Profile Books

Profile Books We're an independent publisher based in London. http://www.profilebooks.com Profile publishes business books in partnership with the CMI and with The Economist.

We publish powerful non-fiction that will expand your mind and keep your attention by authors including Mary Beard, Alan Bennett, Kwame Anthony Appiah and Robert Greene. Profile was founded in 1996 by Andrew Franklin and Stephen Brough to publish stimulating non-fiction in a wide range of fields, including history, business and economics, science and biography, with a sprinkling of humour. Bestsel

lers over the years have included the New Scientist Last Word series selling over 2.5 million and Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (more than 3 million copies sold worldwide). Bestselling authors include Mary Beard, Alan Bennett, Simon Garfield, Francis Fukuyama, Simon Jenkins, Atul Guwande, and Sandi Toksvig. Profile is very proud to publish Susan Hill, one of the world’s greatest ghost story writers, short story collections in conjunction with Oxfam and a new series with the Wellcome Trust. In 2002 the company acquired the HarperCollins UK business list, including classics like In Search of Excellence. Profile’s bestselling business list includes The 48 Laws of Power, The Decision Book and Yes!. Profile’s Frankenstein app was one of the Guardian‘s apps of the year in 2013. An innovative maths app, with content by Professor Ian Stewart launched 2014 in partnership with Touchpress, and won a 2015 Digital Book World award. Bestselling narrative adventure game 80 Days, created with Inkle, won a Futurebook Award in 2014. In 2007 Profile acquired Serpent’s Tail, a company founded by Pete Ayrton that publishes highly distinctive award-winning international fiction such as We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, Karen Joy Fowler, Adrian McKinty, Nicolson Baker, Jami Attenberg and J. Robert Lennon. In 2011 Profile Books launched the Clerkenwell Press headed by Geoff Mulligan, which focuses on literary fiction and nonfiction and fiction in translation. In 2012 Profile bought the award winning Tindal Street titles.

Stuck for Father's Day ideas? The Daily Dad by Ryan Holiday has you covered!From the bestselling author of The Daily Sto...
13/06/2024

Stuck for Father's Day ideas? The Daily Dad by Ryan Holiday has you covered!

From the bestselling author of The Daily Stoic, this brilliant book is full of inspiring quotes and advice for fathers 🎁

Order now to get it in time for Sunday! https://bit.ly/3z44eRC

'Right Thing, Right Now is a message all of us need to hear' - Arnold SchwarzeneggerThe latest in the New York Times bes...
11/06/2024

'Right Thing, Right Now is a message all of us need to hear' - Arnold Schwarzenegger

The latest in the New York Times bestselling series: the life-changing power of integrity.

Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday is out today! https://amzn.to/3VifL7g

14/03/2024

Today is the 20th anniversary of my recitation from memory of Pi (3.14...) to 22,514 decimal places. It was also twenty years ago that I was diagnosed with autism. In my forthcoming book, 'Nine Minds', I explore the extraordinary achievements and inner lives of nine neurodivergent men and women from around the globe. From a Fields Medal-winning mathematician to a murder detective, a pioneering surgeon to a bestselling novelist, each is remarkable in their field, and each is changing how the world sees those on the spectrum.

'Nine Minds' will be published in the UK on July 11 and you can find links to preorder the book here:

https://linktr.ee/ninemindsbook

TGIF 🍻 if you’re looking for tips on how to cut down on the booze from a master of moderate drinking, with some hilariou...
19/05/2023

TGIF 🍻 if you’re looking for tips on how to cut down on the booze from a master of moderate drinking, with some hilarious anecdotes and fascinating facts thrown in, look no further. Adrian Chiles’ honest, funny memoir of drinking comes out in paperback next Thursday. Cheers!

Florian Illies is the author of the international bestseller 1913, and this is a return to the sense of life and gravity...
15/05/2023

Florian Illies is the author of the international bestseller 1913, and this is a return to the sense of life and gravity he elicits so well - as you read, you feel you could be in 1930s Paris, glimpsing Sartre and de Beauvoir deep in conversation outside a cafe...
1930s Europe - as the Roaring Twenties wind down and the world rumbles towards war, the great minds of the time have other concerns.

Jean-Paul Sartre waits anxiously in a Parisian café for his first date with no-show Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich slips from her loveless marriage into the dive bars of Berlin. Father and son Thomas and Klaus Mann clash over each other's homosexuality. And Vladimir Nabokov lovingly places a fresh-caught butterfly at the end of Verá's bed. Little do they all know, the book burning will soon begin.

Love in a Time of Hate skilfully interweaves some of the greatest love stories of the 1930s with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe, in an irresistible journey into the past that brings history and its actors to vivid life.

Coming 1st June. Translated by Simon Pare.

Calling all nature lovers! ’ latest book is out today 🌿Whether you are an experienced forager or have been newly-introdu...
11/05/2023

Calling all nature lovers! ’ latest book is out today 🌿

Whether you are an experienced forager or have been newly-introduced to nature hikes and forest bathing, will soon become your indispensable companion 🌳

From verdant forests to wild coastlines, via city pavements, fields and rolling hills, John Wright illuminates what can be found on a walk across any British terrain, and how you might observe and truly understand them, for yourself.

Warm, wise and endlessly informative, full of helpful illustrations and suggested routes, will help you see the world around you with new eyes: no walk will be the same again🍃

Calling all Essex dwellers and lovers! We've got the perfect​ book for you...A Financial Times 'Book to Read in 2023'Ess...
09/05/2023

Calling all Essex dwellers and lovers! We've got the perfect​ book for you...

A Financial Times 'Book to Read in 2023'

Essex. A county both famous and infamous: the stuff of tabloid headlines and reality television, consumer culture and right-wing politicians. England's dark id.

But beyond the sensationalist headlines lies a strange and secret place with a rich history: of smugglers and private islands, artists and radicals, myths and legends. It's where the Peasants' Revolt began and the Empire Windrush docked. And - from political movements like Brexit to cultural events like TOWIE - where Essex leads, the rest of us often follow.

Tim Burrows' The Invention of Essex has it all.

Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, The Invention of Essex shows that there is more to this fabled English county than meets the eye.

Coming 1st June

When you go for a walk, what do you see? 👀💭From the acclaimed author of   and   ,   will help you see the world around y...
12/04/2023

When you go for a walk, what do you see? 👀💭

From the acclaimed author of and , will help you see the world around you with new eyes over eight walks on different British terrains 🚶

No walk will ever be the same again🍃

Coming in May, but pre-orders live.

'He was a hectic, unprincipled bird, but it was impossible not to love him' On 27th April, we publish  : A Magpie Memoir...
11/04/2023

'He was a hectic, unprincipled bird, but it was impossible not to love him'

On 27th April, we publish : A Magpie Memoir.

When Frieda Hughes moved to the depths of the Welsh countryside, she was expecting to take on a few projects: planting a garden, painting and writing her poetry column for the Times. But instead, she found herself rescuing a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm – and embarking on an obsession that would change the course of her life.

As the magpie, George, grows from a shrieking scrap of feathers and bones into an intelligent, unruly companion, Frieda finds herself captivated - and apprehensive of what will happen when the time comes to finally set him free.

Perfect for fans of , we can’t wait for you to get your hands on this book and meet the charming (and mischievous!) George!

‘This book will save lives’ – Nova Reid We are so proud to be publishing Dr Annabel Sowemimo’s vital exploration of race...
06/04/2023

‘This book will save lives’ – Nova Reid

We are so proud to be publishing Dr Annabel Sowemimo’s vital exploration of race and healthcare, , out today. This urgent book exposes the racial biases of medicine that affect our everyday lives and provides an illuminating insight into how our world works, and who it works for, calling for the vital decolonisation of our healthcare system.

This is essential reading for patients and medical professional alike.

A locally-sourced apple a day keeps climate change at bay… 🍎🍏We had a brilliant time on Friday, popping up outside  with...
27/03/2023

A locally-sourced apple a day keeps climate change at bay… 🍎🍏

We had a brilliant time on Friday, popping up outside with our grocery cart! We gave away apples, chatted to loads of interested passers by about the food cycle, health and environment, and were pleased to share info about the excellent and at the same time.

Ravenous is out now!

What are the limits of language? How to bring philosophy closer to everyday life? What is a good human being? These were...
16/03/2023

What are the limits of language? How to bring philosophy closer to everyday life? What is a good human being?

These were among the questions that philosophers wrestled with in mid-twentieth-century Britain, a period shadowed by war and the rise of fascism. In response to these events, thinkers such as Gilbert Ryle, J. L. Austin, Elizabeth Anscombe and Iris Murdoch aspired to a new level of watchfulness and self-awareness about language. Being vigilant about their words was their way to keep philosophy true to everyday experience.

by Nikhil Krishnan traces the friendships and the rivalries, the shared preoccupations and the passionate disagreements of Oxford's most brilliant thinkers. Far from being stuck in a world of tweed, pipes and public schools, the Oxford philosophers drew on their wartime lives as soldiers and spies, conscientious objectors and prisoners of war in creating their greatest works, works that are original in both thought and style, true masterpieces of British modernism.

Out now!

Simon Kuper’s scandalous and critically acclaimed   is coming to paperback! Thirteen of the seventeen postwar British pr...
14/03/2023

Simon Kuper’s scandalous and critically acclaimed is coming to paperback!

Thirteen of the seventeen postwar British prime ministers went to Oxford. Five consecutive Oxford Tory prime ministers have ruled the UK since 2010. Now fully updated with the premierships of Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, this Sunday Times bestseller is the entertaining and infuriating story of how one institution created our political elite.

Publishing 30th March.

How can we all heal when the system is broken? In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all too aware of the urgent ...
08/03/2023

How can we all heal when the system is broken?

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all too aware of the urgent health inequalities that plague our world. But these inequalities have always been urgent: modern medicine has a colonial and racist history.

Here, in an essential and searingly truthful account, Annabel Sowemimo unravels the colonial roots of modern medicine. Tackling systemic racism, hidden histories and healthcare myths, Sowemimo recounts her own experiences as a doctor, patient and activist.

exposes the racial biases of medicine that affect our everyday lives and provides an illuminating – and incredibly necessary – insight into how our world works, and who it works for.

This is unmissable non-fiction for readers of Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge.

Out 6th April.

📚 ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 THE TIMES, DAZED, FINANCIAL TIMES, METRO, EVENING STANDARD, REFINERY29, COSMOPOLITAN 📚 I...
02/03/2023

📚 ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 THE TIMES, DAZED, FINANCIAL TIMES, METRO, EVENING STANDARD, REFINERY29, COSMOPOLITAN 📚

In twenty-first century Britain, unsafe homes are a matter of life and death.

Award-winning journalist Vicky Spratt traces decades of bad decisions to show how the British dream of secure housing for all has withered. This fierce and moving account tells the stories of those on the frontline, illuminating the ways this national emergency cuts across the country, where the safety net of social housing has unravelled in exchange for profit, and communities have been devastated beyond recognition.

Everybody deserves the chance of a safe and stable home, and this urgent, ground-breaking book leads the way. is out now in paperback 🏠

'The food system is one of the most successful, innovative and destructive industries on earth. It feeds us, but it is a...
27/02/2023

'The food system is one of the most successful, innovative and destructive industries on earth. It feeds us, but it is also killing us.'

This is the manifesto that'll disrupt dining tables this spring. Devour it, then don't stop talking about it until we've fixed the broken food system.

You may not be aware of this - not consciously, at least - but you do not control what you eat. Every mouthful you take is informed by the subtle tweaking and nudging of a vast, complex, global system: one so intimately woven into everyday life that you hardly even know it's there.

The food system is no longer simply a means of sustenance. It is one of the most successful, most innovative and most destructive industries on earth. It sustains us, but it is also killing us. Diet-related disease is now the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the developed world - far worse than smoking. The environmental damage done by the food system is also changing climate patterns and degrading the earth, risking our food security.

Few people know the workings of the food system better than Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of the Leon restaurant chain, government adviser and author of the radical National Food Strategy. In Ravenous, he takes us behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms that act together to shape the modern diet - and therefore the world. He explains not just why the food system is leading us into disaster, but what can be done about it.

Coming 23rd March.

It’s an exciting Wellcome Collection paperback publication day for us! 📚   is essential reading for nature lovers: a bea...
23/02/2023

It’s an exciting Wellcome Collection paperback publication day for us! 📚

is essential reading for nature lovers: a beautiful and eclectic anthology of essays about our natural world, from leading writers, activists and scientists. Let Sheila Watt-Cloutier transport you to the Arctic spring, join Rowan Hisayo Buchanan as she discovers the pleasures of painting trees and follow Rebecca Tamás as she puts roots down through earth and soil.

by Daniel Pick is a critically acclaimed mind-bending exploration of thought control, from ISIS to TV advertising to online algorithms. Mixing fascinating case studies with historical and psychological insights, this is a stimulating journey into the mysteries of brainwashing.

OUT TODAY!

Why is taking care of a loved one with dementia so difficult? 💚A husband believes his wife is an imposter. A man's sudde...
13/02/2023

Why is taking care of a loved one with dementia so difficult?

💚

A husband believes his wife is an imposter. A man's sudden, intense Catholic piety provokes his wife. A mother and daughter struggle to come to terms with the disease that intensifies an already dependent relationship.

At their root, these existential dilemmas grow out of long-established patterns of behaviour that bind together patients and caregivers. by Dasha Kiper explores the complex and profound psychology of caregiving, illuminating how the healthy brain's biases and intuitions make caring for people with dementia disorders so profoundly and inherently difficult. Featuring beautifully observed case studies, Kiper illuminates the underlying mental mechanisms behind carers' experiences, dispels the myth of the perfect caregiver and opens the door to understanding and forgiveness.

Publishing 2nd March.

We are closer than ever to the first human pregnancy outside the human body … but are ready for the radical future of bi...
08/02/2023

We are closer than ever to the first human pregnancy outside the human body … but are ready for the radical future of birth?

🌱

Scientific research is on the cusp of being able to grow babies outside human bodies, from machines, for the very first time. In , Claire Horn takes us on a truly radical and urgent deep dive into the most challenging and pertinent questions of our age. Could artificial wombs allow women to redistribute the work of gestating? How do we protect reproductive and abortion rights? And who exactly gets access to this technology, in our vastly unequal world?

Let us know in the comments below if you’re interested in a review copy of this fascinating look at the future of humanity.

'I loved Hybrid Humans. A way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past' – Jeanette Winterson🦾 Today we pu...
02/02/2023

'I loved Hybrid Humans. A way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past' – Jeanette Winterson

🦾

Today we publish the paperback of the Barbellion Prize-nominated .

Harry Parker's life changed overnight when he lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan. Grappling with his own new identity and disability, he began to explore the latest robotics, tech and implants that might lead us to powerful, liberating possibilities for what it means to be human.

OUT NOW!

The latest indispensable handbook from Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler, the Get Things Done book is here to banish...
23/01/2023

The latest indispensable handbook from Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler, the Get Things Done book is here to banish procrastination from your life. Those of you who have read The Change Book and The Decision Book will know how truly useful & life-changing these books are. 📚

Every day we begin new projects, or try to find pleasure in the ones we're working on - and above all, we hope one day we'll finish them! But in a disjointed, distracting world it's often hard to find the motivation and focus necessary.

This compact book brings together 41 of the best productivity models. From world-famous techniques to the best-kept secrets of the professionals, this book is full of big ideas that actually work - distilled to their essence. You'll find out how to achieve deep work, compartmentalise tasks and identify your priorities - as well as how to build confidence, find your circle of competence and even learn to work with difficult people.

Stylish and compact, this little book is a powerful asset. Whether you need to pull off a new project, assess what you've achieved so far, or even just understand your own working habits, this unique book has all the tools you need.

Coming 2nd February.

igreads

With a new introduction on the British response to the Ukraine crisis, this is the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals ...
04/01/2023

With a new introduction on the British response to the Ukraine crisis, this is the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals the scandalous reality of Britain's new position in the world.

Non-fiction reviewers, DM us for a review copy - we have a few up for grabs! 📕

A Book of the Year at: Sunday Times, Waterstones, FT, The Times, The Irish Times, Spectator, New Yorker, The Economist, RTE, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Management Today, The Week and Socialist Worker

How did Britain become the servant of the world's most powerful and corrupt men?

From accepting multi-million pound tips from Russian oligarchs, to the offshore tax havens, meet Butler Britain...

In his Sunday Times-bestselling expose, Oliver Bullough reveals how the UK took up its position at the elbow of the worst people on Earth: the oligarchs, kleptocrats and gangsters. Though the UK prides itself on values of fair play and the rule of law, few countries do more to frustrate global anti-corruption efforts. From the murky origins of tax havens and gambling centres in the British Virgin Islands and Gibraltar to the influence of oligarchs in the British establishment, Butler to the World is the story of how we became a nation of Jeeveses - and how it doesn't have to be this way.

There’s only four days left until Christmas, but don’t panic – there’s still enough time to pop down to your local books...
21/12/2022

There’s only four days left until Christmas, but don’t panic – there’s still enough time to pop down to your local bookshop to pick up some last-minute presents! To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best non-fiction books to gift this season 🎁

For the runner in your life, we present Chris McDougall and Eric Orton’s , the ultimate training guide for everyone, from parkrun enthusiasts to marathon fiends. For your favourite married couple, why not gift , the scripts from Jan Etherington’s witty and heart-warming BBC Radio 4 sitcom starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. And finally, for popular science fans and sci-fi lovers alike, there’s by Felix Flicker, a wonderfully irreverent theoretical physics manual that covers everything from lasers that cut through solid metal, trains that hover in mid-air and crystals that light our home.

Check out our full gifting guide via the link in our bio! Merry Christmas ✨🎄

We’ve all got that friend who lives for a pub quiz, so we’ve put together some gift recommendations to impress the walki...
19/12/2022

We’ve all got that friend who lives for a pub quiz, so we’ve put together some gift recommendations to impress the walking, talking encyclopaedias in your life! 📖

, edited by Tom Standage is a wonderful collection of the world’s most mind-boggling facts to amaze and delight in equal measure, offering headscratchers on plant-based milk and supermoons to the next Dalai Lama and what really happened at the storming of the Bastille. by Kate Summerscale is a captivating A-Z compendium of our deepest fears and innermost obsessions, from arachnophobia to bibliomania and many more. by Andrew Martin is the perfect quiz book for a trainspotting friend, ideal for testing transport knowledge whilst also doubling up as an eye-opening history of the British railway.

Check out our full festive gift guide via the link in our bio!

After a gift for the history buffs in your life? We’ve got you covered! First up is the stunningly illustrated   by Caro...
16/12/2022

After a gift for the history buffs in your life? We’ve got you covered!

First up is the stunningly illustrated by Caroline Vout, an eye-opening exploration of the ancient Greek and Roman body that’s just perfect for lovers of the classical work. Next up, the scrumptious by Luca Cesari – filled with mouth-watering recipes and engrossing tales, this is the story of Italy in ten dishes. Finally, by the Globe Theatre comes an adrenaline-charged rollercoaster through history’s seismic first nights, exploring how individual artists can change and shape the story of culture.

Take a look at our full festive gifting guide via the link in our bio!

Murder is best served ice cold… ❄️ Crime fiction lovers, we’ve got your festive reading list covered with our brilliant ...
12/12/2022

Murder is best served ice cold… ❄️

Crime fiction lovers, we’ve got your festive reading list covered with our brilliant range of classic crime collections. Featuring stories from the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle. Dorothy L. Sayers, Ian Rankin and Margery Allingham, these are the perfect books to dip into as the colder days draw in.

Our latest collection of classic crime stories – the appropriately named – is out now! And don’t forget to check out the rest of our chilling series for a Christmas reading list to die for…

Next up in our festive gifting guide – books for the change-makers in your life! Whether you’re buying a present for an ...
06/12/2022

Next up in our festive gifting guide – books for the change-makers in your life! Whether you’re buying a present for an activist or a self-improver, we’ve got some brilliantly inspiring books to add to your shopping basket…! 🎁

by Leah Thomas is the perfect gift for admirers of Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate, acting as an indispensable primer for those looking to create meaningful, inclusive and sustainable change within the world of climate activism 🌱

is a guide from the popular broadcaster and columnist Adrian Chiles to discovering the pleasures of drinking in moderation 🍺

by Hashi Mohamed is a vital examination of the housing market, including an exploration of the changes that need to be made to remove barriers, improve equality and create cities where more people have a place to call their own 🏡

Check out our full festive gift guide via the link in our bio!

It’s that time of the year again! Struggling for present inspiration? Look no further! We’ve compiled a guide to the bes...
29/11/2022

It’s that time of the year again! Struggling for present inspiration? Look no further! We’ve compiled a guide to the best non-fiction literary gifts you’ll find this festive season 🎁

First up – the best books for bibliophiles, from the latest entry in bookseller Shaun Bythell’s diary series ; to Florence Hazrat’s quirky history of the apostrophe in ; to , Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen’s extraordinary story of the library, from Alexandria to the age of Google 📚

Find our inspiring and comprehensive festive gift guide via the link in our bio! 💫

It’s beginning to look a lot like - dare we say it… 🎄Thank you  for this fabulous display for Astonish Me! In this accla...
16/11/2022

It’s beginning to look a lot like - dare we say it… 🎄

Thank you for this fabulous display for Astonish Me! In this acclaimed book former artistic director of Dominic Dromgoole takes us on a tour of incredible opening nights in theatre, opera, dance and art.

The ideal gift for anyone who loves performance and art ✨

Paper theatre courtesy of the fab

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