Non-Fiction

Published by Folio to mark the Telegram's centenary, Barbara Tuchman’s gripping account reveals the events that finally brought the United States into the First World War.

John Reed’s immersive eyewitness account of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

This seminal book was an influence on Oscar Wilde and other aesthetes. Introduced by Michael Prodger, with paintings by Botticelli and Michelangelo.

A marvellous, kaleidoscopic social history of London during the 1660s, from Pepys to the Great Fire. Introduced by Jenny Uglow.

Illness and intrigue both proved deadly to the last Russian royal family. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert K. Massie reveals the tragic circumstances behind their infamous downfall.

The gripping life-story of Douglas Bader, double amputee and Second World War fighter ace.

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

Never out of print since first published in 1929, this sparkling discussion of women’s status and independence still retains a pivotal place in the Western canon.

The highly acclaimed history of the Belgian Congo and the exploitation that led to the murder of 10 million – the background to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

The captivating memoir of an unusual 19th-century childhood from pioneering wood engraver, and Charles Darwin’s granddaughter, Gwen Raverat.

Dramatic accounts of eight sensational murder trials that gripped the nation – and proved that truth really is stranger than fiction.

Few books in history are as important as the Qur’ân. Evoking devotion and passion amongst the faithful, this sacred book, composed in transcendentally beautiful language, is at the heart of one of the world’s great faiths.

Filled with extraordinary observations, and occasionally hair-raising anecdotes, this is the most endearing of all Darwin’s books.

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. 

A jewel-like pocket edition of the monumental King James Version of the Book of Psalms, with exquisitely designed lettering by Jessica Hische and a new introduction by Valentine Cunningham.

My Family and Other Animals is Gerald Durrell’s hilarious memoir of his unconventional 1930s Corfu childhood, enriched with illustrations by Paul Cox and an introduction by Michael Morpurgo.

A lavishly illustrated 20th anniversary edition of Guns, Germs and Steel – Jared Diamond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning exploration of how and why Eurasians developed the weapons, diseases and technologies that enabled them to dominate the rest of the world.

The Folio Book of Food and Drink is an anthology of culinary delights, stimulating appetites with literary extracts including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth David and Nigel Slater. This collection – exclusive to Folio – features a mouthwatering introduction by food writer Jojo Tulloh, and a selection of cartoons and 19th-century illustrations.

Antony Beevor’s critically acclaimed historical masterpiece is a gripping and frequently harrowing account of the Red Army’s capture of the German capital in World War II’s final stages. Berlin: The Downfall 1945 was the Non-Fiction winner of the Folio Readers’ Choice 2017.

Jet packs, spinning fairground rides and an ant on a garden hose – the award-winning history of string theory from leading physicist Brian Greene.

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

A captivating edition of the classic survey of the rise and spread of the Celts, with new colour photography.

One of the most successful travel books of the past 20 years, this engaging adventure is published with a new introduction by the author.

Historian Christopher Hill examines the fascinating radical groups that grew up around the English Civil War, and the roots of a revolution that never happened.

A captivating memoir of the early days of flight, by the author of The Little Prince, with an introduction by Cecil Lewis.

Compelling analysis and vivid everyday observations are combined in the writings of this much-admired journalist. With more than 50 contemporary images.

Claiming the lives of thousands, including three kings and eight dukes, the bloody conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster fuelled three decades of turbulence. Desmond Seward’s engrossing work focuses on five individuals from both sides, including Yorkist hero William Hastings, and Jane Shore, disgraced mistress of Edward IV.

A compelling and honest account of one of the most infamously devastating conflicts in war history, told by an officer serving in Napoleon’s army.

This fascinating history debunks the notion of a fallow ‘Dark Ages’ following the decline of Rome's political influence, revealing an eastern Mediterranean blossoming with theological and cultural innovation.