Collection: Adult Non Fiction - History & Military

An account of the rise and fall of Rome as seen by those most directly affected - the vanquished themselves, this work presents the reality of legends such as Spartacus the gladiator, Shapur the conqueror and Mithridates the connoisseur of poisons. The gripping stories of the most colourful and f...

The evacuation of Kabul in August 2021 will go down in military history as one of the most unexpected events in modern times. In an eerie replay of the disastrous British retreat from Kabul in 1842, coalition troops withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of military campaigning. The subsequent ...

The Eureka Stockade is the epic account of the battle for the Eureka Stockade, an iconic moment in Australian history. On the chilly dawn morning of 3 December 1854 British soldiers and police of the Victorian colonial government attacked and stormed a crudely-built fortification erected by insur...

The first one-volume, complete history of Europe, as told by Europeans themselves, from Homo Erectus to the Celts, to Greek wisdom and Roman grandeur, all of the way to the European phenomenon - the Industrial Revolution. This is the definitive way to discover the real, modern Europe progressivel...

The story of the first 25 years of Australia's national signals intelligence organisation, told for the first time. At the end of World War II, it was clear that the nation must never again find itself entering a major war without a national intelligence capability. The Factory tells the story of...

From the author of Fake History, Otto English, comes a shocking yet hilarious look at ten of the greatest liars from our past, examining these previously unquestioned idols and exposing what they were trying to hide. Was Che Guevara really a revolutionary hero? Should Mother Theresa be honoured a...

The shocking story of the case against Australia's most highly decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, and the defamation trial of the century. With a Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry, Ben Roberts-Smith was the most highly decorated Australian soldier, the best of the best. When he retu...

With the Australian troops crossing of the Kumusi River in mid-November 1942, after pushing the Japanese back along the Kokoda Track to the north coast of Papua New Guinea, the time had come to face the entrenched Japanese at their beachheads at Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The Japanese were determi...

Michael Palin recreates the extraordinary life and tragic death of a First World War soldier - his great-uncle Harry. From the time, many years ago, when Michael Palin first heard that his grandfather had a brother, Harry, who died in tragic circumstances, he was determined to find out more about...

Watchmaker and historian Rebecca Struthers welcomes us into the hidden world of watchmaking, offering a personal history of watches that spans centuries and continents. From her workshop bench, Rebecca explores the ways in which timekeeping has indelibly shaped our attitudes to work, leisure, tra...