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
  • Save 15%
    - The Battle for the Bridges, 1944: The Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller
    by Antony Beevor
    £10.99

  • by Susan Sontag
    £4.49

  • Save 11%
    - A Manifesto
    by Mary Beard
    £7.99

  • Save 23%
    - The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds: The original, classic book on TCKs
    by Ruth E. Van Reken, David C. Pollock & Michael V. Pollock
    £16.99

    The absolute authority on Third Culture Kids ("TCKs") for nearly two decades.

  • - Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right
    by Angela Nagle
    £9.49

    How internet subcultures are conquering the mainstream, from from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the alt-right.

  • Save 14%
    by Noam Chomsky
    £9.49

    Examines America's pursuit and exercise of power in a post 9/11 world. Drawing on examples ranging from expanding drone assassination programs to civil war in Syria to the violence in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine, the author offers insights into the workings of imperial power in our increasingly chaotic planet.

  • Save 14%
    by Mohamedou Ould Slahi
    £9.49

    An unprecedented international publishing event: the first and only diary written by a still-imprisoned Guantanamo detainee.

  • - Healing the Father-Daughter Relationship
    by Linda Schierse Leonard
    £14.99

    An invaluable key to self-understanding, The Wounded Woman shows that by understanding the father-daughter wound, it is possible to achieve a fruitful, caring relationship between men and women, between fathers and daughters, a relationship that honors both the mutuality and the uniqueness of the sexes.

  • Save 14%
    - A Short History of Private Life
    by Bill Bryson
    £9.49

    What does history really consists of? Centuries of people quietly going about their daily business. And where did all these normal activities take place? At home. Taking a journey around the rooms of his own house, an 1851 Norfolk rectory, the author discovered surprising connections in relation to the history of the way we live.

  • Save 21%
    - Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941
    by Stephen Kotkin
    £14.99

    Building and running a dictatorship, with power of life or death over hundreds of millions, in conditions of capitalist self-encirclement, made Stalin the person he became. This is the story of a political system shaping a personality.

  • Save 24%
    by Anthony (University of Oxford) Kenny
    £15.99 - 25.99

    Sir Anthony Kenny unfolds a magisterial new history of Western philosophy. Specially written for a broad popular readership, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought.

  • - Making a difference
    by Iain Ferguson & Rona Woodward
    £21.99 - 76.99

    This much-needed textbook provides a fresh understanding of the radical tradition and shows how it can be developed in contemporary social work.

  • Save 14%
    by William P. Young
    £9.49

    The powerful bestselling novel of how a grief-stricken man's encounter with God changes his life forever.

  • Save 12%
    - Orientations, Objects, Others
    by Sara Ahmed
    £18.49

    Cultural theorist Sara Ahmed demonstrates how queer studies can put phenomenology to productive use by analyzing what it means for bodies to be "oriented" in space and time.

  • Save 21%
    by Sylvia Plath
    £14.99

    Contains all Sylvia Plath's mature poetry written from 1956 up to her death in 1963.

  • Save 10%
    by Alex Haley & MALCOLM X
    £8.99 - 10.99

    From hustling, drug addiction and armed violence in America's black ghettos Malcolm X turned to the puritanical fervour of the Black Muslims. He became identified in the white press as a teacher of race hatred. This autobiography reveals his integrity and the fierce idealism which led him to reject both liberal hypocrisies and black racialism.

  • Save 21%
    by Paul Kennedy
    £13.49

    WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE Paul Kennedy's international bestseller is a sweeping account of five hundred years of fluctuating economic muscle and military might.

  • Save 18%
    - Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun
    by Jonathan Clements
    £11.49

    This fascinating history tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion. First revealed to Westerners in the chronicles of Marco Polo, Japan was a legendary faraway land defended by a fearsome Kamikaze storm and ruled by a divine sovereign. It was the terminus of the Silk Road, the furthest end of the known world, a fertile source of inspiration for European artists, and an enduring symbol of the mysterious East. In recent times, it has become a powerhouse of global industry, a nexus of popular culture, and a harbinger of post-industrial decline. With intelligence and wit, author Jonathan Clements blends documentary and storytelling styles to connect the past, present and future of Japan, and in broad yet detailed strokes reveals a country of paradoxes: a modern nation steeped in ancient traditions; a democracy with an emperor as head of state; a famously safe society built on 108 volcanoes resting on the world's most active earthquake zone; a fast-paced urban and technologically advanced country whose land consists predominantly of mountains and forests. Among the chapters in this Japanese history book are: The Way of the Gods: Prehistoric and Mythical Japan A Game of Thrones: Minamoto vs. Taira Time Warp: 200 Years of Isolation The Stench of Butter: Restoration and Modernization The New Breed: The Japanese Miracle

  • Save 11%
    - Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures
    by Mark Fisher
    £12.49

    This collection of writings by Mark Fisher, author of the acclaimed Capitalist Realism, argues that we are haunted by futures that failed to happen. Fisher searches for the traces of these lost futures in the work of David Peace, John Le Carre, Christopher Nolan, Joy Division, Burial and many others.

  • Save 21%
    - A Spiritual Classic from One of the Foremost Interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism to the West
    by Sogyal Rinpoche
    £13.49

    25th Anniversary EditionOver 3 Million Copies Sold'I couldn't give this book a higher recommendation' BILLY CONNOLLYWritten by the Buddhist meditation master and popular international speaker Sogyal Rinpoche, this highly acclaimed book clarifies the majestic vision of life and death that underlies the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It includes not only a lucid, inspiring and complete introduction to the practice of meditation, but also advice on how to care for the dying with love and compassion, and how to bring them help of a spiritual kind. But there is much more besides in this classic work, which was written to inspire all who read it to begin the journey to enlightenment and so become 'servants of peace'.

  • Save 10%
    - Evolution and Dynamics
    by Robert O'Brien & Marc Williams
    £31.49 - 94.49

    This fully revised fifth edition continues to offer the authoritative introduction to today's global political economy and its historical context. O'Brien and Williams move beyond the traditional three-paradigm perspective to show how these theories can be applied and their efficacy in tackling key developments and issues. In doing so, the authors offer an all-encompassing analysis of the multiple theories, themes, and issues to create a comprehensive guide to the topic. The authors first trace the evolution of the global economy from its roots in fifteenth century through the Industrial Revolution, to the post-1945 world order. They then proceed to explore in more detail the dynamics of today's global political economy, providing systematic coverage of the key spheres of activity, from trade, production and finance to social divisions, development, the environment, ideas, security and governance. This edition includes new material on the Greek financial crisis and the changing role of the BRICS countries in global governance, as these developments upset the dominance of the US and Europe in the world economy today. Supported by multiple boxed exhibits, further reading links, and a fully-featured companion website, this text is designed to be as accessible as possible. Online, students will find essay and multiple choice questions, podcasts and videos, timelines, and other materials to help consolidate learning.

  • Save 10%
    by Marion Wiesel & Elie Wiesel
    £8.99

    Night, Elie Wiesel's harrowing first-hand account of the Holocaust, is a devastating exploration of the darkest side of human nature and the enduring power of hope.Born into a Jewish ghetto in Hungary, as a child, Elie Wiesel was sent to the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. This is his account of that atrocity: the ever-increasing horrors he endured, the loss of his family and his struggle to survive in a world that stripped him of humanity, dignity and faith. Describing in simple terms the tragic murder of a people from a survivor's perspective, Night is among the most personal, intimate and poignant of all accounts of the Holocaust. Translated by Marion Wiesel with a preface by Elie Wiesel'A slim volume of terrifying power' The New York Times'To the best of my knowledge no one has left behind him so moving a record' Alfred Kazin'Wiesel has taken his own anguish and imaginatively metamorphosed it into art' Curt Leviant, Saturday Review

  • Save 21%
    - Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
    by Stephen Kotkin
    £14.99

    The magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his worldIn January 1928 Stalin, the ruler of the largest country in the world, boarded a train bound for Siberia where he would embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He was about to begin the largest programme of social reengineering ever attempted: the root-and-branch uprooting and collectivization of agriculture and industry across the entire Soviet Union. Millions would die, and many more would suffer. How did Stalin get to this point? Where did such great, monstrous power come from?The first of three volumes, the product of a decade of scrupulous and intrepid research, this landmark book offers the most convincing portrait and explanation yet of Stalin's power, and of Russian power in the world. The book is as much about the Russia that Stalin inherits and reshapes as about the man himself. It gives a brilliantly nuanced picture of the sequence of catastrophes that disposed of the social structures, armies, rivals and close colleagues that should have stood in Stalin's way, as he emerged from obscurity to shoulder the terrifying responsibility of upholding Russian power in the world.

  • Save 15%
    - The West and the Rest
    by Niall Ferguson
    £10.99

    The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Niall Fergusons provocative bestseller, Civilization: The West and the Rest, read brilliantly by the author himself. If in the year 1411 you had been able to circumnavigate the globe, you would have been most impressed by the dazzling civilizations of the Orient. The Forbidden City was under construction in Ming Beijing; in the Near East, the Ottomans were closing in on Constantinople. By contrast, England would have struck you as a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war. The other quarrelsome kingdoms of Western Europe - Aragon, Castile, France, Portugal and Scotland - would have seemed little better. As for fifteenth-century North America, it was an anarchic wilderness compared with the realms of the Aztecs and Incas. The idea that the West would come to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium would have struck you as wildly fanciful. And yet it happened. What was it about the civilization of Western Europe that allowed it to trump the outwardly superior empires of the Orient? The answer, Niall Ferguson argues, was that the West developed six killer applications that the Rest lacked: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. The key question today is whether or not the West has lost its monopoly on these six things. If so, Ferguson warns, we may be living through the end of Western ascendancy. Civilization takes readers on their own extraordinary journey around the world - from the Grand Canal at Nanjing to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul; from Machu Picchu in the Andes to Shark Island, Namibia; from the proud towers of Prague to the secret churches of Wenzhou. It is the story of sailboats, missiles, land deeds, vaccines, blue jeans and Chinese Bibles. It is the defining narrative of modern world history.

  • Save 21%
    - A Thousand Years of Europe's History
    by Peter H. Wilson
    £14.99

    THE SUNDAY TIMES AND ECONOMIST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2016'Hugely impressive... Wilson is an assured guide through the millennium-long labyrinth of papal-imperial relations' Literary ReviewA great, sprawling, ancient and unique entity, the Holy Roman Empire, from its founding by Charlemagne to its destruction by Napoleon a millennium later, formed the heart of Europe. It was a great engine for inventions and ideas, it was the origin of many modern European states, from Germany to the Czech Republic, its relations with Italy, France and Poland dictated the course of countless wars - indeed European history as a whole makes no sense without it.In this strikingly ambitious book, Peter H. Wilson explains how the Empire worked. It is not a chronological history, but an attempt to convey to readers why it was so important and how it changed over its existence. The result is a tour de force - a book that raises countless questions about the nature of political and military power, about diplomacy and the nature of European civilization and about the legacy of the Empire, which has continued to haunt its offspring, from Imperial and Nazi Germany to the European Union.

  • - A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
    by Lee Strobel
    £7.99 - 11.99

    Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandies who are recognized authorities in their fields. Strobel challenges them with questions like How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence exist for Jesus outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event? Strobel's tough, point-blank questions make this remarkable book read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ?

  • Save 27%
    - An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day
    by Claudia Roden
    £21.99

    'No-one will ever produce a richer, or more satisfying feast of the Jewish experience.' - Simon Schama 'One can't imagine a better food book than this, ever: for the reader and the cook.' - Nigella Lawson, Vogue 'THE BOOK OF JEWISH FOOD deserves its definitive article. It should stand as the book for many years... It is not likely to be surpassed.' - The Telegraph 'Manna from Heaven.' - Independent on Sunday

  • Save 15%
    - An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
    by Timothy Ware
    £10.99

    Since its first publication thirty years ago, Timothy Ware s book has become established throughout the English-speaking world as the standard introduction to the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy continues to be a subject of enormous interest among Western Christians, and the author believes that an understanding of its standpoint is necessary before the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches can be reunited. He explains the Orthodox views on such widely ranging matters as ecumenical councils, sacraments, free will, purgatory, the papacy and the relation between the different Orthodox churches.

  • Save 20%
    - A Financial History of the World
    by Niall Ferguson
    £11.99

    Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson, read by Gareth Armstrong. Behind each great historical phenomenon there lies a financial secret - Niall Ferguson uncovers the hidden stories behind history. Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot. Call it what you like, it matters now more than ever. In The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson shows that finance is the foundation of all human progress and the lifeblood of history. From the cash injection that funded the Italian Renaissance to the stock market bubble that sparked the French Revolution, from the bonds that fuelled Britains war effort to the Wall Street Crash and todays meltdown, this is the story of boom and bust as its never been told before. Whether youre scraping by or rolling in it, theres no better time to understand the ascent of money.

  • Save 23%
    - The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
    by Adam Tooze
    £15.49

    This chilling, fascinating new book is the first fully to get to grips with how Hitler's Nazi empire REALLY functioned. There was no aspect of Nazi power untouched by economics - it was Hitler's obsession and the reason the Nazis came to power in the first place. The Second World War was fought, in Hitler's view, to create a European Empire strong enough to take on the United States - a last chance for Europe to dig itself in before being swept away by the USA's ever greater power. But, as THE WAGES OF DESTRUCTION makes clear, Hitler was never remotely strong enough to beat either Britain or the Soviet Union - and never even had a serious plan as to how he might defeat the USA. It took years of fighting and the deaths of millions of people to destroy the Third Reich, but effectively World War II in Europe was fought in pursuit of a fantasy: the years in which Western Europe could settle the world's fate were, by 1939, long past. This is a major book by a major author and will provoke an enormous amount of controversy and debate.

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.