Books published by Duckworth Books

A fascinating and entertaining social history, exploring how and why politicians have found solace, hope and despair at the bottom of a glass over the years.

As loyalties are stretched to the limit and Europe slides towards another war, could just one act of great courage and sacrifice change everything?

John Hands's extraordinarily ambitious cosmological quest brings together our scientific knowledge and evaluates the theories and evidence about the origin and evolution of matter, life, consciousness, and humankind.

A fresh, revealing and entertaining account of the most influential writer of his age and the women who inspired him

When Fred Cassidy is accused of stealing the precious star-stone, he is pursued by telepathic psychologists, extra-terrestrial hoodlums and galactic police in disguise, entering multiple realities, and flipping into alien perspectives, through doorways in the sand.

Miss Seeton lends her talents to the village scheme to create a quilted 'Bayeux Tapestry' of local history. But her intuitive sketches reveal a startlingly different perspective - involving buried Nazi secrets, and links to a murdered diplomat and a South American dictator . . .

In a masterful combination of historical sleuthing and journalistic exploration on four continents, Lawler reframes the way we feel and think about all domesticated animals and even nature itself.

Gold Rush is a blood-and-guts treasure hunt - the ultimate adventure story.

The untold first-hand story of the legendary bomber pilot, 'cooler king' and arch escape artist

"And the war of civilisations shall go on" Foretold by Thunder

A wry, often affectionate view on the English, and how to navigate our national personality.

In Creative Inspiration, Van Gogh's writings have been edited and selected to create an enlightening, uplifting and helpful book for art lovers and creatives - amateurs and professionals alike.

Exploring the determination, concentration and skill that go into achieving any form of excellence, Esterly breathed life into the world of wood carving. The Lost Carving reveals an astonishing life.

The fearless tale of the original 'Party Girl', in her own (frankly scurrilous) words

From the author of World War Z, the extraordinary story of the legendary black regiment of World War I - the Harlem Hellfighters

How do we know if we're really the top dogs in brain power? Does our creativity stem solely from the right brain? From language to standing upright, composing music to lying, Michael Corballis uncovers our most common misconceptions and the fascinating habits and abilities that make us human.

Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (2015), The Ten Thousand Things takes us on a journey across fated meetings, grand battles and riveting drama seamlessly fusing the epic and the intimate with the precision and depth that the real-life Wang Meng brought to his painting.

Drawing on over three hundred in-depth interviews with men and women of all ages and every class, Eric Klinenberg reaches some startling conclusions about the seismic impact solo living is having on our culture, business and politics.

Physicists will tell you that four forces control the universe. Of these, gravity may the most obvious, but it is also the most mysterious. This title explains how gravity worked - and how apparently simple gravitation has four separate components - but it predicted everything from black holes to gravity's effect on time.

Darkly comic, fast-paced and full of twists Viva la Madness is packed with sex, scams, drugs and enough dirty money to fill a few offshore bank accounts.

Experience the Rome that changed and inspired Elizabeth Gilbert to write the international bestseller Eat, Pray, Love. Filled with colourful anecdotes about food, language, soccer, life in Rome, and culminating with the episodes in Liz's bestselling memoir told from Luca's side of the table.

A terrifying collection of short stories from the master of zombie fiction, Max Brooks. Written in his trademark style, these tales combine horror, drama, and socio-political commentary to explore the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse.

Effie Gray is a compelling portrait of the extraordinary woman behind some of the greatest paintings of the Victorian era.

In Elvis Has Left the Building, Dylan Jones takes us back to those heady days around the time of his death and the rise of Punk Rock.