Garden History

The Rose Garden is a richly imagined historical novel full of intrigue and secrets, spanning the luxury and poverty of Victorian England. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Rachel Hore. Every house has its secrets . . . For twelve-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting playground to...

Trace the captivating cultural history of humanity's bond with nature through our timeless quest for earthly sanctuary. Whether you are unwinding before sleep or embarking on a peaceful commute, this immersive narrative offers a tranquil escape into the world's most breathtaking landscapes. From...

An extraordinary look at an ordinary substance—and one we'd be dead without: salt. Salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and the story of this common household seasoning proves a fascinating one. In a kaleidoscope of history, Mark Kurlansky—bestselling author of  1968 and...

The complete history of the legendary Venice landmark where Hemingway, Welles, and others were regulars. A meeting place for writers, artists, models, and the stars of stage, screen, and corporate boardrooms, a luxurious restaurant whose fabulous concoctions and timeless decor have often been imitated but never matched, Harry’s Bar in Venice has remained one of the world’s most renowned watering holes for more than 60 years.

“Brilliant . . . smartly written, featuring tons of interviews with the Knicks of the Phil Jackson-Clyde-Reed era.” — New York Magazine “Harvey Araton has evocatively rendered the team that New York never stops pining for—the Old Knicks. More than a nostalgic chronicle . . . it’s a...

A globe-spanning, never-before-told epic history of the garden—from antiquity to present Gardens have always been sacred spaces, allowing humans both to return to nature and to tame it. Avid gardener and literary historian Jonathan Bate traces our fascination with gardens across four millennia...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A SELECTION ON BARACK OBAMA’S SUMMER READING LIST The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and...

“Larson is a marvelous writer...superb at creating characters with a few short strokes.”—New York Times Book Review Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of Devil in the White City turns his hand to a...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER An enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city: “Elegant and wicked.... [This] might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime." —The New York Times Book...

“A MASTERPIECE that stands as an EXCEPTIONAL work of historical fiction…This character-driven beauty is an immersive, heartfelt TRIUMPH. It is a fantastic MUST-READ that will resonate deeply with fans of Alice Walker and Brit Bennett.” —Booklist (STARRED review) “SWEEPING and PROFOUND...

In this groundbreaking classic essay collection, Alice Walker speaks out as a Black woman, writer, mother, and feminist on topics ranging from the personal to the political. Originally published forty years ago, Alice Walker’s first collection of nonfiction is a dazzling compendium that...

Dive into an ancient historical mystery where legendary Mesopotamian myth collides with hard archaeological evidence. Perfect for your daily commute, this atmospheric journey deconstructs the most elusive monument of antiquity. Transform an afternoon of focused listening into a captivating...

Everyone thinks they know New Jersey. It's the Turnpike. The Shore. The traffic. The smell. But beneath the jokes lies one of the most important, influential, and downright bizarre states in American history. New Jersey gave America its first dinosaur skeleton, hosted more Revolutionary War battles than any other state, launched the age of modern industry, survived foreign sabotage, witnessed the Hindenburg disaster, inspired The Sopranos, and somehow became the birthplace of both suburbia and several environmental disasters.

Will she risk herself--to save her kingdom? Embark on a captivating journey of forbidden love, dark secrets, and a kingdom on the brink of chaos in this mesmerizing tale set in ancient Babylon. For seven years, since her treaty marriage at a young age, the Babylonian princess Tiamat has lived the opulent, and yet oppressive, life of the palace. And for seven years, her father, the mad king Nebuchadnezzar, has lived as a beast, hidden away to prowl his luxurious Hanging Gardens. But when Tia’s husband dies, the powerful mage Shadir plots to expose the family’s secret and set his own man ...

“Hoffman’s characters are always moving back and forth, challenging our perceptions, daring us to judge them.”—New York Times Book Review The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town...

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, Scientific American, and The Economist The riveting, untold true story of the botanists at the world’s first seed bank who made “the mad, heroic decision during the siege of Leningrad to guard biodiversity at the cost of human life” (The New...

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Sarah Jio, comes a lush imaginative novel that takes readers into the heart of a mysterious English country garden, waiting to spring to life. Every garden is a story, waiting to be told… At the nursery she runs with her sisters on the New England coast...

A Sweeping History of Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is the smallest province in Canada and, in many ways, the most itself. Bounded by the Gulf of St. Lawrence on all sides, shaped by red soil and cold water and the particular stubbornness of people who choose to stay somewhere difficult and beautiful, it has resisted easy summary for four centuries. Daniel Hardy's The Garden of the Gulf is the history this singular place deserves. Beginning with the Mi'kmaq people who knew the island as Epekwitk — lying in the water — and moving through French settlement, the trauma of the ...

Mark Kurlansky's first global food history since the best-selling Cod and Salt; the fascinating cultural, economic and culinary story of milk and all things dairy - with recipes throughout. According to the Greek creation myth, we are so much spilt milk; a splatter of the goddess Hera's breast milk became our galaxy, the Milky Way.

Most books about London tell you where to stand for the best view of Big Ben. This one gives you the story behind what you’re seeing. Backstory Atlas London: 10 Reasons We Can’t Stop Visiting The City that Wrote the Rules – A Guide to Its Travel History is a short, curated read that makes travel richer. It explores how a Roman river crossing became one of the world’s great destination cities — and why London still feels so layered, theatrical, and familiar today. It's not a guidebook or a long, academic history. It is an accessible book for travelers who want the story behind what...