Yorkshire nostalgia: Harrogate History Festival has all the big names...

Now in its fourth year, delivered by Harrogate International Festivals, giants of the genre include Antony Beevor, Philippa Gregory, Tracy Chevalier, Joe Abercrombie, Nicholas Crane and Paddy Ashdown. The festival also features a literary lunch with Jonathan Dimbleby, in association with The Yorkshire Post.

The Harrogate History Festival cements Harrogate’s profile as a leading destination for book lovers. It takes place October 20-23 at the Old Swan Hotel.

Antony Beevor is a historian who has transformed the genre and inspired a generation. His history of the battle of Stalingrad catapulted him to international fame in 1998. His latest book Ardennes 1944 – Hitler’s Last Gamble went straight to No 1 on The Sunday Times Bestseller list.

Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring was snapped up by Hollywood, starring Colin Firth, catapulting Chevalier into the literary spotlight. Her latest novel, At the Edge of the Orchard, is a dark, evocative and sweeping story of a pioneer family in Ohio, 1838.

Another author who seduced the big screen with The Other Boleyn Girl – which starred Mark Rylance, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson - is Philippa Gregory. She returns to the Tudors, with her latest novel Three Sisters, Three Queens.

Sticking with the Tudors, Tracy Borman’s The Private Lives of the Tudors, looks at their domestic secrets, including intimate body servants who accompanied the king to the privy.

Former MP Lord Ashdown will be special guest at the event.

For tickets, day rovers or weekend rovers and accommodation packages, visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com or call the box office on 01423 562303.