Bookshelf

Welcome to the Unseen Histories bookshelf. Here you can read excerpts from new history books as well as browsing our archive of previews. These, published monthly, showcase the boldest and best new history writing across all eras of the past.

New History Books for Summer 2026 post image

New History Books for Summer 2026

Our pick of new history books for Summer 2026. From the Bayeux Tapestry to Napoleon III, Elizabeth Barton to Benito Mussolini.

Teddy Boys and Teenage Dreams: The 1950s Youth Club post image

Teddy Boys and Teenage Dreams: The 1950s Youth Club

Emma Warren explains how the British youth club became an exciting and revolutionary place in the years after the Second World War.

The Lady of the Land: The Pioneering Life of Eve Balfour post image

The Lady of the Land: The Pioneering Life of Eve Balfour

Robert Ashton outlines the experimental researches of the English aristocrat, farmer, educator and organic farming pioneer Lady Eve Balfour

Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin post image

Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin

Dr Saira Hameed tells the story of Frederick Banting's transformative research on insulin – work that would save the lives of tens of millions of diabetics

New History Books for June 2026 post image

New History Books for June 2026

Our pick of new history books for June. From Alexander the Great to the Great Exhibition, the South Seas to Iran

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New History Books for May 2026

Our pick of new history books for May. From the Vikings to the Weimar Republic, the Georgian Dining Room to Winston Churchill

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New History Books for April 2026

From Pompeii to Kim Philby, Renoir to Offa of Mercia

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New History Books for March 2026

From Silence to the Battle of Trafalgar, King Henry VII to Adolf Hitler

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New History Books for February 2026

From the Samurais to the Fascists, Charlotte Brontë to Daniel Defoe

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New History Books for January 2026

From the Footlights to the Baltic, the Declaration of Independence to Suleiman the Magnificent

Our Favourite History Books of 2025 post image

Our Favourite History Books of 2025

From earthquakes to aeroplanes, Picasso to Thomas More, here are ten of our favourite history books, published over the past year

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New History Books for November 2025

From the North Sea to Mexico, fossil hunting to the Soviet Union