• The Best Thomas Cromwell Books - Thomas Cromwell: A Life by Diarmaid MacCulloch
  • The Best Thomas Cromwell Books - The Tudor Constitution: Documents and Commentary by G R Elton
  • The Best Thomas Cromwell Books - The Reformation Parliament 1529-1536 by Stanford E Lehmberg
  • The Best Thomas Cromwell Books - Henry VIII: The Quest for Fame by John Guy
  • The Best Thomas Cromwell Books - London and the Reformation by Susan Brigden

The Best Thomas Cromwell Books, recommended by Benedict King

The Mirror and the Light—the final instalment of Hilary Mantel’s epic trilogy covering the life of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister and architect of the English Reformation—was published to great acclaim this month. Here, Five Books contributing editor Benedict King chooses five of the best books to help you get to grips with the real Thomas Cromwell and the political and religious environment in which he operated. You can watch Benedict talking about his Thomas Cromwell book choices here.

  • The best books on Alexander the Great - Alexander the Great: The Anabasis and the Indica by Arrian
  • The best books on Alexander the Great - The History of Alexander by Quintus Curtius Rufus
  • The best books on Alexander the Great - The First European: A History of Alexander in the Age of Empire by Pierre Briant
  • The best books on Alexander the Great - The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources from the Achaemenid Period by Amélie Kuhrt
  • The best books on Alexander the Great - Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault

The best books on Alexander the Great, recommended by Hugh Bowden

Alexander the Great never lost a battle and established an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent. From the earliest times, historians have argued about the nature of his achievements and what his failings were, both as a man and as a political leader. Here, Hugh Bowden, professor of ancient history at King’s College London, chooses five books to help you understand the controversies, the man behind the legends, and why the legends have taken the forms they have.

  • The best books on Napoleon - The Campaigns of Napoleon by David G Chandler
  • The best books on Napoleon - Talleyrand by Duff Cooper
  • The best books on Napoleon - With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and His German Allies in the 1809 Campaign by John H Gill
  • The best books on Napoleon - Private Memoirs Of The Court Of Napoleon by Louis François Joseph Bausset-Roquefort
  • The best books on Napoleon - With Napoleon in Russia: Memoirs of General de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza by Armand de Caulaincourt

The best books on Napoleon, recommended by Andrew Roberts

How did Napoleon Bonaparte, an upstart Corsican, go on to conquer half of Europe in the 16 years of his rule? Was he a military genius? And was he really that short? Historian Andrew Roberts, author of a bestselling biography of Napoleon, introduces us to the books that shaped how he sees l’Empereur—including little-known sources from those who knew Napoleon personally. Read more history book recommendations on Five Books