Biography: adventurers and explorers Books

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

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Book SynopsisA riveting and groundbreaking biography of Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda minister and one of Hitler's closest confidants.

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Book SynopsisThis text takes up the story of Prince Rupert from 1647, when his army career came to an end, and examines his work as an admiral, then sometimes known as a general-at-sea.

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Book SynopsisCarl Rogers was the psychiatrist who pioneered the practice of client-centred therapy, revolutionising the practice of psychotherapy, yet his own life was far from ideal. This biography explores his life - including his tortured marriage, his use of confidential information about his children''s lives and his drinking - against the background of his work. The author draws heavily on the papers left by Rogers to the Library of Congress.

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Book SynopsisA hugely entertaining contemporaneous account of the Napoleonic Wars by a young officer who was eventually promoted to General on the eve of Waterloo. Abridged from the two-volume original of The Adventures of Baron de Marbot, the Exploits are edited to provide expert comment and essential background. The episodes are picaresque, anecdotal, packed with bravado, duels, deceptions, narrow escapes and derring-do.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1967, Stop-Time was immediately recognized as a masterpiece of modern American autobiography, a brilliant portrayal of one boy's passage from childhood to adolescence and beyond. Here is Frank Conroy's wry, sad, beautiful tale of life on the road; of odd jobs and lost friendships, brutal schools and first loves; of a father's early death and a son's exhilarating escape into manhood.Table of ContentsStop-TimePrologue1. Savages2. Space and a Dead Mule3. Going North4. White Days and Red Nights5. Hate, and a Kind of Music6. Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away7. Shit8. A Yo-Yo Going Down, A Mad Squirrel Coming Up9. Falling10. The Coldness of Public Places11. Blindman's Buff12. Nights Away from Home13. Death by Itself14. License to Drive15. Hanging On16. Losing My Cherry17. Going to Sea18. Elsinore, 195319. The Lock on the Metro Door20. Unambiguous EventsEpilogue

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Book SynopsisDenied college, Beverly Donofrio lost interest in everything but riding around town in cars, drinking and smoking, and rebelling against authority. She got married and divorced and finally ended up in an elite New England university, books in one arm, child in the other. A book about the compromise between being your own person and fitting into society.

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Book SynopsisRemember when flying was glamorous and sexy, even fun? When airline food was gourmet, everyone dressed up for a flight, and stewardesses catered to our every need-at least in our imaginations? This classic memoir by two audaciously outspoken young ladies, who lived and loved the free-spirited stewardess life, jets you back to those golden days of air travel-from the captain who's as subtle as a 747 when he's on the make to the passenger who mistakes the overhead luggage rack for an upper berth; from the names of celebrities who were a pleasure to serve (and some surprising notables on the bad guy list) to the origins of some naughty stereotypes-Spaniards are the best lovers, actors the most foul-mouthed. This huge bestseller, a First Class jet-age journal, offers a hilarious gold mine of outrageous anecdotes from the high-flying and amorous lives of those busty, lusty, adventuresome young women of the swinging '60s known as stews.Trade Review"The kind of book that's a nuisance to own. Everyone wants to borrow it." (Look)

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Book SynopsisDescribed by one surgeon as “soul-crushing, diamond-making stress,” surgery on congenital heart defects is arguably the most difficult of all surgical specialties. Drawing back the hospital curtain for a unique and captivating look at the extraordinary skill and dangerous politics of critical surgery in a pediatric heart center, Michael Ruhlman focuses on the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, where a team of medical specialists—led by idiosyncratic virtuoso Dr. Roger Mee—work on the edge of disaster on a daily basis. Walk on Water offers a rare and dramatic glimpse into a world where the health of innocent children and the hopes of white-knuckled families rest in the hands of all-too-human doctors.

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Book Synopsis#4 on The New York Times’ list of The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 YearsThe New York Times bestselling, hilarious tale of a hardscrabble Texas childhood that Oprah.com calls the best memoir of a generation“Wickedly funny and always movingly illuminating, thanks to kick-ass storytelling and a poet’s ear.” —Oprah.comThe Liars’ Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at age twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. This unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as “funny, lively, and un-p

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Book SynopsisFifty years after she made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus, Rosa Parks at last gets the major biography she deserves. The eminent historian Douglas Brinkley follows this thoughtful and devout woman from her childhood in Jim Crow Alabama through her early involvement in the NAACP to her epochal moment of courage and her afterlife as a beloved (and resented) icon of the civil rights movement. Well researched and written with sympathy and keen insight, the result is a moving, revelatory portrait of an American heroine and her tumultuous times.

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Book SynopsisIt takes a very inclusive anthology to encompass the protean personality and range of interests of Benjamin Franklin, but The Portable Benjamin Franklin succeeds as no collection has. In addition to the complete Autobiography, the volume contains about 100 of Franklin’s major writings—essays, journalism, letters, political tracts, scientific observations, proposals for the improvement of civic and personal life, literary bagatelles, and private musings. The selections are reprinted in their entirety and organized chronologically within six sections that represent the full range of Franklin’s temperament. The result is a zestful read for Franklin scholars and anyone wanting to know and enjoy this American icon.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and acros

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Book SynopsisThe captivating biography of the French aristocrat who balanced the demands of her society with passionate affairs of the heart and a brilliant life of the mind Although today she is best known for her fifteen-year liaison with Voltaire, Gabrielle Emilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise Du Châtelet (1706-1749) was more than a great man's mistress. After marrying a marquis at the age of eighteen, she proceeded to fulfill the prescribed-and delightfully frivolous-role of a French noblewoman of her time. But she also challenged it, conducting a highly visible affair with a commoner, writing philosophical works, and translating Newton's Principia while pregnant by a younger lover. With the sweep of Galileo's Daughter, Emilie Du Châtelet captures the charm, glamour, and brilliance of this magnetic woman.

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Book SynopsisA look inside the subculture of off-grid living, taking readers across the ideological spectrum and across America  Written by a leading authority on living off the grid, this is a fascinating and timely look at one of the fastest growing movements in America. In researching the stories that would become Off the Grid, Nick Rosen traveled from one end of the United States to the other, spending time with all kinds of individuals and families striving to live their lives the way they want to-free from dependence on municipal power and amenities, and free from the inherent dependence on the government and its far-reaching arms. While the people profiled may not have a lot in common in terms of their daily lives or their personal background, what they do share is an understanding of how unique their lives are, and how much effort and determination is required to maintain the lifestyle in the face of modern America's push toward connectivity and development.

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Book SynopsisA revelatory look at the separation of church and state in America—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Great InfluenzaFor four hundred years, Americans have fought over the proper relationships between church and state and between a free individual and the state. This is the story of the first battle in that war of ideas, a battle that led to the writing of the First Amendment and that continues to define the issue of the separation of church and state today. It began with religious persecution and ended in revolution, and along the way it defined the nature of America and of individual liberty. Acclaimed historian John M. Barry explores the development of these fundamental ideas through the story of Roger Williams, who was the first to link religious freedom to individual liberty, and who created in America the first government and society on earth informed by those beliefs. This book is essential to understanding the continuing debat

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Book SynopsisA major new account of the Northern movement to establish African Americans as full citizens before, during, and after the Civil WarIn More Than Freedom, award-winning historian Stephen Kantrowitz offers a bold rethinking of the Civil War era. Kantrowitz show how the fight to abolish slavery was always part of a much broader campaign by African Americans to claim full citizenship and to remake the white republic into a place where they could belong. More Than Freedom chronicles this epic struggle through the lives of black and white abolitionists in and around Boston, including Frederick Douglass, Senator Charles Sumner, and lesser known but equally important figures. Their bold actions helped bring about the Civil War, set the stage for Reconstruction, and left the nation forever altered.

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Book SynopsisPart of The World in A Life series, this brief, inexpensive text provides insight into the life of Anwar al-Sadat, one of the most transformative figures in Middle Eastern and world history. Little was expected of Sadat, as he came to power after the death of Egypt''s powerful modernizing leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. However, he left an unparalleled mark on Egypt, the Middle East, and Cold War relations. He surprised the Israelis by starting the 1973 war, crossing the Suez Canal into Sinai. Though eventually Egypt was forced to sue for peace, Sadat won the support and praise of the Americans. His chief American supporters at the time were President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Not content with this partial military success, Sadat traveled to Jerusalem in 1977 to address the Israeli Knesset (parliament), marking the first time that an Arab leader had traveled to Israel and openly negotiated with the Israelis. He followed this trip with a peace treaty with Israel Trade ReviewThis is a welcome contribution; it reads well and offers new insights into a pivotal historical figure, and the author has clearly enjoyed writing it. It is a terrific book for students and scholars interested in modern Egyptian history, Middle Eastern history, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. * Eve M. Troutt Powell, University of Pennsylvania *This is an outstanding study of the life and times of Anwar al-Sadat by a scholar deeply familiar with the subject, written in a style that will engage and challenge undergraduate students. * John Calvert, Creighton University *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; List of Maps ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction ; 1. The Making of a Revolutionary: 1918-1952 ; 2. Living with Nasser's Revolution: 1952-1967 ; 3. Becoming President: 1967-1973 ; 4. Making War: 1973-74 ; 5. Opening Egypt to the Outside: 1974-1977 ; 6. Making Peace: 1974-1979 ; 7. Losing Control 1979-1981 ; 8. Sadat on the World Stage ; Primary Sources and Study Questions ; Further Readings ; Credits ; Index

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Book SynopsisJohn Owen was a leading theologian in seventeenth-century England. Closely associated with the regicide and revolution, he befriended Oliver Cromwell, was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, and became the premier religious statesman of the Interregnum. The restoration of the monarchy pushed Owen into dissent, criminalizing his religious practice and inspiring his writings in defense of high Calvinism and religious toleration. Owen transcended his many experiences of defeat, and his claims to quietism were frequently undermined by rumors of his involvement in anti-government conspiracies. Crawford Gribben''s biography documents Owen''s importance as a controversial and adaptable theologian deeply involved with his social, political, and religious environments. Fiercely intellectual and extraordinarily learned, Owen wrote millions of words in works of theology and exegesis. Far from personifying the Reformed tradition, however, Owen helped to undermine it, offering anTrade ReviewGribben pays careful attention to the research, writing, publication, dissemination, reception, and defence of many of Owen's key works. * Matthew Rowley, Churchman *Gribben has done a remarkable job in weaving together evidence from Owen's life and writings to present a vibrant portrait of his personal and intellectual character. * Mark Burden, The Seventeenth Century *Engaging, quotable, scholarly, exemplary -- these four words summarise Gribben's fine biography of John Owen. This book belongs in the libraries of universities and theological coleges as well as in the hands of any serious student of Owen or the Puritans. * T. J. Marinello, European Journal of Theology *John Owen and English Puritanism is a remarkable achievement, offering a sophisticated presentation of Owen's life and writings as they are embedded in the religious, political, and literary cultures of his period. Gribben is an astute and detailed observer of the complexity, range, and shifts in Owen's thought, and his book establishes a new standard in study of one of the most complex and enduringly provocative thinkers of seventeenth-century nonconformity. * John Webster, Professor of Divinity, University of St. Andrews *Crawford Gibben's superb book establishes John Owen as a towering figure in the culture and politics of seventeenth-century England. Readers have been deterred by the bulk and difficulty of his huge output of theological writings, but Gribben steers us clearly and expertly through the development of his ideas across the rapidly-shifting political landscapes of revolutionary and post-revolutionary England. * David Norbrook, Emeritus Merton Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford *Crawford Gribben has here produced the most persuasive account ever of a multi-faceted career that ended in deep personal sadness and public failure. Owen was a profound Calvinist thinker who outlived the welcome of most of the millions of words he published, but he was as much a Lord General in the war of ideas as Oliver Cromwell was the Lord General of the clash of swords. * John Morrill, Fellow of the British Academy, Emeritus Professor of British and Irish History, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1) Apprentice puritan 2) Emerging theologian 3) Frustrated pastor 4) Army preacher 5) Oxford reformer 6) Cromwellian courtier 7) Defeated revolutionary 8) Restoration politique 9) Nonconformist divine Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA model biography, superbly researched and written . . . sure to (become) the last word on this stage of Washington's career for many years to come (History).Trade Review"If the second volume measures up to the first, Harlan's biography of Booker T. Washington will be the best study we have of a black American. It already sets a standard unmatched for the penetration of obscure origins and elaborate myths."--C. Vann Woodward, The New Republic"A model biography, superbly researched and written, and hauntingly evocative of the flawed man and his bitter times...sure to [be] the last word on this stage of Washington's career for many years to come."--History: Reviews of New Books"Will stand as one of the significant American biographies of this generation. Harlan's style is easy and readable, his knowledge of the subject profound, his research seemingly exhaustive."--Journal of Southern History

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Book Synopsis''A truly masterful biography, wise in its completeness. If Joyce be a great writer, then this is a great book.'' Sunday Times''The greatest literary biography of the century.'' Anthony Burgess, The ObserverTrade Review'major scholarly work ... a new bench-mark for biography as a major vehicle of literary scholarship' John Batchelor, British Book News, September 1993

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Book SynopsisAn intimate and sensitive psychological portrait, a well informed intellectual sketch, and and unusually readable scientific treatise, this biography of Carver has a depth and a breadth of research rarely found in such studies.Trade ReviewA superb book that will supplant the two dozen or so Carver biographies already on the library shelves. It is an engaging treatment of a fascinating man. * History: Reviews of New Books *A remarkable study of a remarkable man. * The History Teacher *An intimate and sensitive psychological portrait, a well-informed intellectual sketch, and an unusually readable scientific treatise, this biography of Carver has a depth and a breadth of research rarely found in such studies. * John Blassingame, Yale University *

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Book SynopsisA far cry from the nineteenth-century slave narrative tradition, this book, written in 1857, is a special kind of success story. With delightful urbanity and wit, Mary Seacole, a free-born Jamaican Creole, recounts her childhood as a daughter of a Scottish army officer and a free black boarding-house keeper, her years as a storekeeper in a Central American frontier town, and her role as a battlefield `doctress'' to British troops in the Crimean War. She emerges as an independent and respected maternal figure, the acme of female achievement in Victorian culture, and a symbol of `home'' to British soldiers alienated by war.Trade Review"Seacole's urbanity and cosmopolitan wit, along with her indomitable spirit and frankness about her own troubles, make her narrative one of the most readable and rewarding black women's autobiographies of the nineteenth century."--William L. Andrews, in his Introduction

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Book SynopsisThis is a joint biography of Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, the most prominent of the second generation of American statesmen, from 1812 until 1850. It is at the same time a history of the America of the period: its political style and character, political ambition and reputation, success and failure, and ideas and interests. The three statesmen make a startling contrast - Webster, the staunch New England defender of the Union, Clay, first a `war hawk'' and later a populist politician, and Calhoun, the foremost advocate of Southern separatism and slavery. Their political lives were intertwined during much of this period.Trade Review`Merrill Peterson has given us a thorough and scholarly account of these three giants and the grand debates that consumed their lives.' The Book Review/Los Angeles Times`Elaborate and learned new study...Densely packed with facts and closely focused, The Great Triumvirate provides a richly rewarding account of party conflict in the antebellum period.' The Boston Sunday Globe`His details enable us to recognise how little the practices of parliamentary democracy have changed ... Mr Peterson's inclusiveness is valuable, too, in its attention to lesser figures, men who became footnotes after they died, but whose opinions and search for responsiveness were decisive while they lived.' The New Yorker`We are in debt to Merrill Peterson. Basing his work on a careful combing of the original sources, he has made a distinguished contribution to the study of American history.' New York Times Book Reviews`Mr Peterson imparts a good deal of excitement to the events of the past. He admires his subject but judges them harshly as well.' Washington Times`Without invoking grand theories, without statistics, and with only an occasional generalization of any kind, Merrill Peterson simply tells an interesting and momentous story.' Book World`A "thorough and scholarly" account of three enduring symbols of congressional leadership.' L.A.Times

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Book SynopsisA biography of Mary Sidney (1561-1621), Countess of Pembroke, sister of Sir Philip Sidney, based on primary sources such as account books, legal documents, letters, and diaries.Trade Review'the book will be an invaluable resource for scholars for some years to come' Times Literary Supplement`This important biography of a leading early modern woman writer will be an extremely useful resource: it is packed with detail, and includes five previously unknown and unpublished letters by the Countess of Pembroke ... a highly impressive work of scholarship.' Notes and Queries'a fine biography ... Fluently written, based on a wide and sound scholarship, this is a very useful book.' English Studies, Volume 72, Number 6, December 1991'This well-researched and readable study of the life and literary pursuits of Sir Philip Sidney's talented sister, Mary, Countess of Pembroke, will undoubtedly be regarded as the definitive biography for many years to come. In both biographical and literary matters, Margaret Hannay's eye for telling detail is meticulous and her scholarship always thorough ... the detailed notes and extensive bibliography at the end of this volume will offer a useful starting-point for other scholars investigating what is clearly now one of the major growth areas of Renaissance criticism: the role of the women - as writer, patron, and friend - in the flourishing of English literature between 1550 and 1650.' Michael G. Brennan, University of Leeds, Review of English Studies'this book is manifestly a labour of love ... Anyone interested in the Sidney's will find here the fruits of long research arrayed in a handsome narrative form.' The Heythrop Journal, April 1993, Volume 34, Number 2

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Book SynopsisJohn Marshall Harlan served on the Supreme Court from 1955 until his retirement and death in 1971. An articulate and forceful critic of the expansive civil liberties doctrines and constitutional trends of the period, Harlan is considered one of the most scholarly jurists ever to have served on the Supreme Court. This is the first book-length biography and analysis of his judicial and constitutional philosophy.Trade Review"An incisive and searching book on the life and judicial philosophy of the most respected conservative justice of our era. It merits wide and thoughtful reading."--Norman Dorsen, Stokes Professor of Law, New York University School of Law, and President, ACLU, 1976-1991 "Tinsley Yarbrough has done it again! His latest judicial biography provides a splendid analysis of Justice Harlan's impact on American constitutional law, the Supreme Court as an institution, and the pivotal role he played in shaping the courts of civil liberties. The book is must reading for every student of the Court."--Kermit L. Hall, Professor of History and Law, University of Florida, Gainesville "Provides the kind of masterful insight and evaluative prowess that enriches our understanding of the judiciary and the fascinatingly complex individuals who comprise it. John Marshall Harlan, although too often neglected, was one of its most meritorious, and we are in Professor Yarbrough's debt for bringing him to life in this splendid, eminently readable biography."--Henry J. Abraham, James Hart Professor, University of Virginia "Yarbrough offers the first major--and excellent--biography of one of the Warren Court's most interesting and brilliant figures....An absorbing and scholarly analysis of one of the Supreme Court's truly great jurists."--Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisNur Jahan was one of the most powerful and influential women in Indian history, and Ellison Findly''s biography is an intriguing, elegantly written account of her life and times. Findly''s work not only revises the legends that portray Nur Jahan as a power-hungry and malicious woman, but also investigates the paths to power available to women in Islam and Hinduism, providing a fascinating picture of life inside the `mahal'' (harem).

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the best available account of the life and contributions of Jean-Martin Charcot. It gives a fascinating picture of the man and his milieu, and clearly defines his role in establishing the new medical speciality of clinical neurology.Trade ReviewThe authors have achieved a detailed and balanced synthesis of many points of view derived from all available sources. * Marcus Jacobson, Nature, Vol 381, June 1996 *Table of Contents'n 1Education of a Physician 2: The Struggle for a Career in Paris Medicine 3: The Development of a Career in Neurology 4: Charcot's Major Neurological Interests 5: Charcot and the Artistry of Neurological Practice 6: Hysteria 7: Fame 8: Charcot's Private Life 9: Charcot's Death and Legacy

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Book SynopsisAccording to legend, Aspasia of Miletus was a courtesan, the teacher of Socrates, and the political adviser of her lover Pericles. Next to Sappho and Cleopatra, she is the best known woman of the ancient Mediterranean. Yet continued uncritical reception of her depiction in Attic comedy and naive acceptance of Plutarch''s account of her in his Life of Pericles prevent us from understanding who she was and what her contributions to Greek thought may have been. Madeleine Henry combines traditional philological and historical methods of analysis with feminist critical perspectives, in order to trace the construction of Aspasia''s biographical tradition from ancient times to the present. Through her analysis of both literary and political evidence, Henry determines the ways in which Aspasia has become an icon of the sexually attractive and politically influential female, how this construction has prevented her from taking her rightful place as a contributor to the philosophical enterprise, Trade ReviewA richly entertaining book for those interested in how traditions develop. * Religious Studies Review *A fascinating book ... Madeleine Henry has suceeded in presenting us with an extremely substantial and well-documented book. * Rachel J. Finnegan, Hermathena *This work is to be commended for its thorough and scholarly analysis of the standard texts, and also for its more open approach to the less academic works. It should have a wide appeal, attracting readers with an interest in various disciplines, including classics, feminist studies and the history of biography. * Rachel J. Finnegan, Hermathena *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first full-scale biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe in over fifty years. Joan Hedrick takes the reader into the multi-layered world of nineteenth-century morals and mores in this absorbing story of a gifted and complex writer whose place in the canon is still contended.Trade Reviewlong overdue ... a fascinating and unfamiliar view of nineteenth-century American society. * Literary Review *

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