Non-Fiction Ideas

Penned from a prison cell in Genoa, Marco Polo’s fantastical first-hand account of his 25-year travels through the Mongol Empire remains the greatest travel book ever written and is now presented in a luxurious new Folio edition.

The Folio Book of Science is the first anthology of science writing equally weighted between male and female authors, selected by scientist, author and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts.

For the first time, full-colour images illustrate Norman Davies’s magisterial work, Europe: A History, in an elegant three-volume edition from The Folio Society, fully updated by the author.

The Folio Society presents an exquisite gold-and-leather hardback of Essays by Renaissance nobleman and thinker Michel de Montaigne.

Angie Debo’s comprehensive and compassionate account provides an unrivalled history of American Indians from the dawn of their first contact with Europeans to the late 20th century.

The thrilling true story of the largest British-led mass-escape of the Second World War.

Written more than 2,500 years ago, The Art of War remains the most famous military treatise of all time. Sun-tzu’s collection of precepts on strategic warfare has yet to be surpassed.

Commemorating the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, this magnificent Folio collector’s edition reveals his brilliance in three beautifully illustrated volumes with stunning gold-blocked bindings.

Blending investigative journalism with the personal approach of a writer both fascinated and appalled by her subject, this is an award-winning portrait of life under ‘one of the most savage surveillance regimes ever known’. With previously unpublished photographs by the author.

Illustrated with archive photography, Ryszard Kapuściński’s masterpiece of reportage, Shah of Shahs, is a welcome addition to the Folio collection.

Richard Dawkins’s startling theory propelled The Selfish Gene to international acclaim and it remains the de facto text on social development. This first illustrated edition includes 51 incredible colour photographs.

The Folio Society edition of The Longest Day commemorates the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Cornelius Ryan’s riveting text is complemented by 42 integrated photographs, and a binding image by Robert Capa.

A vivid portrait of a post-Mao China, from one of the great travel writers.

Savannah's hustlers and high-rollers open their doors and their hearts to John Berendt in the international bestseller that gets its long-awaited Folio debut.

This lavishly illustrated edition of Mayflower meets you on board a storm-lashed ship filled with resolute Pilgrims and leaves you a generation later in the blood-soaked new American nation.

No book has revolutionised our view of life on earth more than Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Yet its enduring popularity is a testament to the immense energy and startling simplicity with which Darwin makes his revelations.

Before Downton Abbey graced our televisions, Mark Girouard went behind the scenes of England’s country houses. His fascinating bestseller is newly imagined in a stunning Folio edition with architect-designed binding.

In this newly updated Folio edition, Greil Marcus’s masterful history of rock ‘n’ roll and American culture, Mystery Train, is beautifully illustrated with archive photography and full-colour album covers, introduced by the author.

The essential guide to one of the most fundamental discoveries of modern science.

William Gaunt's captivating art history classic features beautiful images of the movement's most significant works.

Novelist and linguist Anthony Burgess's study paints a fascinating portrait of a man who is both one of history's most famous figures, and one of its biggest mysteries.

A landmark narrative of American history, David McCullough’s 1776  is published as a stunning Folio edition with newly researched paintings, sketches and maps from the era, and a striking pictorial slipcase.

The definitive account of a tragic conflict, with more than 100 carefully selected images.

The definitive account of ancient Rome by acclaimed historian Mary Beard vividly depicts ordinary Roman lives and contains more than 45 full-colour images specially selected for the Folio edition of S.P.Q.R.

With only two genuine dates, this irreverent romp is history as every schoolboy would wish it – hilarious and memorable.

An unforgettable account of the ‘Forgotten War’ in Burma, written by the British general who transformed catastrophic defeat into resounding victory.

A new fully illustrated Folio Society edition of Helen Castor’s She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth which depicts the lives of four remarkable medieval women: Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Isabella, Margaret of Anjou. 

This essential introduction to philosophy is engaging, entertaining and filled with Russell’s passion for the subject.

Gwyn Jones dispels the myths of an empire built on terror and tyranny, in The Vikings; now in its seventh Folio Society printing.