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 27%
    - the Bible in Contemporary Language
    by Eugene H. Peterson
    £25.49

    The Message is a reading Bible translated from the original Greek and Hebrew Scriptures by scholar, pastor, author, and poet Eugene Peterson. Thoroughly reviewed and approved by twenty biblical scholars, The Message combines the authority of GodΓÇÖs Word with the cadence and energy of conversational English.What makes The Message the best reading Bible? Discover for yourself. Feel the impact of a Bible translated into conversational English. Enjoy the familiar one-column design, like books youΓÇÖre used to. Find passages with The MessageΓÇÖs unique verse-numbered paragraphs. See the big picture with ΓÇ£The Story of the Bible in Five Acts,ΓÇ¥ alongside handcrafted timelines and charts. Keep your place with a satin ribbon marker. Come and delight in the unexpected passion and personality that fill GodΓÇÖs Word.

  • Save 15%
    - The making of a US Marine Officer
    by Nathaniel Fick
    £10.99

    The most eloquent and personal story of a young man at war since Geoffrey Wellum's FIRST LIGHT

  • Save 21%
    by Jon Halliday
    £13.49

    Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this book is the story of the life of Mao. It is full of revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing completely unknown Mao.

  • Save 15%
    by Giovanni Boccaccio
    £10.99

    For many centuries, Aristotle's Physics was the essential starting point for anyone who wished to study the natural sciences. Now, in the first translation into English since 1930, Aristotle's thought is presented accurately, with a lucid introduction and extensive notes to explain the general structure of eac section of the book, and shed light on particular problems. It simplifies and expands the style of the original, making for easier reading and better comprehension.

  • Save 11%
    - Seven Commentaries on The Gallic War with an Eighth Commentary by Aulus Hirtius
    by Julius Caesar
    £7.99

    The Gallic War, published on the eve of the civil war which led to the end of the Roman Republic, is an autobiographical account written by one of the most famous figures of European history. This new translation reflects the purity of Caesar's Latin while preserving the pace and flow of his momentous narrative of the conquest of Gaul and the first Roman invasions of Britain and Germany. Detailed notes, maps, a table of dates, and glossary make this the most useful edition available.

  • Save 10%
    by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    £8.99

    Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel, The Karamazov Brothers (1880) is both a brilliantly told crime story and a passionate philosophical debate. The dissolute landowner Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov is murdered; his sons--the atheist intellectual Ivan, the hot-blooded Dmitry, and the saintly novice Alyosha--are all involved at some level. Brilliantly bound up with this psychological drama is Dostoevsky's intense and disturbing exploration of many deeply felt ideas about the existence of God, freedom of will, the collective nature of guilt, and the disastrous consequences of rationalism. Filled with eloquent voices, this new translation fully realizes the power and dramatic virtuosity of Dostoevsky's most brilliant work.

  • Save 13%
    - Cultivating Sexual Energy, Love, and Spirit
    by Minke de Vos
    £12.99

    Awaken sexual energy for radiant love and empowerment, healing of emotional trauma and chronic conditions, and celebration of each stage of a woman's life.

  • Save 20%
    by John Keegan
    £11.99

    'No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence,' wrote Marlborough, and from the earliest times commanders have sought knowledge of the enemy, his strengths and weaknesses, his dispositions and intentions.

  • Save 22%
    - A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita
    by Thomas Byrom
    £13.99

    The Ashtavakra Gita conveys with beauty and simplicity the essential teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential of the Hindu philosophical systems. Composed by an anonymous master of the school of the great sage Shankara, it is a book of practical advice for seekers of wisdom as well as an ecstatic expression of the experience of enlightenment. In this simple, aphoristic version, the translator conveys the clarity and lyricism of the Sanskrit original with fluency and precision.

  • Save 10%
    - Fragments
    by Roland Barthes
    £8.99

    An ecstatic celebration of love and language' Washington PostThe language we use when we are in love is not a language we speak.

  • Save 14%
    by Nick Cook
    £9.49

    But the trail that takes Cook deep into the once-impenetrable empire of SS General Hans Kammler - the man charged by Adolf Hitler with perfecting German secret weapons technology - says otherwise.

  • by Vladimir Lossky
    £29.99

    The authoritative study of Eastern Orthodox theology, presenting a tradition in which doctrine and mystical experience are mutually supporting.

  • Save 15%
    - Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
    by Daniel (Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University) Everett
    £10.99

    Although the author was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahas, they converted him. This title shows the slow, meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language and his gradual realisation that its unusual nature closely reflected its speakers' startlingly original perceptions of the world.

  • by Robert Nozick
    £24.99

    Robert Nozicka s Anarchy, State, and Utopia is a powerful, philosophical challenge to the most widely held political and social positions of our age ---- liberal, socialist and conservative.

  • Save 15%
    by Bruce Chatwin
    £10.99

    Bruce Chatwin provides a fascinating background to indigenous Australian life. The songlines are the invisible pathways that criss-cross Australia, tracks connecting communities and following ancient boundaries.

  • Save 15%
    by João Silva & Greg Marinovich
    £10.99

  • Save 10%
    by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
    £8.99

    Cult bestseller The Invitation is more than just a poem. It is a profound invitation to a life that is more fulfilling and passionate, with greater integrity. This book is a word-of-mouth sensation, whose truths have resonated with people all over the world, and is now reissued with a beautiful new cover design.

  • Save 10%
    by Carlo Levi
    £8.99

    Exiled to a remote and barren corner of Italy for his opposition to Mussolini, Carlo Levi entered a world cut off from history and the state, hedged in by custom and sorrow, without comfort or solace, where, eternally patient, the peasants lived in an age-old stillness and in the presence of death - for Christ did stop at Eboli.

  • Save 10%
    by Waris Dirie
    £8.99

    * Inspirational, dramatic and extraordinary - the autobiography of a Somalian nomad circumcised at 5, sold in marriage at 13, who became an American model and is now at the young age of 30, the UN spokeswoman against circumcision

  • by Fatima (Teaches at the Mohammed V University Mernissi
    £18.49

    In this extraordinary and powerful book, now available in paperback, Fatima Mernissi, one of the most original and distinctive voices in the Islamic world, uncovers a hidden history of women leaders of Islamic states stretching back over fifteen centuries.

  • Save 12%
    - The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt
    by John Anthony West
    £18.49

  • Save 14%
    by Desmond Morris
    £9.49

    This study concerns the city dweller. Morris finds remarkable similarities with captive zoo animals and looks closely at the aggressive, sexual and parental behaviour of the human species under the stresses and pressures of urban living.

  • Save 21%
    by Philomena Cunk
    £13.49

  • Save 15%
    by Melissa S. Kearney
    £10.99 - 20.99

  • Save 23%
    by Andy Mitten
    £16.99

  • Save 14%
    by James Rebanks
    £9.49 - 16.99

  • Save 14%
    by Stephen Fry
    £9.49 - 18.99

  • by Karl Marx
    £10.49 - 11.49

    First published in 1848, "The Communist Manifesto" is a political pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, which initiated in one of the greatest movements of political change that the world has ever seen. At the heart of the economic writings of Marx and Engels is the materialist conception of history, or that productive capacity is the primary organizing factor of society. This conception gives rise to the fundamental inequality that exists between the socioeconomic classes. By controlling the means of production, the wealthy, or "bourgeoisie", gain a power over the working class, or "proletariat". The writings of Marx and Engels would brilliantly expose the causes of the vast division between socioeconomic classes that had existed throughout history. From its initial publication "The Communist Manifesto" was intended to help unite the working class in a common goal of forming a political party based on the philosophies of communism. To that aim, it was very successful and helped to unleash a wave of sweeping political change across the globe. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

  • Save 20%
    by Sarah Clegg
    £11.99

  • Save 24%
    by Stephen Ellcock
    £18.99

    A remarkable compendium of diverse and evocative imagery exploring the wide-ranging and profound associations of the five natural elements--masterfully curated by image alchemist and cult social media figure Stephen Ellcock.

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.