{"title":"Books by Christopher de Bellaigue","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780099578697","title":"The Lion House","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn immersive reconstruction of the life of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eWolf Hall\u003c\/i\u003e for the Ottoman Empire ... History at its most gripping' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTelegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A formidable book ... incredible'\u003c\/b\u003e Rory Stewart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eVenice, 1522.\u003c\/i\u003e Intelligence arrives from the east confirming Europe's greatest fear: the vastly rich Ottoman Sultan has all he needs to wage total war - and his sights are set on Rome. With Christendom divided, Suleyman the Magnificent has his hand on its throat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the palaces of Istanbul to the blood-soaked fields of central Europe and the scorched coasts of north Africa, \u003ci\u003eThe Lion House\u003c\/i\u003e tells the true story of two civilisations in an existential duel and the rise of the most feared man of the sixteenth century. It is a tale of the timeless pull of power, dangerous to live with, deadly to live without.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The most daring history book of the year. Unforgettable' \u003c\/b\u003eDominic Sandbrook, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An urgent, immersive, present-tense gallop ... behind the bejewelled descriptive prose a thumping pulse of action tugs us through' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Luminous ... gripping ... truly magnificent'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eSpectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128959336626,"sku":"9780099578697","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099578697_97e8633b-e4ce-4df4-b35f-4537313c91d9.jpg?v=1786011254"},{"product_id":"9781847927422","title":"The Golden Throne","description":"\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eWolf Hall\u003c\/i\u003e for the Ottoman Empire . . . History at its most gripping' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph \u003c\/i\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Lion House\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA ground-breaking, present-tense reconstruction of the life and world of one of the most consequential figures in world history, Suleyman the Magnificent, from the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lion House\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChosen by \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eas one of the Best Books of 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘A wonderful book – entrancing, addictive, full of effortless erudition’\u003c\/b\u003e Rory Stewart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIstanbul, 1538.\u003c\/i\u003e The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, \u003ci\u003eThe Golden Throne \u003c\/i\u003eis an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘The pace, the language and the story-telling are simply magnificent’\u003c\/b\u003e Victoria Hislop\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Thrilling entertainment created out of meticulously researched history’\u003c\/b\u003e Robert Peston\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Mesmerizing, superb, impossible to put down'\u003c\/b\u003e Simon Sebag Montefiore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Wonderful and highly enjoyable'\u003c\/b\u003e Margaret MacMillan","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685814280565,"sku":"9781529967050","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":54926333673845,"sku":"9781847927422","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529967050.jpg?v=1792599011"},{"product_id":"9780099578703","title":"The Islamic Enlightenment","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2017\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An eye-opening, well-written and very timely book' Yuval Noah Harari\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The best sort of book for our disordered days: timely, urgent and illuminating' Pankaj Mishra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'It strikes a blow…for common humanity' \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Muslim world has often been accused of a failure to modernise and adapt. Yet in this sweeping narrative and provocative retelling of modern history, Christopher de Bellaigue charts the forgotten story of the Islamic Enlightenment – the social movements, reforms and revolutions that transfigured the Middle East from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Modern ideals and practices were embraced across the region, including the adoption of modern medicine, the emergence of women from purdah and the development of democracy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Islamic Enlightenment\u003c\/i\u003e looks behind the sensationalist headlines in order to foster a genuine understanding of Islam and its relationship to the West. It is essential reading for anyone engaged in the state of the world today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223664374133,"sku":"9780099578703","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099578703_e92ab883-b83c-4ddc-868e-96e174f354ff.jpg?v=1786011255"},{"product_id":"9780099540489","title":"Patriot of Persia","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn 19 August 1953 the British and American intelligence agencies launched a desperate coup against a cussed, bedridden 72-year-old. His name was Muhammad Mossadegh, the Iranian prime minister. To Winston Churchill he was a lunatic, determined to humiliate Britain. To President Eisenhower he was delivering Iran to the Soviets. Mossadegh must go.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd so he did, in one of the most dramatic episodes in modern Middle Eastern history. But the countries that overthrew him would, in time, deeply regret it. Mossadegh was one of the first liberals of the Middle East, a man whose conception of liberty was as sophisticated as any in Europe or America. He wanted friendship with the West - not slavish dependence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere, for the first time, is the political and personal life of a remarkable patriot, written by our foremost observer of Iran. Above all, the life of Muhammad Mossadegh is a warning to today's occupants of Downing Street and the White House, as they commit us all to intervention in a volatile and unpredictable region.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223803539829,"sku":"9780099540489","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099540489_16ce7494-f2d2-41d7-b706-4367b66b783c.jpg?v=1786011460"},{"product_id":"9781735913780","title":"Flying Green","description":"\u003cb\u003eCan flying be green?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eEveryone loves to travel, and the industry’s room for growth seems almost limitless—except that flying will soon be responsible for 19 percent of global emissions. Some people have even decided never to fly. Over the coming decades, aviation will witness more innovation than at any time since the invention of the jet engine in the 1940s, transforming the way planes are powered and the way they look.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eFlying Green\u003c\/i\u003e, Christopher de Bellaigue meets the inventors, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who are at the frontier of new technologies, from a European startup that makes fuel out of thin air, to a California firm using hydrogen to power flight, and an airship called the Flying Whale. What will it take for a new generation of travelers to fly guilt-free? This is the story of the search for a way to fly green.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312772362613,"sku":"9781735913780","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781735913780_9991776c-f8fe-4d4b-89d5-93fbff7a7684.jpg?v=1786024825"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-christopher-de-bellaigue.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}