Adams, Michelle. The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North. Farrar. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9780374250423. 528p. $35. HISTORY

Adams, the Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, writes about the social and legal struggle to integrate the schools of Detroit’s suburbs and the 1974 Supreme Court decision in the Milliken v. Bradley case, which stopped school desegregation in the North.

Carwardine, Richard. Righteous Strife: How Warring Religious Nationalists Forged Lincoln’s Union. Knopf. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781400044573. 640p. $35. HISTORY

Award-winning Carwardine (Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power) considers the role religion played in the American Civil War, focusing in particular on Lincoln’s own religion as well as the role of religious nationalists in the North.

Clark, Nicola. The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens. Pegasus. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781639368099. 400p. $32. HISTORY

Clark (early modern history, Univ. of Chichester) writes about the ladies-in-waiting of the royal Tudor court. Included in the book are María de Salinas, who served Catherine of Aragon; Jane Parker, who played a role in the executions of two queens; and Anne Basset, who survived the reigns of four of Henry VIII’s consorts.

Daut, Marlene L. The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe. Knopf. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9780593316160. 704p. $40. HISTORY

Daut (French and African diaspora studies, Yale Univ.) pens a monumental biography of Henry Christophe, the only king of Haiti. Born in 1767, Christophe was both globally famous and influential and changed the fates of nations in complex ways.

Harney, Gareth. A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins. Atria. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781668014134. 320p. $29.99. HISTORY

Harney, a Roman historian and coin collector, offers a history of Rome through 12 of its coins, showing how a small cluster of tiny huts on a hill led to one of the largest empires the world has ever seen.

Kerbaj, Richard. The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The Untold Story of the International Spy Network. Union Square & Co. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781454952510. 448p. $29.99. HISTORY

Kerbaj, an award-winning journalist who was the security correspondent for the Sunday Times, considers the Five Eyes—the spy network of the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that was created in 1956. His investigative book is based on newly declassified archives and interviews with intelligence officials and political figures.

Levy, Buddy. Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue. St. Martin’s. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781250289186. 384p. $32. HISTORY

National Outdoor Book Award winner Levy writes about the aviation pioneers and adventurers who tried to tackle the North Pole. Included are Walter Wellman, Dr. Frederick Cook, Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile, whose exploration led to one of the world’s greatest rescue missions. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Meltzer, Brad & Josh Mensch. The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot To Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed. Flatiron. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781250790576. 400p. $32.99. HISTORY

The bestselling authors of The Lincoln Conspiracy return with an exploration of the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy. It occurred in Palm Beach, FL, on the eve of the inauguration in 1960 and was plotted and planned by a retired post office worker. With a 300K-copy first printing.

Walsh, Michael. A Rage To Conquer: Twelve Battles That Changed the Course of Western History. St. Martin’s. Jan. 2025. ISBN 9781250281364. 400p. $32. HISTORY

Award-winning Walsh follows Last Stands with a book about 12 commanders and the history-changing battles they fought. Included in his count are Achilles, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Constantine, Napoleon, Pershing, Nimitz, and Patton.