We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

History & Society

History books allow you to travel back in time. They let you discover a whole different era than our own with different lifestyles, morale compases and crises. To understand history is to understand, who you are, and what you come from. It is the foundation of today’s society and culture. In Tales’ selection of history and society books you can investigate both religion, mythologies, and wars with competent authors and scholars giving their interpretation of how events happened as they did and how we ended up with today’s society. Are you ready to get wiser of both past and present?
Show more
Filter
Filter
Sort bySort Popular
  • - Assassins and Terror Bosses in the Ireland Conflict
    by Martin Dillon
    £9.99

    In The Trigger Men, bestselling author Martin Dillon delves into the dark and sinister world of Irish terrorism and counter-terrorism.

  • - A Case Study of Mass Murder
    by Martin Dillon
    £9.99

    This book by the author of "Rogue Warrior of the SAS", retells the story of a series of murders by the Ulster Volunteer Force in N. Ireland in the 1970s. When convicted, the killers received over 2000 years in jail, the longest sentences ever given in a single trial in British legal history.

  • by Martin Dillon
    £9.99

    In this enthralling and controversial book, Martin Dillon, author of the bestselling The Shankill Butchers, examines the roles played by the Provisional IRA, the State forces, the Irish Government and the British Army during this troubled period.

  • by John Hood
    £12.49

  • by Heinz J. Nowarra
    £9.99

  • - People versus Corporate Power
    by Alastair Mcintosh
    £11.49

    It is easy to feel helpless in the face of the torrent of information about environmental catastrophes taking place all over the world. In this powerful and provocative book, Scottish writer and campaigner Alastair McIntosh shows how it is still possible for individuals and communities to take on the might of corporate power and emerge victorious. As a founder of the Isle of Eigg Trust, McIntosh helped the beleaguered residents of Eigg to become the first Scottish community ever to clear their laird from his own estate. And plans to turn a majestic Hebridean mountain into a superquarry were overturned after McIntosh persuaded a Native American warrior chief to visit the Isle of Harris and testify at the government inquiry. This extraordinary book weaves together theology, mythology, economics, ecology, history, poetics and politics as the author journeys towards a radical new philosophy of community, spirit and place. His daring and imaginative responses to the destruction of the natural world make Soil and Soul an uplifting, inspirational and often richly humorous read.

  • by Ernst Lehner
    £13.49

    Comprehensive archive by two of the world's foremost collectors of pictorial symbols. Their pictures, rendered from rare illustrations, extend from ancient Chinese lotus buds to a basket of flowers in a 19th-century Valentine silhouette. Includes the symbolic meaning of every known species -- from absinth to zinnia. Over 200 black-and-white designs and illustrations.

  • by Carl Rogers
    £14.49

    Presenting the non-directive and related points of view in counselling and therapy, this book defines the progress recently made in the development of the techniques and basic philosophy of counselling.

  • by Adolf Hitler
    £19.99

    Mein Kampf is a powerful book written by Adolf Hitler, published by Vintage on February 13, 1992. This work is not just a book, but a mirror into the mind of one of history's most controversial figures. The genre of this book is political ideology, and it provides an in-depth look at the political and social climate of the time. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the forces that shaped the world during this era. Published by Vintage, this edition brings forth the unfiltered thoughts and ideologies of Hitler, making it an essential read for historians and political enthusiasts.

  • - Gesualdo, Carravagio, Genet, Van Gogh, Artaud
    by Shlomo Giora Shoham
    £32.49

  • by Mark Hamilton Davison
    £11.99

  • by Sun Tzu
    £4.49

    HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

  • by Sylvia Plath
    £8.99 - 13.99

    I was supposed to be having the time of my life.When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt, as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The novel is partially based on Plath's own life and descent into mental illness, and has become a modern classic. The Bell Jar has been celebrated for its darkly funny and razor sharp portrait of 1950s society and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

  • by John Pearson
    £9.99

    When the Englishman learned that someone was asking about him, he introduced himself to Pearson, who persuaded him to write his story - a story even more extraordinary than that of the Krays. Because the Englishman is the only man of non-Italian blood to be admitted to the heart of the Mafia.

  • - The Psychology of Political Behavior
    by Jerrold M. Post
    £26.49

    "Post is a pioneer in the field of political-personality profiling. He may be the only psychiatrist who has specialized in the self-esteem problems of both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein."-The New Yorker "Policy specialists and academic...

  • by Jill Cronin
    £12.49

    Once part of Lancashire, Droylsden and Audenshaw are now part of Tameside Metropolitan Borough of Manchester. The varied histories of both towns see the transition from farming to an industrial community. With over 200 photographs, this book gives us a glimpse of the streets of the two towns and the people who lived there, at work and leisure.

  • - Awakening the Love that Heals Fear and Shame
    by Tara Brach
    £14.49 - 16.49

    'Radical Acceptance offers us an invitation to embrace ourselves with all our pain, fear and anxieties, and to step lightly yet firmly on the path of understanding and compassion. Please enjoy this nourishing and healing book.' Thich Nhat HanhIn the West, most of us have suffered the fear of not being 'good enough', feeling insecure about our appearance, our sexuality, our intelligence, our spiritual progress or - often most importantly - being worthy of love. When these feelings of insufficiency or self-aversion are strong, we fear abandonment and rejection. Many people have already found the Buddhist perspective on our emotional life to be extremely valuable - and this book will be a major practical contribution to the subject.

  • by Lloyd V. J. Ridgeon
    £29.49

    A comprehensive anthology of texts to do justice to modern Iranian political thought, containing many crucially important texts in English. This work emphasises on questions of gender and Sufism in Iran. Covering the last hundred years of Iranian history, this book introduces some of the most crucial political and religious texts of the period.

  • - The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940
    by N. George-Graves
    £120.99

    In The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville , Nadine George-Graves provides an historical narrative of their achievements and uses black feminist theories, feminist theories of performance, and theories of class and popular culture to analyze the many layers of performance in which the Whitman Sisters participated, on and off the stage.

  • - Photographic Memories
    by Catherine Rothwell
    £12.99

  • - The Remarkable True Story of the American Capitalists Who Financed the Russian Communists
    by Antony Cyril Sutton
    £11.49

    Drawing on Russia's Department files, personal papers of key Wall Street figures, biographies and conventional histories, this book reveals: the role of Morgan banking executives in funneling illegal Bolshevik gold into the US; the co-option of the American Red Cross by powerful Wall Street forces; and, more.

  • - The Story Of A 17th Century Playboy
    by Lucy Worsley
    £12.99

    William Cavendish, courageous, cultured and passionate about women, embodies the popular image of a cavalier. Famously defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, he went into a long and miserable continental exile before returning to England in triumph on the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660.Lucy Worsley brings to life a fascinating household of the 17th century, painting a picture of conspiracy, sexual intrigue, clandestine marriage and gossip. From Ben Jonson and Van Dyck to a savage, knife-wielding master-cook, Cavalier is a brilliant illumination of the stately home in England and all its many colourful inhabitants.

  • - Pearl, Cleanness, Patience, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
     
    £36.49

    For students of Middle English, Andrew and Waldron's The Poems of the Pearl Manuscript has been the key edition of the four Pearl poems (the best-known of which is Gawain and the Green Knight) for 30 years.

  • - A Cultural History
    by Christopher S. Thompson
    £22.99

    Tells the story of the Tour de France since its creation in 1903. This book links the history of the Tour to key moments and themes in French history. It examines the popularity of Tour racers, and explores how their public images have changed.

  • - A biography of Eugene V. Debs
    by Ray Ginger
    £21.99

    The classic biography of Debs, one of the most important thinkers and activists in US.

  • - French Strategy and Operations in the Great War
    by Robert A. DOUGHTY
    £27.99

    As the driving force behind the Allied effort in World War I, France willingly shouldered the heaviest burden. In this masterful book, Robert Doughty explains how and why France assumed this role and offers new insights into French strategy and operational methods.

  • - The Interpersonal Path to Freedom
    by Gregory Kramer
    £20.99

    Insight Dialogue is a way of bringing the tranquility and insight attained in meditation directly into your interactions with other people. It's a practice that involves interacting with a partner in a retreat setting or on your own, as a way of accessing a profound kind of insight. Then, you take that insight on into the grind of everyday human interactions. Gregory Kramer has been teaching the practice (which he originated) for more than a decade in retreats around the world. It's something strikingly new in the world of Buddhist practice-yet it's completely grounded in traditional Buddhist teaching. Kramer begins with a detailed presentation of the central Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths seen through an interpersonal lens. Because dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness) is often most forcefully felt in our relations with others, interpersonal relationships are a wonderfully useful place to practice. He breaks the Noble Truths down into component parts to observe how they manifest particularly in relationship to others, using examples from his own life and practice, as well as from his students'. He then goes on to present the practice as it's taught in his workshops and retreats. There are a few basic steps to the practice, deceptively simple to describe: (1) pause, (2) relax, (3) open, (4) trust emergence, (5) listen deeply, and (6) speak the truth. The sequence begins following a period of meditation, and includes periods of speaking, listening, and mutual silence. Kramer includes numerous examples of people's experience with the practice from his retreats, and shows how the insight gained from the techniques can be brought into real life. More than just testimonials for how well the practice "works," the personal stories demonstrate the problems that arise, the different routes the practice can follow, and the sometimes surprising insights that are gained. To learn more about the author, Gregory Kramer, go to www.metta.org.

  • by Garth Groombridge
    £12.49

    Teddington, Twickenham and Hampton past and present

History
The concept history covers a large range of topics all with its different focus. On top of Tales’ history books list, you find history books giving their in-depth view of some of World History’s most tragic events in modern time - World War 1 and World War 2. The two world wars affected most of the world and so many people lost their lives to them - both soldiers and civilians. The wars changed the world forever, and to understand how and why you need to dive into one of our many brilliant history books about the historic wars, giving you all the analysis and nuances you need - because we all know history books best, when they are thorough and give us new perspectives on historical events. 
If you instead are interested in politics during different historical periods, our selection of history books also contains that. The political system of a nation is a defining factor for how the citizens are treated and what conditions of life they have. The political factors can also lead to crises and wars, and in that way politics can make its mark on a whole historical era, but it can also lead to better times, giving the citizens better conditions and possibilities of social mobility. If you are interested, you will find all the history books in english right here. 
If you want to travel back to the fascinating Antiquity you should try reading the classics The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer. However they can be hard to understand in their original form. That is why we recommend you to dive into Stephen Fry’s fascinating interpretations of the antic classics. The works of the Antic Greeks, especially Homer, have that special kind of universality that all the classics refer to, even though the lyrics are about ancient mythological heroes such as Achilleus and Heracles (better known as Hercules) and their challenging adventures. The historical tales leave the reader with universal morales of life. In Stephen Fry’s version called Heroes the tales are giving a modern language and new relevans - especially for young people. 
It is also important to teach your kids about our common history and that is why you also find history books for kids in Tales’ wide selection. 

Society
A society is formed by a community of individuals and has gone through many changes throughout history. The history of our society has gone through many different stages, and in order to contain this diversity Tales’ collection has a rich amount of societal books from different time periods. You can find society books concerning and analyzing all from the traditional society, the modern society, and the post-modern society to the humanistic society. 

Educational textbooks
If you study history or social science Tales’ collection of History and Society is the perfect place to find your next educational textbook. History is one of the most important humanistic disciplines educating the future historians and museum inspectors. Without historians there will be nobody to investigate the historical data and texts and no one to evaluate them critically, and most importantly there would be no one to arrange history and the historical sources. Without them we would in fact lack a lot of vital information about who we are and what we come from, and we would not have the same ability to learn from history, which would be a great loss. That is why you need to start your journey as a history student in Tales’ selection of history books. 
Social science is also a cornerstone in understanding who we are and why we act as we act. As a social science student you should dive into our selection of societal books in order to get inspired for your next case study. 

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.