New history books in October 2026

The trawl from last month has resulted in 16 new history books: 16 being a pleasing square number, pleasing because it means the covers stack up nicely for the socials. Even more important than the covers though are the books. In general there is a theme of culture running through them. The three that I will pick out are: Napoleon and his Marshals: Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal, by Andrew Roberts. Never known to write a book under 700 pages long, this latest epic from the pro biographer Roberts may be an interesting new angle on a familiar story. (I started this a couple of days ago so will be writing up the review in a few weeks.) Birth of a Global City: London in a Revolutionary World, 1789-1815, by Jerry White. This combines my home city with my specialist period so I hope to be able to find the time to read this one. Unearthed: Rediscovered poetry from ancient times to the middle ages, by Nicholas Bateman. This looks really interesting, the idea being I think is that all the poems in…

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