This is the groundbreaking 11,000 year story of how data became the most powerful tool humans have ever created – and how we are sleepwalking into a future where the next global superpower is a tech company.

'The new history of mankind demanded by our times… This book asks what we will do about data now that we have no choice but to do something' Jaron Lanier, author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Right Now

'Breathtaking in its scope and enormously fulfilling in its depth, this book is profoundly fascinating' Lewis Dartnell, author of Being Human

We live in an era when trading our information for access can feel harmless or inevitable – yet from targeted advertising to mass surveillance, data shapes the course of our lives. How did it gain the power it now holds over us?

Long before writing existed, at the dawn of civilisation in Mesopotamia, rulers pressed marks into clay to keep track of land, people and grain. To rule, they had to keep count. It is no accident, then, that the first written name in human history was neither a god nor a king, but an accountant. As ships and navigation expanded our horizons, a new age of European empires took control of more than 80 per cent of the world’s surface, using colonial censuses, maps and ledgers to decide who belonged, who owed, and who could be sacrificed. Today, a handful of private brokers increasingly define what we see and what is real.

Taking readers from ancient cave markings and knotted strings to the algorithmic state, Dartmouth professor Roopika Risam reveals how data has always been the seed of power: a technology of control that has shaped civilizations and upheld empires. Provocative, humane and sweeping in scope, Data Empire challenges us to decide whether we will allow a new set of data empires to hardwire inequality into the next century, or fight for systems that work for the benefit of all.

It’s time to decide. Will technology serve democracy or replace it? Perfect for readers of Nexus and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.

'Essential reading for understanding the opportunities and dangers of the technological revolution now transforming our world' Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis

'This brilliant, readable book offers a striking new historical perspective' Corinne Fowler, author of Our Island Stories

When Earth's ecosystems fall out of harmony, the damage can spiral out of control. But what if we could help nature to regain its balance?

As a leading ecologist, Professor Thomas Crowther studies not just how species work in isolation, but how complex ecosystems regulate themselves. When nature’s cycles are allowed to build momentum, each species can create the conditions to allow others to thrive. From the birth of galaxies to the creation of life, the greatest transformations in our universe have been driven by quiet, self-reinforcing processes known as feedback loops.

Drawing on cutting-edge ecological science, gripping personal narrative and initiatives already happening around the world, Nature’s Echo shows how natural feedback loops have astonishing power to rebound, even with minor intervention. If we can only realize how integral we are to this highly interconnected natural world, we will re-discover the path to a better future.

Discover the powerful, practical and optimistic guide to strengthening your mind for the modern world and thriving in the age of AI, from acclaimed neuroscientist and Sunday Times bestselling author Dr Hannah Critchlow.

'A vital book for understanding how our brains can adapt and thrive in an age of innovation.' – Joseph Jebelli, bestselling author of The Brain at Rest

'Full of fascinating new research. Profoundly empowering.' – Professor Hannah Fry, bestselling author of Hello World

'Fascinating neuroscience that is also a guide to modern life … Brilliant. – Dr Darragh Ennis, neuroscientist and professional quizzer

How do we nurture our brains – and our children’s brains – so we have the resilience to thrive during the coming wave of technological and societal change? How can we keep up in the face of AI?

The 21st Century Brain provides the answers.

In her empowering and practical new book, bestselling neuroscientist Dr Hannah Critchlow takes you on a journey through the fascinating landscape of the latest neuroscience research, detailing how we can develop the essential human skills that technology cannot replace – and that matter most for personal fulfilment, wellbeing and long-term success.

Grounded in the latest science, you’ll discover how to strengthen and future-proof essential skills, including:
· Emotional intelligence and collaboration
· Imagination, creativity, and flexible thinking
· Long-term thinking and decision-making
· Adaptability and mental resilience
· Intuition, loyalty, and connection

Writing in her informative and accessible voice, Dr Critchlow shows why our greatest strengths lie not in competing with machines, but in becoming more fully human.

Blending fascinating research with practical advice and simple brain exercises, The 21^st Century Brain is the must-read guide to navigating rapid technological change with confidence.

In How Flowers Made Our World, biologist David George Haskell redefines our understanding of flowers, casting them as powerful revolutionaries at the heart of Earth’s story.

“Flowering plants as you’ve never seen them before … Science writing with sensuality, sensitivity and soul.” Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

“Vividly written. David George Haskell shows how the most trivialized part of the natural world is among its most powerful and essential.” –Rebecca Solnit, author of Orwell’s Roses

“David George Haskell’s great strength as a writer is that he is open to surprise. He regards the planet as a strange and beautiful place. How Flowers Made Our World is at once closely observed, richly reported, and mind-blowing.”-Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction

Far from being mere ornaments, flowers have shaped the very fabric of life on our planet. Their evolution triggered a cascade of biodiversity, transforming oceans, creating new habitats, and even altering the climate. Their beauty turned adversaries into allies, and their adaptability turned environmental upheavals into opportunities for renewal.

Weaving together vivid storytelling, lyrical writing, and cutting-edge science, Haskell illuminates flowers as portals into deep time and essential players in our ecological future. He reveals how flowers built and sustained ecosystems from rainforests to prairies and have been pivotal in the evolution of species like butterflies, bees, and birds. He also uncovers their crucial role in human history, as cultural emblems, keys to scientific leaps, and evolutionary catalysts, with flowering grasses calling our ancestors to leave the trees, laying the foundation for agriculture and modern civilization.

From lessons in resilience and creativity found among gardeners’ favourites, such as magnolias, orchids, and roses, to rediscovering lesser-known wonders, like our uncelebrated underwater meadows that sustain life and the secrets of our most humble wildflowers, How Flowers Made Our World invites readers to see these blooms in a whole new light-as the dynamic and influential forces they truly are.

“In this dazzling book, scintillating with wonder and scholarship, Haskell shows us how flowers – so often belittled and misunderstood, have shaped ecology, and so shaped us. Flowers are tectonic, and here is a book worthy of them.”-Charles Foster, author of The Edges of the World

“Joyful … brimming with curiosity, humour, and crystal-clear scientific delights. How Flowers Made Our World is a celebration of the inventiveness of floral life.” Zoë Schlanger, author of The Light Eaters

‘A well argued and elegant answer to the question, how did America get to this place? … The ideal antidote to the coarseness of the times.’ Justin Webb, presenter of Americast

‘Pithy, entertaining and informative . . . Stourton makes a persuasive case that Trump is a logical outcome of American history’ Guardian

Much of what Donald Trump does seems maverick and even mad. His actions and policy pronouncements are a stark rupture from the American style of leadership that we have lived with all our lives. But whether we like them or not, his trade tariffs, his determination to deport tens of thousands of people, and his apparent contempt for the rule of law are deeply rooted in American history.

Since Donald Trump took office plenty of people – on both sides of the Atlantic – have argued that he will destroy his country’s democracy. Made in America shows how the ideal of liberty has been tested in past generations, from the first intolerant Pilgrims to the brutal invasion of Mexico, revealing the dark side of the American Dream in order to offer urgent lessons to our turbulent present.

Blending science and personal stories with practical tips, neuroscientist Dr Joseph Jebelli reveals how new research is solving the mystery of the brain at rest, with profound implications for intelligence, creativity and even life expectancy.

We are constantly told to make the most of our time: to stop procrastinating, to ‘optimise’ and be efficient with every precious hour.

But when we let our brains rest, and our minds wander, something magical happens: the brain’s ‘default network’ switches on, and we are able to think in completely new ways.

Drawing on groundbreaking new research, Dr. Jebelli reveals how napping can enhance brain size, spending time in nature can boost creativity and problem-solving skills, and how silence fosters the growth of new brain cells. Authoritative and inspiring, The Brain at Rest offers practical advice for achieving a happier, healthier, and more balanced life.

‘Addicted to work? Stop what you’re doing and read this book’ ANNA LEMBKE
‘The most important part of your brain you’ve never heard of’ ALEX SOOJUNG-KIM PANG
‘If you want to accomplish more, without any relaxation guilt, this book is for you’ CHRIS BAILEY

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian comes the first definitive history of the Western hemisphere, a sweeping five-century narrative of North and South America that redefines our understanding of both continents.

The story of the United States’ unique sense of itself was forged facing south – no less than Latin America’s was indelibly stamped by the looming colossus to the north.

In this stunningly original reinterpretation of the New World, Professor Greg Grandin reveals how the Americas emerged from constant, turbulent engagement with each other, shedding new light on well-known historical figures like Bartolomé de las Casas, Simón Bolívar and Woodrow Wilson, as well as lesser-known actors such as the Venezuelan Francisco de Miranda, who almost lost his head in the French Revolution and conspired with Alexander Hamilton to free America from Spain.

America, América traverses half a millennium, from the Spanish Conquest – the greatest mortality event in human history – through the eighteenth-century wars for independence and the Monroe Doctrine, to the coups and revolutions of the twentieth century. This monumental work of scholarship fundamentally changes our understanding of Spanish and English colonialism, slavery and racism, the rise of universal humanism, and the role of social democracy in staving off authoritarian impulses.

At once comprehensive and accessible, America, América shows how the United States and Latin America together shaped the laws, institutions, and ideals that govern the modern world. Drawing on a vast array of sources, and told with authority and flair, this is a genuinely new history of the New World.

‘Masterful and erudite yet absolutely riveting’ ADA FERRER
‘A major and desperately needed synthesis of the Americas’ NED BLACKHAWK
‘An awe-inspiring masterpiece’ SAMUEL MOYN

* Professor Greg Grandin won the Pulitzer Prize for Non-fiction in 2020 with his book The End of the Myth.

‘Sara cuts through the noise to show that just six minutes is enough, if you have the drive, passion and consistency to achieve your dream’ Steven Bartlett

Have you ever wanted to start or grow your own business, but found that life keeps getting in the way?

Sara Davies, founder of the global craft business Crafter’s Companion and star of Dragons’ Den, is known for her no-nonsense, down-to-earth entrepreneurship. This book reveals her secrets to success in just six minutes a week.

Filled with stories from Sara’s own career, her 52 invaluable lessons span the year, teaching you everything you need to know to launch, run and grow your business.

From developing ideas and finding mentors, to overcoming hurdles and mastering time management, her quick tips and hacks are balanced with deeper actions to practise over the coming week.

No matter where you are on your entrepreneurial journey, you can turn your dream into reality, at a pace that works for you.