Biography: adventurers and explorers Books

Book SynopsisStep behind the scenes of a Stuart household in this lavish, seductive and absorbing history from bestselling historian Lucy Worsley''A tour de force'' - Sunday TimesWilliam Cavendish, courageous, cultured and passionate about women, embodies the popular image of a cavalier. Famously defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, he went into a long and miserable continental exile before returning to England in triumph on the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660.Lucy Worsley brings to life a fascinating household of the 17th century, painting a picture of conspiracy, sexual intrigue, clandestine marriage and gossip. From Ben Jonson and Van Dyck to a savage, knife-wielding master-cook, Cavalier is a brilliant illumination of the stately home in England and all its many colourful inhabitants.

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Book SynopsisMasterly.' Daily Mail Stunning.' History TodayMagnificent.' Literary ReviewNapoleon's life reached its most extraordinary stage between 1805 and 1810. At war with Britain, Russia, and Austria, he unleashed his magnificent Grande Armée. The first resounding victory at Austerlitz was followed by a whirlwind of campaigns, and by 1810 he had divorced Josephine in order to marry the daughter of the Austrian Emperor. The Spirit of the Age illustrates in vivid detail the five years in which Napoleon appeared to be invincible.

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Book SynopsisHow did Gerry Adams grow from a revolutionary street activist in perpetual danger of arrest and assassination into the leader of Sinn Féin, with intimate access to the British and Irish prime ministers and the US president? And how did he outlast them all? Drawing on newly available intelligence and scores of exclusive interviews, Malachi O'Doherty's meticulously researched biography sheds light on the history of this extraordinary shape-shifter. O'Doherty's experience as a journalist, as a correspondent during the peace process and as a commentator on Northern Irish affairs, informs this authoritative account of one of the world's most controversial politicians.

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and best-selling author Nicholas D. Kristof, an intimate and gripping memoir about a life in journalismSince 1984, Nicholas Kristof has worked almost continuously for The New York Times as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and now columnist, becoming one of the foremost reporters of his generation. Here, he recounts his event-filled path from a small-town farm in Oregon to every corner of the world.Reporting from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo, while traveling far afield to India, Africa, and Europe, Kristof witnessed and wrote about century-defining events: the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Yemeni civil war, the Darfur genocide in Sudan, and the wave of addiction and despair that swept through his hometown and a broad swath of working-class America. Fully aware that coverage of atrocities generates considerably fewer page views than the coverage of politics, he nevert

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Book SynopsisThe biography of Franz Stangl, commandant of the Treblinka extermination camp - a classic and utterly compelling study of evilOnly four men commanded Nazi extermination (as opposed to concentration) camps. Franz Stangl was one of the. Gitta Sereny''s investigation of this man''s mind, and of the influences which shaped him, has become a classic. Stangl commanded Treblinka and was found guilty of co-responsibility for the slaughter there of at least 900, 000 people. Sereny, after weeks of talk with him and months of further research, shows us this man as he saw himself, and ''as he was seen by many others, including his wife. To horrify is not Sereny''s aim, though horror is inevitable. She is seeking an answer to the question which beggars reason: How were human beings turned into instruments of such overwhelming evil?Gitta Sereny is of Hungarian-Austrian extraction and is trilingual in English, French and German. During the Second WTrade ReviewAn epic examination of a Nazi war criminal * Guardian *The most gripping and illuminating account of Nazi genocide that I have read, shedding light, as she intended, on "a whole dimension of reactions and behaviour we have never yet understood" -- Stephen Vizinczey * Sunday Telegraph *She takes us sharply and deeply into the hierarchy of the death camps; the methods used; the experiences of the very few survivors, both inmates and guards -- Philip Toynbee * Observer *It is no exaggeration to call it a masterpiece -- Michael Hilton * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA multi-layered exploration of trauma, grief and addiction that will captivate readers of Notes to Self and Small Things Like TheseTrade Review‘Mc Mahon’s personal story is the unifying strand in a bigger, constantly shifting narrative that explores complex cultural and historical terrain’ Sean O’Hagan, Observer‘Absolutely gripping… in lucid prose that is both direct and lyrical, she burrows through layers of family history and Irish history’ Irish Times'A vivid, evocative and resonant counterpoint of time, memory and meaning' Joseph O'Connor, award-winning author of Shadowplay‘A beautiful memoir’ Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ Radio 1‘A raw, urgent book, its narrative stretched across the year, from Imbolc (the Feast of St Brigid) to Samhain, as it traces love, loss and all else. An extraordinary debut already being likened to Doireann Ni Ghríofa’s A Ghost in the Throat but this is shaped by its own hauntings’ RTÉ'Stunning. A work of great emotional and intellectual heft… Truth and honesty shine out of every line’ Mary Costello, author of Academy Street'Provocative yet dazzling... A mesmerising work threaded with rich veins of history and heart' Sophie White, Irish Independent‘Beautiful, compelling, thought-provoking… An uncompromising reflection on what it means to be of Irish heritage today, whether at home or abroad’ Tara Flynn‘Painfully familiar in its account of family loss and trauma in the urban working class, and personal enough never to feel like a survey or aerial view of Irish women’s history. Sensitively written and quietly devastating, it’s the book I had been waiting for’ Niamh Campbell, award-winning author of This Happy'In Ordinary Time is the best kind of memoir, a braid of the personal and political, the spiritual and global' Cameron Dezen Hammon, award-winning author of This is My Body'Magnificent... Spare, pristine, bracing – a marvellous book' Carlo Gébler, author of Confessions of a Catastrophist'Quietly addictive, deeply moving and enlightening' Priscilla Morris, author of Black Butterflies‘A beautifully-written memoir. It’s a deeply personal, largely confessional work, in which McMahon ties together strands of her life in New York and Ireland with elements from mythology and history, particularly the often horrific history of Irish women. Anyone who has ever emigrated from Ireland will recognise her compelling descriptions of separation from family and land, the freedom that emigration offers – and the enormous loss’ Jaki McCarrick, author of Belfast Girls‘We can move consciously towards healing. And we can begin by talking. In Ordinary Time is that conviction in action... a must read’ Olivia Cole‘The peace I discovered reading In Ordinary Time came from the reminder that the cycles we’re all in can be broken, and they can also be repaired’ Maeve Higgins, Irish Examiner‘The fragments of her New York life seem carefree alongside the shocking events endured by her family in this beautifully crafted memoir which left me wanting more’ The Gloss Magazine'Carmel's book is so intelligent, yet so accessible' Grace Bailey, host of San Clemente podcast

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Book Synopsis''An absolute must-read'' VANITY FAIRBette Davis and Joan Crawford: two of the deadliest arch-rivals of all time. Born in the same year (though Davis swore ''Crawford is five years older than me if she''s a day''), the two fought bitterly throughout their long and brilliant Hollywood careers. Joan became a star first, which always irked her rival, who suggested her success had come via the casting couch. ''It sure as hell beats the hard cold floor'' was Crawford''s scathing response. According to Davis, Crawford was not only a nymphomaniac but also ''vain, jealous and about as stable and trustworthy as a basket of snakes''. Crawford, in turn, accused Davis of stealing her glory and planning to destroy her.The two rivals fought over as many men as they did parts - when Bette fell in love with her co-star in DANGEROUS, Franchot Tone, Joan stepped in and married him. The women worked together only once, in the classic thriller W

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Book SynopsisKeren Blankfeld is a long-form journalist with a special interest in investigative narrative nonfiction. A former staff writer for Forbes Magazine, her stories have appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, Reuters, The Toronto Star, and others. She teaches reporting and writing at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and has also taught at the New York University's Graduate School. She has been a guest on CNN, BBC World News, and E! Entertainment. In 2013, Keren served as a creative executive at New Regency Productions, where she worked with screenwriters and playwrights to develop material for movies and TV shows. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and English from Tufts University and an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University. She now lives in New York with her husband and two sons.

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Book SynopsisThe classic story of one of the twentieth century''s most extraordinary families.Among the six daughters and one son born to David, second Lord Redesdale, and his wife Sydney were Nancy, the novelist and historian; Diana, who married fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley; Unity, friend of Hitler; Jessica, who became a communist and then an investigative journalist; and Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire and mistress of Chatsworth. ''The Mitford Girls,'' as John Betjeman called them, were one of the twentieth century''s most controversial families; said to be always either in shrieks of laughter or floods of tears, they were glamorous, romantic and - especially in politics - extreme. Yet the teasing, often bordering on cruelty, the flamboyant contrasts and the violent disagreements, hid a powerful affection, subtle likenesses in character, and a powerful underlying unity.Trade ReviewBigger, better and back on the shelves. Lord Moyne's lively account of the swishest society sextet has been updated. It's an oldie but it's a goodie * TATLER *This entertaining book continues to promote the Mitfords' historical interest * THE TIMES *A fine group portrait of a truly remarkable tribe * THE ATLANTIC *Readers are afforded a rare glimpse of the tangled undergrowth of English snobbery, prejudice and reactionary politics - not just of 50 years ago but of today * NEW YORK TIMES *The book is delightfully readable, filled with fascinating peeps into personal letters and secret diaries. The earlier generations, wonderful Victorian eccentrics of wealth and privilege, are as amusing to read about as the later ones * KIRKUS *A most lively and readable portrait of the Mitford girls' and their forebears. Written with detachment and good-humoured affection * ECONOMIST *'Bigger, better and back on the shelves. Lord Moyne's lively account of the swishest society sextet has been updated. It's an oldie but it's a goodie'. -- Camilla Long * Tatler *'This entertaining book continues to promote the Mitfords' historical interest' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe powerful memoir of the most celebrated and blacklisted Black American of the 20th century?offering a defiant challenge to the prevailing fear and racism that continues to characterize American societyA limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette Paul Robeson recounts his journey from star athlete to esteemed actor, singer, and civil rights activist, and the racism and political persecution he faced that attempted to silence him. In the first half of the 20th century, Robeson''s international achievements in starring roles on stage and screen made him the most celebrated Black American of his day. But his outspoken criticism of racism in the United States, his strong support of African independence, and his fascination with the Soviet Union placed him under the debilitating scrutiny of McCarthyism.A bold answer to his accusers, Here I Stand details how these challenges Robeson faced only strengthened his resolve to fight against injustice. In our own time of increased scrutiny and attempts to limit people?s right to protest, Robeson?s unwavering courage and commitment to his principles offers an inspiring model for how we all must continue to stand up for what we believe in.Here I Stand is not simply a memoir, but a testament to the enduring spirit of resilience and resistance in the face of adversity.

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Book SynopsisEssays on Latinx and Caribbean identity and on globalization by renowned women writers, including Julia Alvarez, Edwidge Danticat, and Jamaica KincaidWomen Writing Resistance: Essays on Latin America and the Caribbean gathers the voices of sixteen acclaimed writer-activists for a one-of-a-kind collection. Through poetry and essays, writers from the Anglophone, Hispanic, and Francophone Caribbean, including Puertorriqueñas and Cubanas, grapple with their hybrid American political identities. Gloria Anzaldúa, the founder of Chicana queer theory; Rigoberta Menchú, the first Indigenous person to win a Nobel Peace Prize; and Michelle Cliff, a searing and poignant chronicler of colonialism and racism, among many others, highlight how women can collaborate across class, race, and nationality to lead a new wave of resistance against neoliberalism, patriarchy, state terrorism, and white supremacy.

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Book SynopsisAmanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn''t commit - and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it''s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free. Free recounts how Amanda survived prison, the mistakes she made and misadventures she had reintegrating into society, culminating in the untold story of her return to Italy and the extraordinary relationship she''s built with the man who sent her to prison. It is the gripping saga of what happens when you become the definition of notorious, but have quietly returned to the matters of a normal life - seeking a life partner, finding a job, or even just going out in public. In harrowing (and sometimes hilarious) detail, Amanda tells the story of her personal growth and hard-fought wisdom, recasting her public reckoning as a private reflection on the search for meaning and purpose that will speak to everyone persevering through hardship.

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Book SynopsisThe invention by Whittle of the turbo-jet engine, and the determined effort to design, develop and demonstrate that such a novel new method of propulsion would replace piston engines in the air, was one of the most important technical achievements of the twentieth century. That one man accomplished this working with a small but dedicated team of engineers and craftsman in the middle of a war, and in the face of many doubters, was a truly monumental achievement. The jet engine envisaged by Frank Whittle, a young Royal Air Force cadet, changed aviation forever. It was an invention that has, in the years since, had the effect of shrinking the world we live in. We think nothing today of flying between continents in a few hours, when just a two or three generations ago this would have been a major expedition. In short, the jet engine, developed with great tenacity by Whittle, has made the world a village, and has introduced world-wide travel to ordinary people everywhere. This accomplis

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Book SynopsisA fresh, innovative interpretation of the life, work and lasting influence of the twentieth century's most iconic filmmaker.Trade Review"A provocative new way of thinking about biography... The radial structure vibrates, like Hitchcock’s best films, with intuition and mystery." -- Parul Sehgal - The New York Times"Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock is a pinata of literary pleasures. Learned and graceful, thoughtful and provocative, White cracks the Hitchcock code with deft analysis and fine writing. It’s a high-stepping performance full of humor and depth. Walking a tightrope between criticism and biography, White places both the man and his myth in the cultural landscape of his times. In the process, he returns us to the films with a much more informed eye. A book to keep and to return to." -- John Lahr, author of Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh"Perceptive and gracefully written, “The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock” is a bracing study of the master of suspense... It is a rare book that could pleasurably be twice as long." -- The Economist"[The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] is full of such sharp observations, offering a Hitchcock whose art endures alongside—and in some ways depends upon—his insecurities and mistakes." -- Farran Smith Nehme - The Wall Street Journal"White combines his interpretive zest with sensitivity, clarity and knife-sharp phrasing, smartly dedicating each of his 12 chapters to a different facet of the director's personality: the voyeur, the entertainer, the womaniser, the family man… Anatomising someone of Hitchcock's stature risks an equally chaotic frenzy of stabs, but with these 12 scalpel strokes White cuts close to his subject's heart." -- Victoria Segal - The Sunday Times"... innovative biography of Alfred Hitchcock... Tracking Hitchcock's contemporary influence, White is an enterprising tour guide... I was happy to be reminded of Cornelia Parker’s PsychoBarn, constructed in 2016 on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum in New York... And thanks to White, I went on an excursion to Leytonstone, Hitchcock’s birthplace in east London... I was also pleased to learn from White about the lewd Hitchcock tribute in Eminem’s Music to Be Murdered By." -- Peter Conrad - The Observer"The great strength of “The Twelve Lives” is that a reader comes away from it with a vivid sense of how Hitchcock ignited screen masterpieces with the fires of his inner discord and contradictions." -- Alexander Kafka - The Washington Post"... a fascinating new study... [The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] is overflowing with anecdotes, memories and curiosities… the book offers lots of insights into what made him such a revolutionary director of masterpieces such as North by Northwest and Rear Window." -- Martin Chilton, Books of the Month May 2021 - The Independent"Rather than forcing Hitchcock’s often contradictory guises into a coherent whole, this deft account takes them as a starting point. The result is a nuanced and frequently unfamiliar portrait. Essays on the director’s sartorial and culinary preoccupations and his penchant for publicity—chapter headings include “The Fat Man” and “The Dandy”—yield new perspectives on a multifaceted career." -- Briefly Noted - The New Yorker"... masterful study... There have been thousands of books about Hitchcock. This is the best of the bunch, a brilliant investigation of a man full both of ego and fragile self-esteem, a sour mixture of self-disgust and self-regard. Hitchcock was aware that under anyone’s calm surface, dark forces were ‘springing and swirling within'. To investigate these notions, White chops up his book into a dozen highly original chapters homing in on such themes as Hitchcock the Fatty, the Dandy, the Voyeur, the Cockney, and so forth." -- Roger Lewis - The Daily Mail"Using an approach that manages to balance chronology and theme, [White] presents the subject from a dozen angles, many of them in implicit opposition… his use of sources is inventive, and he exhibits breezy authority on a range of relevant themes, from dietetics and mid-century slimming to Catholic prayer." -- Leo Robson - New Statesman"Running the gamut from 'The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up' to 'The Man Of God', White's book... deftly divvies up the director's 80 years into a dozen readable chunks. If Hitch was, as this author suggests, "a codex of his times," this is as good a way as any to decipher him." -- Neil Smith - Total Film"White’s book is a perceptive, plainspoken, and vigorous portrait of an exceedingly strange, complicated, and perhaps deeply wounded man." -- John Banville - New Republic"It's an elegant, divertingly readable performance... it's the affinities, the connecting threads and evocative side-glances with which White salts his text that repeatedly spark new insights into both the man and his work... as this entertaining and provocative book shows, a lot of satisfaction can be derived from exploring the mystery." -- Philip Kemp - Sight & Sound"It feels a fresh way to organise a familiar story… [The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] allows White to examine the binaries that run through Hitchcock’s life; the man who had both an enormous ego and fragile self-esteem, the uxorious husband who was also lecherous, the dandy in the body of a fat man and the end-of-the-pier entertainer who could also be framed as an avant-garde artist." -- Teddy Jamieson - The Herald"While Hitchcock has been the subject of more books than any other filmmaker, the man behind the titillating, terrifying mask remains an enigma… Edward White’s answer to this conundrum is to dismember Hitchcock into a dozen parts." -- Christopher Bray - The Mail on Sunday"The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock by Edward White considers the many different aspects of the great film-maker’s life and work, including family man, Londoner, pioneer and dandy, and how they often intertwined." -- Choice"[The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] is an original, absorbing study which captures the contradictory nature of ‘the Master of Suspense’." -- Book of the Week - The Week"... elegant and erudite biography… More than 100 books have been written about the Hitchcock phenomenon, but this must be one of the most straightforwardly enjoyable. More a collection of essays than a full-blown biography... [The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock] will send readers back to the films with renewed appreciation." -- Andrew Lynch - The Business Post"The number of tomes written about Alfred Hitchcock could fill a large bookcase, but Edward White takes a novel approach. In The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, he looks at a dozen aspects of the great director's life, work and influence. It's a ploy to entertain and enlighten even those of us who think we know Hitch inside out. White offers new interpretations of some of his most celebrated films but seeks to uncover the man beneath the myth that Hitchcock, himself, so carefully curated." -- Summer Reads - The Irish Independent"White writes with the contemporary moment in mind yet avoids twisting his subject’s accomplishments to suit new tastes. His book is entirely accessible without being glib or sensationalist; it is well-researched and wide-ranging in its cultural references without being pedantic or effete. I know of no other book on Hitchcock that wears its breadth of knowledge so lightly... One completes this book feeling one knows Hitchcock as well as he could be known, and with renewed respect for his gifts and his influence on culture." -- Paula Marantz Cohen - Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisAn extremely revealing account of army life under Napoleon.

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

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Book SynopsisCapturing the essence of history''s most influential economists in enjoyable and illuminating biographical sketches, this book shows how the great economic thinkers are still relevant today.We live in the economy and we are part of it. Living through a pandemic, governments had to work out how to put economies into a deep freeze without destroying them. Avoiding climate catastrophe means changing economies so that they don''t bake the world.In explaining how economic thinking is indispensable to tackling these huge problems, this book is a sure-footed guide, spanning Aristotle''s ideas about restraining consumption, Adam Smith''s thinking about the importance of moral character for sustained economic development, and Esther Duflo''s ongoing work to help the world''s poorest communities lift themselves out of poverty. It shows how the greatest economic thinkers Karl Marx, Maynard Keynes, and Friedrich Hayek, among many others have enabled us to see the world

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Book Synopsis''COMPREHENSIVE'' The Sunday Times''BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED'' The Guardian''UTTERLY COMPELLING'' Nottingham Forest News''WONDERFUL'' Forbes''INTIMATE'' FourFourTwo20th Anniversary Edition - Fully revised and updated.In this authoritative, critical biography, Jonathan Wilson draws an intimate and powerful portrait of one of England''s greatest football managers, Brian Clough. It was in the unforgiving world of post-war football where his identity and reputation was made - a world where, as Clough''s mentor Harry Storer once said, ''Nobody ever says thank you.''Nonetheless, Clough brought the gleam of silverware to the depressed East Midlands of the 1970s. Initial triumph at Derby was followed by a sudden departure and a traumatic 44 days at Leeds. By the end of a frazzled 1974, Clough was set up for life financially, but also hardened to the realities of football. By the time h

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Book SynopsisThe Paralympic gold-medalist, world champion swimmer, ESPY winner, and NBC Sports commentator uses her extraordinary story to equip others to meet whatever challenges they face in life.

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Book SynopsisPublished in the UK for the first time, The Last American Man is by the author of huge international bestseller Eat, Pray, LoveTrade Review'It is almost impossible not to fall under the spell of Eustace Conway ... his accomplishments, his joy and vigor, seem almost miraculous' * New York Times Review of Books *'Gilbert takes a bright-eyed bead on Eustace, hitting him square with a witty modernist appraisal of folkloric American masculinity' * The Times *'Conversational, enthusiastic, funny and sharp, the energy of The Last American Man never ebbs' * New Statesman *'A riveting, deftly written, biography' * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisRose and Rosie are known for their candid and hilarious YouTube videos... but now they are taking oversharing to a whole new level. Discussing sexuality, revealing secrets and empowering others, OVERSHARE is a book packed with Rose and Rosie''s unique take on friendships, fame, mental health and LGBT issues.As visibly out members of the LGBT community, they open up about their own experiences, both together and as individuals, and have written this book in the hope that it gives strength to those who have faced similar difficulties. They are spreading a message of positivity and inclusivity, and want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin, no matter what their sexuality. Delve deep into the unfiltered highs and lows of Rose and Rosie''s life: family relationships, secrets of a happy marriage, struggles with OCD and anxiety, finding love and navigating the world as a gay couple. Get ready to laugh, cry, cringe and OVERSHARE.

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Book SynopsisA long-overdue book honouring the remarkable achievements of key black British individuals over many centuries, in collaboration with the 100 Great Black Britons campaign founded and run by Patrick Vernon OBE.Trade ReviewThis book is timely and so important. Especially now during the Black Lives Matter movement, people all over the country are looking to expand their knowledge of Black British historical figures and this book will help people to do just that. It is never too late to do the right thing - recognition is long overdue. I am sure you will see this book on many bookshelves and I would encourage everyone to buy it!An empowering read . . . it is refreshing to see somebody celebrate the role that black Britons have played in this island's long and complicated history. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the critically acclaimed THE VICEROY''S DAUGHTERS, the story of a glittering aristocrat who was also at the heart of political society in the interwar years.At the age of twenty-one, Edith Chaplin married one of the most eligible bachelors of the day, the eldest son of the sixth Marquess of Londonderry. Her husband served in the Ulster cabinet and was Air Minister in the National Government of 1934-5. Edith founded the Women''s Legion during the First World War and was also an early campaigner for women''s suffrage. She created the renowned Mount Stewart Gardens in County Down that are now owned by the National Trust.All her life, Edith remained at the heart of politics both in Westminster and Ireland. She is perhaps best known for her role as ''society''s queen'' - a hostess to the rich and famous. Her close circle of friends included Winston Churchill, Lady Astor, Neville Chamberlain and Harold Macmillan who congregated in her salon, known as ''The Ark''. Other members included artists and writers such as John Buchan, Sean O''Casey. Britain''s first Labour prime minister, Ramsey MacDonald, became romantically obsessed by her.Trade ReviewDe Courcy's biography re-creates a world of glittering house parties, aristocratic immorality and political intrigue in a narrative that reads like a racy novel * SUNDAY TIMES *This thoroughly enjoyable account is written with a light touch and an eye for the ridiculous, yet also succeeds in creating a genuine sense of unease and impending gloom * DAILY MAIL *This is more than a skilled biography. It is also a glittering picture of politics and high society between the wars * DAILY EXPRESS *The great Lady Londonderry of this century deserved a biography, and Anne de Courcy has done her proud * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Anne de Courcy's fascinating biography charts over eighty years of this charismatic character's life * WOMAN'S JOURNAL *A brilliant biography of one of the most remarkable and influential women of this century * NORTHERN ECHO *A shrewdly but affectionate and touching portrait of the last great political hostess * OBSERVER *Many important issues, such as women's suffrage, are tackled in Anne de Courcy's book, which is a fascinating piece of social history * DAILY MAIL *

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Book SynopsisTales of treachery, farce and folly across three millennia of world history.

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Book SynopsisThe galvanizing true story of a group of remarkable women in the 1970s male-run world of business, banking, and finance. They didn?t play by the rules. They changed them and made history.In the 1970s, a new wave of feminism was sweeping America. But in the boys? club of banking and finance, women were still infantilized?no credit without a male cosigner, and their income was dismissed as unreliable. If bankers weren?t going to accommodate women, then women had to take control of their own futures. In 1978 in Denver, Colorado, the opening of the Women?s Bank changed everything.It was helmed by bank officer B. LaRae Orullian and the brainchild of whip-smart entrepreneur Carol Green, who forged a groundbreaking path with their headstrong colleagues, among them: Judi Foster, investment research whiz; Edna Mosley, unyielding civil rights advocate with the NAACP; Mary Roebling, renowned financial executive; Betty Freedman, a socialite and fundraiser; and Gail Schoettler, a formidable Denver mover and shaker for social justice. Coming together and facing their own unique road to revolution, they built the most successful female-run bank in the nation. It wasn?t easy.Give Her Credit follows the challenges, uphill battles, and achievements of some of the enterprising women of Denver who broke boundaries, inspired millions, and afforded opportunities for every marginalized citizen in the country. It?s about time their untold story was told.

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Book SynopsisA Brené Brown “Nightstand” Pick For women everywhere, a collection of fierce and often funny personal essays on finding ‘enough’—from the James Beard Award-winning author of the Gluten-Free Girl cookbooksLike so many American women, Shauna M. Ahern spent decades feeling not good enough about her body, about money, and about her worth in this culture. For a decade, with the help of her husband, she ran a successful food blog, wrote award-winning cookbooks, and raised two children. In the midst of this, at age 48, she suffered a mini-stroke. Tests revealed she would recover fully, but when her doctor impressed upon her that emotional stress can cause physical damage, she dove deep inside herself to understand and let go of a lifetime of damaging patterns of thought.With candor and humor, Ahern traces the arc of her life in essays, starting with the feeling of “not good enough” which was sown in a traum

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Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The First Man comes a sweeping saga involving two extraordinary—and extraordinarily different—adventurers who have only one thing in common: the ambition to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat . . . alone. In this bracing adventure tale, the story of John Fairfax and Tom McLean are woven together for the first time. Fairfax would set off from the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa with his sights on Florida. McClean charted a course from Newfoundland to Ireland. The two men couldn’t have been more different. John Fairfax was a golden-haired playboy, gambler, whiskey, gun smuggler, and ex-pirate who blamed his boat often, and who brazenly took time off from his goal of reaching America to hop aboard large ships for a drink, a shower, and good food. He courted the press like a modern-day Richard Branson or Elon Musk. The egoless Tom McClean was an orphan with a tough, Dickensian childhood, who ran off to become a British paratrooper and later joined the SAS (his training rivalled the U.S. Navy Seals). Tom was a purist who loved his boat Silver and never once took time off from rowing to sun himself on a remote beach or jump aboard a cruise ship. After 70 days, he landed on the rocky coast of Ireland to no fanfare and headed straight to the nearest pub. Though the two men’s remarkable transoceanic journeys seem pulled from a different era, both embarked within days of the first landing on the Moon: July 20th, 1969. Filled with gale-force winds, backbreaking effort, menacing sharks, playful dolphins, awing natural beauty, great mishaps, failed equipment, hypothermia, near-drowning, the fighting of mental and physical lethargy, creative problem-solving, phantom illusions on the water, and glorious moments of bliss, Completely Mad stands alongside other classics of ocean adventure. With gripping and insightful prose, James R. Hansen brings to life Fairfax and McLean's expeditions, from their battle with the elements to their own inner demons. Completely Mad is a nail-biting, epic tale of endurance, and readers will be gripped until the end to find out who won. Trade Review“What happened on these journeys — 70 days for McClean, 180 days for Fairfax — makes for reading both enthralling and horrifying. Each man had to row around 23,000 strokes a day for months on end. Hansen skillfully interweaves their stories, recounting tales of bleeding hands, capsizings, shark attacks, storms of biblical proportions, freak waves, brutal heat, freezing cold, physical prostration and psychic collapse. Hansen shows impressive research, fine storytelling skills and mastery of detail. The real star of the book is Tom McClean, today 81 years old and living in Scotland. Hansen calls him his ‘nautical Gandalf,’ with ‘veiled power, good intentions, care for all creatures of good,” adding that McClean “showed me, Jedi-like, how to steer my boat.’” * Douglas Preston, The New York Times Book Review *“A gripping account. Fairfax was the kind of man who could restore your faith in a random and amoral universe. Tom McClean, on the other hand—is the guy you’re rooting for, an orphan seeking to assert himself in the world. He knew the value of sheer guts. The S.A.S. motto, ‘Who dares wins,’ was emblazoned on his boat’s bow.” * The Wall Street Journal *"This new book, Completely Mad is the day-by-day story of two very different men who, really by chance, were vying to be the first person to row across the Atlantic Ocean, alone. Hansen gives a good deal of biographical material and the contrasts are striking." * Alabama Public Radio, Don Noble *"The story of the 1969 race to be the first person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In a page-turning narrative, Hansen shares the personal background of each contender as well as the challenges they faced along their nautical journeys, particularly noting the contrasts between the two men. The remarkable adventures of two men fighting nature and their own demons." -- Kirkus Reviews"Hansen’s spirited entry provides a riveting examination of the human will to survive, and readers will be fascinated—if occasionally mystified—by the determination the men displayed. This is perfect for those seeking adventure without leaving their couch." -- Publishers Weekly"This remarkable book captures a little known adventure that in many ways was just as amazing—and even more harrowing—than Apollo 11.” -- Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon“Hansen's book is the best adventure book I have ever read. Hansen skillfully tells the story of two men who fathomed the unfathomable - to become the first to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. It is an incredible story: real, enthralling, and absolutely inspiring. I had to discover how these two men rowed through titanic storms and currents and continued on when all seemed lost. I loved this book!" * Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica *"James Hansen has proven himself to be a terrific storyteller about voyages and history, and Completely Mad combines both of these notable talents. Here he relates the story of two young men, Tom McClean and John Fairfax, and the sea, both engaged in, yes, mad quests to row across the Atlantic in a time—the summer of 1969—when jets or spacecraft accomplished the journey in hours or minutes. You will travel with them on their competing journeys, tasting salt, fearing sharks, fighting the sea in this skewered mirror of a space race in this wildly engaging narrative." * Michael Cassutt, author of Deke! and The Astronaut Maker *"James Hansen is already an acknowledged expert in turning the lives of pioneering loners into gripping and insightful reads. Now he explores the exciting tale of two solo explorers each attempting to cross the Atlantic alone, in a battle with each other, with the elements, and with their own personal limits. Completely Mad is a nail-biting, epic tale of endurance—I was racing to the end to see who won." * Francis French, author of In The Shadow of the Moon *

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