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  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529991468
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $45.00

Europe in 7 1/2 Chapters

The Shortest Introduction to the World's Oldest and Newest Continent




A dazzling, hugely enjoyable and very short introduction to Europe. There are 100 books of 1000 pages about Europe, but none of 100 pages.

It has never been more important to understand the extraordinarily complex and tightly meshed history, geography, culture and politics of the European continent.

As confidence in the post-war world order led by America and policed by NATO is shaken, as the US Trump administration cosies up to right-wing disruptors within Europe and the Russian dictator on its Eastern flank, the value of our nearest and closest neighbours is greater than ever.

Garton Ash draws on a lifetime of reporting, analysis and consulting on Europe in this distilled and accessible, narrative driven and conversational introduction to what he calls the world’s oldest and newest continent. The methodology of Europe in 7 ½ Chapters will be that of a CT-scan, dividing this vast subject into thin thematic slices which elucidate the whole. And he will begin by looking at Europe from the outside, acknowledging the legacy of colonialism and cultural imperialism, as he assesses the continent’s past achievements and future prospects.

This will be an indispensable travel companion and primer – thoughtful, surprising, and highly entertaining.

  • Published: 22 October 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529991468
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $45.00

About the author

Timothy Garton Ash

Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies Emeritus at the University of Oxford and a columnist for the Guardian. He has lived and breathed European politics and culture for over fifty years, witnessing some of the most dramatic scenes in its history, meeting many of its key players and analysing how life has evolved for ordinary Europeans across the breadth of the continent. He has won many prizes for his eleven previous books, including The File, his riveting autobiographical account of investigating the contents of his Stasi file after the fall of East Germany. His last book, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe, has appeared in twenty-three European languages.

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