Odd Arne Westad and Chen Jian provide a superb history of China’s transition into and out of the Cultural Revolution
The US foreign policy machine in action, origins of the new cold war, and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as viewed from Washington
Peter Parker’s two-volume anthology is a meticulous portrait of prejudice and the gradual shifting of public opinion
Jerry Brotton takes an intriguing look at the cardinal directions and what they tell us about the Earth and its inhabitants
Three new books on the US look at the Clinton decade, the rise of conspiracies and the existential threat of November’s presidential election
Diarmaid MacCulloch’s thrilling book explores the complexities and contradictions of biblical scholarship and its changing interpretations
An outstanding history of the trade routes that linked a civilisation’s wealth and wisdom to the world beyond
Diarmaid Ferriter’s history of modern Ireland chronicles the dramatic social, political and economic shifts that have taken place within a generation
Uwe Neumahr’s story of the journalists at the war crimes trial tackles thorny questions about bias and collective German guilt
The rivalry between Buffon and Linnaeus has lessons about disrupters and exploitation
Shifting the focus away from the Führer et al, Richard J Evans profiles lower-ranking Nazis who enabled the Holocaust
David Chaffetz makes a convincing case for why no other animal has had such a profound impact on human history
Book historian Sara J Charles takes a fascinating look at manuscript making in the Middle Ages
Donald Rayfield chronicles how the enclave annexed by Putin in 2014 has suffered centuries of invasion and ethnic cleansing
Two authoritative histories shed modern light on two centuries of medieval crusades
Chinese-British novelist Xiaolu Guo chooses East Sussex to explore themes of migration and memory
Medical historian Beth Linker provides a timely account of 20th-century America’s obsession with good posture
Catherine Fletcher’s history of the road-building prowess of the Romans
Two impressive new histories about the Balkan neighbours show how the traumas of the past have left deep traces in the present
A family history that exposes China’s authoritarian regime and an era of repression
Harald Jähner’s vivid history depicts Germany’s dizzying era of change — and its catastrophic finale
Tony Barber selects his best mid-year reads
Two books shed new light on the dynasties that laid the foundations of the modern European nation
Tiya Miles revisits the pivotal achievements of a woman who helped dozens escape slavery via the Underground Railroad
Carola Binder’s monetary history uncovers the deep entanglement of price rises and politics
