[A] compendious, fine-grained … magisterial book … The outlaw's song has surely never been better rendered.

A deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking examination of violence in England from the Middle Ages through to the present day … genuinely hard to put down.

The richness of this wonderful book is testament to nearly 50 years spent working on the history of violence … a fascinating and rare example of a beautifully crafted scholarly work.

Entertaining and instructive.

Deeply researched, thoughtfully considered and vividly written … Read it.

A Fiery & Furious People is often a sobering read … Sharpe’s empirically grounded argument is a powerful and persuasive one.

Fascinating . . . James Sharpe draws on court records, verbatim accounts and bloodcurdling contemporary records to chronicle the changing aspects of brutality through the ages.

A history of violence in England, from the Middle Ages onwards, this looks back to a time when violence was part of everyday life and asks what’s changed and why.

Brings the subject memorably to life

A vivid survey of our enthusiasm for violence … For a survey of violence, its pages overflowing with duelling, hooliganism, domestic abuse and even serial killing, Sharpe’s book is actually quite a cheering read. … The strength of Sharpe’s book lies in its anecdotes, with almost every page containing an arresting or colourful detail.

[An] engrossing history of violence … You’ll leave battered and bruised, but with a better understanding of the darker side of our nation’s history

Wonderfully entertaining, comprehensive and astute … This book is a welcome corrective to the reductive explanations and simplistic solutions favoured by populist politicians and fearmongering journalists.

Sweeping and ambitious … packed with gripping anecdotes … Sharpe is a humane and clear-eyed guide to a series of intractable and timely questions.

[An] encyclopaedic history of violence in England. . . Sharpe's book will tell you much about the creativity of the human mind when it comes to conceiving of ways to mistreat others.

Sharpe's eye for detail ensures that the shock value never dwindles

Offers the reader a vivid and interesting insight into the history of violence in England.

Examines a history of English violence from riots to highwaymen, and from executioners to serial killers. Mr Sharpe is a crime historian of many years and his book’s strength lies in its scope, which allows the reader to survey the changes and customs of English society.

A compelling and endlessly fascinating book examining the history of violence in England, A Fiery and Furious People is, like the best history books, one that contrasts our history to our present with startling effect – making this an immediate and gripping read.

A fascinating romp through history

Satisfyingly detailed, yet with a convincing overarching thesis.

[Heffer] has really excelled himself with this epic study of Britain in the years before the First World War. Majestic in its scope, meticulous in its scholarship, compelling in its thesis and stylish in its prose, his heavyweight book challenges the familiar historical tale of confidence and swagger and presents the age in a more complex, sombre light . . . The author has done an extraordinary amount of research, unearthing a wealth of new material from archives. . . . It is impossible to read this magnificent work without gaining a deep new understanding of a unique and troubled age.

[One of] the best historical books to gift others this Christmas.

Heffer has turned himself into one of Britain’s most accomplished and formidable men of letters . . . Heffer is a genuine intellectual with a shelf of books to his credit.

An epic survey . . . Simon Heffer’s intricately detailed account ends with Britain diminished and on the brink of catastrophe.

London's Big Read wants to get the capital talking about [Brit(ish)] ... a personal and provocative exploration of British history, race, identity and belonging.

Afua Hirsch's new book uses the personal and political to take a good look at what it's like to be a person of colour here, now. Here's where you'll get an insight into what it means to be a mixed race and univocally British, yet continuously plagued with the question 'but where are you really from?'

An excellent read.

[A] personal and admirably honest account of her journey towards self-realisation as a woman of colour.

A fascinating...deeply intelligent, witty and often moving exploration of race in modern Britain

Afua Hirsch's first book, Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, was published to wide acclaim at the start of 2018. She looks at the many, multi-faceted questions that surround identity - both on a personal and societal scale - to pen a thought-provoking read.

It is a life-shaping read.

Brit(ish) stands out from a crop of books on growing up mixed race in 70s Britain.

Brit(ish) is an essential read for all. Hirsch's exploration of her identity brings to light the difficulties of growing up as mixed-race and black in Britain. She also challenges the British perception of race, and how our inability to confront our past has profoundly affected our ability to coherently understand and discuss race in our present. Brit(ish) is a call to action, if we genuinely want to progress as a society, we must change our discussions and understanding of race.

A personal, political and challenging account of what it means to be British when you are racialised as Black. Hirsch is a brilliant and fearless intellect who deftly handles the complexity of the issues