New History Books for May 2025
From Gertrude Stein to Thomas More, the Sahara Desert to D-Day
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.
Alexander Pushkin and the City of Death and Beauty
Sinclair McKay explores the significance of one of Russia's great poet's death to the people of Saint Petersburg
The Photography of Dora Maar
In this excerpt from her book, Hidden Portraits, Sue Roe introduces us to the pioneering photographer Dora Maar
The Audacious Allied Bombing of Venice
Jonathan Glancey revisits one of the final airborne operations of World War Two
The Propaganda Girls
Lisa Rogak introduces us to four women whose guile and imagination found a novel outlet in World War Two
Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz
József Debreczeni describes his arrival at the Auschwitz Extermination Camp in May 1944
The Vatican, the War and the Pope's Secret Bank
Yvonnick Denoël takes us back to the Second World War and the Vatican's efforts to secure their wealth
