on books coming up in 2020

It’s certainly been a strange summer for the world of publishing. But if there’s one small silver lining on our current situation, it’s that some of us have more time for reading than ever before. And as we move towards autumn, there’s plenty for book-lovers to look forward to.

The news agenda has been dominated recently by the Black Lives Matter protests, and there’s plenty of books coming up that provide vital historical background for understanding current debates. I’m especially interested to learn more about the game-changing people of colour that shaped our nation in Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne’s 100 Great Black Britons. Olivette Otele’s African Europeans, revealing the long and untold history of Africans on this continent, promises to be another enlightening read.

Meanwhile, the Middle Ages continues to be as popular as ever. Rosemary Horrox will be profiling one of history’s most obsessed-over figures, Richard III, while Charles Spencer will be telling the story of The White Ship

– the naval disaster that threw medieval England’s royal dynasty into turmoil.

Moving forward a fair few centuries, Laurence Rees will explore the relationship between two tyrants that defined the 20th century in Hitler and Stalin, and Richard J Evans is set to investigate why so many corrosive myths continue to swirl around the Third Reich with

The Hitler Conspiracies. For a broader examination of how conflict has shaped societal progress, look out for Margaret Macmillan’s War.

For those interested in the history of Asia, Priya Atwal will be sharing the stories of the Royals and Rebels that built the Sikh empire, and Michael Wood’s The Story of China recounts the fluctuating fortunes of one of the world’s most fascinating civilisations.

Finally, Andrew Marr’s Elizabethans promises a lively “living history” chronicling the transformation of modern Britain since Elizabeth II’s coronation.