Biography: adventurers and explorers Books

Book Synopsis____________________________________________________________________________________ THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER ''It is a beautifully written book about a unique and extraordinary man who was the longest-serving consort to the longest reigning monarch in British history. I have read many other books about Philip but this is the best.'' - DAILY EXPRESS''Gloriously witty and incisive'' - DAILY MAIL''It''s bloody brilliant, totally inspiring ... it''s a joy to read a book that comes from a perspective of fondness. There are whole pages I want to read to the kids and stick to the fridge.'' - KIRSTIE ALLSOPP, THE TIMES''As a sparkling celebration of Prince Philip, the book will be hard to beat'' - THE TELEGRAPH''Brandreth explores a temperament on the brink of anger and agitation with immense tact, even affection.'' - THE SPECTATO

Read more less

Book SynopsisA uniquely accessible history of the Welsh people.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe history of one of England's most important historic cities through the 'voices' of Norwich's inhabitants, from its earliest origins to the presentTrade Review'Fascinating reading - a history book that packs a punch' NORWICH EVENING NEWS

Read more less

Book SynopsisNapoleon III is brought out of the shadows of Napoleon Bonaparte by a prize-winning historian: âAn excellent biography... In these pages, he emerges as the underwriter of modern Franceâ This workâs perceptive synthesis of recent research... and fast-paced narrative will attract general readers.â Publishers Weekly

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe truth behind the mystery of European history's most famous prisoner. It is time his story was retold for a new audience.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Apollo 11 mission and lunar-landing is one of the most iconic moments in history, and a landmark of technological and social achievement throughout the world. Bestselling author James Donovan brings to life the epic story and the astronauts, flight controllers, and engineers who made it happen.Trade Review‘The best book on Apollo that I have read.' -- Mike Collins, Command Module Pilot on Apollo 11'Shoot for the Moon is sure to be a space race classic.' -- Annie Jacobsen, bestselling author & Pulitzer Prize finalist‘A fascinating insight into the golden age of space exploration’ -- Tim Peake‘With Shoot for the Moon, James Donovan captures it all – the science, the engineering, the clashing egos, the Cold War politics. But what's even more impressive, he does it without depriving us of the essential magic that was Apollo, this Promethean program that dared to aim as high and as far as man could go’ -- Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers, In the Kingdom of Ice, and On Desperate Ground

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this “story of hope—an affirmation of the promise, the potential, and the reality of the American Dream,” (Nancy Pelosi), the first Muslim to be elected to Congress speaks out about what divides Americans—and what can bring us together.As a Black, Latino, and former Catholic who converted to Islam, Keith Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress—from a district with fewer than 1 percent Muslims and 11 percent Blacks. With his unique perspective on uniting a disparate community and speaking to a common goal, Ellison takes a provocative look at America and what needs to change to accommodate different races and beliefs. Filled with anecdotes, statistics, and social commentary, Ellison touches on everything from the Tea Party to Obama, from race to the immigration debate and more. He also draws some very clear distinctions between parties and shows why the deep polarization is unhealthy for America. Deeply patriotic, with My

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this beautifully written and propulsive memoir, Huma Abedin—Hillary Clinton’s famously private top aide and longtime adviser—emerges from the wings of American political history to take command of her own story.The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates who split their time between Saudi Arabia, the UK and the United States, Abedin grew up in many worlds. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage and motherhood with wisdom and sophistication.Abedin launched full steam into a college internship in the office of the first lady in 1996, never imagining that her work at the White House would blossom into a career in public service, nor that the career would become an all-consuming way of life. Still in her twenties and thirties, she thrived in rooms with diplomats and sovereigns, entrepreneurs and artists, philanthropists and activists, and witnessed many crucial moments in 21st-centuTrade Review‘An extraordinary memoir about the most private and public things. With candour, insight and courage, Abedin takes us boldly behind the scenes of many of the most important political events of the past quarter century and dazzlingly deep into the heart of the most poignant, powerful and painful moments of her life—as a daughter, mother, wife and top aide to Hillary Clinton. It’s a story about loss and triumph, resilience and grit; about love, loyalty and letting go. The writing is just gorgeous. I was gobsmacked.’ -- Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail‘An inspiring roadmap revealing how a little Brown girl from Kalamazoo, Michigan grew up to become a powerful political force navigating unimaginable rooms, relationships and circumstances with incredible resiliency, stunning work ethic and unwavering faith. There is no doubt that Huma’s personal and professional journey, told in her own words, is one of the most unique stories you will ever read.’ -- Cleo Wade, author of What the Road Said‘A gripping testament to the power of a woman finding her voice, owning her ambition and sharing her truth. Huma's humanity, tenacity and singularity draw us deeply into her personal and professional journeys – and we are left inspired by her will to fight for herself and the world.’ -- Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed, and Founder of Together Rising'I've long known Huma to be a compassionate and committed advisor and public servant. I've relied on her talents, wisdom and counsel for a quarter-century. Both/And is the beautifully written account of a grand journey, and I’m so delighted she’s chosen to share her story of grit and grace with the world.’ -- Hillary Rodham Clinton

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Enormously readable...excellent' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times 'A superb piece of thorough journalism' David Aaronovitch, The TimesNigel Farage is arguably one of the most influential British politicians of the 21st century. His campaign to take the UK out of the EU began as a minority and extreme point of view, but in June 2016 it became the official policy of the nation after a divisive referendum. In Michael Crick's brilliant new biography, One Party After Another, we find out how he did it, despite never once managing to get elected to Parliament. Farage left public school at the age of 16 to go and work in the City, but in the 1990s he was drawn into politics, joining UKIP. Ironically, it was the electoral system for the European Parliament that gave him access to a platform, and he was elected an MEP in 1999. His everyman persona, combined with a natural ability as a maverick andTrade Review'Enormously readable. Farage is...too often reduced to a caricature, and one of the great qualities of Crick's book is that he turns him back into a complicated human being. Crick's Farage emerges as a surprisingly mercurial, anxious, moody figure. Although biographies of modern politicians are usually pretty dreadful, Crick's is excellent.' -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *'Brilliantly well researched and endlessly entertaining' -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *'Like those of all political upstarts, Nigel Farage’s career is marked by generous helpings of luck. His story is full of tantalising what ifs, and in this definitive biography Michael Crick makes the most of them. Crick, a notoriously tenacious political correspondent, has dug deep in the mire of Farage’s fallings-out. He is excellent at following a virtual paper trail, particularly when it involves electoral trickery. His book is fair-minded, frequently amusing.' -- David Runciman * Guardian *'Simply a superb piece of thorough journalism... If you want to know the facts about th[is] strange and discombobulating man...you will never need to go to another place to find them. Crick...would not have been out of place in the CID... It is one of the many great virtues of Crick’s indefatigability that he supplies all the information that allows me to argue with some of his conclusions. And that is quite a recommendation.' -- David Aaronovitch * The Times *'A gripping and vivid biography... Comprehensively researched, fluently written and brimming with both funny stories and jaw-dropping ones, this is the best biography of Farage that will be written.' -- Andrew Rawnsley * Observer *‘An extended act of investigative journalism…a roller-coaster read, lurching from one sensation to another… Warts-and-all ... an admirable and intelligent biography.’ -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph *'Michael Crick argues convincingly that [Farage] is one of the top five most significant politicans of the past half century... A deeply enjoyable book, written with immense brio and enhanced by some great photos.' -- Lynn Barber * Spectator *'Absorbing, richly detailed biography... One Party After Another is both fluent and authoritative.' -- Fintan O’Toole * Times Literary Supplement *'Michael Crick [is] a writer adept at excavating information his subjects would prefer hidden. Crick has delivered a comprehensive chronicle that details...the internal squabbles and viciousness of the party’s early days, as well as his subject’s love life.' -- Robert Shrimsley * Financial Times *'Crick's enormously readable biography of the man who brought us Brexit insists that, alongside Blair and Thatcher, Farage was one of the most significant politicians of the past 50 years.' * Sunday Times Summer Reading *'Crick offers a 360-degree view of the Brexit saga... More intriguing is his picture of Farage the man. What a picaresque life! Remainers may loathe this humanising of a hate figure...yet Crick is fair, interrogating the worst rumours.' -- Janice Turner * New Statesman *'Nigel Farage...has a good claim to be one of the most influential politicians in postwar Britain. A lively, chaotic and sometimes sinister figure (witness his close friendship with Donald Trump and admiration for Viktor Orban), Farage is an ideal subject for Crick, one of the UK's most experienced political journalists.' -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times Best Summer Reads *'Michael Crick is a brilliant journalist with a perceptive eye, a sharp pen and an admirably Tiggerish energy in pursuit of a story.' -- Julia Langdon * Tablet *'Heavily researched and scrupulously balanced...if this gruesomely compelling biography proves one thing, it’s that mocking Farage can be an extremely risky business.' -- Andrew Lynch * Sunday Business Post *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Stirring'' Roger Lewis, Daily Mail, BOOK OF THE WEEK''A warm and worthy tribute'' The Times''Elegantly written, thought-provoking'' The Lady''A lucid and affectionate portrait of one of the great journalists of his day'' ObserverSir Ludovic Kennedy was a British journalist, television personality, humanist and author. Following a brief naval career, Ludo devoted his life to what he referred to as his ''lifelong obsession with miscarriages of justice'' and he fought this cause tirelessly, until he died in 2009. He is best known for re-examining cases such as the kidnapping of American toddler Charles Lindbergh, about which he wrote his most ambitious book on injustice, The Airman and the Carpenter. Ludo''s writings and work on other cases such as the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley were unique in that they often dispelled the breeding ground for conspiracy thTrade ReviewStirring -- Roger Lewis * Daily Mail *A warm and worthy tribute * The Times *Elegantly written, thought-provoking -- Rebecca Wallersteiner * The Lady *A lucid and affectionate portrait of one of the great journalists of his day * Observer *It has a dogged sense of justice, and is an astounding tale of judicial bigotry, arrogant stupidity and complacence -- Richard Davenport-Hines * The Oldie *A worthy memorial to a man whose campaigning against injustices was, probably more than any other single influence, responsible for the abolition of the death penalty in Britain -- Stephen Bates * Literary Review *An important book -- Bob Woffinden * Catholic Herald *Ingrams' book is an indictment of the legal establishment as it was and a powerful justification for investigative writing -- Stephen Halliday * Times Higher Education Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Times Book of the Year 2019''You should not deny yourself the pleasure of reading it'' Sunday Times''A remarkable work and an important addition to the extraordinary wartime history of literary London'' Literary ReviewWho were the Lost Girls? At least a dozen or so young women at large in Blitz-era London have a claim to this title. But Lost Girls concentrates on just four: Lys Lubbock, Sonia Brownell, Barbara Skelton and Janetta Parlade. Chic, glamorous and bohemian, as likely to be found living in a rat-haunted maisonette as dining at the Ritz, they cut a swathe through English literary and artistic life in the 1940s. Three of them had affairs with Lucian Freud. One of them married George Orwell. Another became the mistress of the King of Egypt and was flogged by him on the steps of the Royal Palace. And all of them were associated with the decade''s most celebrated literary magazine, Horizon,Trade ReviewDJ Taylor's new book is an exploratory and sometimes eye-popping slice of social history . . . Taylor is a strikingly versatile writer - novelist, critic, historian, author of the standard biography of Orwell, and the acerbic wit behind Private Eye's What You Didn't Miss column . . . If you have even a passing interest in human relationships and the imagination, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of reading it -- John Carey * Sunday Times *DJ Taylor, who has previously written about the bright young things of the interwar years, makes a convincing case for seeing Sonia and her peers as a racier, tougher and far more intelligent group than has previously been allowed * Guardian *Lively account of the chaotic way of life at the Horizon office . . . In Lost Girls, Taylor presents a colourful portrait of this fascinating, sophisticated and highly sexualised literary world . . . expertly narrated . . . excellent descriptions of the daily routine in the Horizon office . . . a remarkable work and an important addition to the extraordinary wartime history of literary London -- Selina Hastings * Literary Review *Entertaining, ever shrewd account * Spectator *Enjoyable . . . an often very funny chronicle of fiendishly complicated and rackety love lives . . . infectious . . . deliciously readable -- Lucy Lethbridge * Financial Times *Enticing . . . Like a private detective on an adultery case, Taylor eavesdrops in bedsits and furnished flats, lurks in Chelsea pubs and Soho dives, reporting in a style both elegant and deadpan. His text is crowded with throwaway gems -- Jane Thynne * The Tablet *Highly entertaining * Country Life *Immersive, intense and dense with detail, Taylor's latest work is a wonderfully niche and pointed take on lost girls from a lost era; a real-life wartime drama, on an intricate and intimate scale * Irish Times *Engaging and stylishly written . . . captures the edgy atmosphere of 1940s bohemian London * Times Literary Supplement *A lively, perceptive, and gossip-strewn inquiry into an overlooked aspect of an influential corner of London's literary life * The New Criterion *An empathetic group biography of four bright, beautiful, literary women in wartime London . . . highly entertaining account . . . insightful and empathetic group biography * Wall Street Journal *Thoughtful, witty writer . . . poignant * London Review of Books *Enthralling . . . because of D.J. Taylor's vivid and affecting group biography, the "lost girls" will never be lost again * The Washington Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrought together first as enemies in the Anglo-Boer War, and later as allies in the First World War, the remarkable, and often touching, friendship between Winston Churchill and Jan Smuts is a rich study in contrasts. In youth they occupied very different worlds: Churchill, the rambunctious and thrusting young aristocrat; Smuts, the aesthetic, philosophical Cape farm boy who would go on to Cambridge. Both were men of exceptional talents and achievements and, between them, the pair had to grapple with some of the twentieth century''s most intractable issues, not least of which the task of restoring peace and prosperity to Europe after two of mankind''s bloodiest wars.Drawing on a maze of archival and secondary sources including letters, telegrams and the voluminous books written about both men, Richard Steyn presents a fascinating account of two remarkable men in war and peace: one the leader of the Empire, the other the leader of a small fractious member of that EmpiTrade ReviewThe importance of the relationship between Winston Churchill and Jan Smuts has received belated recognition in Richard Steyn's elegant new book. Smuts' role as Churchill's comrade, guide and, in Steyn's depiction, wise critic, is rarely celebrated and often overlooked. In Churchill's Confidant, Steyn rescues it from the condescension of posterity, and enriches our understanding of both men with this cogent testament to friendship in public life. -- Kenneth Weisbrode, author of Churchill and the King

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the true story of Colonel Edward Marcus Despard, the character in the fifth series of the BBC''s popular television drama Poldark. Colonel Despard was the last person to be sentenced to hanging, drawing and quartering in Britain - for high treason, an alleged plot to kill the king. His execution on 21st February 1803 was witnessed by twenty thousand hushed onlookers. Their silence was ominous, for few believed he was guilty. His death would tear apart a Britain still reeling from the impact of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. But who was Edward Marcus Despard? Was he, as his comrade-in-arms on the Spanish Main Lord Nelson believed, an outstanding British army officer of unimpeachable honour, courage and patriotism? Or, as the white slave-owners of the Caribbean claimed, a traitor not only to his nation but to his race, who had married a local woman and championed the rights of freed slaves?And when Despard returned to LondoTrade ReviewA gem of a book . . . was Despard a hero or villain? In answering this question, Jay has also produced a powerful and energetic study of the political complexity of the 1790s. - Sunday TelegraphCompelling, absorbing and wide-ranging . . . Jay weaves a complex variety of themes, many with overtly topical resonances, into Despard's journey from hero to traitor. - Sunday TimesA riveting account of the life and times of Britain's first terrorist. - Independent on Sunday Books of the YearBeautifully crafted . . . as thrilling as any novel. The Colonel's fast-paced adventures are matched by Jay's equally breathless narrative. - Good Book Guide

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe great tea-break escape! A bumper book of fun puzzles celebrating every aspect of Britishness from Britain''s King of Puzzles -- perfect to relax, de-stress and unwind, perhaps with a cup of tea!Whether focused on queuing, the weather or the overwhelming desire to apologise entirely unnecessarily, these are puzzles with a sense of humour and a love of all things British.The puzzles cover every aspect of modern Britain, from food and drink through to language and literature, and from places and people through to sports and entertainment.There is an extraordinary variety of content, from word and logic puzzles of all kinds through to relaxing dot-to-dots and spot the differences, all designed to take us on a unique and intriguing tour of our fascinating island.Trade ReviewOne of Britain's most trusted brain trainers. * Sunday Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFINALIST FOR THE 2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDCHOSEN BY BARACK OBAMA AS ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2019 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCEA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER''An informed, moving and kaleidoscopic portrait... Treuer''s powerful book suggests the need for soul-searching about the meanings of American history and the stories we tell ourselves about this nation''s past'' New York Times Book Review, front pageThe received idea of Native American history has been that American Indian history essentially ended with the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee. Not only did one hundred fifty Sioux die at the hands of the U.S. Cavalry, the sense was, but Native civilization did as well. Growing up Ojibwe on a reservation in Minnesota, training as an anthropologist, and researching Native life past and present for his nonfiction and novels, David Treuer has uncovered a different narrativTrade ReviewIf you enjoyed There There by Tommy Orange, read The Heartbeat of Wounded KneeTreuer's forthcoming counternarrative blends memoir - a retelling of his own family and tribe's experiences - and in-depth, detailed reporting on 125 years of native history. * Washington Post *A sweeping history of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present-disputing the commonly held belief that the infamous 1890 massacre destroyed the Native American population and spirit. Treuer, whose mother is an Ojibwe Indian and who grew up on the reservation before leaving to attend Princeton, presents a more nuanced and hopeful vision of the past and future of Native Americans * Vanity Fair *The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is the essential, intimate story of a resilient people in a transformative era. * The Rumpus *David Treuer offers an examination of Native American history. His book follows Dee Brown's 1970 work Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and explores more recent Native history. He uses his background as an anthropologist as well as his own experience growing up Obijwe on a reservation in Minnesota. * Bustle *Treuer chronicles the long histories of Native North America, showing the transformation and endurance of many nations. All American history collections will benefit from this important work by an important native scholar. * Library Journal (starred) *[Treuer's] scholarly reportage of these 125 years of Native history...comes to vivid life for every reader. * Booklist (starred) *Treuer ... is a wonderful novelist, and if anybody can tell this story in the way it needs to be told and retold, until the end of time, he can * LitHub *Treuer provides a sweeping account of how the trope of the vanishing Indian has distorted our current understanding of Native peoples. Instead of seeing Wounded Knee as the final chapter, he recovers the importance of World War II, urban migration, casinos, and the computer age in reshaping the modern Native American experience. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is written with conviction and illuminates the past in a deeply compelling way. * Nancy Isenberg, author of White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America *An ambitious, gripping, and elegantly written synthesis that is much more than the sum of its excellent parts - which include a rich array of Native lives, Treuer's own family and tribe among them - The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee brings a recognition of indigenous vitality and futurity to a century of modern Indian history. * Philip J. Deloria, Professor of History, Harvard University *Almost 130 years on from that massacre in the snow of South Dakota, Treuer finds that the Indian heart is still beating, and its people are finding ways to be not just in America, but of America. * Sunday Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Profumo Affair was the political scandal of the twentieth century. The Tory War Minister, John Profumo, had been sleeping with the teenage Christine Keeler, while at the same time she had been sleeping with a Russian spy. The ensuing investigation revealed a secret world where titled men and prostitutes mixed, of orgies and S&M parties. The revelations rocked the British establishment to its core and lead to the resignation of the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. And seemingly at the centre of it all was one man, Dr Stephen Ward.Stephen Ward was many things to many people. He was a successful osteopath to an establishment list of clients. He was a part-time artist who had drawn portraits of members of the Royal Family. To some he was a ''provider of popsies to rich people''; a man who knews lots of pretty girls of flexible morals. And finally, when the scandal came crashing down on the government, he was a scapegoat, put on trial and, ultimately, hounded to his de

Read more less

Book Synopsis**From the star of SAS AUSTRALIA**''Dean''s journey from the Special Boat Service to intrepid adventurer is truly inspirational.'' - Sir Ranulph Fiennes''An extraordinary tale of courage and adventure. Dean''s story is inspirational.'' - Levison Wood''Dean''s relentless determination to help those who face many mental health battles is incredible and admirable - he''s a hero to many.'' - Bear GryllsFor readers of Ant Middleton, Jason Fox, Brian Wood, Bear Grylls and Billy Billingham comes the extraordinary, inspirational story of Special Boat Service soldier and adventurer Dean Stott.Everybody has heard the SAS motto that who dares wins, but special forces warrior Dean Stott also lives his life by another powerful mantra - that of the relentless pursuit of excellence. In 16 years of service, Dean rose to the top of Britain''s fighting force, taking part of some of the most daring and dangerous operatioTrade ReviewAn extraordinary tale of courage and adventure. Dean's story is inspirational. * Levison Wood *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on recently declassified files and interviews with veterans, this is a fascinating history of Bill Stirling and 2SAS pioneering founders of modern special forces. David Stirling is the name synonymous with the wartime SAS, but the real brains behind the operation was in fact Bill Stirling, David's eldest brother. Bill was described in the SAS War Diary as a man from the shadows'; it was an apt description for, unlike his attention seeking brother, Bill shunned the spotlight. Now for the first time the truth and the triumph of 2SAS is revealed. Having originally joined the SOE in March 1940, Bill Stirling sailed for Cairo in 1941 and there had the idea for a small special forces unit to be led by his mercurial brother. But despite some success, David allowed the legendary 1SAS to drift under his leadership. Following his capture, Bill re-directed 2SAS, under his personal command, to the strategy he had originally envisaged: parachuting behind enemy lines to gaTrade ReviewVivid and meticulously researched... Gavin Mortimer has certainly done the history of the SAS justice in this book. -- Paul de Zulueta * The Spectator *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Chronology Prologue: Stirling and Stirling Chapter 1: Commando College Chapter 2: Territorial Dispute Chapter 3: Cleaning up the Chaos Chapter 4: Warmer Climes Chapter 5: Training-ville Chapter 6: The Best Die First Chapter 7: Eyeing Up Italy Chapter 8: Use Your Initiative Chapter 9: Hitler's Henchmen Chapter 10: The Farren Phenomenon Chapter 11: The Hell of Termoli Chapter 12: Blinded by Science Chapter 13: Difference of Opinion Chapter 14: Hushed Up Chapter 15: Hell Raisers Chapter 16: Thick with Germans Chapter 17: The Winter War Chapter 18: Up Close to Evil Chapter 19: Boy's Own Finale Epilogue Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE TELEGRAPH SPORTS BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019Monsieur X is a dazzling tale of glamour, riches, violence and ultimately tragedy.Patrice des Moutis was a handsome, charming and well-educated Frenchman with an aristocratic family, a respectable insurance business, and a warm welcome in the smartest Parisian salons. He was also a compulsive gambler and illegal bookie. Between the late 1950s and the early 1970s, Des Moutis made a daring attempt to beat the French state-run betting system. His success so alarmed the authorities that they repeatedly changed the rules of betting in an effort to stop him. And so a battle of wills began, all played out on the front pages of the daily newspapers as the general public willed Des Moutis on to ever greater triumphs.He remained one step ahead of the law until finally the government criminalised his activities, driving him into the arms of the underworld. Eventually the net began to close, high-profile characters Trade ReviewAnother serious contender for sports publishing's top award...the pace of a thriller and the style of a great biography. * The New European *A rivetingly good story, told with all the panache it deserves -- John Preston * author of A Very English Scandal *A story that deserves to be told and in the hands of Reid, has a chronicler more than equal to the task. * Racing Post *I read it in two days. I thought it was superb. -- Victor ChandlerI enjoyed reading Monsieur X; very amusing. -- Lester PiggottGripping * The Spectator *All punters dream of taking the bookies to the cleaners and this true story, from France about 60 years ago, ticks all the boxes... this book will leave you plotting your own coup when racing restarts in Britain * The Times *From page one to the end it is fascinating... superb investigative work and great fun * Thoroughbred Daily News *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the host of MTV's No.1 show Catfish comes the definitive guide to connecting with people authentically in today's digital world.Trade ReviewThis is youth TV so successful that it has created a fresh dictionary definition of deceit. - IndependentCatfish introduced us the world of fake Facebook profiles and the dangers of online relationships...The result is a surprisingly gripping journey with a variety of people looking for, and sometimes finding, love. - Digital SpyAn intriguing modern tale of communication, intimacy, self-knowledge and the web - Guardian

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN 2018 AND THE ANDRÉ SIMON FOOD BOOK AWARDS 2019''Filled with hearty goodness and packed together with care, this will go down a treat'' Evening Standard''Rich and compelling'' Spectator''An accomplished social history ... lively and absorbing'' Who Do You Think You Are?The fascinating history of an iconic East End institution from the bestselling author of Silvertown, Melanie McGrath. G Kelly''s Pie and Mash has been run by the same family in the Roman Road in Bow for nearly a hundred years; an East End institution and the still point of a turning world. Outside its windows the Roman Road has seen an extraordinary revolution - from women''s liberation and industrialisation to wars and immigration - and yet at its heart it remains one of the last traditional market roads of London.Pie and Mash down the Trade ReviewExtraordinary and very moving; yet more proof, if proof were needed, that there is no such thing as an ordinary person. * Julian Fellowes *Brilliant, funny, fascinating. Beautifully written, carefully researched, wonderfully told. * Danny Wallace *Filled with hearty goodness and packed together with care, this book will go down a treat. * Evening Standard *Her empathetic ability to inhabit vanished streets and catch authentic voices - at a point when you wonder how much longer they will be around - is rich and compelling * Spectator *A still point in a turning world . . . a shop front onto the past * Mail on Sunday *An emotional encounter with Bow's very tumultuous history * Roman Road LDN *Beautifully written and impeccably researched, Pie and Mash down the Roman Road draws you right into the heart of the vibrant East End community * Rosie Hendry, author of the East End Angels series *An accomplished social history ... lively and absorbing * Who Do You Think You Are? magazine *Pacy and breath-taking; Melanie tells it like it is and was. The Roman Road market life is a force to be reckoned with, and I loved every word. * Carol Rivers, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Wartime Christmas *Fascinating insight, a love letter to London. It's very well written, thoroughly researched and a perfect insight into a slice of history, as tasty as the best pie and mash. * Glenda Young, author of Belle of the Back Streets *Anybody nostalgic about their London roots will love this impressively researched, absorbing gem of a book * Kay Brellend, author of the Campbell Road series *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''The list of female war reporters is long and distinguished. But the great-grandmother of them all was Clare Hollingworth'' Mail on Sunday ''She was a pioneer'' Kate Adie OBE''Unputdownable'' Alexander McCall Smith''One of the most unforgettable journalists I have ever met'' Chris PattenONE OF THE INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE NEW BBC DRAMA WORLD ON FIRE. Legendary pioneering journalist Clare Hollingworth died in Hong Kong aged 105 in January 2017 after an illustrious career spanning the great events of the 20th century. Clare was famous for getting ''the scoop of the century'': the outbreak of the World War 2. From witnessing the first aerial bombings against England in the First World War, through Hitler''s Blitzkrieg, Clare''s résumé included desert war in North Africa, civil war in Greece, terrorism in Jerusalem, naming Philby as the ThirdTrade ReviewA fascinating account of an extraordinary career. This vivid story, beautifully told, is unputdownable * Alexander McCall Smith *Clare Hollingworth is certainly one of the most unforgettable journalists I have ever met and one of the greatest journalists of the 20th century * Chris Patten *She was regarded by everyone as the most formidable foreign correspondent around, not just of women but out of everyone * John Humphrys *Clare Hollingworth was one of the greatest reporters of the 20th century, and famously scooped the competition by reporting the German invasion of Poland in 1939 before anyone else did, for the Daily Telegraph * Charles Moore *She was a pioneer * Kate Adie OBE *Clare made an extraordinary impact in journalism. Who did the first interview with the Shah of Iran? Clare Hollingworth. Who did the last interview all those years - 30 - 40 - years later, after he fell? Clare Hollingworth. And she was the only person he wanted to speak to. And that's really the measure of the woman * John Simpson CBE *It was her dispatches that alerted the British Foreign Office to the fact that Germany had invaded Poland in 1939. Many of us who have come afterwards, and the generations afterwards, look back and are proud to remember that it is not us pioneering. It's them. It's Clare and that band of women who really did it for us * Christiane Amanpour CBE *Clare Hollingworth was a remarkable journalist, an inspiration to all reporters but in particular to subsequent generations of women foreign correspondents * Chris Evans, editor, Daily Telegraph *Patrick Garrett's biography of his great-aunt Clare Hollingworth, Of Fortunes and War, is an enthrallingly well-researched and clear-eyed account of the career of this fearless war correspondent. It's fascinating on the excitements of life in wartime Bucharest and Beirut and on Hollingworth's friendship with Burgess, Maclean and Philby, as well as satisfyingly thorough on her personal life. -- Markie Robson-Scott * The Tablet *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe inside story from the perspective of the specialists full of first hand accounts from the author.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTranslated from the original German and available in English for the first time. Highly regarded as the most insightful study of von Stauffenberg's life and character.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe only full-length, English biography devoted to Zeno.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFull background to the life of the alleged serial killer, Mary Ann Cotton

Read more less

Book SynopsisGermanicus (a.k.a. Germanicus Iulius Caesar) was regarded by many Romans as a hero in the mould of Alexander the Great. His untimely death, in suspicious circumstances, ended the possibility of a return to a more open republic and ambitions for the outright conquest of Germania Magna (Germany). This, the first modern biography of Germanicus, is in parts a growing-up story, a history of war, a tale of political intrigue and a murder mystery. It is a natural sequel to the author's first book, Eager for Glory, which discussed the life of Germanicus' natural father, Nero Claudius Drusus, for the first time. Born in 15 BC, Germanicus grew up to be a skilled diplomat and bold soldier. Married to the granddaughter of Augustus (by whom he fathered the future Emperor Caligula) and responsible for avenging Rome's humiliating defeat at the Teutoburg Forest through victory at Idistaviso (AD16) and the recovery of one of the lost standards, his reputation and popularity were immense. The Emperor Ti

Read more less

Book SynopsisBormann joined the Nazi Party in 1927 and quickly rose through its ranks. In July 1933 he became the Chief of Cabinet in the Office of the Deputy Fuhrer.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe most detailed biography of one of the Nazi Party s most important members, Roland Freisler, yet published in the English language.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first biography of ?Boy? Browning, whose name is inextricably linked with the creation and employment of Britain?s airborne forces in the Second World War. Commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, Browning served on the Western Front, earning a DSO during the Battle of Cambrai. As Adjutant at Sandhurst, he began the tradition of riding a horse up the steps at the end of the commissioning parade. Browning represented England and Great Britain as a hurdler at the 1928 Winter Olympics. In 1932 Browning married Daphne du Maurier, who was ten years younger and became one of the 20th century?s most enduring and popular novelists with titles such as Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Browning commanded two brigades before being appointed to command 1 Airborne Division in 1941, later acting as Eisenhower?s advisor on airborne warfare in the Mediterranean. In 1944 he commanded 1st Airborne Corps, which he took to Holland for Operation MARKET GARDEN that September. Allegedly coining the phrase ?a bridge too far?, he has received much of the blame for the operation?s failure.In late 1944, Browning became Chief of Staff to Mountbatten. In 1948 he became Comptroller and Treasurer to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and then Treasurer to the latter following the Queen?s accession. He was a close adviser to the Royal couple, who respected and valued his judgment.By this time, Boy and Daphne lived separate lives with Boy working at the Palace in London and Daphne reluctant to leave her beloved Cornwall although the marriage remained intact. Questions exist as to Daphne?s sexuality and Boy had a succession of discrete mistresses. After a nervous breakdown probably due to marriage problems, he resigned in 1959 and retired to Cornwall. Browning died in March 1965.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE PORTLAND SPY RING was one of the most infamous espionage cases from the Cold War. People the world over were shocked when its exposure revealed the shadowy world of deep cover KGB ''illegals'' - spies operating under false identities stolen from the dead.The CIA''s revelation to MI5 in 1960 that a KGB agent was stealing crucial secrets from the world-leading submarine research base at Portland in Dorset looked initially like a dangerous but contained lapse of security by a British man and his mistress. But the couple were tailed by MI5 ''watchers'' to a covert meeting with a Canadian businessman, Gordon Lonsdale. The unsuspecting Lonsdale in turn led MI5''s spycatchers to an innocent-looking couple in suburban Ruislip called the Krogers.But within weeks the CIA rang the alarm - their critical source of intelligence was to defect within hours - and MI5 was forced to act immediately. The Krogers were exposed as two of the most important Russian ''illegals'' ever, wTrade ReviewThe definitive account of the famous Portland Spies - fascinating, detailed and completely gripping -- Richard J Aldrich, author GCHQI read DEAD DOUBLES with admiration...fascinating and meticulous...Using all available American, British and Russian sources, Trevor Barnes has produced a remarkable book -- Harvey Klehr, co-author SPIES: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE KGB IN AMERICAA highly readable account of a classic Cold War MI5 investigation. Assiduously researched and a real page-turner -- Nigel West, author of MI5 and THE ILLEGALSExcellent and riveting, with a cast of characters as engaging as in any novel. Former KGB officer Vladimir Putin's modern-day Russia employs the same espionage methods now against the West. The themes of Dead Doubles - deception, betrayal, blackmail, chemical and biological weapons, atomic secrets, international rivalry - are as topical today as in the 1960s -- John Sipher, Former Head CIA Russian Operations and CIA Station Chief in Asia and EuropeA gripping and brilliantly researched history of the rise and fall of the Portland Spy Ring, which reveals much about the operations and personnel of Russian, British and American intelligence at the height of the Cold War -- Christopher Andrew, author of DEFENCE OF THE REALM and THE SECRET WORLDAn enthralling account of one of the last great spy mysteries of the 20th Century - I loved it -- John Preston, author of A VERY ENGLISH SCANDALDead Doubles will keep readers on the edge of their seats, turning its pages like a delicious spy novel. Its pace and wide scope of research take us into a hidden corner of Cold War England in the early 1960s -- Katherine Sibley, author of FIRST LADY FLORENCE HARDING and RED SPIES IN AMERICAReads like a le Carré thriller - only true. Rich in detail. A must read -- Ray Batvinis, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent of Counterintelligence and author of Hoover's Secret War Against Axis SpiesA rare combination of thrilling story and carefully documented history, the writing has a remarkable "you are there" quality that transports the reader back to the height of the Cold War -- Nicholas Reynolds, former CIA Officer and author of NYT bestseller WRITER, SAILOR, SOLDIER, SPYAn exemplary work of historical scholarship that is also highly entertaining, Dead Doubles is the definitive history of the Portland spy ring -- John Earl Haynes, co-author of EARLY COLD WAR SPIESGordon Lonsdale was a classic KGB illegal resident who never gave up his true name, background, or his agents' identity after his arrest and imprisonment, before he was exchanged for Greville Wynne. Even his memoirs, ghosted by Kim Philby, didn't answer these questions. But Trevor Barnes sets the record straight in his new book based on archival MI5 records and Russian sources. It is well written, thoroughly documented, and a most valuable contribution to the intelligence literature -- Hayden B Peake, Colonel, Military Intelligence, USA, Ret.Even better than any spy novel -- Matt Chorley * TIMES RADIO *Fact outdoes fiction in this fascinating, revealing and gripping account of how MI5 tracked down the infamous Portland Spy ring, from the first clue to their arrest in 1961 * CHOICE *Winston Churchill once wrote of the world of espionage that 'the actual facts of many cases were in every respect equal to the most fantastic inventions of romance and melodrama'. His words could certainly be applied to the Portland Spy Ring, memorably recounted here by Trevor Barnes. After the CIA told MI5 in 1960 someone was stealing secretsfrom the submarine research base at Portland, Dorset, the information led to extraordinary revelations. Unlikely spies were living in suburban Ruislip and, under false identities stolen from the dead, a circle of deep-cover KGB agents was operating in Britain -- Nick Rennison * DAILY MAIL *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHarold Wilson is the only post-war leader of any party to serve as Britain''s Prime Minister on two separate occasions. In total he won four General Elections, spending nearly eight years in Downing Street. Half a century later, he is still unbeaten, Labour''s greatest ever election winner. How did he do it - and at what cost?Critics then and now have painted him as an opportunistic political calculator, even as a Soviet secret agent. In this powerful new portrait, drawing on previously unavailable sources and first-hand parliamentary insight, acclaimed biographer Nick Thomas-Symonds reveals a more complex figure. Wilson was a new kind of politician but, in his own way, this media-savvy harbinger of modernity was also a deeply traditional man, whose actions often suggest nothing less than a spiritual mission.In an intriguing paradox, Wilson, influenced by the distinctively democratic faith of his Yorkshire boyhood, united a fractured Labour Party, ushering in the culTrade ReviewThis comprehensive, carefully researched and very readable biography aims to establish Wilson's place in history - not as the neurotic schemer often reported during his sad last years, which were blighted by dementia, nor even as the supreme political fixer portrayed by Pimlott, but as a decent, honourable man, as well as a very clever one, who was in politics to do something, not just to be someone. He was, Thomas-Symonds concludes, one of our greatest prime ministers, who, given the political circumstances, had a remarkable record of solid achievement. -- Francis Beckett * THE SPECTATOR *Wilson was one of the most remarkable British political figures of the 20th century ... Nick Thomas-Symonds, in his entertaining and assured biography, paints a portrait of a man who embodied all the contradictions of the movement he led -- Daniel Finkelstein * THE TIMES *Very well written ... Wilson, as Thomas-Symonds says, was an underestimated social reformer who expanded higher education and the social services, and made Britain a more pleasant place to live in through such measures as outlawing race and sex discrimination, equal pay for women, maternity leave, safety at work and, above all, the Open University, of which he was particularly proud -- Vernon Bogdanor * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A well-researched, fair-minded and enjoyable read -- Dominic Sandbrook * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Excellent -- Andrew Marr * NEW STATESMAN *A timely new biography -- Andrew Pierce * DAILY MAIL *In the past there would be weighty figures all over the place who wrote books...Roy Jenkins, Michael Foot...Tony Crosland... [Nick Thomas-Symonds] carries that mantle ..in a way Wilson is his most interesting subject so far -- Steve Richards * ROCK & ROLL POLITICS *With political biographies it is easy to praise and criticise with the benefit of hindsight. Nick Thomas-Symonds avoid this by also understanding the political mood at the time - and, in having access to new material is able to take a broader view. I'd make it compulsory reading! -- Baroness Angela Smith * HOUSE MAGAZINE *In this account, Wilson's concern for the poor, his disgust at racial intolerance and his belief that the prosperity of Britain would best be protected in a European Common Market are the enduring aims of his political life. The Harold Wilson of these pages is not just a dry winner. He is a man animated by passions...Along the way, the reader has a lot to enjoy. The author has a keen eye for the telling story that has not been wearied by repetition...Thomas-Symonds also has a crisp way with vital issues. -- Philip Collins * FINANCIAL TIMES *The Labour frontbencher Nick Thomas-Symonds - a rare parliamentarian who can write - offers an unashamedly revisionist and readable account of the man who led Labour to four election victories. So often derided as a shameless opportunist, Wilson here shines through as a quick-witted, silver-tongued master strategist -- Patrick Maguire * THE TIMES 'Books of the Year' *In this riveting and very readable biography, Thomas-Symonds con­firms that Wilson's governments created a kinder, fairer, and forward-thinking Britain. Above all, as any­one on Scilly would agree, Wilson was a man of the people -- Canon Anthony Phillips * CHURCH TIMES *[Wilson] is the subject of a superb new biography by the distinguished historian and Labour frontbencher Nick Thomas-Symonds. It is a book that has all the more resonance because so many of the problems that confronted Wilson are the same ones that the present Government faces... This compelling...excellent biography shows that Wilson was a much bigger figure than the traditional negative caricature suggests... As Thomas-Symonds argues, Britain under him became a more free, equal, tolerant and open society -- Leo McKinstry * DAILY EXPRESS *I would heartily recommend The Winner to anyone interested in postwar British politics. Mixing anecdote and fact, Thomas-Symonds paints a vivid picture of the era that is hard to find elsewhere -- Victoria Honeyman * HISTORY TODAY *This comprehensive, carefully researched and very readable biography aims to establish Wilson's place in history - not as the neurotic schemer often reported during his sad last years, which were blighted by dementia, nor even as the supreme political fixer portrayed by Pimlott, but as a decent, honourable man, as well as a very clever one, who was in politics to do something, not just to be someone. He was, Thomas-Symonds concludes, one of our greatest prime ministers, who, given the political circumstances, had a remarkable record of solid achievement. -- Francis Beckett * Spectator *Well-researched, fair-minded and enjoyable -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Nick Thomas-Symonds' excellent new biography puts Harold Wilson in his rightful place as a crucial figure in Labour Party history, winning four General Elections and introducing important reforms that have endured. It deserves to be widely read not only as a fine work of history but also for its lessons in how Labour wins -- Keir StarmerEntertaining and assured....makes a convincing case that Wilson had a solid record of achievement. -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDazzlingly beautiful, highly intelligent and an extraordinary force of energy, Nancy Cunard was an icon of the Jazz Age, said to have inspired half the poets and novelists of the twenties. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, yet one in which she barely saw her parents, Nancy rebelled against expectations and pursued a life in the arts. She sought the constant company of artists, writers, poets and painters, first in London''s Soho and Mayfair, and then in the glamorous cafes of 1920s Paris.This is the remarkable story of Nancy''s Paris life, filled with art, sex and alcohol. She became a muse to Wyndham Lewis, Constantin Brâncusi sculpted her, Man Ray photographed her and she played tennis with Ernest Hemingway. She had many love affairs, the most significant of which are included in this book: the American poet Ezra Pound, the novelists Aldous Huxley and Michael Arlen, the French poet Louis Aragon and finally and controversially the black American pianist Henry CrowdeTrade ReviewRiveting ... As de Courcy says in her enjoyable, deftly written book, it is hard to find a label for this remarkable woman. Selfish lover, alcoholic, campaigner - they all fit -- Jane Ridley * THE SPECTATOR *Highly readable -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * DAILY MAIL *De Courcy brilliantly recreates the heady spirit of Cunard's Paris: Montparnasse, the Lindbergh flight, Shakespeare & Co, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas, and the Missouri-born dancer Josephine Baker, who performed naked save for a flamingo feather ... De Courcy, a biographer of Diana Mosley and Margot Asquith and the author of Chanel's Riviera is an expert guide to this world. You feel she really might have been there at the cafés, bars and boîtes -- Laura Freeman * THE TIMES *A racily enjoyable book . . . As the venerable author of studies of Diana Mosley, Margot Asquith and Coco Chanel, de Courcy commands this historical field and fills what is at bottom a tragic story of self-centred and self-destructive behaviour with a wealth of amusing anecdote and salacious detail -- Rupert Christiansen * DAILY TELEGRAPH *A seductive portrait of life lived to the fullest * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *A fulsome portrait of a quixotic, disruptive, talented woman * KIRKUS *This bed-hopping biography by de Courcy does an excellent job conveying the reckless, decadent Jazz Age in Paris * LIBRARY JOURNAL *

Read more less

Book Synopsis Don Rose came to the U.S. from England in 1908, when he was 18, entering through Ellis Island like countless other immigrants. By 1941 he was one of Philadelphia''s best-known newspaper columnists. That year he published his gentle, funny memoir My Own Four Walls, the story of the ramshackle farmhouse he and Marjorie, his wife, bought in 1918 for themselves and their 12 children. One of his grandsons, Neil Genzlinger, himself a journalist at the New York Times, here brings that book back to life, with the original illustrations, a century after his grandfather had signed the deed. Part diary, part DIY manual, Rose''s unsung classic is a tale of smoky fireplaces, leaky ceilings and unruly gardens, at a time when refrigerators were newfangled and suburban homes were furnished at country auctions. Most of all it is a story of how one man, with persistence, slowly put down roots in his adopted country.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Grimaldis of Monaco tells the remarkable history of the world's oldest reigning dynasty. Against all odds, they have proved themselves masterful survivors, still in possession of their lands and titles despite the upheavals of the French Revolution and the First and Second World Wars.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisPopulism has become a global movement associated with nationalism and strong-man politicians, but its root causes remain elusive. Mud, Blood, and Ghosts exposes one deep root in the soil of the American Great Plains. Julie Carr traces her own family’s history through archival documents to draw connections between U.S. agrarian populism, spiritualism, and eugenics, helping readers to understand populism’s tendency toward racism and exclusion. Carr follows the story of her great-grandfather Omer Madison Kem, three-term Populist representative from Nebraska, avid spiritualist, and committed eugenicist, to explore persistent themes in U.S. history: property, personhood, exclusion, and belonging. While recent books have taken seriously the experiences of poor whites in rural America, they haven’t traced the story to its origins. Carr connects Kem’s journey with that of America’s white establishment and its fury of nativism in the 1920s. PreseTrade Review"This is an important and moving analysis of the development of a formal Populism movement in the United States."—Library Journal"Through Carr's introspective lens, the book challenges readers to confront the uncomfortable truth that individuals, even those we hold dear, can be both sources of inspiration and instruments of oppression. This duality, and Carr's courageous engagement with it, renders her work deeply resonant and universally relevant. It is a call to action for all of us to consider challenging the eugenic business of power."—Gabriela Corona Valencia, Genetics and Society"A compelling narrative—describing ordinary people encountering often extraordinary circumstances—not usually found in other works of Western History."—Abraham Hoffman, Roundup Magazine“An exquisite mosaic of the cruel and haunting complexities of family, race, property, and political power in the American West. Carefully researched, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts is a brave and moving book.”—Avery F. Gordon, author of Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination“An outstanding, genre-bending family memoir. . . . Written with the prowess of a scholar and full of the insightfulness and precision of a poet, Mud, Blood, and Ghosts takes us simultaneously back to the nineteenth-century family origins of this story and into our turbulent present, where the urgent beating of land taken reverberates aloud, reminding us of the structural inequality of this country. Carr visits with ghosts and delivers their truth: the past is never the past. The future, if there is one, is up to us. Frankly: a must-read.”—Cristina Rivera Garza, distinguished professor of Hispanic studies and creative writing at the University of Houston“Julie Carr, in her panoramic exhumation and exposé of the ties—the roots—that bind, precariously and profoundly, the present to the past, is, as it turns out, the ghost jumping on her great-grandfather’s bed, rustling his blankets, keeping his life—and history, for the future—unquiet, unable to rest. Mud, Blood, and Ghosts—transdisciplinary biography as reappropriation—is not only the title of this book, but precisely what it is made of.”—Brandon Shimoda, author of The Grave on the Wall“Julie Carr brings alive the disquieting and kaleidoscope history of her great-grandfather, a radical Populist who homesteaded in the U.S. West at the turn of the century. She unflinchingly shows how his struggle for survival was characterized by an unruly combination of hardscrabble determination, spiritual longings, eugenic beliefs, and white supremacy. As she poignantly reconstructs an intensely personal past, Carr grapples with the ghosts of violence, silence, and memory in the politically volatile present.”—Alexandra Minna Stern, author of Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in Modern America“Why should readers care about Omer Kem? Because he stands in for a kind of everyman—his hopes, fears, and prejudices represent the legacies that white Americans carry into the present. Mud, Blood, and Ghosts powerfully captures what it means to be an American in the twenty-first century, sticky with the residue of history. It is beautiful, evocative, and difficult. This is the right book at the right time.”—Katrine Barber, author of In Defense of Wyam: Native-White Alliances and the Struggle for Celilo VillageTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Ownership and Thievery 1. Mud 2. Sod 3. Law and Order 4. Ghosts 5. Water in Relation Interlude: “A Real Everyday Feeling,” Portland, February 2020 6. Daughters 7. Blood 8. Power Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume explores the life histories of a wide range of radical figures whose political activity in relation to the black liberation struggle was catalysed or profoundly shaped by the global impact and legacy of the Russian Revolution of 1917, including C.L.R. James, Paul Robeson, Walter Rodney and Grace P. Campbell. -- .

Read more less

Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE DUFF COOPER PRIZE 2022 A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2022 _______________ 'Rigorous, deft and entertaining ... a sparkling read' - The Spectator 'The ride is thrilling ... a work of serious scholarship' - Sunday Telegraph _______________ For centuries, Ferdinand Magellan has been celebrated as a hero: a noble adventurer who circumnavigated the globe in an extraordinary feat of human bravery; a paragon of daring and chivalry. Now historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto draws on extensive and meticulous research to conduct a dazzling investigation into Magellan’s life, his character and his ill-fated voyage. He reveals that Magellan did not attempt – much less accomplish – a journey around the globe, and that in his own lifetime, the explorer was abhorred as a traitor, reviled as a tyrant and dismissed as a failure. Fernández-Armesto probes the passions and tensions that drove Magellan to adventure and drew him to disaster: the pride that became arrogance, audacity that became recklessness, determination that became ruthlessness, romanticism that became irresponsibility, and superficial piety that became, in adversity, irrational exaltation. And as the real Magellan emerges, so too do his true ambitions, focused less on circumnavigating the world or cornering the global spice market than on exploiting Filipino gold. Offering up a stranger, darker and even more compelling narrative than the fictional version that has been glorified for half a millennium, Straits untangles the myths that made Magellan a hero. _______________Trade ReviewThis excellent book is a model of elegant argument and authoritative research ... If this account of Magellan's voyage sounds like a history of failure, not success, that is because it was just that. The real triumph is that of Felipe Fernández-Armesto, who has exposed the fallacies of five hundred years of literature about Magellan. * David Abulafia, Literary Review *Rigorous, deft and entertaining ... a sparkling read -- Horatio Clare * The Spectator *The ride is thrilling ... a work of serious scholarship -- Paul Lay * Sunday Telegraph *A brilliant display of virtuosity ... A masterfully persuasive book -- Matthew Restall * Times Literary Supplement *The enormously confident Fernández-Armesto tells this story with gusto, rendering Magellan much more interesting because of his flaws than the cardboard hero we’ve been sold ... [He] is endearingly contemptuous of academic convention, inventing dialogue where appropriate and taking the reader down blind alleys simply because they’re picturesque. He’s not afraid of being funny, weaving into his analysis quirky remarks that reveal his mischievous side. -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *A brilliant triumph -- Fernando Cervantes * History Today *Felipe Fernández-Armesto is not just a pioneering scholar of the Spanish empire and the Age of Exploration, but a historian who tells wonderfully readable stories * Financial Times *In Straits, we see a master of his craft at work. Fernández-Armesto is arguably the leading scholar of our times in making the early European Age of Discovery accessible to a wider audience. -- Margaret Small * BBC History Magazine *This is the story of a voyage that was in reality one of the most disastrous in the history of overseas exploration but which has now become one of its greatest triumphs - and of a man who failed at almost everything he set out to do and yet became one of the great heroes of modernity. Scintillating and compelling, and told with all of Felipe Fernández-Armesto's habitual verve and wit, it is at the same time a sobering insight into how we have come to conceive our own increasingly globalized world -- Anthony Pagden, author of 'Worlds at War'Straits is a triumph of biographical writing. With his characteristic vigor and panache, Felipe Fernández-Armesto circumnavigates Magellan's life and times with a clearer object in mind and far greater success than ever imagined for this subject. He shows us not only the skills and bravado but also the intrigues, the self-deception, and even the insanity that animated Magellan's quest -- Lincoln Paine, author of 'The Sea and Civilization'By pulling apart the usually willfully misread sources in their original languages with a detective's eye for contradiction and inconsistency, Straits unravels a yarn of unmitigated failure punctuated by hubris, meanness, and crafty power grabs. The Ferdinand Magellan who emerges from these freshly disinterred sources is no hero but rather a ruthless gentleman of fortune who died to tell the tale -- Kris Lane, author of 'Potosi'

Read more less

Book SynopsisLearn about Lady Constance Lytton, also known as Constance Lytton; influential British suffragette activist, writer, speaker and campaigner for prison reform, votes for women, and birth control.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSiberia, to me, is a fairy-tale land.Fritz Dörries set out on his first trip to Eastern Siberia in 1877, when there were still blank spaces on maps of the world. Travelling alone or with his brothers, he climbed mountains, traversed great rivers, explored remote islands and crossed treacherous lakes of ice, always with one purpose: to augment man's knowledge of the natural world. Bears, tigers, vipers, bandits, stormy seas, frostbite, ice chasms fathoms deep - every danger was faced head on and overcome. And yet he remained defenceless against the charms of the landscape, and the animals, birds and butterflies he found there.Through his twenty-two years in Siberia, Dörries collected a wealth of essential material for scientific institutions, fundamental to our understanding of fauna and flora. This account of his adventures, set down for his daughters in his ninetieth year, and adapted for publication by Roy Jacobsen and Anneliese Pitz, is his second great legacy.Translated from the Norwegian by Seán KinsellaTrade ReviewA captivating and fascinating tale from The Wild East that Siberia once was. Pitz and Jacobsen bring Dörries' strenuous adventures to life in beautiful prose. This book is a true gem that deserves many readers -- Erika FatlandA captivating tale from a long-lost world -- Anna ReidBoth a thrilling adventure story and a lyrical record of wild nature, this is a unique portrait of frontier life and attitudes in Siberia and the Russian Far East at a time when few foreigners had penetrated the region so deeply. Dorries' real-life tales, from the hair-raising to the transcendent, match anything from the American West -- Tom Parfitt, author of High Caucasus: A Mountain Quest in Russia's Haunted HinterlandA captivating and fascinating tale from The Wild East that Siberia once was. Pitz and Jacobsen bring Dörries' strenuous adventures to life in beautiful prose. This book is a true gem that deserves many readers -- Erika Fatland

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn our age of political divisions, this portrait of the women outsiders who took part in the Spanish Civil War asks questions of solidarity and resistance.''Glorious... so beautifully rendered, so powerful''ANNA FUNDER, author of WifedomIn the 1930s, women and men from across the world made their way to Spain to be part of what they saw as a historic fight for freedom from fascism. Tomorrow Perhaps the Future follows extraordinary outsiders who were determined to live out their lives with courage and conviction.Sarah Watling weaves together the experiences of a host of writers and activists, including Nancy Cunard, Martha Gellhorn, Jessica Mitford and Virginia Woolf, and searches out the stories of the photographer Gerda Taro and the Harlem nurse Salaria Kea. Throughout, she explores solidarity, art and resistance, finding answers that are as vital today as they were almost a century ago.A fascinating study'OBSER

Read more less