British

On June 21, 1969, an estimated three-quarters of the British population tuned into Royal Family, a fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary that captured the royals as surprisingly ord

“Fascinating and atmospheric, the narrative is complimented with beautifully illustrated images . . . For anyone who loves Dublin . . .”

“a marvelous companion to this series, with wonderful illustrations and an engaging backstory . . .”

For those who enjoy reading a well-told tale of historical nonfiction, this could be that story. But be forewarned that it comes with at least two caveats to be explained below.

It is hard to wrap one’s mind around a thirteen-year-old child in Victorian England killing his mother, and yet in Kate Summerscale’s book The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murde

Billed as “a loving and hilarious, if occasionally spiky, valentine” to the author’s adopted country, Bill Bryson’s follow-up, two decades on, to his bestselling Notes from a Small Island,

“good storytelling built on solid scholarship . . .”

“. . . an entertaining account that strings together fascinating factoids into a tapestry of urban history and cultural anthropology.”

“. . . a richly researched, carefully crafted, balanced history of personal privacy . . .”

“. . . a coffee table book that deserves to be read and studied. . . . beautiful and engaging . . .”

“Vera Atkins—whose list of aliases goes on for a full paragraph—was the most successful agent of World War II.

Europe in the year 1660 was an environment of interesting mixed historical contradictions.