City of cities, the modern world's first great metropolis, London has shaped everything from clothing to youth culture. It has a unique place in the world's memory, even as its role has changed from the capital of the planet to its playground, and as...

Nashville is a city of sublime contrasts, an intellectual hub built on a devotion to God, country music and the Devil's pleasures. Refined and raucous, it has long represented both culture and downright fun, capable of embracing pre-Civil war mansion...

Ripe, sensuous, irresistible: the cherry tree and its stunning blossoms conjure up many literal, metaphorical and visceral sensations. We enjoy cherry picking, a cherry on top, and even, on occasion, to lose one's cherry. Cherries have been consumed...

Spain's top city for tourism, Madrid attracts more than six million visitors a year. Helen Crisp and Jules Stewart relate the story of a city and its people through the centuries, while their carefully curated listings give a nod to well-known attrac...

Now available in paperback, "Egyptomania" takes us on a historical journey to unearth the Egypt of the imagination, a land of strange gods, mysterious magic, secret knowledge, monumental pyramids, enigmatic sphinxes and immense wealth. Egypt has alwa...

Once the playgrounds and raw material for the avant-garde, abandoned places and things – decommissioned military sites, post-industrial spaces, contested and forgotten edgelands – are now just as likely to be seen as assets for entrepreneurs or conno...

The turtle is an ancient creature, once sharing the Earth with dinosaurs; for more than 100 million years, turtles have played a crucial role in maintaining healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems. While it may not set records for speed on land, th...

What did a gongfarmer do? How is a chaperone connected to a bird of prey? What is the etymology behind cloud architect? And is there a link between secretaries and secrets? The story behind these (and many more) job titles is rarely predictable and...

Reynard – a subversive, dashing, anarchic, aristocratic, witty fox from the watery lowlands of medieval East Flanders – is in trouble. He has been summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion, charged with all manner of crimes and misdemeanours. How...

Assassins have been killing the powerful and famous for at least 3,000 years. Personal ambition, revenge and anger have encouraged many to violent deeds, like the Turkish sultan who had nineteen of his brothers strangled or the bodyguards who murdere...