"A lighthearted history of lying"—from the international bestselling author of Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up (Kirkus Reviews).We live in a "post-truth" world, we're told. But was there ever really a golden age of truth-telling? Or have people been lying, fibbing and just plain bullsh*tting since the beginning of time?Tom Phillips, editor of a leading independent fact-checking organization, deals with this question every day. In

Nestled within our green and pleasant land lies pockets of emerald trees. Their roots search deep into the ground and the branches reach high towards the sun. For centuries some of these have stood watching and listening to the human creatures living among them, hearing their stories and remembering. What mysteries could these woodlands tell if the trees could speak? Stories of brave deeds and foolish, star-crossed lovers, of monsters, giants and witches, hobs and kings. D...

The stories are familiar: family disharmony, mourning the loss of a loved one, vengeance, national tyranny, international war, a desire for justice. This new translation by Jeffrey Scott Bernstein, an independent scholar and novelist, preserves the artistry of the original while deploying a clear speech that directly addresses a twenty-first century temperament. The Oresteia, first performed in Greece in 458 bce, has been celebrated as an example of the highest literary art. The murder of ...

"If Sapiens was a testament to human sophistication, this history of failure cheerfully reminds us that humans are mostly idiots." —Greg Jenner, author of A Million Years in a DayNow an International BestsellerA Toronto Star–Bestselling Book of the YearModern humans have come a long way in the seventy thousand years they've walked the earth. Art, science, culture, trade—on the evolutionary food chain, we're true winners. But ...

How does a goddess become a witch? Why do the 9 o'clock horses roam the streets of Leicester? Where can you find a bleeding gravestone? And should you be afraid of the shag-dog? Everywhere has a story to tell. Every building, road, forest and field. Some are true, some are not. These stories have been passed down through the ages so that we don't forget them, and now they are being passed on to you. They will open your eyes to the wonders of what lies just around the corne...

From the internationally bestselling authors of A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders (Jonn Elledge) and Truth and Humans (Tom Phillips), an insightful, illuminating, often hilarious, and extremely timely journey through conspiracy theories, how they spread, and how not to fall for themFrom skepticism about the moon landing to the “deep-state” claims of QAnon, it’s always been human nature to believe we’re being lied to by the powers...

'Superb ... entertaining ... Phillips traverses this sprawling terrain with energy and charm' Telegraph'Exceptionally funny from cover to cover, it is not only an entertaining read but also deeply researched and thoughtful' Irish Independent'Fans of Phillips's earlier books Humans and Truth will be pleased that the ex-BuzzFeed editor is on form, not letting the grimness of his subject spoil his gagsmithery' Guardia...

The stories are familiar: family disharmony, mourning the loss of a loved one, vengeance, national tyranny, international war, a desire for justice. This new translation by Jeffrey Scott Bernstein, an independent scholar and novelist, preserves the artistry of the original while deploying a clear speech that directly addresses a twenty-first century temperament. The Oresteia, first performed in Greece in 458 bce, has been celebrated as an example of the highest literary art. The murder of ...

The Stonehenge landscape is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world, but much about its origins remains a mystery and little attention has been paid to what preceded, and thus may have influenced, its later ritual character. Now, the discovery of a uniquely long-lived Mesolithic occupation site at Blick Mead, just 2km from Stonehenge, with a detailed radio carbon date sequence ranging from the 8th to the late 5th millennium BC, is set to transform this situation. 　Th...

In Christian history, no phenomenon is clearer than the recurrence of revivals. A passion for repentance sweeps across a city, and those who had been unaware of the supernatural are now keenly aware of God’s presence. Gripped by conviction of wrongdoing, they throw everything aside and desperately search for a way of salvation.Our spiritual instincts are often clouded by worthless pursuits, but God is working through His laws for the salvation of His people and for the world’s good...

What difference does music make to performance poetry, and how did the ancients themselves understand this relationship? Although scholars have long recognized the importance of music to ancient performance culture, little has been written on the specific effects that musical accompaniment, and features such as rhythmical structure and melody, would have created in individual poems. This volume attempts to answer these questions by exploring more fully the relationship between music and la...

Recent decades have seen a major expansion in our understanding of how early Greek lyric functioned in its social, political, and ritual contexts, and the fundamental role song played in the day-to-day lives of communities, groups, and individuals has been the object of intense study. This volume places its focus elsewhere, and attempts to illuminate poetic effects that cannot be captured in functional terms alone. Employing a range of interpretative methods, it explores the idea of lyric ...