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Literary Nonfiction » Page 2

    The best books on Hemingway in Paris, recommended by Wai Chee Dimock

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    1

    The Sun Also Rises
    by Ernest Hemingway

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    2

    A Moveable Feast
    by Ernest Hemingway

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    3

    The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas
    by Gertrude Stein

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    4

    The Book of Salt
    by Monique Truong

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    5

    The Paris Wife
    by Paula Mclain

The best books on Hemingway in Paris, recommended by Wai Chee Dimock

Paris in the 1920s was a creative melting pot, the haunt of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce. The Yale English professor gives us a feel for what it was like to be there

    The best books on Osama bin Laden, recommended by Peter Bergen

  • Read

    1

    The Bin Ladens
    by Steve Coll

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    2

    Growing up bin Laden
    by Najwa bin Laden, Omar bin Laden and Jean Sasson

  • Read

    3

    The Looming Tower
    by Lawrence Wright

  • Read

    4

    Osama bin Laden
    by Michael Scheuer

  • Read

    5

    Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam
    by Jason Burke

The best books on Osama bin Laden, recommended by Peter Bergen

Many thought that 9/11 was the start of an Al-Qaeda assault on the West, but it turned out to be Bin Laden’s Pearl Harbor – a victory that led to strategic defeat – says Peter Bergen, one of the few reporters who met the Saudi-born militant.

    The best books on Wild Places, recommended by Robert Macfarlane

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    1

    Arctic Dreams
    by Barry Lopez

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    2

    Blood Meridian
    by Cormac McCarthy

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    3

    The Peregrine
    by JA Baker

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    4

    The Living Mountain
    by Nan Shepherd

  • Read

    5

    Desert Solitaire
    by Edward Abbey

The best books on Wild Places, recommended by Robert Macfarlane

Robert Macfarlane, author of an acclaimed trilogy of books about landscape and human thought tells us about the intrepid, sometimes misanthropic writers who inspired his own investigation of wilderness. He chooses some of his favourite books of nature-writing.

    The Best Travel Books, recommended by Paul Theroux

  • Read

    1

    The Worst Journey in the World
    by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

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    2

    Following the Equator
    by Mark Twain

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    3

    The West Indies and the Spanish Main
    by Anthony Trollope

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    4

    Christ Stopped at Eboli
    by Carlo Levi

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    5

    An Area of Darkness
    by VS Naipaul

The Best Travel Books, recommended by Paul Theroux

Travel is a leap in the dark, says Paul Theroux and one that will leave you a different person at the other end. He recommends five travel books that inspired him, from Mark Twain at sea to VS Naipaul in India

    The best books on The Queen, recommended by Robert Lacey

  • Read

    1

    The English Constitution
    by Walter Bagehot

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    2

    King George V
    by Kenneth Rose

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    3

    Edward VIII
    by Frances Donaldson

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    4

    Crown and People
    by Philip Ziegler

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    5

    The Diana Chronicles
    by Tina Brown

The best books on The Queen, recommended by Robert Lacey

The royal biographer Robert Lacey considers Queen Elizabeth II, her legacy, her family history, and her ambivalent relationship with Princess Diana.

    The best books on Perspectives of World War II, recommended by James Holland

  • Read

    1

    First Light
    by Geoffrey Wellum

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    2

    Near East
    by Cecil Beaton

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    3

    Marking Time
    by Elizabeth Jane Howard

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    4

    One Man’s Window
    by Denis Barnham

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    5

    Sword of Honour
    by Evelyn Waugh

The best books on Perspectives of World War II, recommended by James Holland

The author of a new book on the Dam Buster squadron tells us about works of fiction or memoir that show the horror of the Second World War in a human light and with fresh immediacy

    The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone

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    1

    Eleanor of Aquitaine
    by Alison Weir

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    2

    The Serpent and the Moon
    by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent

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    3

    The Heptameron
    by Marguerite de Navarre

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    4

    Murder of a Medici Princess
    by Caroline P Murphy

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    5

    Wedlock
    by Wendy Moore

The best books on Strong Women in Bad Marriages, recommended by Nancy Goldstone

The author of The Maid and the Queen takes us on an enjoyable ride through European history, looking at well-connected women who outwitted their husbands or asserted their independence.

    Adam Gopnik on his Favourite Essay Collections

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    1

    And Even Now
    by Max Beerbohm

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    2

    The Common Reader
    by Virginia Woolf

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    3

    Essays of EB White
    by EB White

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    4

    A Sad Heart At The Supermarket
    by Randall Jarrell

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    5

    Visions Before Midnight
    by Clive James

Adam Gopnik on his Favourite Essay Collections

What makes a great essayist? What had it, who didn’t? And whose work left the biggest mark on the New Yorker? A longtime writer for the magazine picks out five masters of the craft

    The best books on Memoirs of Communism, recommended by Anne Applebaum

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    1

    The Captive Mind
    by Czeslaw Milosz

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    2

    A World Apart
    by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński

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    3

    Memoir of Hungary
    by Sándor Márai

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    4

    The Snows of Yesteryear
    by Gregor von Rezzori

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    5

    Speak, Memory
    by Vladimir Nabokov

The best books on Memoirs of Communism, recommended by Anne Applebaum

The traumas of the 20th century hit Eastern Europe hard – a region of changing borders, uncertain identity, and shattering of moral norms. The journalist and communism expert selects books that capture the spirit of the age.

    The best books on Travelling in the Muslim World, recommended by Tim Mackintosh-Smith

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    1

    The Travels of Ibn Battutah
    by Ibn Battutah (edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith)

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    2

    The Road to Oxiana
    by Robert Byron

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    3

    A Year Amongst the Persians
    by Edward G Browne

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    4

    The Sindbad Voyage
    by Tim Severin

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    5

    Night and Horses and the Desert
    by Robert Irwin (editor)

The best books on Travelling in the Muslim World, recommended by Tim Mackintosh-Smith

The author and Arabist tells us about the rich tradition in Islam of travelling to gain knowledge, and directs us towards some of those, both Western and Arab, who’ve inspired with their tales of life on the road.

    Geoff Dyer on Unusual Histories

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    1

    Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
    by Rebecca West

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    2

    The Beauty and the Sorrow
    by Peter Englund

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    3

    House of Exile
    by Evelyn Juers

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    4

    A History of Bombing
    by Sven Lindqvist

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    5

    Imperium
    by Ryszard Kapuściński

Geoff Dyer on Unusual Histories

The author of But Beautiful and Zona tells us about different ways of writing history, and gives us five examples where innovative or experimental approaches have paid off.

    Writers Who Inspired Him, recommended by William Boyd

  • Read

    1

    Catch 22
    by Joseph Heller

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    2

    Scoop
    by Evelyn Waugh

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    3

    Couples
    by John Updike

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    4

    The Heart of the Matter
    by Graham Greene

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    5

    Collected Short Stories
    by Anton Chekhov

Writers Who Inspired Him, recommended by William Boyd

The novelist William Boyd tells us about the authors, from Chekhov to Heller, who most influenced his own development as a writer – and reveals the secret to a well-crafted sex scene

    Eva Hoffman recommends the best Memoirs

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    1

    The Words
    by Jean-Paul Sartre

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    2

    Speak, Memory
    by Vladimir Nabokov

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    3

    The Woman Warrior
    by Maxine Hong Kingston

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    4

    Basil Street Blues
    by Michael Holroyd

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    5

    Lying
    by Lauren Slater

Eva Hoffman recommends the best Memoirs

To tell your own story is to confront and construct your deepest sense of self. The author of Lost in Translation tells us about five striking memoirs of identity, dislocation, and belonging.

    The Best Biographies, recommended by Lyndall Gordon

  • Read

    1

    Selected Essays
    by TS Eliot

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    2

    The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth
    by Frances Wilson

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    3

    Reading Chekhov
    by Janet Malcolm

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    4

    Lost in Translation
    by Eva Hoffman

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    5

    Jane's Fame
    by Claire Harman

The Best Biographies, recommended by Lyndall Gordon

The inner life is a mystery but the best biographies expose the hidden kernel of a person, says literary biographer and academic, Lyndall Gordon. She picks five books that push the boundaries of the genre.

    The best books on First-Person Narratives, recommended by William Fiennes

  • Read

    1

    The Periodic Table
    by Primo Levi

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    2

    Father and Son
    by Edmund Gosse

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    3

    U and I
    by Nicholson Baker

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    4

    The Peregrine
    by JA Baker

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    5

    Up in the Old Hotel
    by Joseph Mitchell

The best books on First-Person Narratives, recommended by William Fiennes

Writing in the first person doesn’t have to be inward-looking or egotistical, says the author of The Snow Geese. He tells us about his favourite autobiographical works that use the first person to look out into the world

    The best books on Modern Iran, recommended by Jasmin Darznik

  • Read

    1

    Shah of Shahs
    by Ryszard Kapuściński

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    2

    Mirrors of the Unseen
    by Jason Elliot

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    3

    Sin: Selected Poems
    by Forugh Farrokhzad (translated by Sholeh Wolpe)

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    4

    Women Without Men
    by Shahrnush Parsipur

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    5

    My Uncle Napoleon
    by Iraj Pezeshkzad

The best books on Modern Iran, recommended by Jasmin Darznik

Everyday life in Iran is often mischaracterised, says the Iranian author and academic – especially when it comes to the struggles of its women. She recommends five books that give us a window on Iranian history and family life

    The best books on Family History, recommended by Turtle Bunbury

  • Read

    1

    When the Lion Feeds
    by Wilbur Smith

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    2

    One Hundred Years of Solitude
    by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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    3

    Flashman
    by George McDonald Fraser

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    4

    Burke's Landed Gentry
    by Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd

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    5

    The Irish Country House
    by Peter Somerville Ross

The best books on Family History, recommended by Turtle Bunbury

The Irish-based writer says studying families is a fascinating way to learn about the past, and tells us about the books that have inspired his own investigations

    The best books on India, recommended by Mark Tully

  • Read

    1

    Kim
    by Rudyard Kipling

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    2

    The Argumentative Indian
    by Amartya Sen

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    3

    Bhowani Junction
    by John Masters

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    4

    Raag Darbari
    by Shrilal Shukla (translated by Gillian Wright)

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    5

    The English Teacher
    by RK Narayan

The best books on India, recommended by Mark Tully

The veteran journalist, who has lived in India for most of his life, talks about the country’s new-found self-confidence and recommends books to better understand its history and complexities

    The Best Royal Biographies, recommended by Hugo Vickers

  • Read

    1

    Queen Mary
    by James Pope-Hennessy

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    2

    King George V
    by Kenneth Rose

  • Read

    3

    The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester
    by Princess Alice

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    4

    Ask Sir James
    by Michaela Reid

  • Read

    5

    Chips – The Diaries of Sir Henry Channon
    by Sir Henry Channon

The Best Royal Biographies, recommended by Hugo Vickers

Hugo Vickers talks about what makes a good royal biography, and how he helped Helena Bonham Carter prepare for her film role as the Queen Mother

    James Shapiro on Shakespeare’s Life

  • Read

    1

    Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare
    by James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps

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    2

    William Shakespeare
    by E K Chambers

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    3

    Shakespeare’s Lives
    by S Schoenbaum

  • Read

    4

    The Lodger
    by Charles Nicholl

  • Read

    5

    William Shakespeare
    by Peter Holland

James Shapiro on Shakespeare’s Life

Writing a traditional biography of Shakespeare is impossible, says Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro. But here he selects the best five books that tackle the life of the Bard.

    The best books on The Kennedys, recommended by David Nasaw

  • Read

    1

    Hostage to Fortune
    by Amanda Smith & Amanda Smith (editor)

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    2

    Conversations with Kennedy
    by Benjamin C. Bradlee

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    3

    Robert Kennedy and His Times
    by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

  • Read

    4

    JFK: Reckless Youth
    by Nigel Hamilton

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    5

    True Compass
    by Edward M. Kennedy

The best books on The Kennedys, recommended by David Nasaw

The story and tragedy of the Kennedys is so incredible you don’t need to turn to fiction, says the biographer of Joseph P Kennedy, David Nasaw. He talks us through the Kennedy generations.

    The best books on The History of the Present, recommended by Timothy Garton Ash

  • Read

    1

    The Histories
    by Herodotus

  • Read

    2

    Historical and Critical Essays
    by Thomas Babington Macaulay

  • Read

    3

    Homage to Catalonia
    by George Orwell

  • Read

    4

    The Last Days of Hitler
    by H. R Trevor Roper

  • Read

    5

    The Diaries of Evelyn Waugh
    by Michael Davie (editor)

The best books on The History of the Present, recommended by Timothy Garton Ash

Historian and journalist Timothy Garton Ash describes the “mongrel genre” between reportage and scholarship and says using the historian’s tools to analyse the present is a vital undertaking

    The best books on Chinese Life Stories, recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

  • Read

    1

    The Talented Women of the Zhang Family
    by Susan Mann

  • Read

    2

    Heart of Buddha, Heart of China
    by James Carter

  • Read

    3

    Mao Zedong
    by Jonathan Spence

  • Read

    4

    Confessions: An Innocent Life in Communist China
    by Kang Zhengguo

  • Read

    5

    Factory Girls
    by Leslie T Chang

The best books on Chinese Life Stories, recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

The historian and China specialist says that to get a real sense of the country you need to focus on individuals and their stories. Here he chooses five books that draw on China’s long tradition of biographical writing

    The Best Agatha Christie Books, recommended by Mathew Prichard

  • Read

    1

    Endless Night
    by Agatha Christie

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    2

    The ABC Murders
    by Agatha Christie

  • Read

    3

    A Murder is Announced
    by Agatha Christie

  • Read

    4

    Agatha Christie
    by Laura Thompson

  • Read

    5

    The Witness for the Prosecution
    by Agatha Christie

The Best Agatha Christie Books, recommended by Mathew Prichard

Agatha Christie was a shy, unassuming woman who likely remains the bestselling novelist of all time. Here her grandson, Mathew Prichard, talks us through his favourite Agatha Christies.

    The best books on Fashion Biographies, recommended by Justine Picardie

  • Read

    1

    The Allure of Chanel
    by Paul Morand

  • Read

    2

    Dior by Dior
    by Christian Dior

  • Read

    3

    Shocking Life
    by Elsa Schiaparelli

  • Read

    4

    The Unexpurgated Beaton
    by Cecil Beaton (Author), Hugo Vickers (Editor)

  • Read

    5

    Diana Vreeland
    by Eleanor Dwight

The best books on Fashion Biographies, recommended by Justine Picardie

Justine Picardie, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar UK and author of Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, chooses her favourite fashion biographies, and considers whether fashion and art are inextricably linked.

    Douglas Hurd recommends the best Political Biographies

  • Read

    1

    Edward Heath
    by Philip Ziegler

  • Read

    2

    Supermac
    by DR Thorpe

  • Read

    3

    Eden
    by D R Thorpe

  • Read

    4

    Gladstone
    by Roy Jenkins

  • Read

    5

    Disraeli
    by Robert Blake

Douglas Hurd recommends the best Political Biographies

The former British foreign secretary, Douglas Hurd, recommends five highly readable political biographies, looking at the lives of some of Britain’s best-known Tory Prime Ministers.

    The best books on Solzhenitsyn, recommended by Michael Nicholson

  • Read

    1

    Solzhenitsyn
    by Michael Scammell

  • Read

    2

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
    by L.Saraskina

  • Read

    3

    The Solzhenitsyn Files
    by Michael Scammell (Ed), Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

  • Read

    4

    Operation Prophet
    by Robert B Asprey

  • Read

    5

    Solzhenitsyn
    by Francis Barker

The best books on Solzhenitsyn, recommended by Michael Nicholson

The Dean of University College, Oxford, and specialist in late 20th-century Russian literature explores different writings on Solzhenitsyn — from Marxist critiques, to the politburo files, his life in the West and more.

    The best books on Einstein, recommended by Walter Isaacson

  • Read

    1

    Einstein’s Clocks, Poincaré’s Maps
    by Peter Galison

  • Read

    2

    The Fabric of the Cosmos
    by Brian Greene

  • Read

    3

    Evolution of Physics
    by Albert Einstein and Leopold Infeld

  • Read

    4

    Einstein’s Dreams
    by Alan Lightman

  • Read

    5

    Einstein in Love
    by Dennis Overbye

The best books on Einstein, recommended by Walter Isaacson

The former editor of Time magazine and CEO of CNN talks to us about the life and work of Albert Einstein, including the bet with his wife that left her with his Nobel Prize money and him with a divorce.

    The best books on Victorian Adventures, recommended by Stephen Evans

  • Read

    1

    London in the Nineteenth Century
    by Jerry White

  • Read

    2

    The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic
    by Steven Johnson

  • Read

    3

    The Great Game
    by Peter Hopkirk

  • Read

    4

    Kim
    by Rudyard Kipling

  • Read

    5

    The Riddle of the Sands
    by Erskine Childers

The best books on Victorian Adventures, recommended by Stephen Evans

High Commissioner to Bangladesh chooses books on the defining moments of 19th-century Britain and describes the game of exploration & espionage played out by Britain and Russia in the 19th century

    The best books on Indian Journeys, recommended by Roy Moxham

  • Read

    1

    Foxy-T
    by Tony White

  • Read

    2

    The Way of the World
    by Nicolas Bouvier

  • Read

    3

    In an Antique Land
    by Amitav Ghosh

  • Read

    4

    Twilight in Delhi
    by Ahmed Ali

  • Read

    5

    Raag Darbari
    by Shrilal Shukla (translated by Gillian Wright)

The best books on Indian Journeys, recommended by Roy Moxham

The author and Senior Conservator of the University of London’s Senate House Library discusses books on Indian Journeys. Interesting selections that offer good insights into the authors themselves

    The best books on Spain, recommended by Jason Webster

  • Read

    1

    The Journey of the Soul
    by Ibn Tufail, translation by Dr Riad Kocache

  • Read

    2

    My Last Sigh
    by Luis Buñuel

  • Read

    3

    As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
    by Laurie Lee

  • Read

    4

    Deep Song and Other Prose
    by Federico García Lorca

  • Read

    5

    Operation Garbo
    by Juan Pujol with Nigel West

The best books on Spain, recommended by Jason Webster

From the book Robinson Crusoe was based on to surrealist filmmakers, Jason Webster chooses five books that illustrate the power of the Spanish imagination.

    The best books on Southeast Asian Travel Literature, recommended by Cat Barton

  • Read

    1

    The Quiet American
    by Graham Greene

  • Read

    2

    Selected Poems
    by James Fenton

  • Read

    3

    The Gate
    by François Bizot

  • Read

    4

    Stay Alive, My Son
    by Pin Yathay

  • Read

    5

    The Beach
    by Alex Garland

The best books on Southeast Asian Travel Literature, recommended by Cat Barton

The Bureau Chief for the Agence France Presse in Dhaka discusses South East Asian travel literature. Particularly interesting on Cambodia. Further recommended reading from Graham Greene and James Fenton

    The best books on The Diplomat’s Wife, recommended by Brigid Keenan

  • Read

    1

    Out of Africa
    by Isak Dinesen

  • Read

    2

    The Poisonwood Bible
    by Barbara Kingsolver

  • Read

    3

    An English Lady in Chinese Turkestan
    by Lady Catherine Macartney

  • Read

    4

    The Inner Life of Syria, Palestine and the Holy Land
    by Isabel Burton

  • Read

    5

    The Jewel in the Crown
    by Paul Scott

The best books on The Diplomat’s Wife, recommended by Brigid Keenan

The author discusses a varied selection of books about young women living abroad. Draws on her own experiences as a Diplomat’s Wife. Features Out of Africa and The Jewel In The Crown with three more travel classics

    The best books on Vladimir Nabokov, recommended by Maxim D Shrayer

  • Read

    1

    The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov
    by Vladimir Nabokov

  • Read

    2

    Glory
    by Vladimir Nabokov

  • Read

    3

    Pnin
    by Vladimir Nabokov

  • Read

    4

    Vladimir Nabokov
    by Brian Boyd

  • Read

    5

    Vladimir Nabokov (Overlook Illustrated Lives)
    by Jane Grayson

The best books on Vladimir Nabokov, recommended by Maxim D Shrayer

Bilingual author and translator with his pick of the five must-reads by – and about – Nabokov. Says a revisionist biography of the writer is due, which comes to terms with the Jewish influence on his work

    The best books on Foreign Memoirs, recommended by Jennifer Steil

  • Read

    1

    River Town
    by Peter Hessler

  • Read

    2

    Three Cups of Tea
    by Greg Mortenson

  • Read

    3

    The Zanzibar Chest
    by Aidan Hartley

  • Read

    4

    The Caliph’s House
    by Tahir Shah

  • Read

    5

    The Sex Lives of Cannibals
    by J Maarten Troost

The best books on Foreign Memoirs, recommended by Jennifer Steil

The first five books in the genre, as picked by a writer, journalist and actor who wrote a memoir about running a newspaper in Yemen. 

    The best books on John Maynard Keynes, recommended by Robert Skidelsky

  • Read

    1

    The Life of John Maynard Keynes
    by Roy Harrod

  • Read

    2

    John Maynard Keynes
    by Paul Davidson

  • Read

    3

    John Maynard Keynes
    by Hyman Minsky

  • Read

    4

    Keynes and the market
    by Justyn Walsh

  • Read

    5

    The Unexplored Keynes and Other Essays
    by Anand Chandavarkar

The best books on John Maynard Keynes, recommended by Robert Skidelsky

Keynes biographer Robert Skidelsky recommends the best books about one of the most important economists of all time, John Maynard Keynes.

    The best books on The Nile, recommended by Dan Morrison

  • Read

    1

    The Black Nile
    by Dan Morrison

  • Read

    2

    The White Nile
    by Alan Moorehead

  • Read

    3

    A Different Shade of Colonialism
    by Eve M Troutt Powell

  • Read

    4

    The Nile
    by Robert O Collins

  • Read

    5

    Emma’s War
    by Deborah Scroggins

The best books on The Nile, recommended by Dan Morrison

Journalist and author of The Black Nile, who spent six months travelling the famous river, discusses some of the turbulent times that the Nile has witnessed – and praises its extraordinary beauty.

    The best books on Mexico, recommended by Hugh Thomson

  • Read

    1

    Under the Volcano
    by Malcolm Lowry

  • Read

    2

    The Underdogs
    by Mariano Azuela

  • Read

    3

    The Conquest of Mexico
    by Hugh Thomas

  • Read

    4

    Robbery Under Law
    by Evelyn Waugh

  • Read

    5

    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
    by B Traven

The best books on Mexico, recommended by Hugh Thomson

Explorer, film-maker and writer, Hugh Thomson, picks the best books on Mexico, from the revolution in 1910, to the conquistadors, to gold mines, to the fatalism of Mexico and more.

    Hillary Chute recommends the best Graphic Narratives

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    1

    Fun Home
    by Alison Bechdel

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    2

    Breakdowns
    by Art Spiegelman

  • Read

    3

    Footnotes in Gaza
    by Joe Sacco

  • Read

    4

    One Hundred Demons
    by Lynda Barry

  • Read

    5

    Love That Bunch
    by Aline Kominsky-Crumb

Hillary Chute recommends the best Graphic Narratives

Nonfiction comics are an important genre and the tales they tell address important emotional and societal issues. Literary scholar Hillary Chute picks some of the best graphic narratives.

    The best books on The Andes, recommended by Michael Jacobs

  • Read

    1

    The Condor and the Cows
    by Christopher Isherwood

  • Read

    2

    The Conquest of the Incas
    by John Hemming

  • Read

    3

    Patagonia: A Cultural History
    by Chris Moss

  • Read

    4

    The White Rock
    by Hugh Thomson

  • Read

    5

    Devil in the Mountain
    by Simon Lamb

The best books on The Andes, recommended by Michael Jacobs

The respected author and prominent Hispanist examines the history and people of The Andes. Selects and reviews five great reads, including classics from Isherwood and Hemming

    Alain de Botton recommends the best books of Illuminating Essays

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    1

    The Crowded Dance of Modern Life
    by Virginia Woolf

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    2

    Home Is Where We Start From
    by D W Winnicott

  • Read

    3

    The Wisdom of Life
    by Arthur Schopenhauer

  • Read

    4

    The Secret Power of Beauty
    by John Armstrong

  • Read

    5

    Yoga For People Who Can’t Be Bothered To Do It
    by Geoff Dyer

Alain de Botton recommends the best books of Illuminating Essays

The essay format allows the author to develop ideas but add a personal touch, says the popular philosopher Alain de Botton. Here, he chooses his favourite essay collections

    The best books on India, Ancient and Modern, recommended by William Dalrymple

  • Read

    1

    Indian Summer
    by Alex von Tunzleman

  • Read

    2

    In Spite of the Gods
    by Edward Luce

  • Read

    3

    The Argumentative Indian
    by Amartya Sen

  • Read

    4

    The God of Small Things
    by Arundhati Roy

  • Read

    5

    Mahabharata
    by Peter Brook

The best books on India, Ancient and Modern, recommended by William Dalrymple

The award-winning writer selects five books on India and says that the Mahabharata, eight times the length of the Bible, is one of the great works of literature of mankind – and every bit as good as it’s made out to be

    The best books on Travel in the Muslim World, recommended by Ziauddin Sardar

  • Read

    1

    The Travels of Ibn Battutah
    by Ibn Battutah (edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith)

  • Read

    2

    Travels with a Tangerine
    by Tim Mackintosh-Smith

  • Read

    3

    Meetings with Remarkable Muslims
    by Barnaby Rogerson and Rose Baring

  • Read

    4

    The Fugitive
    by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

  • Read

    5

    The Road from Damascus
    by Robin Yassin-Kassab

The best books on Travel in the Muslim World, recommended by Ziauddin Sardar

The Professor of Postcolonial Studies at City University, London, talks to us about Islamic travel books. Explains how travel should be both a physical and a mental exercise focussed on immersing oneself in local culture

    Calvin Trillin recommends the best Memoirs

  • Read

    1

    The Liars’ Club
    by Mary Karr

  • Read

    2

    Clinging to the Wreckage
    by John Mortimer

  • Read

    3

    Growing Up
    by Russell Baker

  • Read

    4

    This Boy’s Life
    by Tobias Wolff

  • Read

    5

    Omaha Blues
    by Joseph Lelyveld

Calvin Trillin recommends the best Memoirs

The American journalist and humorist, Calvin Trillin,  talks us through his own favourite memoirs.

    The best books on Political Diaries, recommended by Chris Mullin

  • Read

    1

    I Shall Bear Witness
    by Victor Klemperer

  • Read

    2

    Chips – The Diaries of Sir Henry Channon
    by Sir Henry Channon

  • Read

    3

    The Fringe of Power
    by Sir John Rupert Colville

  • Read

    4

    The Insider
    by Piers Morgan

  • Read

    5

    The Blair Years
    by Alastair Campbell

The best books on Political Diaries, recommended by Chris Mullin

The Labour MP on political diaries. A nugget from the day of the Norway debate, which brought down the Chamberlain government: ‘Sunny morning, went riding in Richmond Park. Strolled into the House for the Norway debate’

    The best books on The Polar Regions, recommended by Sara Wheeler

  • Read

    1

    The Worst Journey in the World
    by Apsley Cherry-Garrard

  • Read

    2

    Arctic Dreams
    by Barry Lopez

  • Read

    3

    An African in Greenland
    by Tete-Michel Kpomassie

  • Read

    4

    The Reindeer People
    by Piers Vitebsky

  • Read

    5

    The Ice
    by Stephen J. Pyne

The best books on The Polar Regions, recommended by Sara Wheeler

The acclaimed author discusses the Polar Regions. She says an African In Greenland is the best book ever written on Greenland – the story of a man from Togo who went there in the 1960s

    The best books on The Khyber Pass, recommended by Paddy Docherty

  • Read

    1

    Soldier Sahibs
    by Charles Allen

  • Read

    2

    Desert of Death
    by Leo Docherty

  • Read

    3

    Descent Into Chaos
    by Ahmed Rashid

  • Read

    4

    Genghis Khan
    by John Man

  • Read

    5

    The Languages of the World
    by Kenneth Katzner

The best books on The Khyber Pass, recommended by Paddy Docherty

Historian discusses five books on one of the world’s most enigmatic and dangerous places. “The atmosphere inside the Khyber is certainly very tense. You don’t see people strutting around having a nice time”

    Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe

  • Read

    1

    Mukiwa
    by Peter Godwin

  • Read

    2

    Rainbow's End
    by Lauren St John

  • Read

    3

    Harare North
    by Brian Chikwava

  • Read

    4

    Nervous Conditions
    by Tsitsi Dangarembga

  • Read

    5

    House of Hunger
    by Dambudzo Marechera

Georgina Godwin on Memoirs of Zimbabwe

Via five engrossing memoirs, the Zimbabwe-born journalist Georgina Godwin talks wistfully about her country; amongst the older generation, she says, there is a feeling that Rhodesia was sold down the river by Britain and things needn’t have turned out the way they did.

    Enrique Vila-Matas discute Los libros que le influyeron

  • Read

    1

    La Bibliothèque invisible
    by Stéphane Mahieu

  • Read

    2

    Mirabiblia: Catalogo ragionato di libri introvabili
    by Paolo Albani & Paolo della Bella

  • Read

    3

    La vida y las opiniones del caballero Tristram Shandy
    by Javier Marías & Laurence Sterne

  • Read

    4

    Nueva Enciclopedia
    by Alberto Savinio

  • Read

    5

    The Afternoon of Mr. Andesmas
    by Marguerite Duras

Enrique Vila-Matas discute Los libros que le influyeron

‘Me gusta mostrar cierta moderación cuando se trata de inventar cosas …’ El escritor español Enrique Vila-Matas discute la importancia del riesgo en la escritura, la ‘crisis de la novela’, y cinco libros que han influenciado su propia escritura

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