Biography: adventurers and explorers Books

Book SynopsisThis insightful portrait of Winston Churchill delves beyond well-known political moments, incorporating perspectives from various individuals who encountered him throughout his life.From Bletchley Park codebreakers and Hollywood stars such as Charlie Chaplin, through writers as varied as H. G. Wells and P. G. Wodehouse, to the likes of Harold Wilson, Mahatma Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth II, these lesser-known interactions reveal glimpses of the man behind the legend.We meet Churchill the exuberant schoolboy thug with an early mania for bull-dogs, and Churchill the elder statesman shedding a tear in the House of Commons smoking room. Other incidents include a young journalist rudely dismissing a call from Churchill as a prank, and a visiting Dwight D. Eisenhower dreaming of being strangled, only to awake entangled in Churchill’s borrowed nightshirt.The book showcases the profound transformations during Churchill’s lifetime, which ran from Benjamin Disraeli’s premiership to the release of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Route 66’, and the shift from steam to atomic power. Examining controversial aspects of his legacy, this multifaceted portrait challenges preconceived notions, inviting readers to reconsider the complexities of Churchill.

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Book SynopsisHarold Wilson was one of the most successful politicians of the twentieth century. Prime Minister from 1964-70, and again from 1974-76, he won four elections as well as a referendum on UK membership of the European Community. The achievements of the Wilson Era from legalising homosexuality to protecting ethnic minorities, from women's rights to the Open University radically improved ordinary people's lives for the better. In Harold Wilson, former Labour cabinet minister and bestselling author Alan Johnson presents a portrait of a truly twentieth-century man, whose white heat' speech proclaimed a scientific and technological revolution and who was as much a part of the sixties as the Beatles and the Profumo scandal.

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Book SynopsisRonnie Wood has been a member of the Rolling Stones for over thirty years. His other bands include The Birds, The Creation, The Jeff Beck Group, The Small Faces and The Faces. He's married to Jo Wood and lives in Surrey and Ireland.

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Book SynopsisElyn Saks is Professor of Law and Psychiatry at University of Southern California Law School. She''s the author of several books. Happily married. And - a schizophrenic. Saks lifts the veil on schizophrenia with her startling and honest account of how she learned to live with this debilitating disease. With a coolly clear, measured tone she talks about her condition, the stigma attached and the deadening effects of medication. Her controlled narrative is disrupted by interjections from the part of her mind she has learned to suppress. Delusions, hallucinations and threatening voices cut into her reality and Saks, in a remarkably vivid way, enables us to hear and see them too. This is a powerful book that is as informative as it is moving. There are parallels with Jane Lapotaire''s Time Out of Mind and with Girl, Interrupted.

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Book SynopsisIt's like the Society of Jesus in the eighteenth century, said one former party whip. You show them the Bible but also the instruments of torture.

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Book SynopsisRosemary Woodruff Leary has been known only as the wife of Timothy Leary, the Harvard professor-turned-psychedelic high priest, whose jailbreak captivated the counterculture and whose life on the run with Rosemary inflamed the U.S. government. But Rosemary was more than a mere accessory. She was a beatnik, a psychonaut and a true believer who tested the limits of her mind and the expectations for women of her time.Long overlooked by those who have venerated her husband, Rosemary spent her life on the forefront of the counterculture, working with Leary on his books and speeches, sewing his clothing and shaping - for better and for worse - the media''s narrative about LSD. Ultimately, Rosemary sacrificed everything for the safety of her fellow psychedelic pioneers and the preservation of her husband''s legacy.Drawing from a wealth of interviews, diaries, archives and unpublished sources, Susannah Cahalan writes the definitive portrait of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, reclaiming her narrative and her voice from those who dismissed her. Page-turning, revelatory and utterly compelling, The Acid Queen shines an overdue spotlight on a pioneering psychedelic seeker.

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinarily brave and moving memoir from one of the world''s most famous transparency activists and trans women.In 2010, Chelsea Manning was working as an intelligence analyst for the US Army in Iraq. She disclosed 720,000 classified military documents that she had smuggled out via the memory card of her digital camera. By far the largest leak in history, these documents revealed a huge number of diplomatic cables and footage of atrocities. She was sentenced to 35 years in military prison.The day after her conviction, Chelsea declared her gender identity as a woman and began to transition. She was sent to a male prison, spent much of that time in appalling conditions in solitary confinement and attempted suicide multiple times. In 2017, after a lengthy legal challenge and an outpouring of support, President Obama commuted her sentence.README.txt is a story of personal revolt, resilience and survival. Chelsea details the challenges of her

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES, THE TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, SPECTATOR, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, BBC HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR''This is the biography we have been awaiting for 400 years'' Hilary Mantel''A masterpiece'' Dan Jones, Sunday TimesThomas Cromwell is one of the most famous - or notorious - figures in English history. Born in obscurity in Putney, he became a fixer for Cardinal Wolsey in the 1520s. After Wolsey''s fall, Henry VIII promoted him to a series of ever greater offices, and by the end of the 1530s he was effectively running the country for the King. That decade was one of the most momentous in English history: it saw a religious break with the Pope, unprecedented use of parliament, the dissolution of all monasteries. Cromwell was central to all this, but establishing his role with precision, at a distance of nearly five centuries and after the destruction of many of his papers at his own fall, has been notoriously difficult.Diarmaid MacCulloch''s biography is much the most complete and persuasive life ever written of this elusive figure, a masterclass in historical detective work, making connections not previously seen. It overturns many received interpretations, for example that Cromwell was a cynical, ''secular'' politician without deep-felt religious commitment, or that he and Anne Boleyn were allies because of their common religious sympathies - in fact he destroyed her. It introduces the many different personalities of these foundational years, all conscious of the ''terrifyingly unpredictable'' Henry VIII. MacCulloch allows readers to feel that they are immersed in all this, that it is going on around them.For a time, the self-made ''ruffian'' (as he described himself) - ruthless, adept in the exercise of power, quietly determined in religious revolution - was master of events. MacCulloch''s biography for the first time reveals his true place in the making of modern England and Ireland, for good and ill.Trade ReviewSir Diarmaid MacCulloch is one of finest historians in the English-speaking world and preeminent in the area of the English Reformation. He has combined his expertise in 16th-century history with a compelling literary style in his latest book ... the definitive work on Henry VIII's great minister and an extraordinary insight into the politics and religion of the age, and of any age for that matter. Thomas Cromwell's somewhat dark reputation was given a new and bright shine by Hilary Mantel in the Wolf Hall trilogy and this life takes us from the fictional into the authentic; its triumph is that it is just as thrilling and equally stimulating and challenging. A profoundly important book. -- Rev. Michael Coren * Spectator *Meticulous and magisterial ... If this is not the definitive biography, I don't know what that would look like -- Peter Marshall * Literary Review *Triumphant and definitive ... a masterpiece of documentary detective-work, which buzzes with the excitement of a great historian immersed in archives -- Dan Jones * Sunday Times *A model of classical historical biography at its finest -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *The definitive biography ... exhaustively researched and superbly written -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times (Books of the Year) *The Tudor minister brought to fictional life in Wolf Hall is given a definitive scholarly treatment in this long-awaited, masterful, wry biography -- Simon Heffer * Daily Telegraph (Books of the Year) *

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Book SynopsisNapoleon is an out-and-out masterpiece and a joy to read' Sir Antony Beevor, author of StalingradA landmark new biography that presents the man behind the many myths. The first writer in English to go back to the original European sources, Adam Zamoyski's portrait of Napoleon is historical biography at its finest.Napoleon inspires passionately held and often conflicting visions. Was he a god-like genius, Romantic avatar, megalomaniac monster, compulsive warmonger or just a nasty little dictator?While he displayed elements of these traits at certain times, Napoleon was none of these things. He was a man and, as Adam Zamoyski presents him in this landmark biography, a rather ordinary one at that. He exhibited some extraordinary qualities during some phases of his life but it is hard to credit genius to a general who presided over the worst (and self-inflicted) disaster in military history and who single-handedly destroyed the great enterprise he and others had toiled so hard to constructTrade Review'A pacy and characteristically unintimidated picture of how and why Napoleon achieved what he did and then succeeded in screwing it all up …. 600 pages of narrative history will seldom pass so easily' David Crane, Spectator 'Adam Zamoyski refreshingly downsizes the Corsican commander-in-chief' Nicky Haslam, Spectator ‘Always elegant in style and original in analysis. Zamoyski, a master of the sources and of the culture and politics that created his subject, produces a fresh, nuanced, beautifully written, gripping and outstanding biography of Napoleon that reveals him to be a triumph of luck and accident as much as the invincible genius of the legend’ Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of The Romanovs and Jerusalem: The Biography ‘Napoleon is an out-and-out masterpiece and a joy to read’ Sir Antony Beevor, author of Stalingrad ‘A lifetime’s diligent research and profound thinking about Napoleon and his times has gone into this hugely readable, highly enjoyable and well-balanced biography. Zamoyski is at the top of his game as a biographer’ Andrew Roberts, Visiting Professor, Department of War Studies, King’s College, London ‘Adam Zamoyski has retold a story that we thought we knew and made it fresh: stripping away two centuries of mythology, discarding the apocryphal stories and legends, he finally brings us the real Napoleon’ Anne Applebaum, author of Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine

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Book SynopsisWhether it''s a public health and safety mandate, the enforcement of building and safety codes, or the actions of law enforcement officers within a municipal police department, most people tend to think of Washington D.C. when it comes to the government. The sober reality, however, is that the most relevant government happens at the local level. Death of a Public Servant is a true story about a former City Manager''s personal experience. After serving his community for thirty years, he was accused of misconduct, labeled a whistleblower, and publicly terminated. These actions would blackball his reputation and nearly destroy his personal life. Over the next six years, he would embark on the steep, uphill journey to clear his name in court, while attempting to pivot from an otherwise stellar career in public service. After a challenging and lengthy court battle, he would go on to win a multi-million-dollar jury verdict. This book delves into the intricacies of the local public administr

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary true story of Guy Burgess, the man at the heart of the Cambridge Spy Ring and a linchpin of Cold War espionage.Trade ReviewAn abundance of vivid detail from many different voices, viewpoints and nationalities...Stalin's Englishman is a matchless and splendidly exciting read. * The Times *This exhaustively researched and absorbing book, the first full biographical study and likely to remain the definitive life. * New Statesman *A meticulously researched biography...an astonishing piece of research. * Sunday Times *Complicated, revelatory: a superb biography more riveting than a spy novel. * Sunday Telegraph *As one of this country's foremost literary agents, Andrew Lownie certainly knows what makes a good book, and in Stalin's Englishman he has delivered one of his own - many times over. * Independent *Not every question has been answered, but most have, and those that remain probably never will be. * Independent on Sunday *In this meticulous biography of the most colourful of the quintet, espionage expert Lownie argues convincingly that Burgess - often seen as a clownish buffoon - was the key member of the ring, and his treachery the most damaging. * Observer *A magnificent biography...Burgess has all the right ingredients for an engrossing story and Lownie, who has spent 30 years researching this biography, makes the most of it... a narrative as gripping as a thriller. * Daily Express *Scrupulous and comprehensive. * The Week *Is there anything significant left to say about members of the Cambridge spy ring, Moscow's 'magnificent five'? The answer, judging by this book, is a resounding yes. * Guardian *A masterly biography. * Mail on Sunday *The most comprehensive, readable and faultlessly researched account of one of Britain's most notorious (but colorful) traitors. Now we know just about all there is to know about this wretched man who betrayed friends, family, country... the lot! * Nigel West, author of The Secret War For The Falklands *One of the most important intelligence books in many years. * Eye Spy Magazine *A fascinating story, racily recounted. * The Oldie *Andrew Lownie demonstrates that there is plenty still to be learned about Burgess...an enjoyable and convincing biography. * Literary Review *This deeply researched new biography...Lownie has unearthed much fascinating material...well worth reading. * Evening Standard *Exhaustive research, elegant construction, psychological acuity, wit and the necessary sympathy. Lownie shows that Burgess's treason was far more significant than had been thought. * Spectator *Andrew Lownie's biography of Guy Burgess, Stalin's Englishman ... shrewd, thorough, revelatory. -- William Boyd * Guardian *In the sad and funny Stalin's Englishman, [Lownie] manages to convey the charm as well as the turpitude. -- Craig Brown * Guardian *The first full biography of Burgess is fascinating on both his methods and his motivation - and proves a more compelling page-turner than any spy thriller. * Mail on Sunday *Awful human beings make for splendid biographies, and the traitor Guy Burgess was a terrible specimen of humanity...This terrible man is brought back to vivid life by this well-researched, finely written book. * Times Best Biographies of Year 2015 *... a rich combination of spy story, cultural history, social outrage and character portrait. Several recent biographies with an espionage angle have seemed to me despicable in their sensationalism and gullibility but Lownie writes with scepticism, decency and a sharp regard for truth. * Richard Davenport-Hines, BBC History ‘Books of the Year’ *A biography that reads as compellingly as a fine novel. * Church Times *There's world-class gossip here. * The Spectator *This superb biography captures the ambiguity Burgess always inspires. * Daily Mail *Lownie's research is complete and impeccable. He has unearthed more facts on this case than anyone else writing in the field. Brilliant! * Intelligencer: Journal of US Intelligence Studies *A comprehensive biography, which convincingly revealed quite how important Burgess was for his KGB handlers. * Country Life *Lownie's book successfully rescues Burgess from the image he is sometimes given, as little more than a drunken buffoon...a meticulous account of Burgess's life and makes a useful contribution to Cold War intelligence history. * TLS *An impeccably researched biography, but also as an in-depth cultural study and a spy thriller of genuine, knuckle-gnawing tension. * The Independent *An astonishing, unique story. * Sarah Bradford, The Tablet *A remarkable and definitive portrait of the truly ghastly spy and traitor Guy Burgess who should surely never have been permitted to do us so much damage. And a portrait of the snobbery and laxity that permitted an Old Etonian who had changed sides to get away with it for so long. * Frederick Forsyth *Stalin's Englishman tells the outrageous story of a master manipulator and trickster, and evaluates his treason with a vigour that made it one of the great biographies of 2015. * The Times *A hugely entertaining read about one of the most notorious spies ever. Eric Ambler couldn't have provided a more fascinating story. * Philip Kerr *This is a must-read for anyone at all interested in espionage. The definitive and revelatory biography of one of the greatest traitors of the Cold War. -- Jeremy Duns * author of the Paul Dark spy series and Codename:Hero: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation *...a masterly and penetrating study of this strange man, the rich well-connected brilliant Cambridge scholar, who was a seriously dangerous agent for the Soviet Union from the 1930s until he fled with Maclean in 1951. -- Michael Hartland * author Seven Steps to Treason *Above all, this is a gripping study of a most unusual personality, written with compassion but without sentimentality. It is detailed, and impeccably sourced...Reminiscent of early John le Carré, this is a book to be relished with a glass of whisky at one's side - or should that be vodka? Highly recommended. * Marius Gabriel *Almost from the moment he skipped the country Guy Burgess has been the subject of biographers, from early journalists' hastily assembled clippings, via the academic study, to 'Stalin's Englishman' - the first 'life' that captures the man fully ... the decadent, the drunkard, the outrageous sex bandit ... and above the all the first life to reveal the full extent of Burgess's treason. Andrew Lownie's book will be definitive for years to come. -- John Lawton * author of the Inspector Troy series *I loved it. Beautifully written and riveting from start to finish. Also very funny. -- Piers Brendon * author of Ike: His Life and Times and The Dark Valley: A Panorama of the 1930s *Stalin's Englishman comes as close to touching the tortured and tempestuous soul of Guy Burgess as anything I have read. It's superbly researched and written with an extraordinary elegance that takes you by the hand and guides you along the pathways of outrageous treachery. Truly exceptional. * Michael Dobbs *A superb biography... full of detail, meticulously sifted by the author, and it's also engrossing and exciting. We are transported into the past with real skill... Brilliantly told. * Evening Standard *Lownie brilliantly chronicles the life of the man at the centre of the Cambridge spy ring. * Guardian *An extremely well-written biography...an astonishing piece of research. * Sunday Times *A fascinating book, enlivened by many new sources and the results of painstaking interviews. -- Edward Towne * The Historian *Stalin's Englishman is a fine biography about an effective spy and a disgraceful traitor who lived to enjoy Communist reality firsthand. It fills a major historical gap in espionage history. * Studies in Intelligence *A crack biography of a man who was a preposterous enigma. * Kirkus *A superb biography, the quality of which is unlikely tobe surpassed. * Intelligence & National Security *Fine biography, packed with detail...impressive primary and secondary reasearch * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisA compelling and fascinating portrait of the continuing intellectual tradition of Greek writers and thinkers in the Age of Rome.In 146 BC, Greece yielded to the military might of the Roman Republic; sixty years later, when Athens and other Greek city-states rebelled against Rome, the general Lucius Cornelius Sulla destroyed the city of Socrates and Plato, laying waste to the famous Academy where Aristotle had studied. However, the traditions of Greek cultural life would continue to flourish during the centuries of Roman rule that followed, in the lives and work of a distinguished array of philosophers, doctors, scientists, geographers, travellers and theologians.Charles Freeman''s accounts of such luminaries as the physician Galen, the geographer Ptolemy and the philosopher Plotinus are interwoven with contextual ''interludes'' that showcase a sequence of unjustly neglected and richly influential lives. Like the author''s The Awakening, The Children

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Book Synopsis''Essential reading ... will not be bettered'' Ferdinand Mount, Wall Street Journal''Gandhi''s finest biographer'' David Kynaston, GuardianThe magnificent new biography of Gandhi by India''s leading historianA New York Times Notable Book of 2018Gandhi lived one of the great 20th-century lives. He inspired and enraged, challenged and galvanized many millions of men and women around the world. He lived almost entirely in the shadow of the British Raj, which for much of his life seemed a permanent fact, but which he did more than anyone else to destroy, using revolutionary tactics. In a world defined by violence on a scale never imagined before and by ferocious Fascist and Communist dictatorship, he was armed with nothing more than his arguments and example.This magnificent book tells the story of Gandhi''s life, from his departure from South Africa to his assassination in 1948. It is a book with a Tolstoyan sweep, both allowing us to see Gandhi as he was understood by his contemporaries and the vast, varied Indian societies and landscapes which he travelled through and changed beyond measure. Drawing on many new sources and animated by its author''s wonderful sense of drama and politics, Gandhi is a major reappraisal of the crucial years in this titanic figure''s story.Trade ReviewGandhi: The Years That Changed the World will not be bettered, and it is essential reading even for those who do not think of themselves as India buffs, because Gandhi is a maker of our whole modern world -- Ferdinand Mount * Wall Street Journal *Gandhi's finest biographer. -- David Kynaston * Guardian *Magisterial . . . balanced and brilliantly readable . . . This biography reads like the final word on its subject. . . . In fact, this masterly assessment should serve for several generations, and for non-Indians as well -- Bernard Porter * Literary Review *Ramachandra Guha is as dogged a researcher as Gandhi was an agitator. . . . [This book] is the most exhaustive account yet of Gandhi's temporal and spiritual crusades. A vivid and absorbing read. . . . Gandhi's character and mission demands rigorous exploration and Guha weaves together the narrative as deftly as Gandhi's homespun cloth. . . . A remarkable, pioneering leader who changed the world and still has much to teach us ... a monumental biography -- Tarquin Hall * Sunday Times *Unearths fascinating nuggets about India's complex hero ... Guha has scoured archives to search out fascinating nuggets and he marshals them with skill. -- Mihir Bose * Irish Times *A thoroughly researched and well-written account and a faithful chronicle * New Statesman *Deeply affecting * Financial Times *Ramachandra Guha's magisterial biography illuminates the public and private man * Economist *A portrait of a complex man whose remarkable tenacity remained constant, even when his beliefs changed. It is also extraordinarily intimate ... approaches Gandhi on his own terms while trying not to gloss over his flaws ... a fair, thorough and nuanced portrait of the man. Gandhi spoke for himself more than most people in history, but even the most controlling people cannot control how history sees them. Guha lets Gandhi appear on his own terms, and allows him to reveal himself in all his contradictions. -- Alex von Tunzelmann * The New York Times *Through Gandhi's life, a reminder that we have forgotten the value of religious pluralism and the virtues of non-violence he wants to narrate Gandhi's life for today's generation. It is a courageous and worthwhile endeavour, even if Guha admits in the epilogue that we have forgotten the lessons Gandhi taught us: the value of religious pluralism, and the virtues of non-violence and civil disobedience. Guha is the quintessential story teller. He displaces Gandhi from the pedestal generations have placed him on. He shows us a man who was known for taking political time by the forelock, for shaping history, and for his readiness to admit his own mistakes. -- Neera Chandhoke * The Hindu *

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary and enduring memoir of Axel Munthe, a travel bestseller since first published in 1929, captures the spirit and feel of an eraTrade ReviewOne of the most fascinating of books, wise in its appraisal of men, overflowing with humour and edged with irony, sharper than a surgeon's knife. There are chapters which are veritable de Maupassant plots in their concise and dramatic realism. * New York Herald Tribune *Told with a power and an honesty which makes this a very remarkable document. * TLS *The Story of San Michele has style, wit, humour, great knowledge of the world, mixed with that strange simplicity of mind that is often the attribute of genius. * Observer *Romantic, realistic, pitiful and enchanting, this is the record of a citadel of the soul ... all fantasy does it seem? Impossible? Absurd? But San Michele stands there on the hill for witness. A miracle? Well, every work of art is a miracle, and every beautiful thing the shrine of a realized dream. * Daily Telegraph *A most interesting and lovable revelation, enchantingly described. * Punch *I have found Dr Munthe's reminiscences intensely interesting and enjoyable, and it is hard to convey their charm of mingled pathos and humour or their multiplicity of appeal. * Illustrated London News *It is an amazing book: wonderfully beautiful at times, appallingly horrible at others. For horrors he rivals Poe, recounting his gruesome experiences with a quiet simplicity which is strikingly effective. * Western Mail *'A beautifully written series of episodes from Paris to Capri, ...recounting the author's struggle to discover what he desires from life.' - Matthew Linnecar * Geographical *There is enough material here to furnish the writers of sensational short stories with plots for the rest of their lives. * Daily News *

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Book SynopsisSophie Shorland has a PhD in Early Modern English literature and is a former Research Fellow at the University of Warwick. She was a semi-finalist in the BBC's New Generation Thinkers competition and the proposal for her first book was shortlisted for the Tony Lothian Prize.

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Book SynopsisOur latest instalment in the Yorkshire Vet' diaries sees Julian Norton return to Herriot Country', and Thirsk in particular, as he sets up a new practice in his home town.

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Book SynopsisA fully updated edition of the million-copy-selling SUNDAY TIMES No.1.

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Book SynopsisPeter Godwin is an award-winning author and journalist. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, after military service he studied law at Cambridge University and International Relations and African History at Oxford. He was a foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times and a founding presenter and writer of Assignment/Correspondent, BBC television's premier foreign affairs programme. Mukiwa was an international bestseller and winner of the George Orwell Prize for political writing and the Esquire-Apple-Waterstone's Non-Fiction Award. When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, about his return to Zimbabwe as it began to collapse into chaos, is also published by Picador. He lives in New York.

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Book SynopsisIt is generally accepted that Queen Victoria reigned but did not rule. This couldn't be more wrong.

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Book SynopsisThe real Master and Commander 'There is no man I envy so much as Lord Cochrane' Lord ByronTrade Review'The real Master and Commander' Sunday Telegraph 'Cordingly is a brilliant historian' Daily Telegraph 'Intriguing and satisfying ... Cochrane packed enough drama and history to shame both Horatio Nelson and Sir Francis Drake ... O'Brian fans will find great satisfaction in smoking out similarities and differences between Cochrane and Aubrey' Washington Post 'By rights, Thomas Cochrane should be as well known today as Francis Drake ... Cochrane's adventures in Chile, Peru and Brazil are among the most amazing in naval history' Sunday Times

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Book Synopsis''Packed with vivid character sketches and lyrical description, Tremlett has told a gripping story, full of beauty and darkness'' The TimesWINNER OF THE 2018 ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZEIn 1474, a twenty-three year old woman ascended the throne of Castile, the largest and strongest kingdom in Spain. Ahead of her lay the considerable challenge not only of being a young, female ruler in an overwhelmingly male-dominated world, but also of reforming a major European kingdom that was riddled with crime, corruption, and violent political factionism. Her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon was crucial to her success, bringing together as it did two kingdoms, but it was a royal partnership in which Isabella more than held her own. Her pivotal reign was long and transformative, uniting Spain and laying the foundations not just of modern Spain, but of the one of the world's greatest empires. With authority and flair, acclaimed historian Giles Tremlett Tremlett relates the story of this lTrade ReviewMagisterial ... Tremlett’s contention, which he supports with a sublime presentation of facts and interpretation, is that Isabella represents the first member in the exclusive club of great European queens who exercised sovereign power in their own hand -- Starred Review * Booklist *Richly enjoyable … He seeks to understand his subject, while never underplaying the appalling impact of some of her decisions. Packed with vivid character sketches and lyrical description, Tremlett has told a gripping story, full of beauty and darkness * The Times *A triumphant and chilling account of the rise of Spain and its New World conquests * Daily Telegraph *Magnificent * Sunday Telegraph *This is a most enjoyable book – a lively, intense page-turner written in straight-forward, unpretentious prose … Tremlett balances academic scholarship with journalistic flair to produce an enthralling biography -- Rebecca Rist * Tablet *Magnificent * Daily Telegraph *Tremlett uses his gifts as a writer on Spain’s history to offer us a voluminous biography with fluent and evocative narrative that fully exploits the romantic aspects of the age * Times Literary Supplement *Splendid ***** * Daily Telegraph *The reign of Isabella of Castile and her partnership with Ferdinand of Aragon saw the beginning of the transformation of Spain into a major global power. Tremlett offers a detailed assessment of a woman who to her supporters, was a great Christian monarch, but to her detractors was a fanatical tyrant * Mail on Sunday, Best Paperbacks *Brings to life “Europe’s first great queen” – in reality, “a usurper” – who began the unification of Spain and, less attractively, the expulsion of both Jews and Muslims, in an early example of ethnic cleansing * Daily Telegraph *

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

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

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

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

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

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Book SynopsisThe definitive and jaw-dropping account of Liz Truss's calamitous 49 days in office by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Johnson at 10.

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Book SynopsisA stunning literary memoir about inheritance, loneliness and the healing power of gardening, about how nurturing a garden can help make a home in an unfamiliar place

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Book SynopsisTen Years to Save the West is an urgent and impassioned call to conservatives about the radical changes that are needed for us to save the West. Ignore her warning at your peril.

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

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Book Synopsis''In 1953, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Alice was dressed from head to foot in a long gray dress and a gray cloak, and a nun''s veil. Amidst all the jewels, and velvet and coronets, and the fine uniforms, she exuded an unworldly simplicity. Seated with the royal family, she was a part of them, yet somehow distanced from them. Inasmuch as she is remembered at all today, it is as this shadowy figure in gray nun''s clothes...''Princess Alice, mother of Prince Phillip, was something of a mystery figure even within her own family. She was born deaf, at Windsor Castle, in the presence of her grandmother, Queen Victoria, and brought up in England, Darmstadt, and Malta.In 1903 she married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and from then on her life was overshadowed by wars, revolutions, and enforced periods of exile. By the time she was thirty-five, virtually every point of stability was overthrown. Though the British royal family remained in th

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Book SynopsisWar, revolution and love - dazzling medieval history from a rising starWar, revolution, treason and love - the thrilling tale of Sir John of Gaunt brought to life by medieval history''s rising star. ‘The Red Prince announces Helen Carr as one of the most exciting new voices in narrative history.’ Dan Jones Son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV and the sire of all the Tudors. Always close to the English throne, John of Gaunt left a complex legacy. Too rich, too powerful, too haughty… did he have his eye on his nephew’s throne? Why was he such a focus of hate in the Peasants’ Revolt? In examining the life of a pivotal medieval figure, Helen Carr paints a revealing portrait of a man who held the levers of power on the English and European stage, passionately upheld chivalric values, pressed for the Bible to be translated into English, patronised the arts, ran huge risks Trade Review‘In Shakespeare’s Richard II, John of Gaunt gives the “this scepter’d isle… this England” speech. This vivid history brings to life his princely ambitions and passion.’ -- The Times, Best Books of 2021‘Helen Carr has captured the drama of [John of Gaunt’s] life and the tensions inherent in it in a compelling portrait. In so doing, she reminds us of the contradictions of a period remote from our own, not just in time but in values and beliefs too… Carr has brought to life one of the major figures of medieval England.’ -- Linda Porter, Literary Review‘The Red Prince is not…just a book of battles and wars. Carr’s John of Gaunt is a man who loved as passionately as he fought… Carr’s sensitive use of contemporary sources paints a poignant deathbed scene… in The Red Prince it is the towering figure of John of Gaunt, a thoroughly European Englishman, who takes centre stage and it’s a stirring and memorable performance.’ -- Leanda de Lisle, The Times‘Helen Carr is a really exciting new talent in the world of history writing, whose work strikes a perfect balance between lucidity and scholarship. Her debut, The Red Prince, is a beautifully nuanced portrait of an oft misunderstood man.’ -- Rebecca Rideal, author of 1666: Plague, War and Hellfire‘Superb, gripping and fascinating, here is John of Gaunt and a cast of kings, killers and queens brought blazingly, sensitively and swashbucklingly to life. An outstanding debut.’ -- Simon Sebag Montefiore‘A long overdue reappraisal of one of medieval England’s greatest but most enigmatic figures. The Red Prince announces Helen Carr as one of the most exciting new voices in narrative history.’ -- Dan Jones, author of the Plantagenets and The Hollow Crown‘Helen Carr is one of the most exciting and talented young historians out there. She has a passion for medieval history which is infectious and is always energetic and engaging, whether on the printed page or the screen.’ -- Dan Snow‘Deploying vivid and compelling prose alongside her considerable scholarship, Helen Carr fully succeeds in restoring John of Gaunt to his rightful place – in the first rank of medieval princes. This is an excellent book, that brings the fourteenth century back to life through a thoughtful parade of intriguing characters – none more fascinating than John of Gaunt himself.’ -- Charles Spencer, bestselling author of Blenheim and Killers of the King‘John of Gaunt is a name to conjure with – an English duke who sought to become a king in Spain, a complicated, controversial man to whom, as “time-honour’d Lancaster”, Shakespeare gives one of his greatest speeches. Helen Carr puts him centre stage: The Red Prince is the rattling good story of a life lived on an epic scale, told with care, insight and humanity.’ -- Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves and Joan of Arc‘Helen Carr tells the gripping story of John of Gaunt’s dramatic and controversial career, from the wars he waged across Europe to the political intrigue and rebellion he faced at home, and above all the way in which his life was marked by profound love, and loss. This is an engaging and moving portrait of one of the leading figures of the Hundred Years War.’ -- Sophie Thérèse Ambler, author of The Song of Simon de Montfort‘This biography explores the motivations of a complex figure who, for years, skilfully moved through a world of chivalry, legislative machinations and enormous wealth… This is a compelling profile of a pivotal figure in English history.’ -- History Revealed‘His fame has faded in recent years but Helen Carr’s absorbing new biography returns him to his rightful place.’ -- Daily Mail‘An absorbing biography of one of the great figures of the English past.’ -- New European‘[The] opening reference is… typical of the nuances of Carr’s portrayal of an often-misunderstood figure… Carr presents an authoritative account, acknowledging all aspects of a complex character whose devotion to royal privilege was equally a convoluted illustration of his own interests.’ -- Emma J. Wells, TLS‘Helen Carr’s spellbinding and richly researched debut biography… looks at one of the major medieval figures in Britain with a fresh and appealing perspective… Carr tells his story with conviction and fascinatingly rich detail.’ -- Boisdale Life

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING FINALIST SHORTLISTED FOR THE WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDS''One of the best memoirs I''ve read in years' SATHNAM SANGHERABeautifully written, emotional and deeply personal, yet universal One can''t help but be moved by this story of upheaval and transformation' SADIQ KHANAn extraordinary family memoir from acclaimed newsreader and journalist, Mishal Husain, uncovering the story of her grandparents'' lives amidst empire, political upheaval and partition.?I witnessed the dwindling glow of the British Empire. I saw small men entrusted with great jobs, playing with the destiny of millions'?The lives of Mishal Husain's grandparents changed forever in 1947, as the new nation states of India and Pakistan were born. For years she had a partial story, a patchwork of memories and anecdotes: hurried departures, lucky escapes from violence and homes never seen again.Decades later, the fragment of an old sari sent Mishal on a journey through time, using letters, diaries, memoirs and audio tapes to trace four lives shaped by the Raj, a world war, independence and partition.Mumtaz rejects the marriage arranged for him as he forges a life with Mary, a devout Catholic from an Anglo-Indian family, while Tahirah and Shahid watch the politics of pre-partition Delhi unfold at close quarters. As freedom comes, bonds fray and communities are divided, leaving two couples to forge new identities, while never forgetting the shared heritage of the past.Husain has written an arresting family memoir her explanation of partition is more level-headed than that of many professional historians' THE TIMESA spectacular achievement. It is an incisive and carefully researched historical account, and as moving and true a personal narrative' GUARDIAN?''[Husain] has managed to make such a complex story so accessible'' OBSERVERI was so moved by this stirring and deeply moving account that is at once a love story as well as a chronicle of one of the most cataclysmic events in South Asia' BARKHA DUTT''Like silks in the precious fragment of the heirloom sari of its title, Broken Threads is woven from rich sources. It is a beautiful book, informed and informative, cool and factual, poetic and elegiac'' FINANCIAL TIMESA deeply engrossing book I was completely gripped by it' INDIA KNIGHT

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Book Synopsis''Riveting ... this will be his masterpiece'' - Andrew Roberts, The New York Times''For big, bold and compelling, it is impossible to ignore Kissinger'' - John Bew, New Statesman, Books of the Year ''This is a superb history of the modern world as well as a biography of Kissinger ... a tour de force'' William Shawcross, The TimesNo American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Hailed by some as the indispensable man, whose advice has been sought by every president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, Kissinger has also attracted immense hostility from critics who have cast him as an amoral Machiavellian - the ultimate cold-blooded realist.In this remarkable new book, the first of two volumes, Niall Ferguson has created an extraordinary panorama of Kissinger''s world, and a paradigm-shifting reappraisal of the man. Only through knowledge of Kissinger''s early life Trade ReviewThis will be his masterpiece -- Andrew Roberts * New York Times *I acquired valuable knowledge, elegantly conveyed -- Paul Johnson * Standpoint Magazine *The book illustrates just what an extraordinary human being Kissinger is -- Robert Service * Daily Telegraph *A work of engrossing scholarship * The Economist *this is a superb history of the modern world as well as a biography of Kissinger... Ferguson's tour de force shows that because Kissinger was a refugee from horror he understood from the day he first saw the Statue of Liberty that US engagement is vital to the peaceful development of the world -- William Shawcross * The Times *Ferguson is undoubtedly persuasive in presenting the young Kissinger as a man of ideals as well as ideas. His advantage as the authorised biographer, deployed with full force, has been access to a vast mass of previously unseen private correspondence that reveals his subject as nothing like the calucating cold fish of legend -- Marcus Tanner * Independent *With his usual meticulous research, Ferguson is master of all his work surveys. At least as important, he writes in an unobtrusive but compelling style that carries the reader along with unforced ease. Even on its own, the first volume of Ferguson's life of Kissinger is a great work about a great man by - it has to be admitted - a great historian. It should be read, and enjoyed, by every serious student of the history of our times -- Sherard Cowper-Coles * Spectator *For big, bold and compelling, it is impossible to ignore Kissinger - 1923-1968: the idealist (Allen Lane), the first volume of Niall Ferguson's biography of Henry Kissinger, which asks us to reconsider America's best-known "realist" as more Kantian than Machiavellian, more Castlereagh than Meternich, at least up to 1968, when President Nixon first granted the Harvard academic high office. -- John Bew * New Statesman *Some might question whether Ferguson really needs 1000 pages to tell half of Kissinger's life. Other will revel in the wealth of detail on this most controversial of American statesman -- Bee Wilson * Sunday Times *a formidably detailed, closely argued study of the making of one of the giants of 20th-century foreign policy -- Gideon Rachman * FT *

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