Leading historians share the texts that have inspired and informed their work

A UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO WHAT IT TOOK TO FLY BRITAIN’S MOST ICONIC FIGHTER

By spring 1941, the Afrika Korps was advancing across eastern Libya towards Egypt and the Suez Canal. But a dusty port town lay in their path

The grisly fate of more than 16,000 soldiers and civilians during the First Anglo-Afghan War serves as a timeless lesson in hubris and bad leadership

Europe’s frozen northeast became a new sacred frontier of holy war, forced conversion and occupation against Europe’s last pagans

Marcus Paul, editor John Buchan Reconsidered Thirty-nine years of war and peace 1901–1940 328pp. Handsel Press. £27. John Buchan The Strange Stories of John Buchan Edited by James Machin 256pp. Britis