The Last Days of the Incas Kim McQuarrie (Portrait, £25)

The tourists still flock to Macchu Pichu, celebrating it as the centre of the legendary Inca empire. But this splendid book of exploration tells another story. The Spanish conquest of Peru was challenged by Inca warriors for more than 30 years from their stronghold at Vilcabamba until it was overwhelmed in 1572 and their last king, Tupac Amaru, captured and beheaded.

Ancient Spanish chronicles reveal the truth about Vilcabamba, acording to McQuarrie, and it is his unveiling of this hidden city that not only casts new light on the Inca civilisation but makes for a gripping read. The story of the tribesmen who resisted the gold-hungry conquistadors in a heroic "last stand" has been passed on through many generations, as McQuarrie found during his visits to the Amazon rain forests. Interestingly, this real fortress of opposition - two days' jungle march from Macchu Pichu - has attracted few visitors, but all that may change with these valuable revelations.

Victoria Cross Heroes Michael Ashcroft (Headline, £20)

Lord Ashcroft's collection of 142 Victoria Cross medals must be unrivalled and there is no question that he is an authority on the subject. So it is a pleasure to welcome him as a guide to courageous soldiers, sailors and airmen - not forgetting a few civilians - who have won the award, introduced by the empire-loving Victoria after the Crimean War as a gift to the bravest of her conquerors. But it goes beyond that, especially being recognised for courage in the First World War, when 633 VCs were awarded. The individual stories range from the first honour given to Charles Lucas of the Royal Navy for saving many lives aboard ship by picking up a live shell and throwing it overboard during an action in the Crimea, to the latest award to Johnson Beharry for outstanding bravery during the present conflict in Iraq. The Victoria Cross is above all a window into history - who can fail to be moved by the defence of Rorke's Drift in the Zulu War of 1879, when 11 awards were won? Ashcroft's assessment of valour is masterly.