Books of the year: The best literary stocking-fillers this festive season

Which books should you buy for family and friends this Christmas? Andrew Lynch picks out the history, political, sports and current affairs titles of the year

HISTORY

The Seven: The Lives and Legacies of the Founding Fathers of the Irish Republic

By Ruth Dudley Edwards, Oneworld Publications €25.25

The young Pádraig Pearse spoke with a part-Birmingham accent courtesy of his English father and sang ...