History, Politics and Commentary - Commentary

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In 1999, shortly after arriving in Beijing as The Times’s China correspondent, Oliver August set out on the trail of China’s most wanted man, Lai Changxing. An illiterate peasant from the coastal city of Xiamen, Lai created his own shipping empire from nothing before vanishing abruptly when the Communist Party accused him of corruption and fraud. Once the richest man in the country, Lai was now public enemy number one because his immense wealth became a threat to Beijingâ€... read more

Using a question and answer format, this entertaining narrative addresses a multitude of general interest questions about the sea, sea life, seabirds and man's relationship with the sea. Have you ever wondered: Does drinking seawater drive you mad? Do fish drink water? Does anything eat jellyfish? How do flying fish fly? Why do icebergs float? Do Whales Get the Bends? will answer these and over a hundred other intriguing questions. Inspired by questions raised whilst the author was guest lecturer on cruise ships, this fascinat... read more

The Most Dangerous Man in the World is the definitive account of WikiLeaks and the man who is as secretive as the organisations he targets. Through interviews with Julian Assange, his inner circle and those who fell out with him, Andrew Fowler tells the story of how a man with a turbulent childhood and brilliance for computers created a phenomenon that has become a game-changer in journalism and global politics. In this international thriller, Fowler gives a ringside seat on the biggest leak in history. He charts the pursuit of Ass... read more

Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of the classics Genome and Nature via Nurture, turns from investigating human nature to investigating human progress.
In The Rational Optimist Ridley offers a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our age, and proves, however much we like to think to the contrary, that things are getting better. Over 10,000 years ago there were fewer than 10 million people on the planet. Today there are more than 6 billion, 99 per cent of whom are better fed, better sheltered, better entertained and better... read more

'A book breathtaking in its sweep and scope! This inspiring book [is] a glorious defence of our species! A devastating rebuke to humanity's self-haters' Sunday Times

'As a work of bold historical positivity it is to be welcomed. At every point cheerfulness keeps breaking through' The Times

'Ridley's real target is those doomsayers who insist that everything is going from bad to worse and something must be done about it!he shows that such gloom-sayers have always been with us and have always been proved wrong! p..read more

From the bestselling author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves , a hilarious new book from Lynne Truss about her strange journey through the world of sport and sports journalism. Get Her Off the Pitch! is the story of one woman's foray into the very masculine and rather baffling world of sport. Lynne Truss spent four years as an unlikely sports writer for The Times . It was a job that took her around the world (via the most difficult journeys and least glamorous hotels) and introduced her to some of the greatest living sportsmen - and ma... read more

A brave and brilliantly researched intellectual history of the relationship between women and mental illness since 1800. This is the story of how we have understood extreme states of mind over the last two hundred years and how we conceive of them today, from the depression suffered by Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath to the mental anguish and addictions of iconic beauties Zelda Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. From Mary Lamb, sister of Charles, who in the throes of a nervous breakdown turned on her mother with a kitchen knife, to Fr... read more

Why do goths wear black? Why do rock singers make that 'jesus' shape on stage? Why do songs about death and despair make us feel good? And why can't you get no satisfaction? According to Craig Schuftan, it all began about two hundred years ago. Hey! Nietzche! is the first book to uncover the hidden roots of rock and roll in the romantic movement. Schuftan picks up a clue in My Chemical Romance's 'Welcome the Black Parade', and follows it into a world where Keats meets the Cure, Wordsworth hangs with Weezer, and Byron exchanges haug... read more

With its deep roots and global scope, the capitalist system provides the framework for our lives. It is a framework of constant change, sometimes measured and predictable, sometimes drastic and out of control. Yet what is now ubiquitous was not always so. Capitalism took shape centuries ago, starting with a handful of isolated changes in farming, trade and manufacturing in early modern England. Astute observers began to notice these changes and consider their effects. Those in power began to harness these new practices to the state... read more

"The book is a brisk, well-written, even-handed and highly persuasive account of the origins, growth, and rather iffy current situation of the capitalist economic order." Literary Review "The best thing about this book is the author's insistence on the evolutionary character of the economic process..." Niall Ferguson, The Times Literary Supplement "There is...much to be learned from The Relentless Revolution..." The Business Economist "Splendid: the global history of capitalism in all its creative-and destructive-glory." The New York Times Book Rev..read more

RADICAL GARDENING traces strands of idealism, rebellion, political action and social criticism in the garden both historically and today.

In the tradition of the now-classic Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, world-renowned economist and political adviser Jacques Attali predicts how our world will look in the coming decades and a century from now.

William D. Cohan, chronicler of Wall Street, turns his sights on Goldman Sachs, one of the most iconic and successful banks in the world. When, In late 2008, The dust finally started to settle on one of the worst financial crises in history, only one Wall Street institution still stood virtually unassailed - Goldman Sachs. Why did Goldman survive, and even flourish, when so many of its peers were collapsing around it? In Money and Power William D Cohan gives us the inside story of why Goldman is so profitable... read more

Something went wrong around the start of the twenty-first century. The crowd was wise. Social networks replaced individual creativity. There were more places to express ourselves than ever before ...yet no one really had anything to say. Does this have to be our future? In You Are Not A Gadget digital guru and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier reveals how recent developments in our culture are deadening personal interaction, stifling genuine inventiveness and even changing us as people. Showing us the way to a future ... read more

Fabulous - I couldn't put it down and shouted out Yes! Yes! on many pages ... This is a landmark book that will have people talking and arguing for years into the future. - Lee Smolin

Lucid, powerful and persuasive ... Necessary reading for anyone interested in how the Web and the software we use every day are reshaping culture and the marketplace - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

There is hardly a page that does not contain some fascinating provocation - Guardian

Mind-bending, exuberant, brilliant <..read more

In Necessary Secrets Gabriel Schoenfeld presents a controversial scrutiny of democracy's fundamental tension between the imperatives of security and openness. "Leaking" the unauthorised disclosure of classified information is an established part of the US government's normal functioning. Schoenfeld examines history and legal precedent to argue that leaks have reached an extreme. He starts with The New York Times' recent revelation of the existence of National Security Agency programmes created under the Bush administration and then... read more

"A truly great book..." Jack Goldsmith "A subtle and instructive brief... Scrupulously honest." Alan M. Dershowitz, The New York Times Book Review

Imagine a world where all the news you see is defined by your salary, where you live, and who your friends are. Imagine a world where you never discover new ideas. And where you can't have secrets. Welcome to 2011. Google and Facebook are already feeding you what they think you want to see. Advertisers are following your every click. Your computer monitor is becoming a one-way mirror, reflecting your interests and reinforcing your prejudices. The internet is no longer a free, independent space. It is commercially controlled and eve... read more

Eli Pariser is worried. He cares deeply about our common social sphere and sees it in jeopardy. He has got me worried, too. A must-read David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect

Anyone who cares about the future of [humanity] in a digital landscape should read this book - especially if it is not showing up in your recommended reads on Amazon Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc

If you feel that the Web is your wide open window on the world, you need to read this book to understand w..read more

Can we really ALL be the best? Is the idea of innate ability holding us back? Could the ability to fail - and then get over it - be fundamental to success? Matthew Syed, bestselling writer and international table-tennis champion (after many hours of practice) takes us on a revelatory exploration of being the best and the true nature of talent. In so doing he debunks many cherished myths - that we can be born brilliant (and that child prodigies prove it); that we are restricted by our genetic make-up; and that social backgr... read more

'A gripping examination of the hidden forces that come together in the making of a champion.' Michael Atherton, former England cricket captain

'A fascinating subject and Syed is a dazzling writer.' Owen Slot, The Times

'I love this book. A must-read if you have ever wondered what sets the super-achievers and the rest of us apart - in any field, not just in sport. I only wish I had read it when I was fifteen.' Gabby Logan, BBC presenter and former international gymnast

'Intellectually s..read more

Ruppert addresses some simple but widely ignored concepts relating to the critical role of oil and gas in the modern world. He gives emphasis to the U.S. situation but also covers the wider world, ending with 25 sensible recommendations.

Behavioral economist and New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely returns to offer a much-needed take on the irrational decisions that influence our dating lives, our workplace experiences and our general behaviour, up close and personal. In The Upside of Irrationality, behavioral economist Dan Ariely will explore the many ways in which our behaviour often leads us astray in terms of our romantic relationships, our experiences in the workplace, and our temptations to cheat. Blending everyday experien... read more

What happens to our pop culture when it meets another culture head on especially one that according to some is completely at odds with our own? In The Sheikh's Batmobile, pop-cultural commentator Richard Poplak sets out on an unusual two-year odyssey. His mission is to see what becomes of his, and North America's, obsessions—pop songs and sitcoms, Hollywood movies and shoot-em-up video games, muscle cars and punk music—when they make their way into the Muslim world. Over the course of his journey, Poplak is body slammed by WWE fa... read more

The author, who is himself a Romani, speaks directly to the gadze (non-Gypsy) reader about his people, their history since leaving India 1000 years ago, their rejection and exclusion from society in the countries where they settled, their health, food, culture and society.