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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?
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  • Save 21%
    by Ibn Daud
    £22.99 - 30.99

  • Save 21%
    by Brian C. Muraresku
    £14.99

    THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience!A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and a real-life quest for the Holy Grail.The most influential religious historian of the twentieth century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age?There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist - the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today's 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for real answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity's founding event...and, after centuries of debate, to solve history's greatest puzzle once and for all.Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries - elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine - the original sacraments of Western civilization - were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive.If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist?With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Brian C. Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre Museum to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with a Catholic priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity's oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity.The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe's sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. Have the scientists of today resurrected this lost technology? Is Christianity capable of returning to its roots?Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization.

  • Save 11%
    by Thich Nhat Hanh
    £7.99

    Brought to you by Penguin. A comforting book that will offer relief to anyone moving through intense grief and loss, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh shares accessible, healing words of wisdom to transform our suffering.In the immediate aftermath of a loss, sometimes it is all we can do to keep breathing. With his signature clarity and compassion, Thich Nhat Hanh will guide you through the storm of emotions surrounding the death of a loved one.How To Live When A Loved One Dies offers powerful practices such as mindful breathing that will help you reconcile with death and loss, feel connected to your loved one long after they have gone and transform your grief into healing and joy.(c) Thich Nhat Hanh 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

  • Save 23%
    by Amy Stewart
    £16.99

  • Save 20%
    by John Wineland
    £11.99

    A respected leader in men's work shares a practical guide to redefine, heal, and re-embrace masculinity in our world.Men today face a crisis of identity. While we can see how the old paradigm of patriarchal dominance needs to go, is the solution really to deconstruct the very idea of masculinity out of existence? No-that's not the answer. As John Wineland writes, "We need a generation of conscious men who can provide guidance and direction in their communities, just as we need to support and encourage women to do the same." With From the Core, Wineland sets out a clear roadmap for men who want to live, love, and lead from the most profound places within them.The techniques in From the Core will help you adapt to a changing world while staying in touch with your masculine essence. If you're willing to spend at least 30 minutes a day in practice, you can transform your entire approach to love, success, and relationships. Here you'll learn how to:. Get strong-go beyond building your muscles to strengthening your nervous system, awareness, and ability to conduct energy. Become masterful in the art of sexual and energetic polarity. Align with the Sacred Feminine-operate in harmony and trust with the feminine forces within you and in others . Take responsibility for the life you've created, the legacy of manhood, and your personal role in healing our damaged world. Prioritize depth over comfort-becoming highly attuned to the truth of your heart and the power of your intention. Use the Eleven Precepts of Conscious Warriorhood as your life's compass"Despite all of the flak men have received," writes Wineland, "I see brothers every day who are hungrier than ever to step into their lives more powerfully, nobly honor and protect their feminine partners, and be a source of healing and liberation in their communities." From the Core is an inspirational guide and a call to action for men who are ready to embody conscious awareness, unflinching accountability, and true leadership.

  • by Miyamoto Musashi
    £7.99 - 15.49

  • Save 14%
    by Conn Iggulden
    £9.49

  • Save 15%
    by Amalie Smith
    £10.99

    An artist in her thirties weaves and unravels connections between the loom and the computer, DNA and technology, dreams and decisions

  • Save 14%
    - How Anthropology Can Explain Business and Life
    by Gillian Tett
    £9.49

  • Save 15%
    - 1962-2020
    by Louise Gluck
    £10.99

  • Save 15%
    by Kit Holden
    £8.49 - 11.99

  • Save 14%
    - The Psychology of Spirituality and Our Search for Meaning
    by Lisa Miller
    £9.49

  • Save 24%
    - Mapping the Collapse of Globalization
    by Peter Zeihan
    £18.99

  • by Karl Marx
    £6.99 - 10.99

  • Save 10%
    - The conclusion to the Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy
    by Heather Morris
    £8.99 - 13.49

    From Heather Morris, the international bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey, comes a novel of breathtaking power, the story of three brave sisters. Cibi, Magda and Livia were aged 19, 17 and 15 when they were taken to Auschwitz from their home in Vranov, Slovakia.

  • Save 14%
    - Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity
    by Erving Goffman
    £9.49

    The dwarf, the disfigured, the blind man, the homosexual, the ex-mental patient and the member of a racial or religious minority all share one characteristic: they are all socially "abnormal". This a study of of the ways in which a stigmatized person can develop a more positive social identity.

  • - How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted and Alone
    by Sarah Jaffe
    £11.49 - 17.99

  • Save 24%
    - Recipes to Love: A Cookbook
    by Chrissy Teigen
    £18.99

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In her most personal cookbook yet, the bestselling author of Cravings shares food that will bring you joy and comfort—with a little help from her one-of-a-kind family.Chrissy Teigen has always found a big sense of fun in the kitchen, but more than ever, she turns to the stove for comfort and warmth. Now Chrissy shares the recipes that have sustained her and her family, the ones that made her feel like everything is going to be okay. Recipes for Cozy Classic Red Lentil Soup, ingenious Chrissy signatures like Stuffed PB&J French Toast and puff pastry–wrapped Meatloaf Wellington, and family favorites like her mom Pepper’s Thai-style Sloppy Joes and John’s Saturday-morning Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes will have you feeling like you’re pulling up a chair to her table.

  • Save 14%
    by Tarana Burke
    £9.49 - 15.49

  • Save 19%
    - Great Battles
    by Chris (Professor Emeritus of Greek & University College London) Carey
    £10.99 - 18.49

    The story of Thermopylae, the famous last stand of the Greco-Persian Wars: how it was fought, how it has been remembered, and what it has come to mean.

  • Save 15%
    by Herbie Sykes
    £10.99

    While La Vecchia Signora remains Italy's best-supported team, it's also its most despised. Juve! charts the story of Italy's great sporting dynasty, chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of the Agnellis, and of the icons - Boniperti, Del Piero, Ronaldo - who have been their sporting emissaries for almost a century.

  • by Jackie Mize
    £25.99

  • by Emily Dickinson
    £7.99

    'Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door' Emily DickinsonThe very best of Emily Dickinson's poems in a beautiful gift edition

  • Save 19%
    - The War of Wheels Between Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox
    by Giles Chapman
    £12.99

    The gripping story of the toy car wars: how Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox drove our childhoods!

  • Save 20%
    - Facing and Finding Yourself
    by Lisa Marchiano
    £11.99

    Join a respected Jungian analyst for a deep dive into the emotional and symbolic journey of motherhood.Motherhood is the true hero's journey-which is to say that it can be as harrowing as it is joyful, and enlightening as it is exhausting. For Jungian psychoanalyst Lisa Marchiano, this journey is not just an adventure of diaper bags and parent-teacher conferences, but one of intense self-discovery.In Motherhood, Marchiano draws from a deep well of Jungian analysis and symbolic research to present a collection of fairy tales, myths, and fables that evoke the spiritual arc of raising a child from infancy through adulthood. After all, this kind of storytelling has always been one of the most important conduits of humanity's collective wisdom-and Marchiano provides each tale alongside keen insights into the timeless archetypes they represent.Balanced with real-life case stories from Lisa's own practice and in-depth questions for personal reflection, Motherhood explores how events like pregnancy, the calamities of childhood, and the empty-nest experience are invitations to an adventure into the wild frontier of your own soul. Here you will discover:. How the challenges of motherhood send you on journeys into your innermost source. Seeing the value of conflict with your child even while working to solve it. "The dark passage" of confronting and dispelling the energy of childhood wounds. "The thirteenth fairy"-how to recognize when we are resisting inconvenient or uncomfortable truths. Understanding how anger, rage, and aggression arise in parental relationships. Recognizing the ways that you have been taught to ignore your deepest instincts. How to navigate the inevitable periods of grief that accompany your child's many life changes. Why much of successful mothering requires surrendering your sense of controlWith Lisa's gentle but straightforward guidance, you'll return from this inner journey in possession of the treasured knowledge needed to clarify your values, embrace your disowned parts, and claim the mantle of motherhood in the full bloom of your empowerment.

  • Save 17%
    - Definitive New Translations of the Writings of Miyamoto Musashi - Japan's Greatest Samurai!
    by Musashi
    £9.99

  • Save 13%
    - The Future of the System That Rules the World
    by Branko Milanovic
    £16.49

    For the first time in history, the globe is dominated by one economic system. Capitalism prevails because it delivers prosperity and meets desires for autonomy. But it also is unstable and morally defective. Surveying the varieties and futures of capitalism, Branko Milanovic offers creative solutions to improve a system that isn't going anywhere.

  • Save 21%
    by John D. Smith
    £14.99

    Presents one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. This book offers a discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kama or pleasure, dharma or duty, and moksha or liberation). It explains the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the 'Self') and the workings of karma.

  • Save 14%
    - A Story Set in War
    by Malcolm Gladwell
    £9.49

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. 

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