Tom Holland's bestselling account of the world's very first clash of civilisations between the Persians and the Greeks in 480BC

The formation of England occurred against the odds: an island divided into rival kingdoms, under savage assault from Viking hordes. But, after King Alfred ensured the survival of Wessex and his son Edward expanded it, his grandson Athelstan inherited the rule of both Mercia and Wessex, conquered Northumbria and was hailed as Rex totius Britanniae: 'King of the whole of Britain'.

Tom Holland recounts this extraordinary story with relish and drama, transporting us back to a time of omens, raven harbingers and blood-red battlefields. As well as giving form to the figure of Athelstan - devout, shrewd, all too aware of the precarious nature of his power, especially in the north - he introduces the great figures of the age, including Alfred and his daughter Aethelflaed, 'Lady of the Mercians', who brought Athelstan up at the Mercian court. Making sense of the family rivalries and fractious conflicts of the Anglo-Saxon rulers, Holland shows us how a royal dynasty rescued their kingdom from near-oblivion and fashioned a nation that endures to this day.

'The Book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . . This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian

'Re-evaluating Rome for a new generation' Robert Harris, Sunday Times

'Marvellously readable' Niall Ferguson

The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall.
It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.

Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2004 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2003 HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS

Of all the civilisations existing in the year 1000, that of Western Europe seemed the unlikeliest candidate for future greatness. Compared to the glittering empires of Byzantium or Islam, the splintered kingdoms on the edge of the Atlantic appeared impoverished, fearful and backward. But the anarchy of these years proved to be, not the portents of the end of the world, as many Christians had dreaded, but rather the birthpangs of a radically new order.

MILLENNIUM is a stunning panoramic account of the two centuries on either side of the apocalyptic year 1000. This was the age of Canute, William the Conqueror and Pope Gregory VII, of Vikings, monks and serfs, of the earliest castles and the invention of knighthood, and of the primal conflict between church and state. The story of how the distinctive culture of Europe - restless, creative and dynamic - was forged from out of the convulsions of these extraordinary times is as fascinating and as momentous as any in history.

The Sunday Times bestseller, with a new introduction by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

'If great books encourage you to look at the world in an entirely new way, then Dominion is a very great book indeed' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times History Book of the Year
'Terrific: bold, ambitious and passionate' Peter Frankopan

Dominion tells the epic story of how those in the West came to be what they are, and why they think the way they do. Ranging from Moses to Merkel, from Babylon to Beverley Hills, from the emergence of secularism to the abolition of slavery, it explores why, in a society that has become increasingly doubtful of religion's claims, so many of its instincts remain irredeemably Christian. Christianity's enduring impact is not confined to churches. It can be seen everywhere in the West: in science, in secularism, in gay rights, even in atheism. It is - to coin a phrase - the greatest story ever told.

PRAISE FOR DOMINION
'A masterpiece of scholarship and storytelling' John Gray, New Statesman
'Filled with vivid portraits, gruesome deaths and moral debates... Holland has all the talents of an accomplished novelist' Terry Eagleton, Guardian
'This extraordinary book is vintage Tom Holland: history boldly and elegantly retold' Diarmaid MacCulloch

'This is a wonderful, surging narrative - a brilliant and meticulous synthesis of the ancient sources . . . This is a story that should be read by anyone interested in history, politics or human nature - and it has never been better told' Boris Johnson, Mail on Sunday

'First-rate ancient history and a compulsively good read' Daily Mail

'Racy tales of psychopathic cruelty, incest, paedophilia, matricide, fratricide, assassination and depravity' William Dalrymple

Rome was first ruled by kings, then became a republic. But in the end, after conquering the world, the Republic collapsed. Rome was drowned in blood. So terrible were the civil wars that the Roman people finally came to welcome the rule of an autocrat who could give them peace. 'Augustus,' their new master called himself: 'The Divinely Favoured One'.

The lurid glamour of the dynasty founded by Augustus has never faded. No other family can compare for sheer unsettling fascination with its gallery of leading characters. Tiberius, the great general who ended up a bitter recluse, notorious for his perversions; Caligula, the master of cruelty and humiliation who rode his chariot across the sea; Agrippina, the mother of Nero, manoeuvering to bring to power the son who would end up having her murdered; Nero himself, racing in the Olympics, marrying a eunuch, and building a pleasure palace over the fire-gutted centre of his capital.

Now, in the sequel to Rubicon, Tom Holland gives a dazzling portrait of Rome's first imperial dynasty. Dynasty traces the full astonishing story of its rule of the world: both the brilliance of its allure, and the blood-steeped shadows cast by its crimes. Ranging from the great capital rebuilt in marble by Augustus to the dank and barbarian-haunted forests of Germany, it is populated by a spectacular cast: murderers and metrosexuals, adulterers and druids, scheming grandmothers and reluctant gladiators.

Dynasty is the portrait of a family that transformed and stupefied Rome.

In this 'thrilling. . .profoundly important book' (Christopher Hart, Sunday Times) and Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller, the acclaimed author of Rubicon gives a panoramic-and timely-account of the rise of Islam

In the 6th century AD, the Near East was divided between two great empires: the Persian and the Roman. A hundred years on, and one had vanished for ever, while the other was a dismembered, bleeding trunk. In their place, a new superpower had arisen: the empire of the Arabs. So profound was this upheaval that it spelled, in effect, the end of the ancient world.

But the changes that marked the period were more than merely political or even cultural: there was also a transformation of human society with incalculable consequences for the future. Today, over half the world's population subscribes to one of the various religions that took on something like their final form during the last centuries of antiquity. Wherever men or women are inspired by belief in a single god to think or behave in a certain way, they bear witness to the abiding impact of this extraordinary, convulsive age - though as Tom Holland demonstrates, much of what Jews, Christians and Muslims believe about the origins of their religion is open to debate.

In the Shadow of the Sword explores how a succession of great empires came to identify themselves with a new and revolutionary understanding of the divine. It is a story vivid with drama, horror and startling achievement, and stars many of the most remarkable rulers ever seen.

'A compelling detective story of the highest order, In the Shadow of the Sword is also a dazzlingly colourful journey into the world of late antiquity. Every bit as thrilling a narrative history as Holland's previous works, In the Shadow of the Sword is also a profoundly important book. It makes public and popular what scholarship has been discovering for several decades now; and those discoveries suggest a wholesale revision of where Islam came from and what it is' (Christopher Hart, Sunday Times)

Myth meets history in a blockbuster retelling of the Persian Wars from multi-award-winning author of Rubicon and Persian Fire Tom Holland, lavishly illustrated by Jason Cockcroft.

“The Persians are coming…” Hearing these words, Gorgo of Sparta is plunged into a dangerous world of vengeful gods and invincible heroes. For a mighty empire threatens Athens, Sparta and all who stand in its path... Calling on the ancient power to transform into a wolf and the blood of Zeus that runs through her veins, Gorgo must lead her nation in one of history's greatest wars. Multi-award-winning author Tom Holland and acclaimed illustrator Jason Cockcroft boldly weave myth and history in this dramatic tale of Greeks and Gods.

Gripping and powerful, this extraordinary illustrated novel will be treasured by readers young and old. Ideal for fans of Percy Jackson, Neil Gaiman and Kevin Crossley-Holland, and the mythical retellings of Madeline Miller, Pat Barker and Stephen Fry, this is a book to be read again and again.

"A spectacularly illustrated account of the Persian Wars ... a must-have for any child who loves Greek myths." THE SUNDAY TIMES

"Spectacular ... A tour de force for mythology and military history fans.” GUARDIAN

"A glorious white-knuckle ride through classical history ... a book that any child is likely to remember well into their later years." DAILY TELEGRAPH

"A glorious mixture – of history, fiction and thrilling legend, with pictures to swim the Hellespont for." SEBASTIAN FAULKS

"A clear contender for one of those totemic books whose memory you carry into adulthood. A triumph.” THE TIMES, CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

"The Wolf-Girl, the Greeks and the Gods is a wonder, as beautiful to look at as it is entrancing to read. Jason Cockcroft's illustrations are jaw-dropping, and Tom Holland's prose took me back to my own childhood introductions to these extraordinary mythological worlds in Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of the Greek Heroes and Leon Garfield's and Charles Keeping's The God Beneath the Sea." FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE

"A beautiful, immersive work of narrative history to treasure forever." WATERSTONES

“This truly epic adventure includes elements of ancient Greek myth and legend, and it is full of magic, mystery, danger, excitement and wonder. Strirking illustrations by Jason Cockcroft bring its ancient landscapes and heroic characters to life.” THE WEEK JUNIOR, BOOK OF THE WEEK

"Terrific ... has the feel of a contemporary classic." TONY BRADMAN, BOOKS FOR KEEPS

"Tom Holland's masterly interweaving of myth, imagination and deep classical learning makes this an extraordinary treat ... Jason's illustrations are also magnificent, packed with talent and sensitivity ... It reminded me of my own favourite childhood books of Greek myth and The Iliad." AMANDA CRAIG

Infamous poet Lord Byron comes to life with incendiary brilliance in this spellbinding blend of gothic imagination and documented fact. Wandering in the mountains of Greece, the supreme sensualist is drawn to the beauty of a mysterious fugitive slave; soon he is utterly entranced, and his fate is sealed. He embarks on a life of adventure even his genius could not have foreseen; chosen to enjoy powers beyond those any vampire has ever known, Byron traverses the centuries and enters a dark, intoxicating world of long-lost secrets, ancient arts and scorching excesses of evil. But Byron's gift is also his torment: an all-consuming thirst that withers life at the root, damning all those he loves.

With its impeccable scholarship and breathtaking storytelling, THE VAMPYRE is a wonderful combination of fact and fantasy.

The definitive history of Rome's golden age - antiquity's ultimate superpower at the pinnacle of its greatness

The Pax Romana has long been revered as a golden age. At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to Arabia, and contained perhaps a quarter of humanity. It was the wealthiest and most formidable state the world had yet seen.

Beginning in 69AD, a year that saw four Caesars in succession rule the empire, and ending some seven decades later with the death of Hadrian, Pax presents a dazzling history of Rome at the height of its power. From the gilded capital to realms beyond the frontier, historian Tom Holland portrays the Roman Empire in all its predatory glory. Vivid scene follows vivid scene: the destruction of Jerusalem and Pompeii, the building of the Colosseum and Hadrian's Wall, the conquests of Trajan. Vividly sketching the lives of Romans both ordinary and spectacular, from slaves to emperors, Holland demonstrates how Roman peace was the fruit of unprecedented military violence.

A stunning portrait of Rome's glory days, this is the epic history of the pax Romana.

Praise for Tom Holland:
'Terrific: bold, ambitious and passionate' Peter Frankopan
'An exceptionally good storyteller with a marvellous eye for detail' The Economist
'A book that completely transforms your understanding of the world' Spectator
'Narrative history at its best' Ian McEwan, Guardian

O retrato da família que transformou o Império Romano para sempre.

O retrato da família que transformou o Império Romano para sempre

Augusto - Tibério - Calígula - Cláudio - Nero

Primeiro governada por reis, Roma tornar-se-ia uma república. Mas no fim, após conquistar o mundo, a república desmoronou-se.

Roma afogou-se em sangue.

As guerras civis foram tão terríveis, que o povo romano acolheu de bom grado o governo de um autocrata que lhes poderia dar a paz. «Augusto», o seu novo senhor, intitulava-se «O Divino Favorito».

O fantástico esplendor da dinastia fundada por Augusto nunca esmoreceu. Nenhuma outra família se compara em fascínio com a sua galeria de personagens: Tibério, o grande general que acabou os seus dias como um recluso amargurado, célebre pelas suas perversões; Calígula, o mestre da crueldade e humilhação; Agripina, a mãe de Nero, cujas manobras levaram o filho ao poder, e que acabaria por morrer por ordem dele; Nero, que pontapeou a mulher grávida até à morte, que se casou com um eunuco, e que ergueu um palácio de prazer no centro dos escombros de uma Roma destruída pelo fogo.