Benedict King

The history of the Aztecs is the best documented of all the Native American peoples, shedding light on life in the Americas before the arrival of the conquistadors. Professor Michael E. Smith, an archaeologist at Arizona State University, introduces books about the Aztec Empire — with a focus on documentary sources and artefacts that reveal not only how the elites lived, but also ordinary people.

Donald Trump has famously said that tariff is a ‘beautiful’ word.  Most economists disagree. Here trade expert, Dmitry Grozoubinski, explains what tariffs are, what they have been, and can be, used to achieve and suggests five books to help you get up to speed on the current trade wars.

In Mexican history, power developed in marginal locations away from the center has often played a major role in critical historical events, says award-winning historian Timo Schaefer. He recommends some of the best books on Mexican history, from a biography of the extraordinary Malintzin (c1500-1529) to a myth-busting history of the drug trade.

Whether we're thinking about democracy versus authoritarianism, corruption versus good governance, or rich versus poor, there is a lot we can learn from India's recent history, says Dinyar Patel, a historian at SPJIMR in Mumbai. He talks us through some good books on the modern history of a country that has long been the world's largest democracy and is now its most populous country.

Ghana’s gold coast was a magnet for Europe’s nascent colonial powers right from the very early years of European expansion. As historian Kwasi Konadu argues, the relationship between those imperial powers and what is now Ghana helped to forge the modern world as we know it—for good or ill.

Ireland was Britain’s oldest colony, but also one of the first to free itself from British imperial rule. Historian Jane Ohlmeyer recommends books that focus on the history of Ireland as a colony. She argues that the colonial experience had a massive impact not only on Ireland but on the countries that Britain ruled around the world.  

Casting their expert eyes, experience—and taste buds—across this year’s new cookery titles, Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and colleagues have come up with a list of the best cookbooks of 2023. They cover everything from baking American-style biscuits to making the best use of leftovers, and a celebration of the unique cuisine of the Jewish-Roman community.

For centuries humanity has struggled with how to build an international order based on law and agreed principles, rather than force and the threat of war. In today’s multi-polar world understanding how such an order might and could be shaped has taken on a renewed urgency. Here, Paul Tucker, a fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, chooses five books on geopolitics and global commerce.

At a time of bitter division, Henri IV succeeded to the French throne and managed to bring the country together after decades of civil war. He converted to Catholicism but brought in toleration for Protestants with the Edict of Nantes. In 1610 he was assassinated by a religious fanatic with a carving knife. Historian Vincent Pitts, author of a great introduction to Henri IV, talks us through the life and times of one of France’s most impressive monarchs.

The best way to run an economy remains one of the most challenging aspects for a country’s leaders, with enormous consequences for people’s well-being. Sergio de Ferra, a macroeconomist at the University of Oxford, introduces some of the ideas and debates, and explains why it’s so hard to really know what works and what doesn’t.