__WINNER OF THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD__

Edmund de Waal uncovers the history of a family through a turbulent century through 264 objects.

264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them bigger than a matchbox: Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in his great uncle Iggie's Tokyo apartment. When he later inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a story far larger and more dramatic than he could ever have imagined.

From a burgeoning empire in Odess ...