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Tom Standage is business affairs editor at The Economist and an author of five history books. His latest, entitled 'An Edible History of Humanity', looks at the part that food has played in helping to shape and transform societies around the world through social transformation, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict and economic expansion.

Claire Harman is an Oxfordshire-based writer and critic. In her latest major literary biography entitled 'Jane's Fame', Harman not only tells the captivating story of Jane Austen's life, and he rise to popularity, but also her literary legacy and more. The book is essential for anyone interested in Austen's life and work, as is this fascinating interview.

Paul Davies is a physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, and broadcaster. An author of numerous popular science titles, his latest book is 'The Eerie Silence'. In the book Davies tells the story of the search for extra terrestrial intelligence and asks, after 40 years of trying to no avail, whether we really are alone in the universe.

Christopher Kelly is a classicist and historian. In this special Blackwell podcast, Kelly discusses his book 'Attila the Hun' with our host George Miller, revealing that the story of Atilla and the huns is more complicated and interesting that the conventional stereotype of ruthless marauding barbarians.

Paul Cartledge is Professor of Greek History at Cambridge, and a Fellow of Clare College. In his latest book 'Ancient Greece', Cartledge uses the history of eleven major Greek cities to illuminate the most important and informative themes in Ancient Greek history, from the first documented use of the Greek language and the glories of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, to the foundation of the Byzantine empire.

Eric Kaufmann's book 'Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?' draws on demographic research and questions of multiculturalism, nationalism and terrorism to ask whether, in time, the population will be primarily religious. With indications suggesting that the more religious people are, the more children they are likely to have, what does this will mean for the future of western modernity?

David Crystal is an academic, linguist and author. In his latest book, 'A Little Book of Language', Crystal presents a lively and charming history of language, revealing its myriad of intricacies, quirks and origins. Aimed primarily at a younger audience, the book uses diagrams and quizzes, as well as Crystal's entertaining style, to reveal the story of language past, and what yet may be to come...

John Kay is one of Britain's leading economists. His new book 'Obliquity' shows how many goals are more likely to be achieved through indirect, rather than direct means. Kay applies his concept to everything from international business to town planning to show why the most profitable companies are not always the most profit-oriented; why the richest men and women are not the most materialistic; and why the happiest people are not necessarily those who focus on happiness.

Raymond Tallis is a philosopher, poet, novelist and cultural critic. His new book, 'Michelangelo's Finger', looks at a curious feature of the animal world, completely unique to human beings: the ability to point the index finger. The book shows how central this seemingly insignificant feature has been in human evolution and how it makes our species so unique from all others.

In '1492 - The Year Our World Began', historian and author Felipe Fernandez-Armesto traces the birth of the modern age back to a single year, 1492; analysing the events that would unfold and change the world forever. The distribution of global power and wealth; the divergance of major religions and civilisations, and even events that would change the ecological system of the planet, Fernandez-Armesto shows how 1492 was one of the most pivitol years in human history.

Miri Rubin is medieval historian and Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London. In 'Mother of God', Rubin presents a history of the Virgin Mary, arguably one of the most powerful, influential and complex of all religious figures, and asks whether the history of Western culture and religion could have been the same without her.

Philip Ball is a freelance science writer and author. He he written numerous bestsellers including 'Critical Mass' and 'Elegant Solutions'. With 'The Music Instinct', Ball turns his attention to the psychology of music, providing a comprehensive, accessible account of humans' obsession with music; piecing together the puzzle of how our minds understand and respond to it.

Timothy Ryback is a historian of the Holocaust. His new paperback, entitled 'Hitler's Private Library', investigates Hitler's collection of books, estimated to be 16,000 volumes at the time of his death in 1945. Ryback explores this remarkable collection, as well as several other caches which he subsequently discovered in Europe and elsewhere.

Dr Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, author and journalist. In 'The Checklist Manifesto', Gawande looks at the use of aviation-style checklists in the operating theatre and the significant benefits that they bring to the complicated world of surgery.

In 'The Conservative Party', Tim Bale presents a new assessement of the Tories from the fall of Margaret Thatcher to the rise of David Cameron answering along the way such questions as "Why did the party dump Margaret Thatcher only to commit electoral suicide under John Major?", "What stopped the Tories getting their act together until Cameron came along?" and "Has the Tory leader changed his party as much as he claims?".

David Peace is the author of 'The Red Riding Quartet', 'The Damned Utd' and new in paperback, 'Occupied City'; the second book in his 'Tokyo Trilogy'. The book dramatises the notorious real-life case of Japan's Teikoku Bank Massacre that took place in 1948, exploring the man who was convicted of the crime, the victims, survivors and more.

Thomas Asbridge's new book 'The Crusades' is a major new account of the wars for the Holy Land, unique in its vivid representation of events from both Christian and Muslim perspectives. The book draws upon painstaking original research to reveal how these wars reshaped the medieval world and why they continue to echo in human memory to this day.

Graham Farmelo's 'The Strangest Man' looks at the extraordinary life of the theoretical physicist, Paul Dirac. Little-known beyond the scientific community, Dirac was one of the leading pioneers in quantum mechanics, arguably the greatest scientific discovery of all time.

For the final Blackwell podcast of the year, we take a look back at some of the hightlights from our shows of 2009 in a two-part Christmas special. Listen to our regular host George Miller as he revisits some of the best interviews of the year including his discussions with Hilary Mantel, Philip Hoare, Alain de Botton, Mary Beard, Micheal Slater and more.