Biography: historical, political and military Books
Pantianos Classics Autobiography of George Dewey: Admiral of the United States Navy, and Hero of the Spanish-American War
£13.61
Pantianos Classics Sir Redvers Buller: Biography of the British Army Commander and Hero of the Second Boer War
£11.63
Pantianos Classics Life of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr: A Biography and Her History in the Christian Church
£25.48
Independently Published Entre DOS Mundos a Un Barco de Distancia: La historia de un joven chileno en la segunda guerra mundial
£14.17
Lulu.com Curbing Across America In the Age of Innocence
Book Synopsis
£23.97
Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd Firebrand
Book SynopsisIn 1985, Willie McRae, the lawyer and ex-Vice Chairman of the Scottish National Party was found on a lonely hillside near Loch Loyne in Scotland. He had survived a car crash but was later discovered to have a bullet in his brain. Was it self-inflicted as the authorities announced with considerable haste or was it state sponsored murder? ‘Firebrand’ explores all aspects of the shooting including the controversial political career of Willie McRae and poses questions seeking the possible motives which may have prompted his murder. McRae’s victories over the Atomic Energy Authority, his access to files accusing the Scottish Judiciary and the UK’s political elite, his war on drugs and his support of the Scottish National Liberation Army are all investigated. Interviews and statements from many of those involved on that fateful day are included and photographic evidence is provided which raise considerable doubts as to the safety of the Crown’s assertions.Trade ReviewAt last the truth about the shooting of Willie McRae Donald Morrison. Another Must Read book from the pen of Ron Culley George Cuthbert. For once the British Establishment is shown as it really is Sylvia Scott
£13.70
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters
Book SynopsisThere are few figures and leaders of recent American history of greater social and political consequence than Jesse Jackson, and few more relevant for America’s current political climate. In the 1960s, Jackson served as a close aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, meeting him on the notorious march to legitimate the American democratic system in Selma. He was there on the day of King’s assassination, and continued his political legacy, inspiring a generation of black and Latino politicians and activists, founding the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and helping to make the Democratic Party more multicultural and progressive with his historic runs for the presidency in the 1980s. In I Am Somebody, David Masciotra argues that Jackson’s legacy must be rehabilitated in the history of American politics. Masciotra has had personal access to Jackson for several years, conducting over 100 interviews with the man himself, as well as interviews with a wide variety of elected officials and activists who Jackson has inspired and influenced. It also takes readers inside Jackson's negotiations for the release of hostages and political prisoners in Cuba, Iraq, and several other countries. As Democratic politics sees a return to radicalism and the rise of a new generation of committed advocates of racial and economic justice, I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters is a critical book for understanding where America in the 21st Century has come from and where it is going. Featuring a foreword by Michael Eric Dyson.Trade ReviewJesse Jackson is one of the most influential American leaders of the last half century, and historically one of the giants of the African American freedom struggle. In his paean to Jackson, I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters, David Masciotra, based on research, and extensive first-hand observations and multiple interviews with Jackson, presents a sprightly analysis of why Jackson matters in the African American freedom movement, human rights and the quest for a more just, equalitarian and inclusive American democracy. Although a sympathetic portrayal, Masciotra carefully balances admiration and detachment in his assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the man and his work. The book is an important addition to the literature on Post-Civil Era American politics. * Robert C. Smith, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, San Francisco State University, USA *I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters is a book for anyone interested in presidential politics, Black American political history, and the link between the civil rights movement and modern political uprisings. Jesse Jackson has served as a consistent voice for economic freedom and racial equality, and David Masciotra intricately lays out the contributions of Jackson as we continue to fight for democracy, religious and economic freedom, racial equity, and the promise of the American dream. His analysis introduces us to a multifaceted and holistic Jackson, not a hagiographic retelling of Jackson’s life and accomplishments. Jackson’s concern was for the liberation and emancipation of people, at home and abroad, Black and non-Black, and it is this lifelong work that has solidified Jackson and his work into the moral fabric of this country. There is no Barack Obama, Black Lives Matter, or modern day poor people’s movement without Jesse Jackson. I Am Somebody: Why Jesse Jackson Matters is a must read for anyone interested in race, protest politics, electoral politics, the Civil Rights Movement, leadership, and the power of one man to continue a civil rights legacy across generations to change the course of electoral history in America. * Christina M. Greer, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University, New York, USA. Author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream" *My relationship with Jesse Jackson began in high school when he played quarterback at Sterling High School in Greenville, SC and I played quarterback at Lincoln High School in Sumter, SC. He attended A & T State University where he played quarterback and I quarterbacked at Clark Atlanta University. We both pledged Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and served on its national board of directors. We were born to teenage mothers and both of them became beauticians and good friends. I know Jesse Jackson. I spent two years, 1980-82, as his executive vice president of Operation PUSH and served as the chief negotiator for signing covenants with major corporations. I know Jesse Jackson. Many books and articles have been written about “the Country Preacher”, however, in this book, David Masciotra, has written the most comprehensive and balanced work on the life of this civil rights icon. It should be in every home, library and public place. Jesse Jackson is a citizen of the world. * James L. Felder, Author and Former Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, USA *Table of ContentsForeword by Michael Eric Dyson Introduction: Eyes on the Prize Chapter 1: Remove Not Your Ancient Landmarks Chapter 2: Apostle of Economics Chapter 3: David and Goliath Chapter 4: How Ya Like Me Now? Chapter 5: Unofficial Ambassador Chapter 6: An American Bluesman Chapter 7: The Sign of Democracy Conclusion: Christian Social Work Index
£999.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Redrawing the Middle East: Sir Mark Sykes, Imperialism and the Sykes-Picot Agreement
Book SynopsisThe Sykes-Picot Agreement was one of the defining moments in the history of the modern Middle East. Yet its co-creator, Sir Mark Sykes, had far more involvement in British Middle East strategy during World War I than the Agreement for which he is now most remembered. Between 1915 and 1916, Sykes was Lord Kitchener's agent at home and abroad, operating out of the War Office until the war secretary's death at sea in 1916. Following that, from 1916 to 1919 he worked at the Imperial War Cabinet, the War Cabinet Secretariat and, finally, as an advisor to the Foreign Office. The full extent of Sykes's work and influence has previously not been told. Moreover, the general impression given of him is at variance with the facts. Sykes led the negotiations with the Zionist leadership in the formulation of the Balfour Declaration, which he helped to write, and promoted their cause to achieve what he sought for a pro-British post-war Middle East peace settlement, although he was not himself a Zionist. Likewise, despite claims he championed the Arab cause, there is little proof of this other than general rhetoric mainly for public consumption. On the contrary, there is much evidence he routinely exhibited a complete lack of empathy with the Arabs. In this book, Michael Berdine examines the life of this impulsive and headstrong young British aristocrat who helped formulate many of Britain's policies in the Middle East that are responsible for much of the instability that has affected the region ever since.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The “Middle East Expert” 2. Kitchener’s Man and Agent-at-Large 3. Islam, India, Iraq and the Arab Bureau 4. The Husayn – McMahon Correspondence, the Arab Revolt and Advising the War Cabinet 5. The Sykes – Picot Agreement 6. War Cabinet Secretariat 7. The Zionists and a Jewish Homeland 8. Mesopotamia, Arabia and King Husayn 9. The Arab Legion and the French Difficulty 10. The Balfour Declaration 11. Palestine 12. Final Days 13. The Legacy
£33.99
Lume Books First into Action
£14.30
£12.89
£14.99
Lume Books Five Days that Shocked the World
£13.99
£12.39
Lume Books More than a Grain of Truth: The official true story behind the film Mr. Jones, starring James Norton
£16.14
Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd The Strickland Family
Book SynopsisA family containing six authors is special. When three of them independently become famous, the family is extraordinary. Such was the Strickland family, six sisters and two brothers, brought up in Suffolk, England with Lancastrian forbears and Canadian descendants. 'The Strickland Family' interweaves family letters, writings and newspaper items, allowing the family members to tell their own fascinating and varied life stories. Set in England and in Canada, their lives stretched from 1794 when King George III was on the throne, past celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Their father was a wealthy self-made man who believed that girls should be as well-educated as boys. The home education he devised for his daughters was of great breadth and depth. His sons were his two youngest children and went to schools. However a business deal went wrong in 1815 and he died in 1818 before he could re-coup the losses. He left his widow with debts, not income, and his sons' education was cut short. After his death, life for his family was a struggle, but they survived and to varying degrees prospered. Three of the family (Sam Strickland, Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill) were early emigrants to Canada. Their first homes were primitive log cabins in small forest clearings. As time passed and Canada developed, Sam became a successful farmer and businessman. His sisters struggled with Canadian pioneer life but both achieved long-lasting fame as writers - Susanna as a poet and novelist, Catharine through her writing for children and her botanical studies. Agnes Strickland was the most famous member of the family. She attended the Court of Queen Victoria and was a house guest in some of the grandest houses in Britain. Her sister and sometime co-author (Elizabeth Strickland) insisted on remaining anonymous, despite the complications this caused when their series of royal biographies 'Lives of the Queens of England' became an outstanding success. Agnes followed this with a biography of Mary Queen of Scots, which she considered her most important work. Jane Margaret Strickland, despite ill health and being the sister who stayed at home to care for their ageing mother, was also an author of note. Her many works included a history of Rome and a biography of her sister, Agnes. Of the two non-authors in the family, one (Sarah) became, in her second marriage, the wife of Richard Gwillym, a wealthy and well-connected vicar in Lancashire. The other (Tom) joined the merchant navy aged fourteen. As captain of beautiful but hazardous sailing ships, his working life took him all round the world. Despite the distances which separated them, family ties remained strong and they helped each other in times of need. Their interwoven biographies trace many of the changes and main events in Canada and England in the 19th century.Table of ContentsPictures 247-250, 416-419 19th century map of south-eastern Canada iv Introduction v Part 1: From Lancashire to Suffolk and Ontario 1 Part 2: Life patterns form and fame begins 97 Part 3: Return to Lancashire and difficulties 177 Part 4: Authors galore 251 Part 5: Life changes 331 Part 6: From eight to seven 421 Part 7: From seven to four 513 Part 8: A late flowering 571 Part 9: The sole survivor 615 Part 10: Lasting fame? 651 Acknowledgements 658 Appendix 1: Family members and key dates 659 Appendix 2: Principal works of the Strickland family 660 Appendix 3: References 661 Picture Credits 664
£20.00
HarperCollins Publishers The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton
Book SynopsisWe each of us strive for domestic bliss, and we may look to Delia and Nigella to give us tips on achieving the unattainable. Kathryn Hughes, acclaimed for her biography of George Eliot, has pulled back the curtains to look at the creator of the ultimate book on keeping house. In Victorian England what did every middle-class housewife need to create the perfect home? ‘The Book of Household Management’. ‘Oh, but of course!’ Mrs Beeton would no doubt declare with brisk authority. But Mrs Beeton is not quite the matronly figure that has kept her name resonating 150 years after the publication of ‘The Book of Household Management’. The famous pages of carefully costed recipes, warnings about not gossiping to visitors, and making sure you always keep your hat on in someone else’s house were indispensable in the moulding of the Victorian domestic bliss. But there are many myths surrounding the legend of Mrs Beeton. It is very possible that her book was given so much social standing through fear as she was believed to be a bit of an old dragon. It seems though that Mrs Beeton was a series of contradictions. Kathryn Hughes reveals here that Bella Beeton was a million miles away from the stoical, middle-aged matron. She was in fact only 25 years old when she created the guide to successful family living and had only had five years experience of her own to inform her. She lived in a semi-detached house in Pinner with the bare minimum of servants. She bordered on being a workaholic, and certainly wasn’t the meek and mild little wife that her book was aimed at – more a highly intelligent and ambitious young woman. After preaching about wholesome and clean living, Bella Beeton died at the age of 28 from (contrary to her parent’s belief) bad hygiene. Kathryn Hughes sympathetically explores the irony behind Bella Beeton’s public and private image in this highly readable and informative study of Victorian lifestyle.Trade Review'This is a wonderful book, so masterful and scholarly and wise, there will never need to be another. Hughes is an elegant writer, and a capable digger; no stone, however small or inaccessible, is left unturned.' Rachel Cooke, Observer 'This is a brilliant biography, which tells the absorbing, strange and sad story with great aplomb. Kathryn Hughes has seen quite rightly, that one of the most important parts of the story is what happened after Isabella's death and, indeed, Sam's, and the life of Mrs Beeton is continued to the present day. It is so magical a feat of imagination, of intricate learning lightly worn, that you know that Kathryn Hughes would write a wonderful novel. But this splendid book is as good as any.' Spectator
£12.99
HarperCollins Publishers The Rivals: The Intimate Story of a Political Marriage
Book SynopsisA penetrating insider’s view of the most important relationship in modern politics, the one on which the recent reinvention of Britain is founded: Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. By the celebrated Radio 4 Today Programme presenter James Naughtie. No Prime Minister and Chancellor this century have been bound so closely together, each depending on the other’s strengths to repair weaknesses that might otherwise be politically fatal; yet theirs is a bond that crackles with suspicion and misunderstanding, lovers’ tiffs that send tremors through the government . The story of the current era can only properly be told through the prism of this strange union, and it has never been told before. James Naughtie is a unique insider. A hugely respected political commentator, he has equal access to both men, to their key courtiers, to the party malcontents and everyone who has ever sat in Cabinet with them. Not since Alan Clark’s Diaries has there been such a vivid, human portrait of the agonies and ecstasies of power in action. Even the supporting players are wildly dramatic: the saturnine plotting of Peter Mandelson, the muscled protection of Alistair Campbell, the Scots traditionalists facing down the Number 10 policy wonks. But the real drama is compressed into the central relationship. Here are Othello and Iago, Caesar and Brutus. This is a classic power play of our time, brilliantly, vividly and intimately staged by James Naughtie.Trade Review‘Naughtie has written, with fine, elegant cadences, native wit and golden insights, a double biography of this Government which tells us a lot and which will last longer, I suspect, than the marriage at its heart.’ Andrew Marr, Daily Telegraph ‘Beautifully written…Naughtie has come as close as anyone to an accurate reading, of what, precisely, happened in the 1994 leadership contest.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Engaging…illuminating.’ Paul Routledge, Spectator ‘The most digestible political book of recent times. The narrative races along, the anecdotes illuminate the drama and the urgent prose style creates the “I was there” impression that always adds excitement to adventure stories.’ Roy Hattersley, Guardian
£12.34
Little, Brown Book Group Cochrane: The Fighting Captain
Book SynopsisThe adventures of the daring Thomas Cochrane, called 'the sea wolf' by Napoleon, are so extraordinary that his life reads like a page-turning work of fiction. In one sense it became so, for the novelist Patrick O'Brian by his own admission used Cochrane as the basis for Jack Aubrey, hero of his much-loved series of naval novels.Cochrane became a household name when in 1800 he took command of the tiny brig, the Speedy, and created mayhem in the Mediterranean earning himself and his crew a fortune in prize money. A wildly contradictory character, never less than heroic, and this lively new account of his life has sold over 7,000 copies in hardback.Trade ReviewWonderfully readable. * Independent *Entertaining and compulsive. * Sunday Telegraph *The book, like Cochrane's cascading exploits, fairly canters along. * TLS *wonderfully readable book....a Robert Harvey convincingly argues, it is Cochrane's exploits that give birth to the fictional genre of Napoleonic sea-adventures * The Independent *
£22.52
Little, Brown Book Group Churchill at War: 1940-45
Book SynopsisThis new edition of extracts from the extremely candid diaries of Churchill's doctor Lord Moran, his devoted friend and confidant, contains material not previously revealed. It sheds a new light on how the great man faced up to and absorbed the strain of events during the war years, the tremendous burden of his responsibilities, and his extraordinary resolution. Moran's keen observation, sensitivity, truth and insight, are brought to bear on Churchill's conduct and personality. We hear of the weaknesses as well as the strengths: his rages, his jokes and salty comments, his occasional foolishness, his rare cattiness (of Attlee: 'He has a great deal to be modest about') and endearing playfulness, are all captured. Moran was not just an acute observer of his most famous patient. At Churchill's side, he was able to record remarkable details of other world figures, and the historic events in which Churchill played so momentous a part.Trade ReviewAn invaluable contribution to the library of Churchill books. * Good Book Guide *Unique value . . .and brilliance of Lord Moran's memoir * Alistair Cooke, Wall Street Journal *Unique pleasure is the doctor's eye for Churchill's human foibles and ear for the tang of his speech . . . * Wall Street Journal *Not only is it Churchill who emerges as a full and rich human character from these diaries. Lord Moran, met, with Churchill, all the great men of the Western Alliance, watched them, and pinned them down in his pages. Whether he is discussing Stalin or Bernard Baruch, he always has something new, something wise, something memorable to say.' - Saturday Review; 'This is Churchill in his slippers, off-guard. But how little history would tell us if its great figures were shown only in their public attitudes!' - Daily Express; 'It will be long before the controversy over this astonishing book dies down; and when it does, its record as a portrait of a great spirit will stand out even more clearly. * The Sunday Times *
£25.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC A Life Looking Forward: Memoirs of an Independent Marxist
Book SynopsisSamir Amin, one of the twentieth century's leading radical intellectuals, has lived his personal and political life at the intersection of various cultures and international progressive currents - from Egypt to France to West Africa, from communism to national-liberation socialism, Maoism and finally a mature anti-imperialism. His memoirs are not only a fascinating personal narrative but a penetrating historical-political analysis, as well as an introduction to his most important theoretical contributions. They offer a unique vantage point for observing the operations of global capitalism and the evolution, crises and potentialities of radical movements, especially in the third world. This book will be invaluable not only to readers interested in Amin's profoundly influential work or in the history of the global left but to anyone concerned with today's worldwide struggles against capitalist globalization.Trade Review'This world-class economist is a serious Nobel Prize contender.' Economic Development and Cultural Change 'Samir Amin needs no introduction...he always remains apposite and, to the mind of this particular left-thinking academic, accurate, prescient, and to the point.' John Saul, African Studies ReviewTable of Contents 1. Childhood 2. A Student in Paris 3. Cairo 1957-1960 4. Parisian Interlude, January-September 1960 5. Bamako 1960-1963 6. Professor of Political Economy 1963-1970 7. The Political Context 1960-1998 8. Director of the Institute for Economic Planning and Development (IDEP) 1970-1980 9. The Third World Forum 10. Towards a Common Front of the World's Peoples?
£28.46
Simon Wallenberg Press Twilight in the Forbidden City
£25.45
Boydell & Brewer Ltd John Lambert, Parliamentary Soldier and Cromwellian Major-General, 1619-1684
Book SynopsisA biography of one of the most prominent soldiers in the New Model Army, who made Cromwell Lord Protector but stopped him becoming king. John Lambert's life and career have long deserved this revealing study. The man who made Cromwell Lord Protector in 1653 also stopped him becoming king in 1657; and Lambert was the originator of the Instrument of Government, on which Cromwell's Protectorate was based. Committed to his deeply held, radical beliefs, Lambert first rose to prominence as a dashing cavalry commander in the civil wars of 1642 - 51, and he was a prominent upholder of the power ofthe New Model Army, particularly in his creation of the Major Generals, who ruled England in 1655. Lambert's refusal to countenance Cromwell as king saw his temporary fall from power, but he emerged after the Protector's death asa possible successor. His radical ideas seemed to threaten even 'his own side', and led to his imprisonment in the Tower in 1660, but he escaped and staged a last desperate republican stand against the return of Charles II. Although Lambert was subsequently convicted of treason, Charles did not have him executed - sure recognition that his character, private actions and beliefs were those of a man who was much more than a military revolutionary. DAVID FARR is head of history at Norwich School.Trade ReviewA well-put-together biography which...goes a long way towards plumbing the depths of an `unfathomed' swordsman with `a working brain'. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *An important study... A careful analysis of Lambert's motivation, his attachment to kinship, his military standing and his approach to religion. * NORTHERN HISTORY *A fine new biography....shows impressive command of both primary and secondary sources, and places Lambert within the context of his times most effectively. * HISTORICAL JOURNAL *
£109.42
Boydell & Brewer Ltd George Chastelain and the Shaping of Valois Burgundy: Political and Historical Culture at Court in the Fifteenth Century
Book SynopsisChastelain's chronicle and career supply the context for a reappraisal of the political aspirations of Philip the Good and Charles the Bold, 15c dukes of Burgundy. Few texts offer as many insights into the history of Valois Burgundy as the work of George Chastelain (c.1414-1475), official chronicler to the dukes Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. Chastelain, a trusted courtier, closely observed his masters' authority in the many dominions they ruled in the Low Countries and France, and the role they played in the political life of neighbouring kingdoms and principalities and in Christendom as a whole. This is thefirst historical study of Chastelain in over half a century. An account of his life and career is followed by a study of his chronicle, Chastelain's interpretation within it of ducal actions and aspirations, and the role it playedin the historical culture of the governing classes in the Netherlands after the death of the last duke in 1477. Overall, Dr Small offers a complete reappraisal of the political ambitions of the ducal elite, particularly with regard to the supposed evolution of the ducal dominions into a "Burgundian state" quite distinct from the Kingdom of France. Dr GRAEME SMALL is lecturer in medieval history, University of Glasgow.Trade ReviewA solid, thorough...scholarly work, firmly rooted in the manuscripts and in Chastellain's chosen genre... The last work, at least for a while, on Chastelain. * SPECULUM *Small shows himself as fine a master of codicology as of prosopography and the operation of patronage networks... dense, rewarding, and often fascinating reading. The importance of the book derives from the subtlety, novelty, and sustained vigour of its quest to site accurately Chastelain and his chronicle in their contemporary cultural perspective, and from the light thus thrown on the issue of the evolution of a `Burgundian state'... Emphatically, an important and original study. -- M H Keen * MEDIUM AEVUM *This important book significantly revises our understanding of George Chastelain's career and achievement... A work of careful, exact research that must be read by all students of late medieval state formation and historical writing in the Burgundian domains and France. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW *Unquestionably warrants inclusion in all serious libraries. * EUROPEAN STUDIES JOURNAL *
£25.64
New Generation Publishing The Sting of Flight
£13.62
Little, Brown Book Group The Diary Of 'Helena Morley'
Book SynopsisINTRODUCED BY DIANA ATHILLAn enchanting Brazilian classic. 'No wonder Bishop fell in love with this book . . . No adult writer, however skilful . . . could write with the nonchalant vivacity and ease that she unwittingly commanded' DIANA ATHILL, GUARDIAN 'A delightful, funny and revealing memoir, a little bit of Austen in the Americas' SPECTATOR'When we read her, we enter the classical serenity of a new country' ROBERT LOWELL From Elizabeth Bishop's introduction: 'When I first came to Brazil, in 1952, I asked my Brazilian friends which Brazilian books I should begin reading . . . They frequently recommended this little book, "Minha Vida de Menina" . . . In English the title means "My Life as a Little Girl" or "Young Girl", and that is exactly what the book is about, but it is not reminiscences; it is a diary, the diary actually kept by a little girl between the ages of 12 and 15, in the far-off town of Diamantina, in 1893-1895 . . . The more I read the book the better I liked it. The scenes and events it described were odd, remote, and long ago, and yet fresh, sad, funny and eternally true. The longer I stayed on in Brazil the more Brazilian the book seemed, yet much of it could have happened in any small provincial town or village, and at almost any period of history - at least before the arrival of the automobile and the moving-picture theatre.' Trade ReviewA delightful, funny and revealing memoir, a little bit of Austen in the Americas * Spectator *No wonder Bishop fell in love with this book . . . No adult writer, however skilful . . . could write with the nonchalant vivacity and ease that she unwittingly commanded -- Diana Athill * Guardian *When we read her, we enter the classical serenity of a new country -- Robert LowellHer cosmopolitan life is reflected in the breadth of her writings, all suffused with curiosity and quiet intelligence * Sunday Telegraph *No wonder Bishop fell in love with this book . . . No adult writer, however skilful . . . could write with the nonchalant vivacity and ease that she unwittingly commanded * Diana Athill, GUARDIAN *
£22.52
Little, Brown Book Group Tea By The Nursery Fire: A Children's Nanny at the Turn of the Century
Book SynopsisEmily Huckwell spent almost her entire life working for one family. Born in a tiny Sussex village in the 1870s, she went into domestic service in the Burton household before she was twelve, earning GBP5 a year. She began as a nursery maid, progressing to under nurse and then head nanny, looking after two generations of children. One of the children in her care was the father of Noel Streatfeild, the author of Ballet Shoes and one of the best-loved children's writers of the 20th century. Basing her story on fact and family legend, Noel Streatfeild here tells Emily's story, and with her characteristic warmth and intimacy creates a fascinating portrait of Victorian and Edwardian life above and below stairs.
£18.57
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King Who Became an Iranian Legend
Book SynopsisShah Abbas (1571-1629) was shah of Iran from 1588 (when he assumed power by deposing his father, whom he later murdered) until his death in 1629. He is of critical importance in the history of Iran, restoring the power of the Safavids through war and the strategic negotiation of peace. He is still acclaimed for his strong and decisive rule and the architectural achievements of his reign although he is also recognised as a tyrant, whose paranoia (probably justified) caused him to imprison and assassinate many of his own relatives including his own son, ultimately leaving the throne to his grandson.Remarkably, this is the first biography of Shah Abbas in English. "On a Persian Throne" combines rigorous scholarship with a popular style to produce the definitive, accessible and objective biography of this seminal figure in Iranian history.Trade ReviewThis is a lively, well-written biography that is sure to keep the reader engaged strikes the right balance between the anecdotal and the analytica - Rudi Matthee, Professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Delaware. The subject of Shah Abbas is fascinating and important. Moreover the book will fill a very large gap, moving beyond an ordinary biography to reflect recent scholarship - Gene Garthwaite, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor, Dartmouth College
£28.46
Zeticula Ltd Last Exit from Bridgeton: an East End Childhood Remembered
Book SynopsisWhen James McKenna first published his personal recollections of life in Bridgeton, he had no idea how quickly and widely his account of everyday life in the East End of Glasgow in the 1950s and 60s would be embraced by former inhabitants - including those now spread across the world but linked to the days of their childhood by the Internet. In this new edition, the author expands and enriches his own collection with many of their memories and personal anecdotes.
£17.95
Naval & Military Press Ltd Reminiscences of Military Service with the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders: 2004
£18.08
Naval & Military Press Ltd Five Years in Turkey
Book SynopsisOtto Liman von Sanders (1855 - 1929) will always be associated with the Dardanelles campaign in which he commanded the Turkish Fifth Army, the army that defended Gallipoli, defeated the allied invasion and, after a campaign lasting some eight months (April-December 1915) forced the Allies to give up and withdraw. He was a cavalry officer who was commanding the German 22nd Division in Cassel when, in June 1913, he was offered the post of Chief of a German Military Mission in Turkey: he accepted and took up his post in December of that year and took over command of the Turkish First Army Corps, in Constantinople. Three months later, March 1914, he was given command of the Turkish Fifth Army defending Gallipoli and as such his version of events is of considerable interest to the history of that campaign. He later (1918) commanded the combined Turkish/German Yilderim force in Palestine where he was defeated by the greatly superior forces of Allenby. This account is based on notes written up in Malta where he was detained for some six months in 1919 before being permitted to return to Germany.
£25.50
Naval & Military Press Ltd Kaiser's Memoirs
£18.08
Naval & Military Press Ltd Memoirs of the Crown Prince of Germany
£18.08
Zeticula Ltd An Enlightened Duke: The Life of Archibald Campbell (1682-1761), Earl of Ilay, 3rd Duke of Argyll
Book SynopsisArchibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll and 1st Earl of Ilay, lived a long and very active life as soldier, lawyer, politician, patron and businessman. History remembers him on the one-hand as courageous, good-natured, learned and accomplished - and, on the other, as 'a man of little truth, little honour, little principle'. His substantial political career, driven by gaining and increasing his power and that of his friends, is poorly documented, since many of his private papers have vanished. The author's interest in Argyll as a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment - which became a thirty-year-long quest to piece together the fragmentary evidence of his complex life into a coherent story of the contradictions within his personal, intellectual and business activities - has given us the first major study of a fascinating man, shown as having changed the nature of Scottish culture.Trade Review'The core of Emerson's revisionist view of the Scottish Enlightenment has been in print in article form for some time, but it is satisfying to have it spelled out fully here in the context of Ilay's complex political, social, and intellectual life. Emerson loves lists, so there are no less than four substantial appendixes covering Ilay's record in the House of Lords, his library, his scientific models, and of his botanical transactions in an age of international plant hunting. There are also over a hundred pages of notes, plus a bibliography and two indexes, one devoted to Ilay. These tools make it easy to use the book. Barring the improbable rediscovery of Ilay's personal archive, this is likely to remain the definitive biography of a man who seems to have merited the title some contemporaries gave him as "the Great Duke of Argyll." This book is a fitting conclusion to decades of intensive research.' Bruce P. Lenman, Eighteenth-Century Life, Volume 39, Number 3, September 2015; .. a splendid new biography [which] makes a convincing case for the Duke as having a central role in promoting the Scottish Enlightenment, and, indeed, as a major Scottish figure of the eighteenth century.' Professor John Cairns 'The Scottish 18th century is a crowded place nowadays... [so] it is a something of a rare event for a major addition to be made to its pantheon of Great Scots. The great merit of Emerson's biography is to show the intimate connection [between] grubby day-to-day politicking and the glorious intellectual achievements of the Enlightenment. Emerson altogether makes of Scotland in that time a more real kind of place: a great achievement.' Michael Fry, The Scotsman, June 2013
£30.40
Read Books Francisco Franco
£21.84
£16.30
Leonaur Ltd Steel Chariots in the Desert
£16.30
Leonaur Ltd With the Imperial Camel Corps in the Great War
£16.30
Leonaur Ltd The Khakee Ressalah
£14.12
Leonaur Ltd Journals of Robert Rogers of the Rangers
£24.27
£25.50
£16.30
£15.11
£14.12
£15.11
£23.02
£15.11
£24.27
£17.59