Latest Must-Read Historical Publications of 2024 - BBC History Magazine's Top Picks of the Year

New Releases: A Glimpse into History's Hidden Corners

In the realm of historical literature, there's a fresh wave of books that are shedding new light on some of the most intriguing periods and figures in history. Here's a roundup of some of the most captivating titles that are sure to keep history enthusiasts enthralled.

Arnhem: Black Tuesday by Al Murray delves into the critical day of the Battle of Arnhem, offering a fresh perspective and new conclusions that could forever change our understanding of this pivotal event.

Son of Prophecy by Nathen Amin takes us on a journey through the tumultuous reign of Henry Tudor, revealing that his path to the throne was every bit as dramatic as his son Henry VIII's.

Stephen Alford's All His Spies: The Secret World of Robert Cecil reads like a John le Carré spy spoof, but this is not fiction. The book explores the motives of the spymasters and the clandestine world of Elizabethan England.

Mishal Husain's Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence tells the story of her grandparents set against the partition of India, providing a deeply personal account of this historical event.

Legion: Life in the Roman Army by Richard Abdy offers a different view of the Roman army, revealing men with wives, children, and lives beyond the army.

Women in Power: Classical Myths and Stories, from the Amazons to Cleopatra is an anthology of ancient writing about women in power, collected by Stephanie McCarter. This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of powerful women in ancient times.

Nicola Tallis's Young Elizabeth explores the younger years of Elizabeth I, showing her not as the Virgin Queen nor Gloriana, but as a teenager, resilient in the face of immense upheaval, and unaware of the remarkable future to come.

Church Going by Andrew Ziminski focuses on the churches of the British Isles, serving as a guide to decode their secrets and uncover their delights.

The book "The Struggle for Taiwan: A History" authored in 2025 was written by author John Franklin Copper. This book provides an account of the island's history from the earliest days, concentrating on its turbulent 20th century.

Sulmaan Wasif Khan's The Struggle for Taiwan: A History offers a similar account, providing insights into the island's history from its earliest days, with a focus on its turbulent 20th century.

The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World by William Dalrymple outlines the influence of the subcontinent upon global technology, astronomy, art, religion, music, mathematics, literature, and mythology.

Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David Van Reybrouck looks at Indonesia in the 20th century, focusing on its journey to independence and beyond.

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary is a history book written for people who don't read history, focusing on Britain's imperial past and its impact on the memory of its obscurity.

Caroline Burt and Richard Partington's Arise, England: Six Kings and the Making of the English State provides an essential foundation for understanding the medieval English state, focusing on six reigns spanning two centuries.

The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War by Nick Lloyd is a sweeping history of the entire eastern war, including Italy, the Russo-German, and Russo-Austrian fronts.

Plentiful Country: The Great Potato Famine and the Making of Irish New York by Tyler Anbinder follows the fortunes of 19th-century immigrants who built their lives anew in New York after fleeing the Great Famine in Ireland.

Oliver Cromwell: Commander in Chief by Ronald Hutton offers a new perspective on Oliver Cromwell, portraying him as a cunning manipulator and wily political player.

Annette Kehnel's The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability provides insights into ecological and environmental crises in the Middle Ages, showing how people were much more closely connected to the environment.

Henry V: The Astonishing Rise of England’s Greatest Warrior King by Dan Jones is a narrative about Henry V, covering his climax of the Hundred Years' War and the battle of Agincourt.

The Eagle and the Hart by Helen Castor is the story of a deadly rivalry between two cousins, Richard II and Henry IV, in the Plantagenet age.

Sword Beach: The Untold Story of D-Day's Forgotten Victory by Stephen Fisher is a book that combines immense detail and forensic research with a compelling read full of intense and often gut-wrenching human drama. The research is genuinely fresh and revelatory.

Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World by Dorian Lynskey is an exploration of the human obsession with the end of the world, covering science, history, religion, culture, and politics.

The Truth About Empire is a collection of essays edited by Alan Lester, focusing on discussions about colonial history and the defense of historical truth.

How the World Made the West by Josephine Quinn challenges the notion that the 'west' exists and won, and instead argues that it is a creation to hide something more sinister.

Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore offers an epic read of the city's history, reaching into our own present day.

Orwell's Ghosts by Laura Beers' shows how George Orwell's social and political writing about his own times can help us to understand the turbulence of our own.

Latest Must-Read Historical Publications of 2024 - BBC History Magazine's Top Picks of the Year