A groundbreaking history of the Nazi research institute whose work helped lead to the extermination of millionsIn 1935, Heinrich Himmler established a Nazi research institute called The Ahnenerbe, whose mission was to send teams of scholars around the world to search for proof of Ancient Aryan conquests. But history was not their most important focus. Rather, the Ahnenerbe was an essential part of Himmler's master plan for the Final Solution. The findings of the in...

For fans of provocative history and "Game of Thrones" alike, this revisionist narrative reveals how the little-known women of the Viking era shaped their world.Until Scandinavia converted to Christianity and came under the rule of powerful kings, the Vikings were a dominant force in the medieval world. Outfitted with wind-powered sailing ships, they left their mark, spreading terror across Europe, sacking cities, deposing kings, and ransacking entire economies. Aft...

"A fascinating survey of the different aspects of mummy studies" (Bob Brier, author of The Encyclopedia of Mummies )."Clear, direct and intense . . . all the stories sparkle. Pringle is a crack-shot storyteller." — New York Times Book ReviewMummies, experts, and breaking science revealed in journalist Pringle's fascinating dive into a little-known arena of human studies. ...

A powerful account of the resistance group made up of German students who opposed Nazism, written by the sister of two members who were killed.The White Rose tells the story of Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl, who in 1942 led a small underground organization of German students and professors to oppose the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazi Party. They named their group the White Rose, and they distributed leaflets denouncing the Nazi regime. Sophie, ...

Eleven million people were killed in the Holocaust. Almost six million of these were Jewish - Hitler's most recognized victims. But, five million were not Jewish. Who were these other victims?The author, a Jewish convert of Polish Catholic descent, whose uncle was murdered by Nazi soldiers, discovered that there are many non-Jewish survivors eager to share their stories. There are hundreds of children of these survivors who have been searching for a voice - an opportunity to finall...

From the author of Children of the Camps, a look at the disturbing activities of the Kempeitai, Japan's feared military and secret police.The book opens by explaining the origins, organization, and roles of the Kempeitai apparatus, which exercised virtually unlimited power throughout the Japanese Empire. Author Mark Felton reveals their criminal and collaborationist networks that extorted huge sums of money from hapless citizens and businesses. They ran the...

'The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But, we don't ask for their love - only for their fear.'- Heinrich HimmlerThe Schutzstaffel, or SS - the brutal elite of the Nazi Party - was founded by Hitler in 1925 to be his personal bodyguard. From 1929 it was headed by Heinrich Himmler, who built its numbers up from under 300 to well over a million by 1945 as the SS grew to be the backbone of Nazi Germany, ta...

With the Nazi invasion of Hungary underway, the German army was determined to round up as many Jews as they could and place them into concentration camps. “A Doctor in Auschwitz” is a harrowing tale of survival. It follows one Jewish doctor who was spared and forced to perform experiments on his fellow prisoners. This is a first-hand account of his often brutal assignments, sparing no details.With the Nazi invasion of Hungary underway, the German army was determined to round up as ...

From a distinguished archaeologist, the definitive history of the Vikings—from arts and culture to politics and cosmology.**“A thrilling read.” —**Wall Street JournalThe Viking Age saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of othe...

'I adored this book - a wondrous compendium of Iceland's best sagas' - Hannah KentA new friendship. An unforgettable journey. A beautiful and bloody history.This is Iceland as you've never read it before ...Broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason are good friends. They share a deep attachment to the sagas of Iceland - the true stories of the first Viking families who settled on that remote island in the M...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A “gripping” (The Washington Post) account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs“Superbly written . . . Kennedy seamlessly weaves together scientific and historical research, and his confident authorial voice is sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman.”—The Times (U.K.)...

The remarkable story of Gudrid, the female explorer who sailed from Iceland to the New World a millennium ago.Five hundred years before Columbus, a Viking woman named Gudrid sailed off the edge of the known world. She landed in the New World and lived there for three years, giving birth to a baby before sailing home. Or so the Icelandic sagas say. Even after archaeologists found a Viking longhouse in Newfoundland, no one believed that the details of Gudrid's story ...