New History Books for November 2025

Louis D. Hall casts his eyes over a selection of history books that will be released over the month ahead.

Sanderling by Anne Weber

The Indigo Press, 4 November 2025

The lives of those who brought us here are stories that intrigue us all. But beware of the risks: travelling back in time can take us places we might never have imagined. Drawing on the work of Walter Benjamin, author and translator Anne Weber uncovers the life of her great-grandfather, Florens Christian Rang (1864-1924).

A Protestant pastor, Rang was a man once regarded as ‘the quintessence of German history,’ whose mission to ‘Germanise’ the local population would later be echoed in the horrors of the Third Reich.

Tracing Rang’s footsteps in Poland, making use of family archives, and literary and philosophical sources, Sanderling is a unique historical blend. Confronting a legacy that still haunts the world, Weber’s honesty shapes this unveiling journey.

The North Sea by Alistair Moffat

Canongate Books, 6 November 2025

A much anticipated work from the prolific Scottish historian, Alistair Moffat. This book is both voyage and investigation, a perfect read for stormy nights ahead.

Intimately wrapped up with themes of change, trade, climate and conquests gone by, The North Sea is an unbounded maritime survey of history and travel. From fenlands to rugged coasts, seaside towns to faraway monasteries, the moving tides never cease to affect. 

As always, Moffat links past with present. Using legends and tales from the first settlers, the book skillfully weaves lore with historical events, proof of their enduring presence. 

From the arrival of the Saxons and Viking raids, to North Sea oil and herring schools, Moffat leaves no tide unturned in this lyrical adventure into the history of the North Sea.

Battle of the Arctic by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

William Collins, 6 November 2025 

Mirroring the gruelling conditions of Shackleton’s Endurance, best-selling author Hugh Sebag-Montefiore vividly depicts a haunting, nightmarish world contested by the Allied forces and the unseen enemy. Committed to delivering arms to Russia, the Allies were under constant threat from Nazi planes, boats, and the torpedoes of their U Boats. 

Using newly discovered letters, diaries and personal accounts that illustrate the horrors of life in the Arctic, Sebag-Montefiore is meticulous in his research of this ruthless chapter in history.

Living in a frosty world of storms and fog, Battle of the Arctic tells the story of the individuals that perished and survived: sailors hunted down by polar bears, the gulags of Russia, unanesthetised amputations, and those forgotten on remote islands.

Find somewhere comfortable (and warm) for this one.

El Generalísimo by Giles Tremlett

Bloomsbury Publishing, 6 November 2025

Even today, in Spain and further afield, Francisco Franco is a name that still causes great division. El Generalísimo is Giles Tremlett’s authoritative biography on the complex man that tore a nation apart, shaping Spain’s cultural and political identity.

Tremlett, a veteran journalist who has long lived in Spain, embarks on a mighty challenge to make sense of the rise of the youngest general in Europe since Napoleon. He examines his upbringing, his emergence as a soldier, his victory in the Spanish Civil War, and the ensuing 38-year long dictatorship that brought both terror and peace.

This much-needed perspective on Franco is eerily relevant today. With the resurgence of autocrats across the world, Tremlett depicts a deliberate and pragmatic dictator who stopped at nothing to maintain his grip on power.

Margaret Beaufort by Lauren Johnson

Apollo, 6 November 2025

This is the extraordinary, hard-fought life of Margaret Beaufort - one of the most influential characters of the Middle Ages. After surviving the War of the Roses, she becomes the matriarch of the Tudor Dynasty, confirming her place in history with her link to the coveted English Crown.

Mother of Henry VII, grandmother of Henry VIII, conspirator and survivor, Margaret Beaufort is a name we ought to remember.

Acclaimed historian Lauren Johnson carefully guides the reader through the turbulence of this tumultuous period, while investigating Beaufort’s international and domestic influence, her bold risk-taking, and her political maneuvering.

We are left in no doubt that Lady Margaret’s trailblazing life defies all odds, paving the way for the prominent Tudor dynasty that followed.

The Cat by Georges Simenon

Penguin Classics, 6 November 2025

When a pet goes missing, no amount of consolation seems to work. But, even worse, what if your partner is to blame? When Émile’s cat is nowhere to be found, he points the finger at Marguerite, his wife. In an attempt at revenge, Émile dismisses her beloved parrot. Set amidst the din of a Parisian neighbourhood, an elderly couples’ parallel lives are born.

Georges Simenon is a much loved author who was fascinated by human behaviour. A traveller, an observer, and a master in psychological perception, he wrote over 400 novels, selling more than 500 million copies.

This reissue of The Cat is ‘a classic’: an acerbic story of two souls trapped within their desperation, their obsession, and the expectations of their age. It is a universal story that brims with insight, wit, and atmosphere.

The Dark Side of the Earth by Mikhail Zygar

W&N, 11 November 2025

From ‘one of Russia's smartest and best-sourced young journalists’ comes an intrepid search into the heart of his enigmatic country. Using exclusive interviews and archival materials from the people that have shaped Russia’s decline, Mikhail Zygar meticulously explains how the Russia of today came to be: from the collapse of the USSR to the rise of Putinism.

Encased within a moving personal narrative, and with an honesty and genuine wit from start to finish, The Dark Side of the Earth is a story of a country’s soul, as seen through the everyday lives of its people.

A work of moral urgency, Zygar cuts through the illusions, lies and blurred lines, spelling out the truth of a country that seems caught between the present and the past.

Mexico by Paul Gillingham

Atlantic Monthly Press, 18 November 2025

This is an enlightening study of one of the world’s most complex, richly diverse and politically unique countries. Prize-winning historian Paul Gillingham ingeniously demonstrates that it is Mexico, more than any other country, that sits proud and centre as one of the earliest and greatest of all melting pots.

Indeed the universal nature of this book ties almost all of the past half-millenia to somewhere in Mexico.

From the book’s beginning on a shipwreck in 1511, the story charges forward to the present day. Encompassing and confronting a country’s ironies and issues, from the racial divides that confront the surviving indigenous tribes, to its violent gangs and ground-breaking politics.

Mexico displays all the different sides of a much undiscovered, and misunderstood nation.

The Man Who Sold Honours by Stephen Bates

Icon Books, 20 November 2025

Everyone loves a British scandal. Stephen Bates’ electrifying book dives into the dark and nefarious world of Maundy Gregory - the long-forgotten character who remains the only person ever to be prosecuted under the 1925 Sale of Honours Act.

Meticulously dressed, sitting in his lavish office with a direct line to Lloyd George’s Number 10, Gregory was living a rags to riches dream: receiving thousands from hopeful knights and lords, while funding his ties with socialites and government. 

‘Business was brisk, and business was brazen,’ but as political moods changed, the writing was on the wall and the shocking extent of Gregory’s dark web was finally exposed.

An award-winning journalist. Bates has crafted a definitive interwar tale of greed and corruption.

Demosthenes by James Romm

Yale University Press, 25 November 2025

From the author of Plato the Tyrant comes a new perspective on the life and times of Demosthenes, the fated hero of Athenian democracy.

This retelling of the rise of imperial power in ancient Athens sheds light on the makings of one of history’s most eloquent defenders of freedom. Today, at a time when political speech is so often manipulative and dangerous, Demosthenes portrays a selfless quest for good.

As the Macedonians prepare to march on Athens, Demosthenes persuades the Athenian Assembly to confront the invaders. But the political struggles within the capital, matched with the ego of Alexander the Great, leads to the ultimate collapse of ancient Greece’s democracy.

James Romm’s thorough biography is a tale as relevant as ever.

The First Female Fossil Hunter by Jayson Kowinsky

Pen & Sword History, 30 November 2025

For all explorers, The First Female Fossil Hunter is both an invitation to the Jurassic Coast, and a stirring education about groundbreaking woman who helped shape our understanding of evolution, deep time, and extinction.

Written by avid paleontologist Jayson Kowinksy, readers are in safe hands as we are led through an intrepid world of fossils, fortitude, and discovery.

As a working-class woman living in Georgian England, Mary Anning overcame many social barriers to ensure she could pursue her passion. Involved in many groundbreaking fossil discoveries along the cliffs of Lyme Regis, and celebrated in her own time by such writers as Dickens, Annin’s story is a deeply human one, and inspiring too.

A refreshing read for those who love nature and the great outdoors.

This month's Previews were by Louis D. Hall.