This week's new books

Beauty Imagined: A History of the Global Beauty Industry, Geoffrey Jones (Oxford University Press)
This history of the global beauty industry, from its emergence in the 19th century to the present, charts the growth of today’s global giants, such as Avon, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal, revealing how successive generations of entrepreneurs built brands which shaped perceptions of beauty and the business organisations needed to market them.


Death and the Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart, Chris Skidmore (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
An account of the mysterious death of Amy Robsart, the wife of Elizabeth I’s favorite courtier Robert Dudley, on September 8th 1560, which provides an insight into the life of the Virgin Queen and her court.


Land, Law and People in Medieval Scotland, Cynthia J. Neville (Edinburgh University Press)
A study of the encounter between Gaels and Europeans in Scotland between 1150 and 1400, which examines how the customs, laws and traditions of the native inhabitants and those of incoming settlers interacted and influenced each other during this important period in the formation of the Scots’ national identity.


Edward IV and the Wars of the Roses, David Santiuste (Pen & Sword)
A reassessment of Edward IV’s role as a military leader and of the Wars of the Roses in which he played a vital part, which provides an insight into Edward’s character as well as the politics and the fighting.