Profile Books

Profile Books

@profilebooks.bsky.social

Independent publisher of inventive books, fearless writing and powerful voices. Our authors include Mary Beard, Shoshana Zuboff and Francis Fukuyama.

22,603 Followers 431 Following 421 Posts Joined Nov 2024
18 hours ago
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Laleh Khalili & David Wearing: Extractive Capitalism | London Review Bookshop Laleh Khalili, Professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter, looks behind the glossy surface promises of frictionless trade and limitless growth to uncover the…

@lalehkhalili.bsky.social's #ExtractiveCapitalism is a must-read for understanding the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, oil as a weapon, and the Iranian Revolution.

For more, listen back to Laleh on the @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk podcast in conversation with @davidwearing.bsky.social 👇

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1 day ago
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Among the trees — how to restore forests for our own future Two practical, passionate books examine the wonder, endangered present and possible future of our woodlands

'Barley successfully skewers the romantic notion of untouched ancient woodland and pleads for measured intervention to keep our woods alive with the sound of birdsong and children’s play' 🌳

Wonderful to read this @financialtimes.com review for #Ancient by forester Luke Barley, out now!

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1 day ago
A graphic showing the paperback Don't Steal This Book: A Plea from Authors.

AI companies build their products by copying millions of books without permission or payment. We are urging the UK government to rule out legalising this large-scale theft.

We – along with almost 10,000 authors – are supporting #DontStealThisBook.

Find out more here: www.dontstealthisbook.com/

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2 days ago
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Old age, love affairs and emergency pants — Alan Bennett’s diaries In Enough Said, the writer’s fourth collection of diaries, he reflects on his life in writing — with amusing comments about Monty Don, Maggie Smith and the Queen

‘We are left with the bracing consolation of a mind that has never stopped doubting, never stopped observing, never stopped quietly, stubbornly climbing the stairs'

A brilliant review in @thetimes.com for Alan Bennett's latest diary collection #EnoughSaid, publishing next week.

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2 days ago
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‘I feel I am not yet grown up’: Alan Bennett’s diary of his 90th year He got stuck in the bath and met the queen. But despite a few wobbles and procedures, the author still can’t believe his age

'I feel I am not yet grown up ... What I mean is, there has never come a time when I could be thought to have acquired dignity, common sense, still less worldly wisdom, qualities that supposedly come with age and get lost with age'

Read a @theguardian.com extract from Alan Bennett's #EnoughSaid.

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5 days ago
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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...

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5 days ago
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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...

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6 days ago
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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 🌳

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6 days ago
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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-...

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6 days ago
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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...

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6 days ago
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

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1 week ago
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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...

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1 week ago
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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 ⚽🏆

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1 week ago
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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

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1 week ago
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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...

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1 week ago
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

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1 week ago
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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...

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1 week ago
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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 🌳

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1 week ago
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#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...

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2 weeks ago
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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 ⚽🏆

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2 weeks ago

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…

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3 weeks ago
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

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3 weeks ago
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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...

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3 weeks ago
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

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3 weeks ago
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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...

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3 weeks ago

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.

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3 weeks ago
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

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3 weeks ago
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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.

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3 weeks ago
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 ☺️

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3 weeks ago
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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

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