A brilliant short history of the relationship between Europeans and the rest of the world.

A unique history of Britain's most influential invention - from the East India Company to Enron

Hume is one of the greatest of all British philosophers. Hume's 'naturalist' approach to a variety of philosophical topics resulted in theories about perception, self-identity, causation, morality, politics, and religion, which are discussed in this introduction. This book gives an account of Hume's life and character.

The British Empire has generally been seen as a racist empire. The British rulers were motivated not by race but by class - they loathed Indians or Africans no more or less than they loathed the great majority of Englishmen. This book is suitable for those wishing to understand how the British Empire really worked.

The fateful span of Japan's modern history, in which it has undergone as dramatic a transformation as any country has known.

'The greatest literary scholar of his generation' (Independent) explains how the history of the Elizabethan era is the backdrop to William Shakespeare and his plays.