Profile Books

10 must-read non-fiction books for World Book Day 2026 Retreat from furby-organ-pilled mass culture and read one of these excellent books.

‘A tribute to stubborn resilience in the face of hardship as well as the creative spark, comedy and community'

#HardStreets by @jacriding.bsky.social is a Shortlist best non-fiction book to read this World Book Day!

www.shortlist.com/books/10-mus...

TRUE story of Charlie Chaplin's upbringing that inspired The Tramp Charlie Chaplin was not raised in affluence and comfort, quite the opposite. New book explores the poverty stricken childhood that shaped the star.

'Jacqueline Riding evokes late 19th-century London with an artist’s eye'

Read a review of #HardStreets by @jacriding.bsky.social in the Mail Online and learn more about the working-class streets of Edwardian London that shaped Charlie Chaplin.

www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/a...

Seeing the trees for the wood You’re up an oak tree somewhere between Ashtead and Epsom in Surrey. Wet lichens glow as you hunt for a footing on slick limbs. From the top of the canopy, the land turns to sea and glades appear as ‘...

'Mesmerising ... Ancient is imbued with a powerful sense of community. Britain's woods are for people, because people, whether they know it or not, are the woods' lifeblood'

A beautiful review in @thespectator1828.bsky.social for #Ancient by Luke Barley, published today 🌳

Let's talk about Sex!

Not boring human sex, but the endlessly fascinating and complex forms of reproduction found in the natural world 🧬

#OnTheOriginOfSex by @lixingsun.bsky.social explores the spectacular science of sex, from frogs to funghi, out today!

profilebooks.com/work/on-the-...

Charlie Chaplin's London with Jacqueline Riding

Catch @jacriding.bsky.social on The Big Smoke Variety Show podcast, discussing her latest book #HardStreets and the working-class neighbourhoods of Edwardian London that shaped Charlie Chaplin 🎧

open.spotify.com/episode/7MK9...

A rectangular landscape graphic with an illustrated forest background. The hardback book Ancient by Luke Barley is in the middle. The text on the graphic reads, 'Step into the woods and discover the trees that made Britain'. The Profile Books logo is at the bottom of the graphic.

'A wonderful ramble beneath the boughs' – @chrisgpackham.bsky.social

Step into the woods with forester Luke Barley as he explores the past, present and future of Britain's ancient woodland 🌳

#Ancient: Reviving the Woods That Made Britain publishes today!

tinyurl.com/AncientLukeBarley

What’s the point of having sex? In The Origin of Sex, the biology professor Lixing Sun investigates why so many species persist with it, when asexual reproduction is much easier

The Times' review on the UK edition of On the Origin of Sex, avaible on March 5.

www.thetimes.com/culture/book...

Opinion | Don’t Let Trump Ruin the World Cup

'I’ve been to the last nine men’s soccer World Cups, and the dominant mood is almost always international friendship ... That is not the spirit of the United States under the Trump administration'

A great @nytimes.com piece from #WorldCupFever author @simonkuper.bsky.social ⚽🏆

Mary Beard – Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old Join one of the world's most acclaimed classicists as she discusses whether – and why – the classics still matter.

Join @wmarybeard.bsky.social at the British Museum as part of her #TalkingClassics tour as she discusses ancient history and its enduring relevance, from politics to pop culture.

📍 The British Museum
📅 Friday 1st May
🕡 6:30–7:30pm
🎟️ Via link below

All You Can Eat - Google My Maps A selection of restaurants and cafés featured in All You Can Eat by Ben Benton. Isn't British food meant to be bad? Join the chef and food writer on a hungry odyssey in search of Britain's best food...

Check out our interactive map for #AllYouCanEat by Ben Benton, featuring restaurants, cafés and bakeries featured in the book!

www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...

A landscape graphic with a green, woodland background. In the foreground is the hardback book Ancient by Luke Barley.

This week is the publication of #Ancient, Luke Barley's beautiful contemplation on Britain's ancient woodland.

To celebrate, we're giving Waterstones Plus members a chance to win a National Trust membership, a signed copy of the book, and more! 🌳

Enter now: tinyurl.com/AncientWaterstonesPrizeDraw

We are delighted that #Abundance by @ezraklein.bsky.social and @dkthomp.bsky.social is Blackwell's non-fiction book of the month for March!

An urgent polemic, calling for a move away from scarcity politics and towards an abundant future. Out now in paperback 🌍️

blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

Ancient by Luke Barley review – the secret history of Britain’s woodlands A former ranger tells the story of how the UK’s forests intimately shaped – and were shaped by – its people

'Luke Barley sets out to tell a more complex and fascinating tale of our forests and the people that have lived with and made use of them'

#Ancient by forester Luke Barley is the @theguardian.com's Book of the Day!

Step into the woods and discover the trees that made Britain 🌳

#Abundance by @ezraklein.bsky.social and @dkthomp.bsky.social is out today in paperback 🌍️

International bestseller, Obama book of the year and shortlisted for FT Business Book of the Year, Abundance is an urgent polemic for our future.

'A must-read' Barack Obama

profilebooks.com/work/abundan...

Why the World Cup Can Feel Like War Soccer stadiums can be dominated by violence, tribalism, chauvinism, and near-religious fervor‚ animated by the memory of old hostilities and the power of ritual.

'Highly engaging ... [Kuper] is one of the best sportswriters in the English language today'

A brilliant @newyorker.com review for #WorldCupFever by @simonkuper.bsky.social ⚽🏆

Looking forward to meeting Southwark folk @ the 1st #HardStreets public event, w/ local lass @lucyworsley.bsky.social - featuring Walworth-born Chaplin, the all-female pickpocket gang led by Polly Carr & more. Given the area was home to the Marshalsea & Mint Workhouse, refs to C. Dickens are likely…

Waterstones promotional graphic with a festive red-and-green patterned border. Text reads: “WATERSTONES 25% OFF RRP Books Coming Soon.” In the centre is the book cover for Enough Said by Alan Bennett, featuring a photo of the author reclining on a sofa in front of bookshelves. At the bottom: “17–20 February Online Only.”

Get 25% off Alan Bennett's upcoming fourth collection of diaries, #EnoughSaid, when you pre-order from @waterstones until February 20th and use code: FEB26

Pre-order your copy here:
tinyurl.com/3tpnp32d

AND if you are in the UK, you can get 25% UNTIL THIS FRIDAY via Waterstones with the code FEB26!!!

www.waterstones.com/book/the-wor...

A promotional image for the upcoming book The Wordspotter's Guide, which has a cream coloured cover with a pair of binoculars on it

I'VE HAD TO KEEP THIS QUIET FOR SO LONG BUT NOW THE CAT CAN FINALLY ESCAPE THE BAG

I wrote another book!! and it's coming out this November! it's a little like a birdwatching guide, except it's a word watching guide! i poured my heart into it!!

you can even pre-order it now!!

link in biooo

ahhh

My new book #TalkingClassics is 25% off RRP between now & 20 Feb. If you have already ordered, you can cancel & use this offer. Details: www.waterstones.com/book/talking...

25% off my new book from Waterstones. See below 👇 for details. If you have already preordered the easiest thing is to cancel that order and reorder using this code.

Promotional graphic for Waterstones: “25% OFF RRP – Books Coming Soon” (Online Only, 17–20 February). The image shows a selection of upcoming book covers including Enough Said by Alan Bennett, Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old by Mary Beard, To Exist As I Am by Grace Spence Green, What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu, Boglands by Merritt R. Turetsky, Out of Colditz by David Lascelles, Worlds of Fear and Wonder by Malcolm Gaskill, The Law of the Sublime by Robert Greene (cover to be revealed), The Wordspotter’s Guide by Olivia Swarthout, and Amicable Divorce by Kate Daly.

A deal you do not want to miss! ✨

Get 25% off the books below, when you pre-order from
@waterstones.bsky.social until February 20th and use code: FEB26

The Battle for the Arctic Podcast Episode · The Rest Is Politics · 13/02/2026 · 19m

#PolarWar author Kenneth R. Rosen discusses the battle for the Arctic in Friday's episode of the @therestpolitics.bsky.social with @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and Rory Stewart.

A proof copy of The Age of Alchemy by Kit Chapman, on a white table

Today's new arrival - thrilled to get stuck into this one! Science history? Hell yeah. Thank you @profilebooks.bsky.social! Out in April ☺️

Hard Streets | A Talk by Jacqueline Riding - Southwark Cathedral Join acclaimed historian Jacqueline Riding in conversation with Lucy Worsley.

🎟️ EVENT 🎟️

Join @JacRiding.bsky.social in conversation with @LucyWorsley.bsky.social at Southwark Cathedral, discussing her new book #HardStreets: Working-Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin's London.

📍Southwark Cathedral
⏰ Thursday 19th Feb, 7:15pm

Africa needs to follow Asia’s path to grow So argues an important new book, “How Africa Works”

‘Studwell has written one of the most interesting analyses of the past few years'

#HowAfricaWorks by Joe Studwell has been reviewed by the Economist, described as an 'important new book'. Out now! 🌍

www.economist.com/culture/2026...

#TheRulesBook by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler is out now!

Master the tried and tested, unwritten laws of life - from the bestselling team behind The Decision Book 💡

Order your copy here:
profilebooks.com/work/the-rul...

The Unfragile Mind - Profile Books Making Sense of Mental Health

Dr Gavin Francis' top 5 tips for boosting your mental wellbeing 🧡

#TheUnfragileMind: Making Sense of Mental Health by GP and bestselling author @drgavinfrancis.bsky.social publishes today with @wellcomecollection.bsky.social.

Find out more: tinyurl.com/TheUnfragileMind

A rectangular landscape graphic with a green background. The hardback book Reaching for the Extreme by Ian Stewart is in the middle of the graphic. The Profile Books logo is in the bottom right-hand corner.

Join bestselling author Ian Stewart on a journey through some of mathematics' prickliest conundrums – and why they matter 💫

#ReachingForTheExtreme publishes today!

tinyurl.com/dnjkw8m8

The 2026 #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction longlist is here💜

Which book will you be picking up first?

#WomensPrizeforNonFiction