Modern in History & Nonfiction eBooks

The Last Empire

The Final Days of the Soviet Union

by Serhii Plokhy ...

The New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe offers “a stirring account of an extraordinary moment” in Russian history (Wall Street Journal)On Christmas Day, 1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to declare an American victory in the Cold War: earlier that day Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the first and last Soviet president. The enshrining of that narrative, ... Read more

Was $21.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

The New York Times bestselling author of The Gates of Europe offers “a stirring account of an extraordinary moment” in Russian history (Wall Street Journal)On Christmas Day, 1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to declare an American victory in the Cold War: earlier that day Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the first and last Soviet president. The enshrining of that narrative,
... Read more
The Wrong Stuff

How the Soviet Space Program Crashed and Burned

by John Strausbaugh ...

A witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science.In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories—starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and ... Read more

Was $24.99 CAD Now $1.99 CAD

A witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science.In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories—starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and
... Read more
For Profit

A History of Corporations

by William Magnuson ...

**An “eloquent” (Economist) history of how corporate innovation has shaped society, from ancient Rome to Silicon Valley **Americans have long been skeptical of corporations, and that skepticism has only grown more intense in recent years. Meanwhile, corporations continue to amass wealth and power at a dizzying rate, recklessly pursuing profit while leaving society to sort out the costs. In For ... Read more

Was $19.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

**An “eloquent” (Economist) history of how corporate innovation has shaped society, from ancient Rome to Silicon Valley **Americans have long been skeptical of corporations, and that skepticism has only grown more intense in recent years. Meanwhile, corporations continue to amass wealth and power at a dizzying rate, recklessly pursuing profit while leaving society to sort out the costs. In For
... Read more
The Last Emperor of Mexico

The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World

by Edward Shawcross ...

The “superbly entertaining and well‑researched” (Financial Times) history of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and ... Read more

Was $20.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

The “superbly entertaining and well‑researched” (Financial Times) history of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and
... Read more
Agent Zigzag

A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal

by Ben Macintyre ...

For readers of World War II history, espionage, fans of John le Carré and Alan Furst, and of Ben Macintyre's more recent books.Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. In 1941, after training as German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with a revolver, a wireless, ... Read more

Was $9.99 CAD Now $7.99 CAD

For readers of World War II history, espionage, fans of John le Carré and Alan Furst, and of Ben Macintyre's more recent books.Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. In 1941, after training as German spy in occupied France, Chapman was parachuted into Britain with a revolver, a wireless,
... Read more
Intellectuals and Society

by Thomas Sowell ...

The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have wanted to directly influence rulers. It has not been by shaping the opinions or directing the actions of the holders of power that modern intellectuals have most influenced the course of events, but by shaping public ... Read more

Was $24.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

The influence of intellectuals is not only greater than in previous eras but also takes a very different form from that envisioned by those like Machiavelli and others who have wanted to directly influence rulers. It has not been by shaping the opinions or directing the actions of the holders of power that modern intellectuals have most influenced the course of events, but by shaping public
... Read more
The Anarchy

The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

by William Dalrymple ...

Finalist for the Cundill History PrizeONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEARNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal and NPR“Superb … A vivid and richly detailed story … worth reading by everyone.” -The New York Times Book ReviewFrom the bestselling author of Return of a King<... ... Read more

$18.99 CAD

Finalist for the Cundill History PrizeONE OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEARNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal and NPR“Superb … A vivid and richly detailed story … worth reading by everyone.” -The New York Times Book ReviewFrom the bestselling author of Return of a King<...
... Read more
The Finest Hotel in Kabul

A People's History of Afghanistan

by Lyse Doucet ...

**A NATIONAL BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONWINNER OF THE 2026 RAKUTEN KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONA NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICEThe story of a hotel. The story of a nation.**When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world.More than fifty years on, the ... Read more

$16.99 CAD

**A NATIONAL BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONWINNER OF THE 2026 RAKUTEN KOBO EMERGING WRITER PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONA NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICEThe story of a hotel. The story of a nation.**When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world.More than fifty years on, the
... Read more
Ça s'est passé ici

Vingt-cinq petites histoires derrière l'histoire

by André Duchesne ...

Tous les pays et les grandes villes du monde possèdent et revendiquent des histoires hors du commun. Le Québec n’y fait pas exception. -Harry Houdini, le célèbre magicien, a été assailli à Montréal par un étudiant avant de succomber à ses blessures quelques jours plus tard à Detroit ; -Jackie Robinson, premier joueur noir dans le baseball professionnel, a démarré sa carrière au Québec avec les ... Read more

$24.99 CAD

Tous les pays et les grandes villes du monde possèdent et revendiquent des histoires hors du commun. Le Québec n’y fait pas exception. -Harry Houdini, le célèbre magicien, a été assailli à Montréal par un étudiant avant de succomber à ses blessures quelques jours plus tard à Detroit ; -Jackie Robinson, premier joueur noir dans le baseball professionnel, a démarré sa carrière au Québec avec les
... Read more
Age of Anger

A History of the Present

by Pankaj Mishra ...

A New York Times Notable Book of 2017 • Named a Best Book of the Year by Slate and NPR • Longlisted for the Orwell PrizeOne of our most important public intellectuals reveals the hidden history of our current global crisisHow can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world—from American shooters and ISIS to Donald Trump, from a rise ... Read more

$1.99 CAD

A New York Times Notable Book of 2017 • Named a Best Book of the Year by Slate and NPR • Longlisted for the Orwell PrizeOne of our most important public intellectuals reveals the hidden history of our current global crisisHow can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world—from American shooters and ISIS to Donald Trump, from a rise
... Read more
The Siege

A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World

by Ben Macintyre ...

**One of Indigo's Top 10 History Books of 2024A brilliant, seat-of-your-pants hostage-taking and daring SAS rescue mission of the Iran Embassy in London in 1980, this is Ben Macintyre at the very height of his story-telling powers.**On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Prince’s Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There, they took 26 hostages, including ... Read more

$14.99 CAD

**One of Indigo's Top 10 History Books of 2024A brilliant, seat-of-your-pants hostage-taking and daring SAS rescue mission of the Iran Embassy in London in 1980, this is Ben Macintyre at the very height of his story-telling powers.**On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Prince’s Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There, they took 26 hostages, including
... Read more
The Spy and the Traitor

The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

by Ben Macintyre ...

The celebrated author of A Spy Among Friends and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet, a thrilling Cold War-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union.If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of ... Read more

$13.99 CAD

The celebrated author of A Spy Among Friends and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet, a thrilling Cold War-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union.If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of
... Read more
Stranger in the Shogun's City

A Japanese Woman and Her World

by Amy Stanley ...

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in BiographyWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for BiographyA “captivating” (The Washington Post) work of narrative history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in 19th-century Edo-period Japan—and portrays the city that would become Tokyo on the brink of a momentous encounter with the West.The ... Read more

Was $19.99 CAD Now $1.99 CAD

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in BiographyWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for BiographyA “captivating” (The Washington Post) work of narrative history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in 19th-century Edo-period Japan—and portrays the city that would become Tokyo on the brink of a momentous encounter with the West.The
... Read more
Klondike

The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1899

by Pierre Berton ...

With the building of the railroad and the settlement of the plains, the North West was opening up. The Klondike stampede was a wild interlude in the epic story of western development, and here are its dramatic tales of hardship, heroism, and villainy. We meet Soapy Smith, dictator of Skagway; Swiftwater Bill Gates, who bathed in champagne; Silent Sam Bonnifield, who lost and won back a hotel in a ... Read more

$16.99 CAD

With the building of the railroad and the settlement of the plains, the North West was opening up. The Klondike stampede was a wild interlude in the epic story of western development, and here are its dramatic tales of hardship, heroism, and villainy. We meet Soapy Smith, dictator of Skagway; Swiftwater Bill Gates, who bathed in champagne; Silent Sam Bonnifield, who lost and won back a hotel in a
... Read more
Asperger's Children

The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna

by Edith Sheffer ...

“An impassioned indictment, one that glows with the heat of a prosecution motivated by an ethical imperative.” —Lisa Appignanesi, New York Review of BooksIn the first comprehensive history of the links between autism and Nazism, prize-winning historian Edith Sheffer uncovers how a diagnosis common today emerged from the atrocities of the Third Reich. As the Nazi regime slaughtered millions across ... Read more

$18.99 CAD

“An impassioned indictment, one that glows with the heat of a prosecution motivated by an ethical imperative.” —Lisa Appignanesi, New York Review of BooksIn the first comprehensive history of the links between autism and Nazism, prize-winning historian Edith Sheffer uncovers how a diagnosis common today emerged from the atrocities of the Third Reich. As the Nazi regime slaughtered millions across
... Read more
A Certain Idea of France

The Life of Charles de Gaulle

by Julian Jackson ...

**A SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES, TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR'Masterly ... awesome reading ... an outstanding biography' Max Hastings, Sunday TimesThe definitive biography of the greatest French statesman of modern times**In six weeks in the early summer of 1940, France was over-run by German troops and quickly surrendered. The French government of ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

**A SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES, TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR'Masterly ... awesome reading ... an outstanding biography' Max Hastings, Sunday TimesThe definitive biography of the greatest French statesman of modern times**In six weeks in the early summer of 1940, France was over-run by German troops and quickly surrendered. The French government of
... Read more
Israel

A Concise History of a Nation Reborn

by Daniel Gordis ...

Winner of the Jewish Book of the Year AwardThe first comprehensive yet accessible political history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis, "one of the most respected Israel analysts" (The Forward) living and writing in Jerusalem.In the landscape of Middle East history, Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world’s attention, aroused its ... Read more

$15.99 CAD

Winner of the Jewish Book of the Year AwardThe first comprehensive yet accessible political history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis, "one of the most respected Israel analysts" (The Forward) living and writing in Jerusalem.In the landscape of Middle East history, Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world’s attention, aroused its
... Read more
The Devil That Danced on the Water

A Daughter’s Memoir

by Aminatta Forna ...

An intimate and moving portrait of a family combined with an account of the events which swept through Africa in the post-independence period.Aminatta Forna’s intensely personal history is a passionate and vivid account of an African childhood – of an idyll that became a nightmare. As a child she witnessed the upheavals of post-colonial Africa, the bitterness of exile in Britain and the terrible ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

An intimate and moving portrait of a family combined with an account of the events which swept through Africa in the post-independence period.Aminatta Forna’s intensely personal history is a passionate and vivid account of an African childhood – of an idyll that became a nightmare. As a child she witnessed the upheavals of post-colonial Africa, the bitterness of exile in Britain and the terrible
... Read more
Noble Ambitions

The Fall and Rise of the English Country House After World War II

by Adrian Tinniswood ...

A rollicking tour of the English country home after World War II, when swinging London collided with aristocratic valuesAs the sun set slowly on the British Empire, its mansions fell and rose. Ancient families were reduced to demolishing the parts of their stately homes they could no longer afford, dukes and duchesses desperately clung to their ancestral seats, and a new class of homeowners bought ... Read more

Was $24.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

A rollicking tour of the English country home after World War II, when swinging London collided with aristocratic valuesAs the sun set slowly on the British Empire, its mansions fell and rose. Ancient families were reduced to demolishing the parts of their stately homes they could no longer afford, dukes and duchesses desperately clung to their ancestral seats, and a new class of homeowners bought
... Read more
Blitzed

Drugs in Nazi Germany

by Norman Ohler ...

Translated by Shaun Whiteside ...

**The sensational international bestseller on the overwhelming role of drug-taking in the Third Reich'The most brilliant and fascinating book I have read in my entire life' Dan Snow'Extremely interesting ... a serious piece of scholarship, very well researched' Ian Kershaw**The Nazis presented themselves as warriors against moral degeneracy. Yet, as Norman Ohler's gripping bestseller reveals, the ... Read more

$10.99 CAD

**The sensational international bestseller on the overwhelming role of drug-taking in the Third Reich'The most brilliant and fascinating book I have read in my entire life' Dan Snow'Extremely interesting ... a serious piece of scholarship, very well researched' Ian Kershaw**The Nazis presented themselves as warriors against moral degeneracy. Yet, as Norman Ohler's gripping bestseller reveals, the
... Read more
The Slave Trade in Africa

An Ongoing Holocaust

by Simon Webb ...

Is it true that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, about which so much has been heard in recent years, would have been impossible without the willing and enthusiastic cooperation of African leaders? Slavery was a common practice in Africa long before the arrival of Europeans, with the trade in black slaves, who were transported from Africa to America and the islands of the Caribbean, aided by the ... Read more

$2.99 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

Is it true that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, about which so much has been heard in recent years, would have been impossible without the willing and enthusiastic cooperation of African leaders? Slavery was a common practice in Africa long before the arrival of Europeans, with the trade in black slaves, who were transported from Africa to America and the islands of the Caribbean, aided by the
... Read more
King of Kings

The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation

by Scott Anderson ...

**Winner of the 2025 Kirkus Prize • Finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for History • Finalist for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction • Finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize • A New York Times Notable Book of the Year • Named a Best Book of 2025 by Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, and Vanity FairFrom the author of the acclaimed international bestseller ... Read more

Was $18.99 CAD Now $14.99 CAD

**Winner of the 2025 Kirkus Prize • Finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for History • Finalist for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction • Finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize • A New York Times Notable Book of the Year • Named a Best Book of 2025 by Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, and Vanity FairFrom the author of the acclaimed international bestseller
... Read more
The Abyss

World War I and the End of the First Age of Globalization--A Selection from The War of the World (Penguin Tracks)

by Niall Ferguson ...

Excerpted from Niall Ferguson’s sprawling bestseller The War of the World, The Abyss now stands on its own as one of the most thrilling short histories of World War I ever written. This is not a conventional military history about battles and generals. Rather, The Abyss examines how World War I saw the birth of total war—fought between societies as much as armies—and must therefore be understood ... Read more

$3.99 CAD

Excerpted from Niall Ferguson’s sprawling bestseller The War of the World, The Abyss now stands on its own as one of the most thrilling short histories of World War I ever written. This is not a conventional military history about battles and generals. Rather, The Abyss examines how World War I saw the birth of total war—fought between societies as much as armies—and must therefore be understood
... Read more
Slouching Towards Utopia

An Economic History of the Twentieth Century

by J. Bradford DeLong ...

**This instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller from one of the world’s leading economists offers a grand narrative of the century that made us richer than ever, but left us unsatisfied.“A magisterial history.” —Paul KrugmanNamed a Best Book of the Year by Financial Times * Economist * Fast Company**Before 1870, humanity lived in dire poverty, with a slow crawl of invention offset ... Read more

Was $21.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

**This instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller from one of the world’s leading economists offers a grand narrative of the century that made us richer than ever, but left us unsatisfied.“A magisterial history.” —Paul KrugmanNamed a Best Book of the Year by Financial Times * Economist * Fast Company**Before 1870, humanity lived in dire poverty, with a slow crawl of invention offset
... Read more

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