Read an extract of Peter Hessler’s Country Driving

In the summer of 2001, Peter Hessler, the long-time Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, acquired his Chinese driver’s license. For the next seven years he travelled the country, tracking how the automobile and the improved transport system were transforming China.

Three questions for… Simon Winder

George Miller asks author and publisher Simon Winder about his new book, Germania: A Personal History of Germans Ancient and Modern. As ever, there are no trick questions, but no forewarning either. Watch the video to find out what Simon thinks are the highs and lows of German cooking.

January Non-fiction Round-up

If you’re looking for a good read this January, let these books transport you – from the shores of South America to the Middle East during the Crusades; from journeys of self-discovery to journeys through the lives of some remarkable people; from Hollywood to family hell and back again.

November Non-fiction Round-up

Memoirs, science and not fiction, fleeting meetings and long memories, interviews with writers, writing on art, commentary on the UK as it is now and the changes it’s gone through… all these and more are to be found in our November non-fiction list.

September non-fiction round-up

If fiction’s not your thing, September sees a wealth of fascinating new non-fiction hitting the shelves, including : biographies of characters as diverse as a novelist, a poker star, a movie mogul and a top tailor; and histories of the liberation of Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Bookhugger Author Panel: Reportage

Bookhugger asked three top-notch non-fiction writers to tell us about the techniques they use to research, imagine and depict their subjects.

The Booklist: Shimmering Cities

Standing tall against the wind and rain, bathed in sunshine and heat haze; drifting in the imagination, or seeped in emotion, magic and memories warm and tragic, cities are as fertile as the earth for the written word.

An interview with Oliver Balch

Oliver Balch works as an independent journalist in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he writes regularly for the Guardian. He talks to George Miller about Viva South America!, his journey around that continent, following in the footsteps of Simon Bolivar.

Listen now

July non-fiction roundup

From rappers Public Enemy to Leon Trotsky, Stalin’s public enemy number one; from the deepest oceans to the tallest mountains; and from France to the Indian subcontinent, you can’t say our round-up of the best summer non-fiction hasn’t got something for everyone.