Fall of Civilizations, a history of the rise and fall of ancient civilisations by “phenomenon” (Sunday Times) Paul Cooper, is out now in the US.

Described as “a timely tour de force of historical storytelling” (Ron Ramdin) and based on Paul’s podcast with over 100 million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.

Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilisations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.

US readers can buy their copies here.

Fall of Civilizations is also out in the UK. Grab your copy here now or, better, via your local bookshop or Bookshop.org.

You can find out more about Paul here and subscribe to his podcast here.