Spanning history, biography, true crime, popular science and even sports writing, microhistories focus on single events and themes as well as groups of fascinating - and oft-neglected - real-life figures. The genre came into being in the mid-1970s and scored some early classics in The Cheese and the Worms and The Return of Martin Guerre. But it was the global success and acclaim of Dava Sobel’s Longitude in 1995 that saw the genre enter a glorious renaissance. So from the history of cod to the birth of the FBI, here are 40 of the best microhistories. Longitude - Dava Sobel (1995) Cod - Mark Kurlansky (1997) Fermat’s Last Theorem - Simon Singh (1997) The Surgeon of Crowthorne - Simon Winchester (1998) Nathaniel’s Nutmeg - Giles Milton (1999) Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand (1999) Mauve - Simon Garfield (2000) In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick (2000) Brunelleschi’s Dome - Ross King (2000) Batavia’s Graveyard - Mike Dash (2001) The Lunar Men - Jenny Uglow (2002) The Devil in