The George Hotel

The fabulous collections housed in the world's most famous museums are trophies from an imperial age. Yet the huge crowds who visit the British Museum, the Louvre or the Met each year have little idea that the objects on display were acquired by coercion or theft. Now the countries from which these treasures came would like them back. The Greek demand for the return of the Elgin Marbles is the tip of an iceberg that includes claims for the Benin Bronzes from Nigeria, the bust of Nefertiti and Aboriginal human remains. 'Keeping Their Marbles' tells the bloody story of how western museums came to acquire these objects and investigates why repatriation claims have recently soared.

Rambunctious, opinionated, Dr Johnson, Lichfield’s greatest writer, never knowingly undersold himself. But what did later writers think of him? Dr Phil Jones examines in this entertaining book how Johnson’s legacy has been fought over, mis-represented and re-interpreted over the last 220 years. 

The Peaky Blinders as we know them, thanks to the hit TV series, are infused with drama and dread. Fashionably dressed, the charismatic but deeply flawed Shelby family blind enemies by slashing them with the disposable safety razor blades stitched in to the peaks of their flat caps, as they fight bloody gangland wars and defy the authorities.  But who were the real Peaky Blinders? Did they really exist? Professor Carl Chinn has spent decades searching them out, revealing the true story of the notorious Peaky Blinders, one of whom was his own great grandfather. 

With unprecedented access to family archives, 'Snow Widows' is the story of the race for the South Pole from the perspective of the women whose lives would be forever changed by it. From Kathleen Scott to Caroline Oates, this is a book which vividly depicts the lives, loves and losses of five women forced into the public eye by tragedy and shaped by the unrelenting culture of empire.

Be transported to Kite's Nest Farm and peek into the surprising private lives of some of our most familiar of animals.  A life-enhancing read from the author of the bestselling gem 'The Secret Life of Cows'.

We talk about people behaving like sheep, which assumes that sheep all behave in the same way. That has not been my experience. Some are affectionate, others prone to head-butting. Some are determinedly self-sufficient, others seek our help when they need it. And some can be trusted to lead the flock home. They are as individual as we are.

We are on the cusp of a major revolution in psychiatric medicine and neuroscience. At a time where there is an enormous amount of noise around the benefits of psychedelics, 'Psychedelics' contains the knowledge you need to know about a drug that is about to go mainstream, free from the hot air, direct from the expert. The definitive guide by a world-renowned, leading authority, Professor David Nutt.

Enlightenment Britain was ablaze with ambition and energy. Great writers like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Samuel Johnson and Catharine Macaulay were part of a pioneering generation that shaped and inspired the American Dream. For the first time, bestselling historian Peter Moore vividly traces the transatlantic friendships and revolutionary ideas that inspired the Declaration of Independence.

A ‘forgotten master’ of the 19th century, John Louis Petit was brought up and lived most of his life in Lichfield, where he is buried. He was a well-known artist and architectural historian who produced some 10,000 paintings of buildings and landscapes: but these were never sold, and most were lost after his death in 1869. Over one hundred years later, his paintings were discovered in a building in Surrey once owned by his relations. Now, Philip Modiano has produced a compelling account of this remarkable artist and shines a light on his innovative works, which are comparable to some of the great masters such as Turner. 

The Five Stages of Moria follows five unique characters who are unified in their grief and grappling with the reality of the loss of their homes, hope and dignity while enduring squalid living conditions. Through stories, it brings back to life the largest refugee camp in Europe, and invites readers to bear witness to the monolithic trauma held within. 

In 1649, Britain was in the midst of revolution. One bleak January afternoon, King Charles I was executed for treason. The English monarchy was quickly abolished, the House of Lords discarded and the future of the land firmly in the hands of its people. The Restless Republic is the story of the extraordinary, experimental decade that followed.

We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 of these female writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust with artistry and skill. From a wedding night that takes an unexpected turn beneath a canopy of stars and a carnal awakening occurs in a Palestinian refugee camp to a masked rendezvous in a circus, there is no such thing as a typical sexual encounter, as this electrifying anthology shows.