Biography: adventurers and explorers Books

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Book SynopsisThis is the biography of one of the RAF's airmen that Winston Churchill referred to as The Few'.

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Book SynopsisA sweeping, scintillatingly original, exciting exploration of writer, spy, power player, lover Aphra Behn' Kate Williams, historian and author of Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots''Hilton to showcase[s] her skill for both historical and detective work and compelling, evocative writing . . . A sparkling and eye-opening account . . . compelling to read [and] refreshingly transparent . . . Her fresh ideas could open up exciting paths for future scholars'' BBC History Magazine----A CLANDESTINE AFFAIR Whereas the Lady Henrietta Berkeley has been absent from her Father''s house since the 20th August last past . . . AN OUTRAGEOUS ELOPEMENT. . . and is not yet known where she is, nor whether she is alive or dead. STOLEN LETTERS, SCHEMING SERVANTS These are to give notice That whoever shall find her, so that

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA crash course on how to communicate more effectively in a turbulent world. Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki shares the illuminating and applicable lessons she's learned about how to communicate more effectively in any situation.

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Book SynopsisIn August 2015, Limerick man Jason Corbett was killed by his wife, Molly Martens, and her father, ex-FBI agent Tom Martens, in the bedroom of their luxury North Carolina home. He had been savagely beaten to death with a baseball bat and brick while his children slept nearby.For his sister, Tracey Corbett-Lynch, and the rest of his family in Ireland it was just the beginning of the nightmare that would involve a custody battle for his orphaned children, an online hate campaign by Molly Martens and a gripping trial that would lead to her conviction, alongside her father, for his murder. But that was not the end of it. Tom and Molly Martens' convictions were later quashed on appeal and the pair agreed a plea deal, accepting the charges of voluntary manslaughter in relation to the killing.Now fully updated to include details of the 2023 sentencing hearing, My Brother Jason reveals the full and shocking story of what Molly and Tom Martens tried to get

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Book SynopsisA biography of the late spiritual pioneer Dr. David R. Hawkins, or "Doc" as he was known to many of his devotees."This is more than a biography; it's a heartfelt journey, an invitation to experience his life and witness the extraordinary legacy he left behind." Dr. David R. Hawkins, a man whose existence was a symphony of curiosity, discovery, and transformation, a man, who not only was a brilliant thinker, but a man of deep compassion and love, dedicated to the upliftment of all of humanity. From his discoveries as a science-based psychiatrist to the confirmed reality of his own unique spiritual experiences, David R. Hawkins has gifted us with a treasure trove of insights into the human psyche and consciousness itself, that are as mind-blowing as they are soul-nourishing. He handed us a road map to Truth with his visionary Map of Consciousness, an extremely useful guide in gaining profound insights into the nature or our existence and purpose on earth. In this book, you will come face to face with the revelations that turned his world upside down and elevated the consciousness of anyone fortunate enough to encounter his work. Let's begin this journey of Dr. David R. Hawkins, an extraordinary yet ordinary life whose imprint on the world stands for Truth as the highest endeavor, embraces compassion for all sentient beings, and in complete surrender and devotion to God as the Ultimate Reality.

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Book SynopsisThis is about posh class in unexpected places: St Neots, and the bed-hopping life of a Russian princess, often dressed in just a mink coat.

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Book SynopsisTHE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Shocking and moving' Guardian 'A tour-de-force' Washington Post At eight years of age, Charles Spencer was sent away to one of England's most exclusive boarding schools. In this courageous and beautifully written memoir, Spencer offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of the strange secrets of the school, and the culture of cruelty and abuse he witnessed and experienced in his five years there as a pupil. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, the book is his attempt to come to terms with the deep emotional scars inflicted upon him. Spencer reflects on the misery, hopelessness and abandonment he felt aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness, the vicious brutality of a boys' school in the 1970s and the appalling inescapability

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Suleika Jaouad's Between Two Kingdoms, the invigorating true story of a man and his dog who circled the globe on foot.“Gripping . . . A delightful companion for adventurers and dog lovers alike, The World Walk poignantly grapples with strength and vulnerability, love and loss, and unpacks what it really means to summon the will to keep going.” —Suleika Jaouad, New York Times bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms'Quietly stunning.' —Laurie Woolever, New York Times bestselling author of World Travel with Anthony Bourdain and Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography After the death of a close friend at seventeen, Tom Turcich resolved to make the most out of life; to travel and be forced into adventure; to experience and understand the world. On April 2nd, 2015, he set out to see it all—one step at a time.The World Walk is the emotional and exhilarating story of the tenth person and first dog to walk around the world. Together, Turcich and his dog, Savannah, covered twenty-eight thousand miles over the course of seven years. Through deserts, jungles, cities, and mountains, Turcich meditated on what’s important in life and took lessons from cultures around the globe. Rarely has there been a true-life tale of such scope. From sheltered suburbanite to world traveler, Turcich’s epic account runs the full gamut: He is held up at knifepoint in Panama and gunpoint in Turkey; wanders deep within himself in the deserts of Peru; watches a democracy fortify itself in Georgia; and takes it all in with his resolute companion by his side. His growth spans the most basic elements of surviving on the road—finding food, water, and safe places to camp—to humanity’s more noble aspirations, such as the benefits of democracy, the search for love, and the weighing of personal significance. Accompanied by some of the author’s world-class photography, this tour de force of resilience and triumph of the human spirit will reaffirm to readers that the world is beautiful, people are good, and life should be a generous, vibrant adventure.

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Book SynopsisTHE TIMES BIOGRAPHY OF THE DECADEWINNER OF THE 2013 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONWINNER OF THE 2013 COSTA BOOK AWARDS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEARThe story of Gabriele D'Annunzio, poet, daredevil and Fascist.In September 1919 Gabriele D'Annunzio, successful poet and occasional politician, declared himself Commandante of the city of Fiume in modern day Croatia. His intention to establish a utopia based on his fascist and artistic ideals. It was the dramatic pinnacle to an outrageous career.Lucy Hughes-Hallett charts the controversial life of D'Annunzio, the debauched artist who became a national hero. His evolution from idealist Romantic to radical right-wing revolutionary is a political parable. Through his ideological journey, culminating in the failure of the Fiume endeavour, we witness the political turbulence of early 20th century Europe and the emergence of fascism.In The Pike', Hughes-Hallett addresses the cult of nationalism and the origins of political extremism and at the centre of the book stands the charismatic D'Annunzio: a figure as deplorable as he is fascinating.Trade Review‘Hard to beat … a biographical tour de force … a rich, voluptuous treat … a triumph, the biography of the year’ Robert McCrum, Observer, ‘Books of the Year’ ‘[The Pike] dramatically extends biography’s formal range to encompass a daunting theme’ TLS, ‘Books of the Year’ ‘This is a magnificent portrait of a preposterous character … deplorable, brilliant, ludicrous, tragic but above all irresistible, as hundreds of women could testify. His biographer has done him full justice’ Francis Wheen, Daily Mail ‘A cracker of a biography, an extraordinary story of literary accomplishment, passionate war-mongering and sexual incorrigibility… In less skilled hands this could have been a disaster; in fact it works wonderfully well’ Spectator, ‘Books of the Year’ ‘Beautiful, strange and original … an extraordinarily intimate portrait’ New Statesman ‘Hugely enjoyable … Hughes-Hallett has a great talent for encapsulating an era or an attitude …That almost 700 pages flew by bears testimony to how pleasurable and readable those pages were’ Sunday Times ‘A splendid subject for a biography … Hughes-Hallett dances her way through this extraordinary life in a style that is playful, punchy and generally pleasing … In death, as in life, the amazing story of D’Annunzio is painted in primary colours, but with the darkest shadows’ Observer ‘A riveting biography … It must have been so tempting to be judgmental, but Hughes-Hallett allows us to judge for ourselves’ Antonia Fraser, Daily Mail, ‘Books of the Year’ ‘Not only an inspired telling of a life that becomes more repellent with each page, it illuminates early 20th-century Europe in brilliant, unexpected ways’ Observer ‘Electrifying … a fascinating portrait … Hughes-Hallett relates his journey from romantic idealist to Right-wing warmonger with flair and insight’ Daily Express

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1944, Enemy Coast Ahead combines Guy Gibson''s RAF career, including the famous Dambuster raid which he himself led, with the inside story of life in RAF Bomber Command and is still a riveting read for the immediacy and vibrancy of its writing.And yet, what has not been widely known is that the published edition of Enemy Coast Ahead was carefully cut by wartime censors.Now, Gibson''s original manuscript, which was archived for almost 75 years, has been be brought to light. This uncut edition provides not only previously unpublished details of Gibson''s career, but also reveals his true view of the course of the war, of the wartime population, of his pilots and crews and of Bomber Command tactics. Combined with newly added photographs and diagrams Enemy Coast Ahead - Uncensored remains one of the outstanding accounts of WWII seen through the eyes of one of its most respected and controversial personalities, but now allows the reader to know Gibson''s own story in his

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Book SynopsisTHE 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW FOREWORD FROM WILLIAM DALRYMPLE''A book to read, reread, then read again to your children'' Independent on Sunday ''Once embarked upon the journey of the book, one is loath, sometimes unable to turn back'' Sunday Times''A book that makes the reader sit in a trance, lost in passionate desire to pack a suitcase and go to the fabulous place'' The Spectator The legendary story of how one man''s actions led to the birth of New York - and the beginning of the British Empire. In 1616, English adventurer Nathaniel Courthope stepped ashore on a remote island in the East Indies on a secret mission - to persuade the islanders of Run to grant a monopoly to England over their nutmeg, a fabulously valuable spice. This infuriated the Dutch, who were determined to control the world''s supply. For five years Courthope and his band of thirty men were besieged by a force one hundred times greater. His heroism set in motion a series of events that led to England owning Manhattan, culminating in the creation of New York and the launch of the British Empire. Beautifully told, Nathaniel''s Nutmeg is a modern classic of adventure, ambition and exploration.Trade ReviewA magnificent piece of popular history . . . This is a book to read, reread, then read again to your children * Nicholas Fearn, Independent on Sunday *Beautifully touching ... To write a book that makes the reader sit in a trance, lost in his passionate desire to pack a suitcase and go to the fabulous place - that, in the end, is something one would give a sack of nutmeg for. * Philip Hensher, The Spectator *Giles Milton tells his adventurous and sometimes grisly tale with relish ... The thoroughness and intelligence of his research underpins the lively confidence with which he deploys it. * John Spurling, Times Literary Supplement *A truly gripping tale... His research is impeccable... Once embarked upon the journey of the book, one is loath, sometimes unable... to turn back and abandon it. * Martin Booth, The Sunday Times *Milton has a terrific eye for the kind of detail that can bring the past vividly to life * The Spectator *

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Book SynopsisWhen Zevon was diagnosed with cancer he asked his estranged wife Crystal Zevon to take notes for a 'no-hold-barred' oral biography and insight into the Los Angeles music scene at the top of it's game. This work presents that biography. It features an introduction by Bruce Springsteen and afterword by Carl Hiassen.Trade Review"In one of the most unflinching examinations of the rock & roll life ever, Warren Zevon's ex-wife Crystal paints a harrowing picture of a brilliant mind ravaged by alcohol - using excerpts from the late singer-songwriter's journals and interviews with friends including Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen." -- Rolling Stone, The Best of Rock Issue "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead turns out to be one of the most casually insightful rock bios ever." Grade: A- -- Entertainment Weekly " The book reveals a smartass satirist ... as bankrupt as the characters he documented in his songs." -- Los Angeles Times "[A] new, riveting oral history... unflinching interviews with his friends, admirers and fellow hell-raisers." -- Rolling Stone "... an unforgettable journey into the depths of Mr. Zevon's mad genius." -- New York Times "Few books have captured so well the L.A. rock and roll scene in all its mindlessness and eloquence." -- Los Angeles Magazine "...I'll Sleep When I'm Dead definitely piles up enough horrendous behavior to back the title's claim." -- New York Times Book Review "It's a frank account of yet another great talent taken down by his own demons." -- Time Out Chicago ".. a fascinating collection of anecdotes... as assembled by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon. " -- Philadelphia Daily News "[It's] a satisfyingly sordid read that's full of bad behavior..." -- Philadelphia Inquirer "... that's what this book is about-humanizing this mythic character" -- Harp Magazine "... a grisly but fascinating rock 'n' roll journal..." -- Birmingham News "Crystal Zevon succeeds in channeling Warren Zevon, giving us a complete, engrossing picture of a compelling artist." -- Orlando Sentinel "...the book [is] a tender song in itself." -- Seattle Times "It's a lurid, page-turning read, filled with big successes and deep lows." -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram "...packed full of... the cynical humor for which Warren Zevon was so famous." -- Bangor Daily News "This often searing, humorous, and brutally honest book captures him at his best and his worst." -- Booklist "All pop music collections need this book." -- Library Journal "This is an extraordinary book -- unflinchingly honest, scarily funny, relentlessly cynical and always immensely entertaining. Just like Warren Zevon." -- Dave Barry "A moralist in cynic's clothing, Zevon nails a part of the American character rarely captured in pop music." -- Bruce Springsteen "Warren Zevon...was one of the most interesting writers of the era, and certainly ahead of his time. " -- Gore Vidal "A harrowing ride through the backstreets of the L.A. music business with the King of Song Noir." -- Jackson Browne "Zevon...was a brilliant, funny, biting, tender storyteller...and [this] will keep him in your heart." -- Mitch Albom, author of FOR ONE MORE DAY and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER A Good Morning America Book Club Pick A New York Times Most Anticipated Books of Fall From the New York Times bestselling author who inspired the hit Netflix series about a struggling mother barely making ends meet as a housecleaner, a “raw and inspiring” (People) memoir about college, motherhood, poverty, and life after Maid.When Stephanie Land set out to write her memoir Maid, she never could have imagined what was to come. Handpicked by President Barack Obama as one of the best books of 2019, he called it an “unflinching look at America’s class divide…and a reminder of the dignity of all work.” Later, it was adapted into the hit Netflix series Maid, which was viewed by sixty-seven million households and was Netflix’s fourth most-watched show in 2021, garnering three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Stephanie

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Book SynopsisIn this dramatic true account about the power of sensationalized crime, one woman’s case is exposed for its sexism, flagrant disregard for the truth, and, ultimately, the dangers posed by an unbridled prosecution.Unwanted and neglected from birth, Barbara Graham had to overcome the odds just to survive. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse—offering her too many options of all the wrong kind. Her innate sensitivity left her vulnerable to the harsh realities of the street, where she was left to fend for herself before she reached double digits. Her record of petty crimes spoke to a life that constantly teetered on the brink of disaster.But in 1953, a catastrophic twist of fate would catapult her out of obscurity and into the headlines.When a robbery spiraled out of control and escalated into a brutal murder, Barbara became the centerpiece of a media circus. Her beauty enraptured the press, and they were quick to portray her as a villainous

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of Agent Zigzag' comes a breathtaking biography of WWII's Scarlet Pimpernel' as fast-paced and emotionally intuitive as the best spy thrillers. This celebrates unsung hero Robert de La Rochefoucauld, an aristocrat turned anti-Nazi saboteur, and his exploits as a British Special Operations Executive-trained resistantWhen the Nazis invaded France during the Second World War and imprisoned his father, Robert de La Rochefoucauld a scion of one of the oldest aristocratic families in France escaped to England and trained in the dark arts of anarchy and combat. Under the guidance of SOE spies, he learned to crack safes, plant bombs and kill enemies with his bare hands.Then, back in France, he organised Resistance cells, killed Nazi officers and interfered with German missions. He survived unbearable torture and escaped Nazi confinement on not one but two occasions, to live well into his eighties. The adventures of de La Rochefoucauld offer rare insight into a unique moment Trade Review‘Kix has produced a narrative that is both chilling and powerful … This is first-class adventure writing, which, coupled with a true-life narrative of danger and intrigue, adds up to all-night reading’ New York Times ‘’The Saboteur’ is completely engrossing and elegantly told, which means any reader of this work will inevitably want more and more’ Washington Post ‘A mesmerizing book that builds up propulsive momentum until its final twists. It was a joy to disappear into this story. Like only the very best historical biographers, Paul Kix has turned years of deep reporting into a tightly coiled narrative that you never want to put down’ Eli Saslow, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Ten Letters: The Stories Americans Tell Their President ‘Kix had to do first-class detective work using primary sources to create this riveting story. Fans of World War II history will eagerly read this story, which is almost as exciting as a James Bond novel’ Library Journal ‘Set in motion by a steamed-open letter and a burning hatred of Hitler, a dashing young aristocrat embarks on a campaign of clandestine warfare. The Saboteur sounds like a World War II spy thriller, but in fact it is a rip-roaring true story, wonderfully told’ Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of 13 Hours and Lost in Shangri-La ‘A winner: the stories are fascinating, the pages nearly turn themselves, and La Rochefoucauld is a true hero’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ‘Kix’s sharp, well-paced writing is perfect for telling La Rochefoucauld’s story. But this is more than a gripping yarn of daring-do. La Rochefoucauld was a complex character, and Kix’s portrait is nuanced and moving… [posing] the big questions: What is duty? What is courage? What is loyalty?’ BookPage

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Rebekah writes in a way that is somehow both world-shakingly profound and beautifully intimate. Her voice is unforgettable in its power to make you feel, question, learn, and grow. There aren't words for how much the world needs this book." — Megan Jayne Crabbe, bestselling author of Body Positive Power “A disability advocate debuts with a collection offering potent rejoinders to ableism…..A fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts.” — Kirkus Reviews [Starred Review] "Sitting Pretty is the book I needed years ago as I grappled with my sense of self and my identity as a disabled woman. I put it down while reading only long enough to collect myself each time waves of emotion crashed over me. Rebekah's spunky, self-aware wit, combined with education that never feels didactic, make this book a worthwhile and rewarding read." — Emily Ladau, writer, speaker, and disability rights activist "Rebekah Taussig's writing is a gift that keeps giving. Her voice is honest, vulnerable and welcoming...It was a joy to read and listen to Rebekah's words. This beautiful book helped me ask questions, open my heart, and remind me to look more closely at the world around me and what small part we can all have in making it a better, more accessible one." — Grace Bonney, founder of Design*Sponge and author of In the Company of Women "A compelling personal book whose confidential voice leads the reader into the author’s vividly lived world of disability. Smart and funny, [Sitting Pretty] does double duty revealing not only the intimate life of a disabled woman but the flaws of the world around her that seeks to repress and contain her." — Lennard J. Davis, Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Enforcing Normalcy and My Sense of Silence: Memoirs of a Childhood with Deafness “An invaluable, eye-opening look at disability from a firsthand perspective.” — Booklist “Her smart and witty observations about living with disabilities will be enlightening and eye-opening for readers.” — Publishers Weekly “Reflecting on her journey toward disability advocacy, Rebekah Taussig's memoir in essays will make you rethink everything you've previously believed about disabled people and their lives. Reflecting on Taussig's personal experiences, and on disability representation more broadly, Sitting Pretty is a rare book from a powerful, new voice.” — Bustle "A groundbreaking and candid memoir" — Shelf Awareness “Taussig’s narrative style is highly conversational, making it feel like one is chatting with a lifelong friend. Her ability to bring levity to a topic some may find taboo is certain to help spread her message of acceptance and love.” — Library Journal (starred review)

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Parker’s highly detailed but also immensely readable book has come far closer to that than any previous account of the most enigmatic of Spanish kings."—Anthony Pagden, New York Times Book Review on The Grand Strategy of Philip II"He is at pains to know Philip through the testimony of his friends, foes, courtiers and his own words and this authoritative, intelligently revisionist biography must stand now as the primary reference."—Iain Finlayson, Times"Parker has managed to navigate the archival whirlpools with remarkable flair. His admiration for his subject is evident on almost every page, yet the book is no whitewash. We are constantly made aware of the possibility that Philip might be deceiving us."—Fernando Cervantes, TLS"[T]he world’s outstanding historian of Philip II, his court, his problems and tragedies . . . Imprudent King is readable and broad-minded, as well as being scholarly . . . Parker has given us a really magnificent biography, whose documentation is impeccable while never heavy."—Hugh Thomas, The Spectator"There is no Anglophone historian who knows more about Philip II than Geoffrey Parker. In this soaring biography, which draws on a cache of recently discovered documents as well as the enormous back catalogue of archival deposits, he paints a compelling, even-handed portrait of the most powerful man in 16th-century Europe. Parker informs us that Philip’s handwriting is hard to read. It is no easier to decipher his legacy. It seems that he didn’t kill his son Don Carlos (whatever the Verdi opera tries to tell you) but he was not averse to removing other obstacles. He continues to fascinate –- if you are in the market for a nuanced study bolstered by a lifetime of study, Parker is your man and this is, for me, the historical biography of the year."—Jonathan Wright, The Herald (Scotland)"Geoffrey Parker’s biography of Philip II of Spain is superb."—Jonathan Wright, The Tablet"Highly recommended . . . has plenty of sound content while being highly readable."—Brian Buxton, Journal of the Tyndale SocietySelected as an Outstanding Academic Title 2015 by Choice"The first global empire, a master historian, and a wealth of new archival documents provide the essential elements for this terrific biography of Philip II as both statesman and man. Parker has brought Philip to life and, with him, the challenges of ruling an early modern empire."—Stuart Schwartz, author of All Can Be Saved: Religious Tolerance and Salvation in the Iberian Atlantic World"Geoffrey Parker, one of the world’s leading early modern scholars and, most certainly, the greatest authority on Philip II, has written a remarkable, erudite, thoroughly researched, and thoughtful book. Imprudent King benefits from the exhaustive research undertaken for his monumental, ‘definitive’ study of Philip II published in Spanish, but Parker’s deployment of close to 3,000 new documents permits a very different understanding of Philip II’s successes and failures. This, together with Parker’s unique gift as a historian, makes Imprudent King a profound, original and engaging new interpretation of the king’s life and of the manner in which he wrestled with the almost hopeless task of managing the first truly world empire."—Teofilo F. Ruiz, author of Spanish Society, 1400-1600

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER ? ?The conscience of the AI revolution? (Fortune) explains how we?ve arrived at an era of AI harms and oppression, and what we can do to avoid its pitfalls.?AI is not coming, it?s here. If we answer the beautiful call inside these pages, we can decide who we are going to be and how we?re going to use technology in service of what it means to be fully human.??Brené Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dare to Lead A LOS ANGELES TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ? Shortlisted for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book AwardTo most of us, it seems like recent developments in artificial intelligence emerged out of nowhere to pose unprecedented threats to humankind. But to Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been at the forefront of AI research, this moment has been a long time in the making.After tinkering with robotics as a high school student in Memphis and then developing mobile apps in Zambia as a Fulbright fellow, Buolamwini followed her lifelong passion for computer science, engineering, and art to MIT in 2015. As a graduate student at the ?Future Factory,? she did groundbreaking research that exposed widespread racial and gender bias in AI services from tech giants across the world.Unmasking AI goes beyond the headlines about existential risks produced by Big Tech. It is the remarkable story of how Buolamwini uncovered what she calls ?the coded gaze??the evidence of encoded discrimination and exclusion in tech products?and how she galvanized the movement to prevent AI harms by founding the Algorithmic Justice League. Applying an intersectional lens to both the tech industry and the research sector, she shows how racism, sexism, colorism, and ableism can overlap and render broad swaths of humanity ?excoded? and therefore vulnerable in a world rapidly adopting AI tools. Computers, she reminds us, are reflections of both the aspirations and the limitations of the people who create them.Encouraging experts and non-experts alike to join this fight, Buolamwini writes, ?The rising frontier for civil rights will require algorithmic justice. AI should be for the people and by the people, not just the privileged few.?

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Charles Dickens: A Life comes a celebrated biography that casts new light on the remarkable diaries of Samuel Pepys.Samuel Pepys achieved fame as a naval administrator, a friend and colleague of the powerful and learned, a figure of substance. But for nearly ten years he kept a diary which recorded, with unparalleled openness and sensitivity, exactly what it was like to be a young man in Restoration London.Within and beyond the narrative of his extraordinary career, Claire Tomalin explores Pepys'' inner life - his relations with women, his fears and ambitions, his political shifts, his agonies and his delights.''A rich, thoughtful and deeply satisfying account'' Evening Standard''Sex, drink, plague, fire, music, marital conflict, the fall of kings, corruption and courage in public life, wars, navies, public execution, incarceration in the Tower: Samuel Pepys''s life is full of irresistible material'' Guardian''In Claire Tomalin, Pepys has found the biographer he deserves. Her perceptive, level-headed book finally restores to the life of the diarist its weight and dignity'' New StatesmanTrade Review“The Pepys we know lived for only nine years and five months. Tomalin gives us the rest of the man, and also a startling new way to read him.”—Thomas Mallon, The New Yorker“Tomalin not only brings him back to vibrant life, but makes a powerful case that he’s more central, more ‘relevant’ than we ever imagined . . . She has restored to us the whole Pepys.”—Charles McGrath, New York Times Book Review, front cover“Brilliantly believable . . . It takes an exceptional biographer to go so confidently beyond the apparent totality of daily experience presented in Pepys’s Diary . . . Claire Tomalin’s life [of Pepys] is a magnificent triumph. Her research has been not just scrupulously thorough but dazzlingly imaginative.”—Philip Hensher, Atlantic Monthly“Tomalin’s writing is as supple and lively as Pepys’s own, and by fleshing out the backdrop to his Diary writings, she has created the perfect bookend to his own rollicking self-portrait . . . The best work on Pepys since Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic essay, published in 1881.”—Michiko Kakutani, New York Times“Our greatest diarist, analyzed by one of our greatest biographers. Tomalin’s flawless research and trademark empathy with her subjects should make this portrait of one of the most fascinating characters of 17th-century England the best biography of the autumn.”—Caroline Gascoigne, Sunday Times (U.K.)“Immaculately well done. She writes with such beautiful clarity, always empathetic . . . There is about this biography a wisdom, an unforced feeling that the biographer has a sense of the way life is . . . Like all great biographies, Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self has a hint of the love letter about it. And it is a love that becomes contagious.”—Craig Brown, The Mail on Sunday (U.K.)

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Book SynopsisIn December 1991, Allende's daughter Paula, aged 26, fell gravely ill and sank into a coma. This book started as a letter to Paula written during the hours spent at her bedside, and became a personal memoir and a testament to the ties that bind families a brave, enlightening, inspiring true story.This book was written during the interminable hours the novelist Isabel Allende spent in the corridors of a Madrid hospital, in her hotel room and beside her daughter Paula''s bed during the summer and autumn of 1992. Faced with the loss of her child, Isabel Allende turned to storytelling, to sustain her own spirit and to convey to her daughter the will to wake up, to survive. The story she tells is that of her own life, her family history and the tragedy of her nation, Chile, in the years leading up to Pinochet''s brutal military coup.Trade Review'Allende's best work to date…she has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity.' New York Times 'Allende's writing is so vivid we smell the countryside, hear the sounds, see the bright birds, smell and even taste the soft fruit. Moving through Paula's last days, we enter that world, and share it, gladly, sadly, gratefully, and ultimately changed by the very reading of it.' Julia Neuberger, The Times 'This is a tender, moving and vivid record of a mother's agony at the bedside of her daughter. “Paula” begins as a long letter as a way of giving her back the life that is ebbing away…the result is a mesmerizing story. In flawlessly rich prose Allende shares with us her most intimate feelings…an emotionally charged, spellbinding memoir.' Washington Post 'Allende brings the natural storytelling power so evident in her novels to this courageous testament. She shares her personal tragedy with a warmth and passion that make “Paula” exceptional.' Sunday Express

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Book SynopsisDiscover the juicy, funny story of the three dysfunctional rulers of Germany, Russia and Great Britain at the turn of the last century, combined with a study of the larger forces around them.Three cousins. Three Emperors. And the road to ruin.As cousins, George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last Tsar Nicholas II should have been friends - but they happened also to rule Europe''s three most powerful states. This potent combination together with their own destructive personalities - petty, insecure, bullying, absurdly obsessive (stamp collecting, uniforms) - led not only to their own dramatic fallouts and falls from grace, but also to the outbreak of the First World War.Miranda Carter''s riveting account of how three men who should have known better helped bring down an entire world is a gripping story of abdication, betrayal and murder.''Fascinating. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully choreographed work of history'' Mail on Sunday''Miranda Carter''s story is full of vivid quotations . . . a romp though the palaces of Europe in their last decades before Armageddon'' Sunday Times''Fascinating. Carter is a gifted storyteller and has written a very readable account'' Independent''That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying. I haven''t enjoyed a historical biography this much since Lytton Strachey''s Victoria'' Zadie SmithTrade ReviewFascinating. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully choreographed work of history -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Carter draws masterful portraits of her subjects and tells the complicated story of Europe's failing international relations well...a highly readable and well-documented account * Spectator *Absorbing. Carter has a good eye for a quote and an ability to bring various personalities to life. A convincing and considerable achievement -- Sarah Bradford * Literary Review *Carter's account of how an already dysfunctional family turned toxic is fresh and enjoyable...timely and welcome * Guardian *Miranda Carter's story is full of vivid quotations...a romp though the palaces of Europe in their last decades before Armageddon * Sunday Times *Well-paced, a thoroughly polished, professional piece of work. A macabre family saga -- A. N. Wilson * Evening Standard *An entertaining study of power and personality portrays the strutting absurdity and grotesque glamour of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Financial Times *Fascinating. Carter is a gifted storyteller and has written a very readable account * Independent *Carter's intelligent, entertainging and informative book folds dynastic and political narratives into a panoramic account of Europe's road to war * London Review of Books *That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying. I haven't enjoyed a historical biography this much since Lytton Strachey's Victoria -- Zadie SmithMiranda Carter writes with lusty humour, has a fresh clarifying intelligence, and a sharp eye for telling details. This is traditional narrative history with a 21st-century zing. A real corker of a book * History Today *A highly original way of looking at the years that led up to 1914 -- Antonia Fraser * Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year *Carter deftly interpolates history with psychobiography to provide a damning indictment of monarchy in all its forms -- Will Self * New Statesmen Books of the Year *A depiction of bloated power and outsize personalities in which Carter picks apart the strutting absurdity of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe * Financial Times Books of the Year *Takes what should have been a daunting subject and through sheer wit and narrative élan turns it into engaging drama. Carter has a notable gift for characterisation -- Jonathan Coe * Guardian Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisIn this remarkable autobiography, Thomas De Quincey hauntingly describes the surreal visions and hallucinatory nocturnal wanderings he took through London-and the nightmares, despair, and paranoia to which he became prey-under the influence of the then-legal painkiller laudanum. Forging a link between artistic self-expression and addiction, Confessions seamlessly weaves the effects of drugs and the nature of dreams, memory, and imagination. First published in 1821, it paved the way for later generations of literary drug users, from Baudelaire to Burroughs, and anticipated psychoanalysis with its insights into the subconscious.Trade Review“Mind-blowingly modern . . . [De Quincey’s] poetic depictions of the wild hallucinations that punctuated his years with the drug transfixed his contemporaries. To us, though, his story is revelatory mostly for its eerie familiarity.” —The New York Times Book Review“De Quincey’s rather majestic, classically learned and singular style inspires every page of his writing. . . . The self-controlled equanimity of this classic volume is little short of miraculous.” —The Guardian

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Book SynopsisJenny grew up in a house where no-one was safe. Born one of five children in the East End, her childhood was spent in squalor and terror. Her father''s violent beatings, humiliations, and sexual abuse were part of daily life; her mother - also his sexual victim and savagely beaten - was no source of help.Deprived of love and all comforts, the children would turn to each other for support and to the only adult they could trust, Auntie.This is the story of how Jenny, her sister Kim and brother Laurence, not only survived but ultimately transcended the unimaginable degradations heaped on them. With the power of love, cunning, the blackest of black humour and an indestructible self-belief, Jenny eventually broke free of her past.Trade ReviewThis woman is an inspiration and I am honoured to call her my mum * Martine McCutcheon *I'm really proud of Jenny. She has put into words our terrible start in life and made me look openly at who I was and how far I have come. We managed to break free and build a life for oursleves. Now it's time to stop covering the subject in shame. * Kim Challoner, Jenny's sister *

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Book SynopsisA Beautiful Mind is Sylvia Nasar''s award-winning biography about the mystery of the human mind, the triumph over incredible adversity, and the healing power of love.At the age of thirty-one, John Nash, mathematical genius, suffered a devastating breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yet after decades of leading a ghost-like existence, he was to re-emerge to win a Nobel Prize and world acclaim. A Beautiful Mind has inspired the Oscar-winning film directed by Ron Howard and featuring Russell Crowe in the lead role of John Nash.

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! In this illuminating and “scoop-rich biography…the tell-all tales rush forth” (Los Angeles Times) offering a “penetrating analysis of the ongoing Republican civil war through the eyes of one of its last embattled centrists” (Publishers Weekly).Few figures in American politics have seen more and said less than Mitt Romney. An outspoken dissident in Donald Trump’s GOP, he has made headlines in recent years for standing alone against the forces he believes are poisoning the party he once led. Romney was the first senator in history to vote to remove from office a president of his own party. When that president’s supporters went on to storm the US Capitol, Romney delivered a thundering speech from the Senate floor accusing his fellow Republicans of stoking insurrection. Despite these moments of public courage, Romney has shared very little about what he’s wit

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMacintyre does true-life espionage better than anyone else -- John Preston * Evening Standard *Think John le Carré at his early best - but fact not fiction * Daily Express *This impeccably researched account of her double life spans continents and is brilliantly compelling * Sunday Mirror *Macintyre's page-turner is a dazzling portrait of a flawed yet driven individual who risked everything (including her children) for the cause * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThree francs will feed you till tomorrow, and you cannot think further than thatAs a young man struggling to find his voice as a writer, George Orwell left the comfort of home to live in the impoverished working districts of Paris and London. He would document both the chaos and boredom of destitution, the eccentric cast of characters he encountered, and the near-constant pains of hunger and discomfort.Exposing the grim reality of a life marred by poverty, Down and Out in Paris and London, part memoir, part social commentary, would become George Orwell's first published work.

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Book SynopsisProviding a series of fascinating views of Imperial Rome, The Letters of the Younger Pliny also offer one of the fullest self-portraits to survive from classical times. This Penguin Classics edition is translated with an introduction by Betty Radice.A prominent lawyer and administrator, Pliny was also a prolific letter-writer, who numbered among his correspondents such eminent figures as Tacitus, Suetonius and the Emperor Trajan, as well as a wide circle of friends and family. His lively and very personal letters address an astonishing range of topics, from a deeply moving account of his uncle''s death in the eruption that engulfed Pompeii, to observations on the early Christians - ''a desperate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths'' - from descriptions of everyday life in Rome, with its scandals and court cases, to Pliny''s life in the country.Betty Radice''s definitive edition was the forst complete modern translation of Pliny''s letters. In her intro

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Book Synopsis''A Napoleonic triumph of a book, irresistibly galloping with the momentum of a cavalry charge'' Simon Sebag Montefiore''Simply dynamite'' Bernard CornwellFrom Andrew Roberts, author of the bestsellers The Storm of War and Churchill: Walking with Destiny, this is the definitive modern biography of Napoleon.Napoleon Bonaparte lived one of the most extraordinary of all human lives. In the space of just twenty years, from October 1795 when as a young artillery captain he cleared the streets of Paris of insurrectionists, to his final defeat at the (horribly mismanaged) battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d''état he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the Revolution had descended. In a series of dazzling battles he reinvented the art of warfare; in peace, he completely remade the laws of France, modernised her systems of education and administration, and presided over a flourishing of the beautiful ''Empire style'' in the arts. The impossibility of defeating his most persistent enemy, Great Britain, led him to make draining and ultimately fatal expeditions into Spain and Russia, where half a million Frenchmen died and his Empire began to unravel.More than any other modern biographer, Andrew Roberts conveys Napoleon''s tremendous energy, both physical and intellectual, and the attractiveness of his personality, even to his enemies. He has walked 53 of Napoleon''s 60 battlefields, and has absorbed the gigantic new French edition of Napoleon''s letters, which allows a complete re-evaluation of this exceptional man. He overturns many received opinions, including the myth of a great romance with Josephine: she took a lover immediately after their marriage, and, as Roberts shows, he had three times as many mistresses as he acknowledged.Of the climactic Battle of Leipzig in 1813, as the fighting closed around them, a French sergeant-major wrote, ''No-one who has not experienced it can have any idea of the enthusiasm that burst forth among the half-starved, exhausted soldiers when the Emperor was there in person. If all were demoralised and he appeared, his presence was like an electric shock. All shouted Vive l''Empereur! and everyone charged blindly into the fire.''The reader of this biography will understand why this was so.Trade ReviewSimply dynamite ... Roberts's fine book encompasses all the evidence to give a brilliant portrait of the man -- Bernard Cornwell * Mail on Sunday *Masterly ... a huge, rich, deep, witty, humane and unapologetically admiring biography ... gloriously enjoyable -- Dan Jones * Daily Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''Superb, beautifully written, touching and occasionally very funny'' Andrew RobertsDavid Gilmour''s superb biography of Rudyard Kipling is the first to show how the life and work of the great writer mirrored the trajectory of the British Empire, from its zenith to its final decades. His famous poem ''Recessional'' celebrated Queen Victoria''s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, but his last poems warned of the dangers of Nazism, and in those intervening years Kipling, himself an icon of the Empire, was transformed from an apostle of success to a prophet of national decline. As Gilmour makes clear, Kipling''s mysterious stories and poetry deeply influenced the way his readers saw both themselves and the British Empire, and they continue to challenge us today.''A fine, fair and generous work ... Gilmour''s celebrated life of Curzon demonstrated his mastery of imperial nuance and esoteric character, and he brings to this book just the right combination of empathy,Trade ReviewAn enthralling biography of a mind ... essential reading for anyone who cares about how a writer finds, and passionately lives, his subject -- Ruth Padel * Daily Telegraph *The best Kipling biogaphy yet written ... Gilmour's account of this driven man shines with intelligence -- J. B. Pick * Scotsman *A fine, fair and generous work ... Gilmour's celebrated life of Curzon demonstrated his mastery of imperial nuance and esoteric character, and he brings to this book just the right combination of empathy, distaste and fastidious detachment -- Jan Morris * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisCelebrated historian David Nasaw, whom The New York Times Book Review has called a meticulous researcher and a cool analyst, brings new life to the story of one of America''s most famous and successful businessmen and philanthropistsin what will prove to be the biography of the season.Born of modest origins in Scotland in 1835, Andrew Carnegie is best known as the founder of Carnegie Steel. His rags to riches story has never been told as dramatically and vividly as in Nasaw''s new biography. Carnegie, the son of an impoverished linen weaver, moved to Pittsburgh at the age of thirteen. The embodiment of the American dream, he pulled himself up from bobbin boy in a cotton factory to become the richest man in the world. He spent the rest of his life giving away the fortune he had accumulated and crusading for international peace. For all that he accomplished and came to represent to the American publica wildly successful businessman and capitalist, a self-educated writer, peace activist, philanthropist, man of letters, lover of culture, and unabashed enthusiast for American democracy and capitalismCarnegie has remained, to this day, an enigma.Nasaw explains how Carnegie made his early fortune and what prompted him to give it all away, how he was drawn into the campaign first against American involvement in the Spanish-American War and then for international peace, and how he used his friendships with presidents and prime ministers to try to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.With a trove of new materialunpublished chapters of Carnegie''s Autobiography; personal letters between Carnegie and his future wife, Louise, and other family members; his prenuptial agreement; diaries of family and close friends; his applications for citizenship; his extensive correspondence with Henry Clay Frick; and dozens of private letters to and from presidents Grant, Cleveland, McKinley, Roosevelt, and British prime ministers Gladstone and Balfour, as well as friends Herbert Spencer, Matthew Arnold, and Mark TwainNasaw brilliantly plumbs the core of this facinating and complex man, deftly placing his life in cultural and political context as only a master storyteller can.Trade Review“The definitive work on Carnegie for the foreseeable future, and it fully deserves to be.” —John Steele Gordon, The New York Times “Never has this story been told so thoroughly or so well as David Nasaw tells it in this massive and monumental biography.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post “Beautifully crafted and fun to read.” —Louis Galambos, The Wall Street Journal “The definitive Carnegie biography has arrived.” —USA Today “Nasaw delivers a vivid history of nineteenth-century capitalism.” —Fortune“Nasaw’s fine book . . . seems sure to be the final word on ‘the Star-spangled Scotchman.’”—Los Angeles Times “Nasaw’s research is extraordinary.” —San Francisco Chronicle “A meticulous account of a paradoxical American original.” —BusinessWeek “Make no mistake: David Nasaw has produced the most thorough, accurate and authoritative biography of Carnegie to date.” —Salon.com “Nasaw’s . . . very well-written biography is timely and instructive . . . Nasaw does brilliant work in bringing [Carnegie] to life.” —Kirkus (starred review)“A comprehensive and often engrossing biography . . . compelling.” —Booklist “In this lucid, meticulous, and finely detailed biography, David Nasaw has delivered the authoritative volume on Andrew Carnegie that we have long awaited. He captures in persuasive fashion the many sides of this energetic and kaleidoscopic personality—the abrasive industrialist, the enlightened philanthropist, the aspiring, often infuriatingly self-deluded author and political polemicist—and thereby makes a valuable contribution to the rich literature of America in the Gilded Age.” —Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton

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