whitby Harbour, Durham, Hadrian's Wall, Lindisfarne and Newcastle's Grey Street, and more - and explains the fascinating stories behind them. Jenkins' entertaining and erudite entries provide the rich historical, geogr...