Biography: historical, political and military Books

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Book SynopsisAn ascetic and failed priest, a stoic, father of the nation, prime minister and first national hero of the Central American nation of Belize, George Price remains one of the most enigmatic leaders of the 20th century. Nothing in the early years of Price's life gave any indication that he would become the most uncompromising adversary of the British government in the struggle, first for self-government and later for Belizean independence, and in the process dominate Belizean politics for over 40 years. An indifferent scholastic career, failure to complete studies for the priesthood followed by a decade as the right-hand man for one of the colony's most astute businessmen, were less than impressive a track record for a future national leader and political firebrand. Yet for close to 50 years, the story of George Price was inseparable from the story of the modern political development of Belize, involving the birth of nationalistic politics; the formation of political parties; the struggle for independence and the national objective of maintaining the territorial integrity of Belize against claims by Guatemala. Here is the story of a man who never married or raised a family, who never had a romantic liaison with a woman and who up to the time of his death at the age of 92 had remained celibate all his life. Price's first and only lifelong love, his sweetheart, wife and family were Belize and its people. In this even-handed and revealing authorized biography, Godfrey Smith does not attempt to canonize Price nor denigrate his rivals and detractors. Rather, he exposes the contradictions that were a feature of Price's life and career. On the one hand the reader is shown Price as the ardent nationalist and a man of uncommon discipline and tenacity who pursued his vision of an independent Belize with clear-minded focus, courage and determination, yet who by his own admission had secret relations with Guatemala whom most Belizeans regarded as the enemy. On a personal level, Smith paints a picture of Price as one who beneath his pious exterior could often be found to be petty, secretive and vindictive and a man who did not suffer slights lightly. Few political leaders from the Caribbean have recorded their memoirs or, like Price, given access by way of interviews or opened their personal papers to researchers or biographers. As one whose political career spanned both the colonial and post independence eras, the information, experiences and insights George Price has freely given to his biographer will make this work an important contribution to the study of the political personality, the development of political parties and party politics in the Caribbean at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, the books sheds new light on Price's adversarial relationship with local British governors and officials of the Colonial Office in London, and on the central role that the Guatemalan claim on Belize and Price's controversial affiliations with Guatemala played in both the negotiation and timing of Belizean independence. George Price - A Life Revealed is at once the revealing story of an important and controversial political leader, and at the same time, a history of the anti-colonial struggle and the modern political development of Belize.

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

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Book SynopsisShould be required reading for all policy makers.” —Warren BuffettFrom the three primary architects of the American policy response to the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, a magnificent big-picture synthesis--from why it happened to where we are now.In 2018, Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, and Hank Paulson came together to reflect on the lessons of the 2008 financial crisis ten years on. Recognizing that, as Ben put it, the enemy is forgetting, they examine the causes of the crisis, why it was so damaging, and what it ultimately took to prevent a second Great Depression. And they provide to their successors in the United States and the finance ministers and central bank governors of other countries a valuable playbook for reducing the damage from future financial crises. Firefighting provides a candid and powerful account of the choices they and their teams made during the crisis, working under two presidents and with the leaders of Congress.

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Book SynopsisThis work explores the early diplomatic career of Robert Morier, the British Foreign Office's foremost expert on German affairs in the period leading up to German unification in 1871.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Unspoken Assumptions: The Oxford Background Politics I -- The "Organic" Roots of German Constitutionalism Politics II -- Prussian Constitutional Conflict to Kreisordnung Nationality and the German Question Free Trade and Commercial Treaties, 1860-1864 Free Trade and Commercial Treaties, 1864-1870 Vatican Politics and the Kulturkampf, 1870-1876 Conclusions Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFrom the Civil Rights movement to Black Lives Matter, a TIME Magazine cover photographer and star of Netflix's Strong Black Lens presents a collection of stirring photos and writings from six decades of protest and collective action.

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Book SynopsisThis book captures the core of who Joe Biden is as a lifelong public servant, and who he would be as America''s next President--featuring photographs from his eight years as one of America''s most consequential vice presidents and partner to Barack Obama.These visually arresting photographs and behind-the-scenes stories show Biden stepping into his own as a leader ready to guide a nation in distress. They also reveal a new dimension to Biden''s humanity--as a man whose decency and kindness shines through both tragedy and triumph, whose working-class roots inform his values, and whose candor and approachability enable him to connect with citizens of all kinds.This book traces Biden''s vice presidency in unprecedented detail, shedding light on who he is as a political leader and patriot, and also as a father, husband, and friend. It will delight and fascinate readers who yearn for the return of honesty and ethics to the nation''s highest offices.As we draw clos

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Book Synopsis* A brilliantly written, insightful and entertaining life of the disgraced former leader of the Liberal Party - one of the most colourful characters of post-war British politicsTrade ReviewBloch's candour made it impossible to publish the book until now. It has been well worth the wait. For those too young to remember Thorpe, it will be a thrilling read. And for their elders, this is a vivid, fizzing evocation of pre-Thatcher England . . . Bloch is the perfect biographer for Thorpe, with matchless insights into his glamour, seediness, exhibitionism, self-obsession and pain . . . a lively mixture of investigative reporter, taunting imp and Old Testament moralist -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Daily Telegraph *Michael Bloch's new biography of the former Liberal leader is never less than riveting . . . What makes this biography a triumph is the way Bloch weaves the Scott story into a proper political and personal account of Thorpe's life . . . With the hidden gay life, the blackmail, the fraud, the raffish and unsuitable friends, the family suicides, the payoffs, the lies, the secret letters, the bizarre murder plots, the celebrity world, the story of Jeremy Thorpe is one of the most extraordinary political tales of the twentieth century. And in Michael Bloch it has found a worthy chronicler -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times *Michael Bloch tells the tale of Jeremy Thorpe's extraordinary life with panache and precision . . . A riveting story, well told -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Before he started the biography of Jeremy Thorpe, the "formidable" Liberal Baroness Seear said to Michael Bloch, "you'll never get to the bottom of him". That he has managed to do so, unravelling each facet of Thorpe's character in Russian doll-like fashion, is a measure of Bloch's skill in capturing his subject. Not only is this a fascinating portrait of a talented but deeply flawed individual, it's also a totally compelling narrative that takes on the best aspects of an addictive thriller -- John Clarke * Independent *This smoothly impressive biography . . . makes for a fascinating read . . . Bloch makes a better job of juggling the two sides of his subject's life - the glamorous progressive and the seedy show-off - than Thorpe did himself -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Through painstaking research and distillation, Michael Bloch has produced a masterpiece of biography. If he has not solved the enigma of Jeremy Thorpe, then he has come as close as anyone will to solving it -- Paul Walter * Liberal Democrat Voice *A breathtaking read . . . this biography has been well worth the wait -- Mark Leftly * Independent on Sunday *Michael Bloch's book is worth reading whether you are familiar with the story or not . . . He is such a deft guide that he makes even Liberal Party politics sound interesting . . . He writes with calm expertise about Thorpe's double-ledgered life . . . He weighs up the evidence with care as well as brio . . . Anyone who knows his biography of James Lees-Milne will not be surprised that this is equally expertly, indeed perfectly done -- Douglas Murray * Spectator *This is a brilliant biography -- Philip Hensher * Guardian *[A] revealing, insightful and gripping biography of one of the most extraordinary people ever to lead a British political party * Observer *

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Book SynopsisA biography wholly worthy of the brilliant woman it chronicles. . . . It rediscovers Virginia Woolf afresh.  --The Philadelphia Inquirer            While Virginia Woolf--one of our century's most brilliant and mercurial writers--has had no shortage of biographers, none has seemed as naturally suited to the task as Hermione Lee. Subscribing to Virginia Woolf's own belief in the fluidity and elusiveness of identity, Lee comes at her subject from a multitude of perspectives, producing a richly layered portrait of the writer and the woman that leaves all of her complexities and contradictions intact.  Such issues as sexual abuse, mental illness, and suicide are brought into balance with the immensity of her literary achievement, her heroic commitment to her work, her generosity and wit,  and her sanity and strength. It is not often that biography offers the satisfactions of grea

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Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis   “One of [Erik Larson’s] best books yet . . . perfectly timed for the moment.”—Time • “A bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”—NPR   NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • The Globe & Mail • Fortune • Bloomberg • New York Post • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • LibraryRead

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Book SynopsisThe Rise of Andrew Jackson recounts our seventh president''s unlikely ascent to the highest office in the land. Born poor in what became the border region between North and South Carolina, Jackson''s sole claim on the public''s affections derived from his victory in a thirty-minute battle in early 1815 on the banks of the Mississippi River. A disputatious, often cruel man, he did not seem cut out for any public office, let alone the highest in the land. Yet he acquired acolytes-operatives, handlers, editors, politicians-who for more than a decade labored to make him the President of the United States, and who finally succeeded in 1828.The acclaimed historians David and Jeanne Heidler are the first to examine Jackson''s rise by looking primarily at the men (and they were all men) who made it possible, among them future president Martin van Buren, the Karl Rove of his day; Sam Houston, later a leader of the Texas Revolution; and John Overton, Jackson''s onetime roommate

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Book SynopsisTHE LIFE AND CRIMES OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST CORRUPT COPTrade ReviewA gritty and unvarnished look inside the CIB ... shining a light on the entrenched culture of cover-up and corruption that has plagued NSW since the Rum Rebellion - Sydney Morning Herald[a] compelling and unapologetically unsympathetic account of Australia's most notorious former policeman - Weekend Australiana must read for fans of the true crime genre - NSW Police News

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of Tom Phelps and the ''other Kokoda Track''. Seventy-five years later, Tom''s grandson, award-winning actor and writer Peter Phelps, is sharing this inspiring tale of resilience and survival.March 1942: The world is at war. Too old to fight and with jobs scarce at home, Tom Phelps found work as a carpenter in the goldfields of the New Guinea Highlands. No one expected the Japanese to attack in the Pacific. But they did.Tom and his mates weren''t going to hang around and wait to be killed. With escape routes bombed by the Japanese, their only option was to try to reach safety by foot, through some of the most rugged terrain on Earth - the Bulldog Track.Back home in Sydney, Rose Phelps, their son, George, and three daughters, Joy, Shirley and Ann, waited for news of Tom''s fate. George watched the horrors of war unfold on newsreels knowing his dad was ''over there''.Travelling by foot, raft, canoe, schooner, train, luck Trade ReviewHis appreciation for a good story is evident; this writer possesses a commanding turn of phrase. * Manly Daily *Review * Golden Plains Miner *This book perfectly captures the Aussie spirit and the heart of what mateship really means. * Gemsbooknook *The themes of separation, loneliness, doubt and heroism are all here, and we gain a clear picture of the emotional cost of war to an individual family. * Honest History *The amazing feat of his indomitable grandfather and his ragged but resilient companions has been presented in an exciting story demonstrating great family pride and affection. * ReadPlus Blog *Phelps' story is an extraordinary and unforgettable read. * Warcry Magazine *

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Book SynopsisOn 22 June 2013, Corporal Cameron Baird was a 2nd Commando Regiment Special Forces soldier when he led his platoon into a known Taliban stronghold to back-up another Australian unit under heavy fire. In the prolonged firefight, Cameron was mortally wounded. In 2014, Cameron''s bravery and courage under fire saw him posthumously awarded the 100th Victoria Cross, our highest award possible for bravery in the presence of the enemy. Cameron Baird died how he lived - at the front, giving it his all, without any indecision. He will forever be remembered by his mates and the soldiers he served with in the 2nd Commando Regiment. THE COMMANDO reveals Cameron''s life, from young boy and aspiring AFL player, who only missed out on being drafted because of injury, to exemplary soldier and leader. Cameron''s story and that of 4RAR and 2nd Commando personifies the courage and character of the men and women who go to war and will show us the good man we have lost.Trade ReviewWell researched, with input from family and fellow soldiers, this is a worthy tribute to a good man, a selfless soldier and a genuine hero. * Qantas Magazine *

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Book SynopsisTheodore Roosevelt (18571919) was the most literary of American Presidents, writing scores of books, including Through the Brazilian Wilderness and African Game Trails. He was also the most active of American writers. In little more than six decades, Roosevelt was, among many of his activities, a rancher, historian, reformer, New York City Police Commissioner, renowned hunter, New York State Governor, conservationist, Vice President of the United States, and 26th President of the United States. What is less known is that Roosevelt was also one of the great epistolary writers, penning more than 100,000 letters. This collection brings together over 1,000 of Roosevelt's most engaging and revealing letters, ones that fully illuminate the private man and the public figure. Herein, Roosevelt corresponds with family, friends, colleagues, and political opponents. He discusses private matters, politics, military strategy, conservation, diplomacy, higher education, women's rights, literature, Trade ReviewTheodore Roosevelt was at his energetic, opinionated, and delightful best in his correspondence. Brands's admirable edition of his letters is the best possible introduction to one of our greatest presidents. -- Donald Herbert Donald, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Charles Sumner and LincolnThe letters provide a vivid reminder of Roosevelt's forceful prose and the depth of his reading. For comprehending Roosevelt's volcanic and shrewd temperament, nothing can match reading his correspondence. * Los Angeles Times *'Teddy' was in many ways the quintessential American, and this collection of more than 1,000 letters to Jefferson Davis, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Booker T. Washington, Woodrow Wilson, and cousin Franklin, to mention just a few of T.R.'s countless correspondents, reveals both the private citizen and public official who shaped America's politics and national character. * Denver Post *What a treat it is now to be able to enjoy the letters of Teddy Roosevelt, one of the nation's most intellegent, colorful, and important personalities. -- Paul C. Nagel, author of Descent from Glory and John Quincy AdamsWith H. W. Brands's briskly and knowledgeably edited The Selected Letters of Theodore Roosevelt, readers can tap into TR's inner intellectual and emotional life. . . . Roosevelt is a captivating writer. A reader of extraordinary breadth, he lived a good deal of his life among highly crafted language, and it shows in the sheer pleasure that he took in putting words on paper. -- Christine Stansell * The New Republic *To immerse oneself in these letters is to understand exactly what Henry Adams meant when he wrote that Roosevelt displayed 'the quality that medieval theology assigned to God—he was pure act.' * Claremont Review of Books *Brands organizes the letters chronologically into six chapters, with brief introductions to each and minimal annotation. The main criterion for inclusion was 'to illuminate Roosevelt—not necessarily the events or persons of which he wrote'—a goal that Brands admirably achieves. The TR who emerges from these pages appears in all his inquisitiveness, intelligence, energy, and eclectic interests, as well as his stubbornness and biases. Recommended for all libraries. * Library Journal *These highlights of Roosevelt's voluminous and candid correspondence . . . perfectly reflect the high-hearted combativeness of his spirit. * American Heritage *Arranged in chronological order from his youth to his dotage, these missives—addressed to an astonishing array of family, friends, and prominent literary, political, and cultural personae—offer an intimate glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of one of the most talented and multidimensional of all the U.S. presidents. Rich in character, context, and content, this superb collection of letters will appeal to both dedicated scholars and casual admirers of Theodore Roosevelt. * Booklist *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Blessed Youth, 1858–1881 Chapter 2: Making His Way, 1881–1889 Chapter 3: Public Servant, 1889–1898 Chapter 4: Hero, 1898–1901 Chapter 5: President, 1901–1909 Chapter 6: The Most Famous Man in the World, 1909–1919

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Book SynopsisA biography of two Chinese sisters who took very different paths in their quest to be independent women. The journeys of these extraordinary women spanned the twentieth century and three continents in a saga of East-West cultural exchange and personal struggle.Trade ReviewFilled with fascinating glimpses of twentieth-century Chinese women's intellectual history and insights into the Chinese-American and Anglo-Chinese experience. * Publishers Weekly *Welland is an anthropologist with a novelist’s eye for the art of both making lives and making books. She weaves biography, memoir, genealogy, social history, literary criticism, and theoretical reflection coherently, accessibly, and, indeed, beautifully. * Booklist, Starred Review *Welland wisely refrains from intruding on the narration, allowing her fascinating topic to speak for itself. Scholarly and 'serious' in its depth and breadth of research, Welland's book is also highly readable and full of rich detail. . . . This is a book that enlightens as much as it delights and remains with you long after the reading. * The Seattle Times *Welland skillfully navigates the murky waters of memory, exaggeration, cultural misunderstanding and transformed identity, with both a scholar's critical eye and a granddaughter's desire to believe. * Honolulu Advertiser *Fascinating . . . Sasha Welland has produced a wonderful book from the lives of these two strong sisters. * Times Literary Supplement *An intriguing and memorable study. . . . We have been told the lives of two powerful and interesting women . . . both determined to surmount as best they could the restrictions placed on women’s lives. -- Peter Stansky * Virginia Woolf Miscellany *Biographies are said to narrate the life of an individual. In this multi-layered work, Sasha Su-Ling Welland accomplishes much more, as she relates a complex story of re-creations, self-discovery, and selective memories. . . . [A] well-written and valuable work, especially for the many interesting points that it makes on the intricacies of cultural encounters, usages of the past, and exoticism. -- Valentina Boretti, University of London * H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online *Welland's forebears could fairly be called trailblazing, and . . . she deftly shows how their lives mingled with history. * The Instrumentalist *The author of A Thousand Miles of Dreams intersperses the accounts of the two sisters’ lives in alternate chapters, thus providing a fascinating comparison of experiences in these distant countries and contrasting cultures as the Second World War loomed. -- Michael Sheringham * Asian Affairs *Remarkable. . . . A coming-of-age account of the Ling sisters, Welland’s book . . . reveal[s] new insights about the role of Chinese women as it changed not only in China but also the West. . . . A well-crafted and lively book that is sure to capture the imagination of lay readers and scholars alike. * International Examiner *With elegant writing and a delicate anthropological touch, Sasha Su-Ling Welland offers . . . an intriguing biography of two Chinese sisters. . . . Overall, while a fine biography, this book is also an informative and engaging work in the literary genre of ethnography, enhancing our understanding of women, education, and intellectual history in modern China, as well as exploring the experiences of Chinese immigrants in the United States and Europe. * American Anthropologist *Sasha Welland's deft and gripping biography of her grandmother and great-aunt is elegiac but never sentimental. It is compelling, lucid, historically nuanced, and an absorbing read. -- Gail Hershatter, University of California, Santa CruzSasha Su-Ling Welland is Heartland-born with deep China roots. In A Thousand Miles of Dreams, she reaches back through family documents and her own scholarly reading of the historical record to create a portrait of a family's personal journey that is moving, passionate, and fully accessible. -- Clark Blaise, author of I Had a Father, Time Lord, and others; former director of the International Writers Program, University of IowaThis is a wonderfully written account of two Chinese modern girls whose lives traversed the entire twentieth century from China to England and the United States. Their artistic and professional accomplishments through decades of war and exile may be legendary, but their personal lives were also filled with many human frailties. Intermixed with Welland's reminiscences of growing up in the United States as a Eurasian whose mother was partly raised by an African American housekeeper, the tales of these women weave an intricate tapestry of literary pursuit, transnational migration, an interracial affair, and middle-class domesticity. The author wields the pen of a historian, an ethnographer, and a poet, but ultimately it is the writer as a granddaughter and a grandniece that gives the story its most intimate human touch. -- Shu-mei Shih, University of California, Los Angeles; author of The Lure of the ModernWith magnificently fluid erudition and a compassionately wry eye, Sasha Su-Ling Welland forges the story of two remarkable women whose lives expand our knowledge of twentieth-century feminism in China, the U.S., and Britain. Weaving her own autobiographical accounts into the mix, Welland deftly depicts how the absurdities of racial and sexual constructs persist over time and place, while arguing for the resolute power of following one's heart. -- Anna Maria Hong, editor of Growing Up Asian American: An AnthologyTable of ContentsPrologue: Departure Part I: Moving House Chapter 1: Origins Chapter 2: Ambition Chapter 3: Disappointment Chapter 4: Courtyards Chapter 5: Mountains and Walls Part II: Casting Off Chapter 6: Lessons Chapter 7: Mist Chapter 8: Amid Ghosts Chapter 9: In the Streets Chapter 10: Romance Chapter 11: Gatherings Chapter 12: Modern Medicine Chapter 13: Crescent Moon Part III: Seeking a Mooring Chapter 14: Arrival Chapter 15: Adrift Chapter 16: Souvenirs Chapter 17: The Entangling Net Chapter 18: Rice Porridge Chapter 19: War Letters Chapter 20: An American Home Chapter 21: Wandering Chapter 22: The Chinese House Epilogue: Return

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Book SynopsisChurchill's geese that never cackled.

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Book SynopsisJosef Goebbels, Hermann Goring, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolph Hess, Albert Speer and Karl Donitz. These were the men who smoothed Adolf Hitler''s path to power and became the perpetrators of a reign of terror unparalleled in history. They were the supporters and executives at Hitler''s regime, carrying out his orders with deadly efficiency. This radical new assessment of power under the swastika reveals many unknown facts and gives a unique but disturbing glimpse behind the scenes of the Nazi state.an TV journalist and presenter Guido Knopp has unearthed a wealth of new material about the Third Reich. Based on meticulous research and countless interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in Hitler and the Second World War.

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Book SynopsisWhen the harrowing Great War diaries of one of Britain’s first black soldiers were unearthed in a dusty Scottish attic nearly 100 years after they were written, they posed a bit of a mystery.

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Book SynopsisWilliam Heath Robinson remains one of Britain’s best-loved illustrators and has embedded himself into English vernacular, inspiring the phrase `it’s all a bit Heath Robinson’ to describe any precarious or unnecessarily complex contraption.

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Book SynopsisThis evocative memoir recalls the long, heady days of Liverpool in the summer of 1969, as seen through the eyes of eleven-year-old Deejay.

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Book SynopsisOne of the last surviving members of SOE (now deceased) tells their story for the first timeTrade ReviewThis book should be read as an inspiration to all generations...His exploits and those of his fellow secret agents in occupied territory represent a tale of courage and daring which should never be forgotten. This book will make sure they are not. -- Paddy Ashdown

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Book SynopsisDuring the First World War many sportsmen exchanged their sports field for the battlefield, switched their equipment for firearms.

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Book SynopsisRevealing the naturally courageous nature of 'Lady Lindy', that made her one of the most daring of twentieth-century women

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Book SynopsisNew edition of succesful George & Robert Stephenson biographyTrade ReviewBased on a wide range of sources, it is a balanced portrayal. Easy to read, this book supersedes Rolt and its new perspective makes it a valuable addition … -- Peter Cross-Rudkin * Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society *I have read all of the biographies of [the Stephensons] and I find this is one of the best and of course the most up to date. -- Robert Stephenson Roper * author of The Other Stephensons *

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Book SynopsisOne hundred love letters to her man at the front reveal the tangled love life of a Toddington landlady

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