There are all sorts of hazards to negotiate: R&D on the verge of blowing up the building once again pod malfunctions and, worst of all, History’s own way of neutralising anyone who threatens to change the timeline. Max and her band of fellow trainees discover this almost immediately. St Mary’s welcomes those who have few family ties: fewer people to notify when things go wrong as things do, frequently. A roistering tale of historical skulduggery, physics, and plenty of tea, this is a glorious, geeky gem of a book: historian’s catnip. For St Mary’s have discovered the secrets of time-travel, and there are no limits to their research. Once Max has passed her interview, she enters a thrilling world where ‘practical history’ takes on a whole new meaning.

How do you drive a quadriga? How far could Icarus have flown? What are the constituents of Greek fire? But the initiated soon learn a different story. The historians of St Mary’s have a public reputation as eccentric, shabby and lovable: a band of chaotic academics who pursue the bits of history that others don’t reach. Many years later, having gained her PhD from the University of Thirsk, Max has a second reason to thank Mrs De Winter, who puts her up for a job at the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. At school, Max is saved by her teacher Mrs De Winter, who channels her disruptive tendencies into a deep passion for history. She’s also an historian, which amounts to much the same thing. And she soon discovers it's not just History she's fighting.Madeleine Maxwell – short, opinionated redhead – is a maverick. When Madeleine Maxwell is recruited by the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research, she discovers the historians there don't just study the past - they revisit it.īut one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. where would you go? What would you like to witness?'

'So tell me, Dr Maxwell, if the whole of History lay before you.

Time Travel meets History in this explosive bestselling adventure series. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor. This item ships from the UK. The first book in the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series which follows a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets as they hurtle their way around History. They are also available to order for delivery worldwide but will not be dispatched until after the Jodiworld Convention in June. They will be delivered at the Jodiworld Convention. Signed copies are now available for pre-order. South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (GBP £)

History is just one damned thing