Biography: historical, political and military Books

Book SynopsisMaud Gonne, the legendary woman known as the Irish Joan of Arc, left her mark on everyone she met. She famously won the devotion of one of the greatest poets of the age, William Butler Yeats. Born into tremendous privilege, she allied herself with rebels and the downtrodden and openly defied what was at the time the world’s most powerful empire. She was an actress, a journalist and an activist for the cause of Irish independence. Ignoring the threat of social ostracism, she had several children out of wedlock. She was an independent woman who charted her own course. Yet Maud Gonne was also a lifelong anti-semite, someone who, even after the horrors of the Second World War, could not summon sympathy for the millions murdered by the Nazis. A believer in the occult and in reincarnation, she took mescaline with Yeats to enhance visions of mythic Irish heroes and heroines, and in mid-life converted to Catholicism in order to marry her husband, the Irish Catholic war hero John MacBride. What motivated this extraordinary person? Kim Bendheim has long been fascinated by Maud Gonne’s perplexing character, and here gives us an intensely personal assessment of her thrilling life. The product of much original research, including interviews with Gonne’s equally vivid, unconventional descendants, The Fascination of What’s Difficult is a portrait of a powerful woman who, despite her considerable flaws, continues to inspire.Trade Review“With clear-eyed forays into obsession, love, and friendship, Kim Bendheim fleshes out one of the most enigmatic and alluring women in the history of European letters and politics.”—Florence Williams“Much more than a muse: biography shows us the Maud Gonne we didn’t learn about at school” — Irish Independent“The great virtue of Kim Bendheim’s book is that she brings fresh perspectives – non-academic, contemporary and American – to bear on the known facts of Gonne’s life… Revelatory.” — The Irish Times “[A] richly detailed critical biography of one of Ireland’s most celebrated and enigmatic political and cultural figures” — The Arts Fuse “Thanks to her role as muse to W.B.Yeats, Maud Gonne (1866-1953) is well-known in mythic form to many who have never heard her name. The initial corrective was her own 1938 autobiography, but Kim Bendheim’s book is a much more candid and useful book.” — Tortoise

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Book SynopsisA daring and magnificent historical narrative nonfiction account of Iceland's most famous female sea captain who constantly fought for women's rights and equality-and who also solved one of the country's most notorious robberies.Every day was a fight for survival, equality, and justice for Iceland's most renowned female fishing captain of the 19th century.History would have us believe the sea has always been a male realm, the idea of female captains almost unthinkable. But there is one exception, so notable she defies any expectation.This is her remarkable story.Captain Thurídur, born in Iceland in 1777, lived a life that was both controversial and unconventional. Her first time fishing, on the open unprotected rowboats of her time, was at age 11. Soon after, she audaciously began wearing trousers. She later became an acclaimed fishing captain brilliant at weather-reading and seacraft and consistently brought in the largest catches. In the Arctic seas where drownings occurred with terrifying regularity, she never lost a single crewmember. Renowned for her acute powers of observation, she also solved a notorious crime. In this extremely unequal society, she used the courts to fight for justice for the abused, and in her sixties, embarked on perilous journeys over trackless mountains.Weaving together fastidious research and captivating prose, Margaret Willson reveals Captain Thurídur's fascinating story, her extraordinary courage, intelligence, and personal integrity.Through adventure, oppression, joy, betrayal, and grief, Captain Thurídur speaks a universal voice. Here is a woman so ahead of her times she remains modern and inspirational today. Her story can now finally be told.

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Book SynopsisThe first joint biography of Bennelong and Governor Arthur Phillip, two pivotal figures in Australian history – the colonised and coloniser – and a bold and innovative new portrait of both.Australian Book Review Books of the Year 2023Sydney Morning Herald Best Reads of the Year for 2023 Bennelong and Phillip were leaders of their two sides in the first encounters between Britain and Indigenous Australians, Phillip the colony’s first governor, and Bennelong the Yiyura leader. The pair have come to represent the conflict that flared and has never settled. Fullagar’s account is also the first full biography of Bennelong of any kind and it challenges many misconceptions, among them that he became alienated from his people and that Phillip was a paragon of Enlightenment benevolence. It tells the story of the men’s marriages, including Bennelong’s best-known wife, Barangaroo, and Phillip’s unusual domestic arrangements, and places the period in the context of the Aboriginal world and the demands of empire. To present this history afresh, Bennelong & Phillip relates events in reverse, moving beyond the limitations of typical Western ways of writing about the past, which have long privileged the coloniser over the colonised. Bennelong’s world was hardly linear at all, and in Fullagar’s approach his and Phillip’s histories now share an equally unfamiliar framing.

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Book Synopsis‘What joy to be at sea again, adrift on the vast Pacific, in the clutches of a gifted storyteller. Harrison Christian and the mutineers of Men Without Country held me happily captive to the very last page.’ – Dava Sobel, author of Longitude‘Men Without Country shows what a writer can produce when he has real skin in the game... Harrison Christian sets the record straight on the Bounty mutiny with forensic fervour, including the before, the during – and the after.’ – Adam Courtenay, author of The Ship that Never WasFull of misadventure and mystery, Men Without Country is a sweeping history of exploration and rebellion in the South Seas – told by a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, the man who led the infamous mutiny on the BountyA mission to collect breadfruit from Tahiti becomes the most famous mutiny in history when the crew rise up against Captain William Bligh, with accusations of food restrictions and unfair punishments.Bligh’s remarkable journey back to safety is well documented, but the fates of the mutinous men remain shrouded in mystery. Some settled in Tahiti only to face capture and court martial, others sailed on to form a secret colony on Pitcairn Island, the most remote inhabited island on earth, avoiding detection for twenty years. When an American captain stumbled across the island in 1808, only one of the Bounty mutineers was left alive.Told by a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian, Men Without Country details the journey of the Bounty, and the lives of the men aboard. Lives dominated by a punishing regime of hard work and scarce rations, and deeply divided by the hierarchy of class. It is a tale of adventure and exploration punctuated by moments of extreme violence – towards each other and the people of the South Pacific.For the first time, Christian provides a comprehensive and compelling account of the whole story – from the history of trade and exploration in the South Seas to Pitcairn Island, which provided the mutineers’ salvation, and then became their grave.

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Book Synopsis“Enjoy your homes. Enjoy your food. There is nothing that can take their place.” Half a world away from her home in Manitoulin Island, Ethel Mulvany is starving in Singapore’s infamous Changi Prison, along with hundreds of other women jailed there as POWs during the Second World War. They beat back pangs of hunger by playing decadent games of make-believe and writing down recipes filled with cream, raisins, chocolate, butter, cinnamon, ripe fruit—the unattainable ingredients of peacetime, of home, of memory. In this novelistic, immersive biography, Suzanne Evans presents a truly individual account of WWII through the eyes of Ethel—mercurial, enterprising, combative, stubborn, and wholly herself. The Taste of Longing follows Ethel through the fall of Singapore in 1942, the years of her internment, and beyond. As a prisoner, she devours dog biscuits and book spines, befriends spiders and smugglers, and endures torture and solitary confinement. As a free woman back in Canada, she fights to build a life for herself in the midst of trauma and burgeoning mental illness. Woven with vintage recipes and transcribed tape recordings, the story of Ethel and her fantastical POW Cookbook is a testament to the often-overlooked strength of women in wartime. It’s a story of the unbreakable power of imagination, generosity, and pure heart.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Prologue: Setting the Table I. Meeting the Emperor 1. What’s a Manitoulin Girl Doing in Singapore? 2. The Tiger Woman 3. Bon Voyage Photos 4. Stepping Out in Singapore 5. Guns, Bicycles and Spies 6. Loaded to the Hilt on Benzedrine 7. Silence of the Guns II. Getting to Hunger 8. The Road to Jail 9. On the Inside 10. Shopping for Food and Answers 11. Shop for Some Pumpkins in Stall 38 12. The Logic of a Dream 13. Recipes of Longing III. Dreaming it Up 14. Stitching Stories 15. The Red Cross Silence Hut 16. The Games People Play 17. Double Tenth 18. Descending Mania 19. Solitary Confinement IV. Breaking Out 20. Shameful Hunger 21. First Feasts 22. The Horrors of Health Care 23. Is this Home? 24. Never Enough 25. The Gift of Food V. Putting it all Together 26. Not Fit Company for Herself 27. Treasure Van 28. What’s in the Bottom Drawer? 29. A Forgiving Spirit Draws Two Worlds Together Notes Index

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Book SynopsisReissued for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo The first Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo in 1815 is remembered as one of our nation's greatest triumphs and, two hundred years on, the 'Iron Duke' is still very much a public figure. But here, Jane Wellesley's family memoir paints an altogether more intimate and compelling portrait.Jane journeys through the past, unearthing memories and secrets to illuminate her family tree. It is a saga peppered with fascinating characters: the 2nd Duke was a full-time eccentric and had his lawnmower pulled by an elephant; the 7th Duke, Jane's grandfather, worked for MI6; and Jane's grandmother's involvement with writer Vita Sackville-West created ripples in the Bloomsbury set as well as her marriage.The Wellesley story shows how Wellington's descendants have lived on in the light of their ancestor's fame, and how a family is so much more than the history of one man.Trade ReviewAn enthralling family biography of a British hero. * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest stories of world exploration ever told. By the late eighteenth century, the river Niger was a 2,000-year-old two-part geographical problem. Solving it would advance European knowledge of Africa, provide a route to commercial opportunity and help eradicate the evil of slavery. Mungo Park achieved lasting fame in 1796 by solving the first part of the Niger problem – which way did the river run? Park died in 1806, in circumstances which are still uncertain, in failing to solve the second – where did the Niger end? Numerous expeditions explored the river in the decades following Park’s death, but not until 1830 was its final course revealed following in-the-field exploration. By then, however, the Niger problem had been solved by ‘armchair geographers’ who had never even visited Africa. Majestic River celebrates Mungo Park's achievements and illuminates his rich afterlife – how and why he was commemorated long after his death. It is also the thrilling story of the many expeditions that sought to determine the Niger’s course and the facts of Park’s disappearance, as well as a biography of the Niger itself as the river slowly took shape in the European imagination. Shortlisted for the Saltire Society History Book of the Year AwardTrade Review'Punchy, eloquent, and infused with forensic research ...This book is in all senses a geographical epic' -- Nicholas Crane, writer and presenter, BBC Two’s Coast and author of The Making of the British Landscape'This deeply researched and sumptuously illustrated book is at once an exciting new biography of Mungo Park, a wide-ranging history of the decades-long efforts by the British to explore the Niger, and an illuminating study of the evolution of geography and cartography as fields of scientific knowledge' -- Dane Kennedy, author of The Last Blank Spaces: Exploring Africa and Australia'A fascinating and illuminating read' -- Megan Amato * Scottish Field *'Both an admirable biography of the explorer Mungo Park and also a thoughtful meditation on early British involvement in West Africa' -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *'It's always thrilling to stumble across a book that is so well researched and written that as a reader you get the sense it will be the definitive account of the subject it covers for quite some time to come. "Majestic River" is one of those books' -- Ken Lussey * Undiscovered Scotland *'Mungo Park died in 1806 before realising his mission to trace the course of the Niger. The author looks at the life and legacy of this famed explorer' * The Saltire Society *

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Book SynopsisTo look at Martin McGuinness' life is to follow Northern Ireland's own transition from conflict to peace. Martin McGuinness: A Life Remembered tells the remarkable story of McGuinness' journey from IRA leader to deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, and features all the milestones in his life - from the darkest days of the Troubles, to the Good Friday Agreement and his roles in the devolved government at Stormont. `Few public figures have made such a journey from violence to peace as Martin McGuinness, and many people will acknowledge the contribution and commitment to the common good which he made in the latter part of his life.' -Frank Sellar, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland `He was a great man in my opinion. ... Martin led the IRA when there was a war but he led the IRA into peace. He genuinely believed in reconciliation even when it made people uncomfortable.' - Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams

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Book SynopsisMoura Budberg: spy, adventurer, charismatic seductress and mistress of two of the century’s greatest writers, the Russian aristocrat Baroness Moura Budberg was born in 1892 to indulgence, pleasure and selfishness. But after she met the British diplomat and secret agent Robert Bruce Lockhart, she sacrificed everything for love, only to be betrayed. When Lockhart arrived in Revolutionary Russia in 1918, his official mission was Britain’s envoy to the new Bolshevik government, yet his real assignment was to create a network of agents and plot the downfall of Lenin. Lockhart soon got to know Moura and they began a passionate affair, even though Moura was spying on him for the Bolsheviks. But when Lockhart’s plot unravelled, she would forsake everything in an attempt to protect him from Lenin’s secret police. Fleeing to a life of exile in England and taking a string of new lovers, including Maxim Gorky and H. G. Wells, Moura later spied for Stalin and for Britain amidst the web of scandal surrounding the Cambridge spies. Through all this she clung to the hope that Lockhart would finally return to her. Grippingly narrated, this is the first biography of Moura Budberg to use the full range of previously unexamined letters, diaries and documents. An incredible true story of passion, espionage and double crossing that encircled the globe, A Very Dangerous Woman brings her extraordinary world vividly to life with dramatic resonances to rival the most sensational novel.Trade Review'Riveting biography…of [Moura Budberg's] remarkable life…Dangerous woman, indeed'. * Independent on Sunday *‘An extraordinarily complex story based on a fabulous cache of rich material… the end result really is an example of truth being stranger than fiction’ * Good Book Guide *'Hard to go wrong with Moura's combustible life, and the authors relish her excesses'. * Independent *‘McDonald and Dronfield’s summaries of events during the revolutionary period make a coherent narrative from a bafflingly complex series of events’ * The Guardian *‘A rollicking good read’ * Country Life *‘A thrilling new biography of baroness and double agent Moura Budberg…. Brave and multi-faceted, a mosaic monument to a mistress of deceit.’ * Russia Beyond the Headlines *‘The tale of Baroness Moura Budberg is a splendid one… entertaining and well-researched.’ -- Dr. Mark Galeotti, Clinical Professor of Global Affairs, New York University‘There is an echo of foxy, seductive Scarlett O'Hara about Moura Budberg’ * Herald *‘This book could read like a thriller, yet the thorough research here provides a weightier feast… impressive… alive… a well-researched and well-ordered biography’ * Spectator *‘Conjures up a vivid and alluring version of old Russia’ * Mail on Sunday *‘An astoundingly unbelievable life well retold in this gripping new biography. Well-written too. The book’s account of the Lockhart Affair is particularly fascinating, recreating the paranoid, anti-Western world that was Soviet Russia in the late 19-teens and early 1920s.’ * Russian Life *‘[The authors] have done a sterling job of piecing together the pieces of this mysterious, peripatetic life… they are very clear about the limits of what can and cannot be known from the extant evidence’ * Daily Telegraph *'A fast-paced story of European intrigue, featuring an enigmatic, strong-willed woman [whose] survival story is fascinating.' * Publishers Weekly *'The authors draw on diaries, correspondence, and newly released files to create a powerful study that attracts sympathy toward their subject. It also produces a great snapshot of life in Russia during the collapse of the czarist regime through the early part of the Joseph Stalin era.' * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisAmazing Grace tells the story of the remarkable life of the abolitionist William Wilberforce (1759 -1833). This accessible biography chronicles Wilberforce's extraordinary role as a human rights activist, cultural reformer, and member of Parliament. At the centre of this heroic life was a passionate twenty year fight to abolish the British slave trade, a battle Wilberforce won in 1807, as well as efforts to abolish slavery itself in the British colonies, a victory achieved just three days before his death in 1833. Metaxas discovers in this unsung hero a man of whom it can truly be said: he changed the world. Before Wilberforce, few thought slavery was unjust. After Wilberforce, most societies in the world came to see it as a great moral wrong.

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Book SynopsisSince the beginning of time mankind has struggled with the big questions surrounding our existence. Whilst most people have heard of Socrates, Machiavelli and Nietzsche, many are less clear on their theories and key concepts. In The Great Philosophers, bestselling author Stephen Law condenses and deciphers their fundamental ideas. Avoiding the technical jargon and complex logic associated with most books on philosophy, Law brings the thoughts of these great thinkers, from Confucius and Buddha to Wittgenstein and Sartre, to life.Trade Review'Fifty of history's most profound thinkers are introduced in a way you have probably never previously imagined' Good Book Guide. * Good Book Guide *Table of ContentsIntroduction. The Buddha (c.560-c.480 BC). Confucius (551-479 BC). Parmenides (c.510-c.450 BC). Zeno (c.490-c.425 BC). Socrates (469-399 BC). Plato (c.428-c.348 BC). Aristotle (384-322 BC). Augustine (AD 354-430). Anselm (1033-1109). Averroes (1126-98). Thomas Aquinas (1225-74). William of Ockham (c.1288-c.1358). Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). Francis Bacon (1561-1626). Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). Rene Descartes (1596-1650). Blaise Pascal (1623-62). John Locke (1632-1704). Benedictus de Spinoza (1632-77). Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716). George Berkeley (1685-1753). David Hume (1711-76). Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78). Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Georg Hegel (1770-1831). Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). John Stuart Mill (1806-73). Soren Kierkegaard (1813-55). Karl Marx (1818-83). Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914). William James (1842-1910). Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). Gottlob Frege (1848-1925). Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). Bertrand Russell (1872-1970). George Edward Moore (1873-1958). Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951). Martin Heidegger (1889-1976). Gilbert Ryle (1900-76). Karl Popper (1902-94). Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-80). Hannah Arendt (1906-75). Simone de Beauvoir (1908-86). Willard Van Orman Quine (1908-2000). A.J. Ayer (1910-89). Peter Strawson (1919-2006). Judith Jarvis Thomson (1929-). Saul Kripke (1940-). Peter Singer (1946-). Index.

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Book SynopsisThe untold stories of some of the men and women of Co. Kerry who gave their all in Ireland’s fight for independence.In Fighting for the Cause well-known Kerry historian Dr Tim Horgan tells the stories of some of the Kingdom’s extraordinary men and women who fought for an Irish Republic. They include the Fenian Jerry O’Sullivan, who blew up a wall of Clerkenwell prison in 1867 in an attempt to free two prisoners; Bridget Gleeson and Nora Brosnan, who were both incarcerated for their Republican activities; John Cronin, whose attacks on the British forces in 1920 were so audacious that he was considered a maverick by his own brigade commanders; Pat Allman, who was hidden above the Gap of Dunloe to recover from bullet wounds sustained in a fight with Free State forces; Paddy Landers, who spent nine months in Limerick Gaol, from where he would attempt to broker peace during the Civil War; and David Fleming, whose sustained hunger strikes in the 1940s would destroy his health and lead to long-term psychological trauma. Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 11 List of Abbreviations 14 Preface 15 Introduction 17 Jerry O’Sullivan 22 Dan O’Mahony 30 Marguerite Fleming 43 Frank Morgan 58 Tadhg Brosnan 67 Peter Brady 97 Neil O’Leary 108 Jim Sugrue 117 Denis O’Driscoll 137 John ‘Gilpin’ Griffin 144 Fr Joe Breen 157 Nora Brosnan 175 Con O’Leary 185 Nance Scully 199 Pat O’Connor 205 Paddy Landers 218 Bridget Gleeson 233 Pat Allman 249 Tom Daly 261 John Cronin 285 ‘Small’ Neilus McCarthy 311 David Fleming 322 Endnotes 337

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Book SynopsisElizabeth Foster, 'Bess' is one of the larger than life characters that occasionally flits across the pages of history. Born in 1757 as Elizabeth Christiana Hervey, the daughter of the eccentric Frederick Hervey, Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, she led a privileged life and married John Thomas Foster in 1777. Following their separation, Foster took her infant sons from her and the distressed Bess led a bitter life, made more tolerable by the kindness and affection shown to her by her best friend, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. The friendship developed into a further intimate friendship with 'Canis' the nickname given to the Duke by Bess and Georgiana. Soon they were living in a menage a trois resulting in two illegitimate children, which Bess bore in exile in France, terrified of discovery and social ostracism. The births were successfully kept secret, and the children themselves grew up without knowing who their true mother was. The children were Caroline St. Jules, and a son, Augustus (later Augustus Clifford, 1st Baronet), who were later raised at Devonshire House with the Duke's legitimate children by Georgiana. Two years after Georgiana's death in 1806, Bess married 'Canis' and the couple lived together in happiness at Devonshire House and at Chatsworth, but the happiness was short-lived, for after only 21 months 'Canis' died. Bess spent much of the remainder of her life in Italy. Fluent in French and Italian, and living abroad for many years, Bess maintained a voluminous correspondence, and as a consequence an amazing picture has been built of this amazing woman, the friend of Marie Antoinette, the Prince Regent and many in the top circles of society in England, France and Italy. Following John Foster's death, she was re-united with her beloved Frederick and Augustus, and much of the correspondence in later years is between her and her influential sons.

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Book SynopsisRodolfo Graziani, Marshal of Italy, Viceroy of Ethiopia and one of Mussolini's most valued generals remains to this day a divisive figure in his homeland. Revered by some Italians as a patriot and vilified by others a murderer, his reputation abroad remains one of infamy. To the people of Libya, he's the man who hanged Omar al-Mukhtar. In Ethiopia, the one behind the poison gas bombings. To the British, he is the buffoon-like Italian general whose troops surrendered en masse. But what is the true story of Rodolfo Graziani? This rigorously researched biography draws on private letters and secret communications to reveal a fascinating portrait of Fascist Italy's most notorious military leader. What emerges is a man of glaring contradictions. A Doting family man and a violent soldier. Graziani was a key figure of Italy's momentous 1930s, enjoying widespread popularity during the height of Mussolini's dictatorship, his exploits in Libya and Ethiopia captured the public's imagination. After his death he was largely forgotten. But in 2012, the mausoleum erected in his honour has sparked fresh controversy.Table of Contents1 Disaster in the desert; 2 A home in the mountains; 3 Postcards from Libya; 4 Ethiopia and the use of poison gas; 5 Marquis of Neghelli and executioner of Addis Ababa; 6 Twenty months on Lake Garda; 7 A sentence which is more like an acquittal; 8 What remains; Postscript 2021; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2016SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2015Emma Sky was working for the British Council during the invasion of Iraq, when the ad went around calling for volunteers. Appalled at what she saw as a wrongful war, she signed up, expecting to be gone for months. Instead, her time in Iraq spanned a decade, and became a personal odyssey so unlikely that it could be a work of fiction. Quickly made civilian representative of the CPA in Kirkuk, and then political advisor to General Odierno, Sky became valued for her outspoken voice and the unique perspective she offered as an outsider. In her intimate, clear-eyed memoir of her time in Iraq, a young British woman among the men of the US military, Emma Sky provides a vivid portrait of this most controversial of interventions, exploring how and why the Iraq project failed.Trade ReviewA charming, insightful account of Sky's remarkable odyssey, of her experience among Americans and Iraqis -- Max Hastings * Sunday Times *The Unravelling reads almost like a novel: a detailed and darkly humorous account that tries to understand everyone involved, Iraqis and Americans, on their own terms... Sky's argumentative, chirpy and intelligent personality is thoroughly engaging -- Robin Yassin-Kassab * Guardian *A radiant and beautifully written account, at turns funny and sad -- Max Boot * Wall Street Journal *Important and disturbing... To counter Iran in Iraq and prevent the alienation that created ISIS would have required... perhaps, a thousand Emma Skys. But there was only one of those. -- Christopher Dickey * New York Times Book Review *Hers was a fascinating world of senior military and diplomatic figures, many of them of the highest quality... She knew all the leading Iraqi politicians, many of whom regarded her as a personal friend. She saw much of Iraq and had some hair-raising experiences. And she always kept her sense of opposition to what was being done to the country. Many people likened her to Gertrude Bell, the British political adviser who helped to create Iraq, and in some ways they were right. -- John Simpson * New Statesman *A detailed account of the challenges of occupation... Readers will realise exactly why Iraq produced strongmen like Saddam -- Colin Freeman * Daily Telegraph *The best book to date on the American war in Iraq... This authoritative first-person account is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the complexity of the Iraq war, and the road to the current crises with the Islamic State. * Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) *The Unravelling is entertaining because Sky is a wry and intelligent companion. It is sad for its account of how the Obama administration squandered what Sky views as the victory that the surge had snatched from the first catastrophic years of US occupation. It is enlightening for how it helps us unlearn much of what we think we know * Washington Post *Sky's book... is the essential text on how everything fell apart * NewYorker.com *A scholar and a strategist, Sky's political perception alone makes worthwhile reading, including a preface that is as succinct a synopsis of Iraq today as you will find * Military Times *Sky's narrative is a valuable addition to recent history... What she experienced is relevant, and her story and perspective contribute to the ongoing effort to understand and explain the tragic aftermath of the much-criticized Iraq War. * Booklist *[A] sober, thorough and ultimately heart-rending examination of what, to this day, keeps Iraq unstable, unhappy and a never-ending foreign policy disaster...a book with a rare perspective... What Sky produced, years later, is worth applauding. The Unravelling may be the most straightforward account yet-and the best that Britain will have for a while-of the failures in Iraq. * Financial Times *A deft, nuanced, and often funny account of her years as a civilian official in Iraq. * The New York Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisChosen as a Book of the Year in The Times and the Daily Mail'Highly entertaining' Sunday Times'Enthralling' Daily TelegraphFor more than six decades, Queen Victoria ruled a great Empire at the height of its power. Beside her for more than twenty of those years was the love of her life, her trusted husband and father of their nine children, Prince Albert. But while Victoria is seen as the embodiment of her time, it was Prince Albert, A. N. Wilson expertly argues, who was at the vanguard of Victorian Britain's transformation as a vibrant and extraordinary centre of political, technological, scientific and intellectual advancement. A composer, engineer, soldier, politician, linguist and bibliophile, Prince Albert, more than any other royal, was truly a 'genius'.Trade ReviewWilson has produced in this biography what has hitherto been an oxymoron, a highly entertaining book about Albert. -- Daisy Goodwin * Sunday Times *Mesmerising... An irresistible and informative read... A.N. Wilson's brilliant book is a treat: an absorbing and entertaining guide to the complex tensions of Albert's world. * The i *Enthralling... [Wilson] writes so exuberantly and perceptively... What keeps his portrait so animated is not only the extensive use of primary sources - chiefly the correspondence lodged in the Royal Archives - but also a novelist's ability to make character vivid and narrative swift... Wilson's account of this remarkable man is unfailingly enjoyable and sharply astute. -- Rupert Christiansen * Daily Telegraph *Wilson's approach is admiring, argumentative and astute. He is a brisk, irreverent revisionist who likes to find other people's ticklish points. -- Richard Davenport-Hines * The Times *Subtle, amusing, gripping... Brilliant * Spectator *This entertaining and beautifully illustrated account supports the claim that Albert was "the man who saved the monarchy." It also confirms that A.N. Wilson is one of those rare biographers with the gift of finding words "at once true and kind" in which to present the trickiest subject. * TLS *Engrossing... Mr. Wilson makes good use of documents from the period and has consulted experts, particularly on details having to do with Albert's German background. His most striking contribution, though, is a psychologically astute approach to Victoria and Albert, one that results in a persuasive and humane account of their marriage. * Wall Street Journal *Absorbing... [Wilson] argues persuasively that Albert's many talents helped reshape the monarchy, fitting it for the modern world and giving it a role in British society that has lasted to the present day. * Daily Mail, Books of the Year *Waspish AN Wilson delights in stinging comfortable historical prejudices... Albert was a man of culture and intelligence who saved the British monarchy. * The Times, Books of the Year *Incisive and entertaining -- Helen Rappaport * Literary Review *One of the pleasures of Wilson's book is the wit and verve with which it's written, and he does a fine job of reminding us of the many reasons to admire Albert. -- Kate Hubbard * The Oldie *Absorbingly readable and impressively succinct. * Michael Hall, Country Life *Thorough, well-written, and insightful -- Simon Heffer * New Criterion *This lively, delicious portrait of Prince Albert by distinguished biographer Wilson shows how much the United Kingdom owes to Queen Victoria's adored consort (and cousin)... Anglophiles will relish the inside story of this royal personage. * Publishers Weekly *Excellent... A delightfully vivid, opinionated biography that pays almost equal attention to Albert's wife and a colorful supporting cast of early Victorian notables. * Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) *A magnificently understanding biography of Victoria's spouse....Albert led a brief life-dying at age 42 - but his impact on his adopted homeland, Great Britain, especially on the functioning of the monarchy, was immense, hence the subtitle of this wise new portrait. That is the thesis Wilson develops, comfortably resting his narrative on two legs: complete thoroughness and joyful buoyancy. * Booklist (Starred Review) *Table of Contents1: Princess Beatrice's War Work 2: His Mother 3: The Wettins 4: Childhood: 'Tout rappelle l'homme à ses devoirs' 5: 'These dearest beloved Cousins': Albert's First Visit to England 6: European Journeys 7: A Somewhat Rough Experience 8: Unbounded Influence 9: Public Art, Public Life 10: Neptune Resigning His Empire to Britannia 11: Malthusian Calamity 12: Cambridge 13: The Year of Revolutions 14: Balmoral 15: The Great Exhibition of 1851: The Making of the Modern World 16: The Great Exhibition: 'so vast, so glorious' 17: Stormy Weather 18: The Prince Consort at Last 19: King in All But Name 20: The Care and Work Begin 21: She Was the Strong One

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Book SynopsisEngland, late 1547. Henry VIII is dead. His 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth is living with the old king's widow Catherine Parr and her new husband Thomas Seymour. Ambitious, charming and dangerous, Seymour begins an overt flirtation with Elizabeth that ends in her being sent away by Catherine. When Catherine dies in autumn 1548 and Seymour is arrested for treason soon after, the scandal explodes into the open. Alone and in dreadful danger, Elizabeth is closely questioned by the king's regency council: Was she still a virgin? Was there a child? Had she promised to marry Seymour? In her replies, she shows the shrewdness and spirit she would later be famous for. She survives the scandal. Thomas Seymour is not so lucky. The Seymour Scandal led to the creation of the Virgin Queen. On hearing of Seymour's beheading, Elizabeth observed 'This day died a man of much wit, and very little judgement'. His fate remained with her. She would never allow her heart to rule her head again.Trade ReviewThis is how historical writing should be... the best history book I've read in a long time' -- Alison WeirMany readers will find much to enjoy in this lively and detailed account of the politics and personalities of the early Edwardian years * The Tablet *A lively and detailed account... Norton's narrative is pacy and colourful' -- Susan DoranAbsolutely stunning. A forensic analysis of an intriguing and disturbing episode in Elizabeth I's early life which casts fresh light onto our most fascinating monarch -- Sarah GristwoodSoundly researched and very readable history, and Ms Norton vividly conveys the atmosphere of intrigue between member of the power-hungry families * The Book Bag *Riveting * Choice Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'A concise study of one of the most fascinating and evil men in history... Essential for anyone interested in military history' - SoldierMillions of words have been spent and misspent on Adolf Hitler. But there remains one aspect as yet insufficiently explored: the impact of the First World War on the man who would go on to indelibly shape the Second.Hitler fought at First Ypres and he saw something on the battlefields that eluded his fellow soldiers, something that would become the cornerstone of his later life. He saw this war as heroic, noble and natural – the last act of the fittest in the great drama of the human race.Where did it all start? This is the story of how Hitler became the Fuhrer.Trade ReviewA concise study of one of the most fascinating and evil men in history . . . Essential for anyone interested in military history * Soldier *

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Book SynopsisThis collection paints a picture of Hitler from members of his household in the unique position of being �seemingly ever-present, yet totally unconnected to events.� The reader is introduced to Hitler's Bodyguard Karl Krause (1934-39), his house administrator Herbert Dohring (1935-43) and chambermaid Anna Plaim (1941-43). From these accounts we get a deeper sense of Hitler in close proximity. These accounts massively add to our understanding of Hitler as a three dimensional character, especially from subjects like Plaim who only knew Hitler's home life, having rarely left Berghof. The series is able to shed light on his likes and dislikes from foods to his hobbies, creating a strange sense of humanity. This collection also provides the reader with fresh anecdotes, observations and portraits of Hitler's entourage and relatives. Plaim's images of Eva Braun come from finding torn fragments in the bin, whilst Dohring sheds light on Martin Bormann's demeanour.

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Book Synopsis"Up to the last moment, his overwhelming, despotic authority aroused false hopes and deceived his people and his entourage. Only at the end, when I watched the inglorious collapse and the obstinacy of his final downfall, was I able suddenly to fit together the bits of mosaic I had been amassing for twelve years into a complete picture of his opaque and sphinx-like personality." Otto Dietrich When Otto Dietrich was invited in 1933 to become Adolf Hitler's press chief, he accepted with the simple, uncritical conviction that Adolf Hitler was a great man, dedicated to promoting peace and the welfare for the German people. At the end of the war, imprisoned and disillusioned, Dietrich sat down to write what he had seen and heard in twelve years of the closest association with Hitler, requesting that it be published after his death. Dietrich's role placed him in a privileged position. He was hired by Hitler in 1933, and was a confidant until 1945, and he worked and clashed with Joseph Goebbels. His direct, personal experience of life at the heart in the Reich makes for compelling reading.

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Book SynopsisDonald Maclean was a star diplomat, an establishment insider and a keeper of some of the West’s greatest secrets. He was also a Russian spy…Codenamed ‘Orphan’ by his Russian recruiter, Maclean was Britain’s most gifted traitor. But as he leaked huge amounts of top-secret intelligence, an international code-breaking operation was rapidly closing in on him. Moments before he was unmasked, Maclean escaped to Moscow.Drawing on a wealth of previously classified material, A Spy Named Orphan now tells this story for the first time in full, revealing the character and devastating impact of perhaps the most dangerous Soviet agent of the twentieth century.‘Superb’ William Boyd‘Fascinating… An exceptional story of espionage and betrayal, thrillingly told’ Philippe Sands‘A cracking story… Impressively researched’ Sunday Times‘Philipps makes the story and the slow uncovering of [Maclean’s] treachery a gripping narrative’ Alan BennettTrade ReviewBrilliantly fluent...fascinating...[Philipps] writes so cleanly, and at such a clip, handling the big scenes with aplomb...This biography first grips and then lingers long in the mind. It is a page-turner of the most empathetic kind. -- Rachel Cooke * Guardian *Superb…full of contemporary relevance… Philipps relates the complex narrative of Maclean’s treason…with tremendous aplomb, limpidity and acuity -- WILLIAM BOYD * New Statesman *With A Spy Named Orphan, the last piece of this bizarre jigsaw falls into place. The outline story is familiar, but the amount of new detail here — on Maclean's personal, professional, and secret lives – exceeds all expectations. Roland Philipps has managed to make the new material come alive by relating it intimately to its historical context, of which he has a deep and sympathetic understanding. -- Sebastian Faulks, author of BIRDSONGThe definitive account of the life of a “gifted” traitor… Impressive… By drawing on a wealth of previously classified material, Philipps weaves a gripping tale of misplaced loyalty, intrigue and betrayal that is unlikely to be bettered -- Dominic Midgley * Daily Express *Fascinating and page-turning. An exceptional story of espionage and betrayal, thrillingly told. I devoured it. -- Philippe Sands, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for EAST WEST STREET

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Book SynopsisFrom one of America’s greatest non-fiction writers, an epic saga of the rise and fall of American power, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, told through the life of one man.**WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BIOGRAPHY PRIZE 2019****FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2020**Richard Holbrooke was one of the most legendary and complicated figures in recent American history. Brilliant, utterly self-absorbed, and possessed of almost inhuman energy and appetites, he was both admired and detested. From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Holbrooke embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage. He was the force behind the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, America's greatest diplomatic achievement in the post-Cold War era. His power lay in an utter belief in himself and his idea of a muscular, generous foreign policy. But his sharp elbows and tireless self-promotion ensured that he never rose to the highest levels in government that he so desperately coveted. Holbrooke’s story is the story of the rise and fall of America during its era of supremacy: its strength, drive, and sense of possibility, as well as its penchant for overreach and heedless self-confidence. Drawing on Holbrooke’s diaries and papers, George Packer’s narrative is both intimate and epic in its revelatory portrait of this extraordinary and deeply flawed man, and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited.A GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR Trade ReviewPortrays Holbrooke in all of his endearing and exasperating self-willed glory... Both a sweeping diplomatic history and a Shakespearean tragicomedy… Our Man not only revitalizes but in some ways reinvents the art of journalistic biography… If you could read only one book to comprehend America’s foreign policy and its quixotic forays into quicksands over the past 50 years, this would be it. -- Walter Isaacson * New York Times *Rarely in recent years has a work of non-fiction so clearly, ruthlessly, compassionately shown such a prominent person’s life from the inside out. It is a masterwork about diplomacy, government and the world. -- Anand Giridharadas * Guardian, *Books of the Year* *Holbrooke in all his capacious brilliance and arrogance has been captured by George Packer… [Our Man] is, I strongly feel, a classic. * Washington Post *Outstanding... Our Man is one of the most fascinating dissections of US power – its strengths and serious weaknesses – I’ve read. * Guardian *Packer is one of the most talented non-fiction writers in the US. In his hands, a biography of a diplomat who never quite made it to the top becomes a history of modern America’s entanglement with the world. -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times, *Books of the Year* *

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Book Synopsis'Hastings is one of our greatest living biographers' Simon Heffer, Daily TelegraphSybille Bedford's life contained all the grand feeling and seismic events of the twentieth century: war and peace, love and trauma, friendship and death. Her father died when she was just fourteen and her mother, a great socialite and litterateur, fell victim to a debilitating morphine addiction. A bon viveur, she roamed from country to country in search of fresh experience, with ear and eye attuned to her surroundings, typewriter at the ready. Full of intense friendships (Aldous Huxley, Martha Gellhorn and Elizabeth Jane Howard among them), a fierce commitment to the craft of writing, as well as an insatiable appetite for love and sex, Sybille Bedford blazed her own path in her life and her art.'Selina Hastings' wonderful, gossipy biography is a gem, revealing not just the shy writer, but also the colourful, turbulent 20th-century literary world in which she lived' Sunday Times, Books of the Year'A wonderful biography' Sara Wheeler, Spectator'An extraordinary story' The Times'A richly entertaining biography' Daily Mail, Books of the YearTrade ReviewA wonderful biography... Elegant, deft and restrained -- Sara Wheeler * Spectator *[An] elegantly written, intimate biography... This is a remarkably candid, minutely detailed and compulsively readable book about a life lived to the full -- Rebecca Wallersteiner * Lady *So good, so full of naughty detail, evocation and grudging affection that you can enjoy it without ever having to read the works of Sybille Bedford -- Barry Humphries * Oldie *Selina Hastings's wonderful, gossipy biography is a gem -- Lucy Atkins * Sunday Times, *Books of the Year* *[Bedford's life is] elegantly related by Selina Hastings -- Brooke Allen * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis*** The Sunday Times bestseller ***'Vividly imagined and prodigiously researched' Helen Davies, Sunday Times, Books of the Year 'Such a rewarding read' John Preston, Daily Mail, Books of the Year'This odd, secretive man is brought to life', Robbie Millen, The Times, Books of the YearMaxwell Knight was a paradox. A jazz obsessive and nature enthusiast (he is the author of the definitive work on how to look after a gorilla), he is seen today as one of MI5's greatest spymasters, a man who did more than any other to break up British fascism during the Second World War – in spite of having once belonged to the British Fascisti himself. He was known to his agents and colleagues simply as M, and was rumoured to be part of the inspiration for the character M in the James Bond series.Knight became a legendary spymaster despite an almost total lack of qualifications. What set him apart from his peers was a mercurial ability to transform almost anyone into a fearless secret agent. He was the first in MI5 to grasp the potential of training female agents.M is about more than just one man however. In its pages, Hemming reveals for the first time in print the names and stories of seven men and women recruited by Knight, on behalf of MI5, and then asked to infiltrate the most dangerous political organizations in Britain at that time. Until now, their identities have been kept secret outside MI5. Drawn from every walk of life, they led double lives—often at great personal cost—in order to protect the country they loved. With the publication of this book, it will be possible at last to celebrate the lives of these courageous, selfless individuals.Drawing on declassified documents, private family archives and interviews with retired MI5 officers as well as the families of MI5 agents, M reveals not just the shadowy world of espionage but a brilliant, enigmatic man at its centre.Trade ReviewFascinating biography ... Hemming has done a superb job -- Ben Macintyre * The Times, 'Book of the Week' *Excellent biography… The author has done a terrific job of unscrambling Knight’s muddled life * The Sunday Times *Jaw-droppingly revelatory biography. ***** * Mail on Sunday *‘Compelling new biography… Hemming has done a wonderful espionage job of his own, scouring obscure files to bring long-hidden agents and their exploits to light. It is also a gripping portrait of an era, now long gone, when the establishment could accommodate such extravagant oddness. * Daily Telegraph *Henry Hemming has found a peach of a subject... Full of new material, fresh interpretations and uncompromising integrity... He has managed the great feat of producing a rattling good read that is also a major piece of revisionist history -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Wall Street Journal *Hemming has written a very readable, thoughtful and comprehensive account -- Alan Judd * Literary Review *I raced through Henry Hemming's book, constantly having to remind myself that it wasn't a work of fiction. It really has everything you'd want from a great espionage story: incredible agents risking their lives; the highest possible stakes, with the safety of the world hanging in the balance; and at its heart a complicated, mercurial spy master in Maxwell Knight spinning an ever more intricate web. -- Matt Charman, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of 'Bridge of Spies'A major new biography * Mail on Sunday *Engaging and suspenseful * Financial Times *Lively contribution to a maverick literature * The Observer *Crammed with cracking stories and founded on sound research, Henry Hemming’s biography of Maxwell Knight – ‘M’ – stands comparison with the bestselling books of Ben Macintyre. -- Adam Sisman (Author of John Le Carré)Absolute proof that assiduous digging in the archives can produce scoops. This is intelligence research at its best, especially in the identification of hitherto anonymous agents. Definitely a great contribution to the literature. -- Nigel West (Author of MI5)A fascinating portrait of a complex man. Espionage writing at its best. -- Charles Cumming (Author of A Divided Spy)A cracking read, which both informs and entertains in equal measure. -- Robin Handbury-Tenison * Country Life *Henry Hemming's excellent new life of Maxwell Knight [...] the most convincing, balanced and intricate biography of this extraordinary figure. -- Alex Bughart * The Spectator *‘A terrific life of the brilliant and eccentric spymaster’ * The Sunday Times *A jaw-droppingly revelatory biography * EVENT magazine, Mail on Sunday *The odd chap is brought to life * The Times *This is a terrific book, well researched and superbly written * The Guardian *a fascinating biography * Keith Simpson MP’s Summer Reading List *

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Book SynopsisMargaret Tudor was Henry VIII's older sister and became the Queen of Scotland after her marriage to James IV in 1503. Her life was troubled and fraught with tension. She was continually caught between her country of birth and the country she ruled. After James IV's death, she made the disastrous decision to marry the Earl of Angus, threatening her regency and forcing the Scottish council to send for the Duke of Albany to rule in her stead. Over the years, Margaret's allegiance swung between England and Scotland, making her brother Henry VIII both her ally and her enemy at times. Although Margaret wished for peace between the two countries, these were tumultuous years and she didn't always make the wisest choices. Yet, all she did she did for her son James V, and her absolute conviction he would rule Scotland as its rightful king.

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Book Synopsis'Adam Plowright's excellent book captures the strangeness of Macron's life' Evening StandardTHE FIRST BIOGRAPHY OF EMMANUEL MACRON IN ENGLISHFrom total unknown to one of Europe's most powerful men in just a few years, at 39, France's youngest leader since Napoleon is intent on conquering the world stage. But what lies beneath the façade of this youthful, ultra-confident and calculating president? How did someone from small-town France assemble -- in just 12 months -- the network, team and finances to win the presidency? Now elected, can he make the French feel better about themselves? Can he rally Europe around him and turn the tide of right-wing nationalism sweeping the continent? Critically, what will his presidency mean for Britain?Featuring never-before printed interviews with key members of Macron's team, his friends, mentors and political detractors, acclaimed Paris-based journalist Adam Plowright asks: can the shine on this brilliant new president last? And for how long?Trade ReviewAdam Plowright's excellent book captures the strangeness of Macron's life -- Richard Vinen * Evening Standard *Eye-catching detail * Financial Times *For real insight into the remarkable rise - and character - of the new French president, Plowright's is the book to read * Financial Times *a highly readable and well-judged portrait of a fascinating character whose emergence on the world stage earlier this year took many outside France entirely by surprise. * The Times *Written in a highly approachable style, the book reveals how a combination of intelligence, charm and good fortune helped Macron get to the top, and also explores the possible pitfalls that lie ahead. * French Property News *

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Book Synopsis'A stalwart anti-racist and anti-apartheid campaigner.' Doreen (Baroness) Lawrence'From fighting for Nelson Mandela's freedom to exposing his betrayal under Jacob Zuma, a 50 year story of constant campaigning.' Sir Trevor McDonald, broadcasterThe powerful and timely story of Peter Hain's political life fighting South African apartheid and modern-day corruption.Peter Hain has had a dramatic 50-year political career, in Britain and his native South Africa. This is the story of that extraordinary journey, from Pretoria to the House of Lords.Hain vividly describes his anti-apartheid parents' arrest and harassment in the early 1960s, the hanging of a close white family friend, and enforced London exile in 1966. After organising militant anti-Springbok demonstrations he became 'Public Enemy Number One' in the South African media. Narrowly escaping jail for disrupting all-white South African sports tours, he was framed for bank robbery and nearly assassinated by a bomb.He used British parliamentary privilege to expose looting and money laundering in President Jacob Zuma's administration, informed by his government 'deep throat', and likely influenced Zuma's resignation. Hain ends by exhorting South Africa to reincarnate Nelson Mandela's vision and integrity for the future.Praise for A Pretoria Boy:'Peter's gripping story and his passionate activism resonates with me over our common (African) childhood and exile in Britain.' Natasha Kaplinsky, broadcaster'A tour de force over an extraordinary half century of campaigning for justice.' Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and United Nations Development Chief'Talk about courage and chutzpah - this young 'un helped topple apartheid!' Ronnie Kasrils, former ANC underground chief and MinisterTrade ReviewEngrossing, thrilleresque ... impossible to put down. * Justice Malala, journalist and author *A stalwart anti-racist and anti-apartheid campaigner. -- Doreen (Baroness) LawrenceA tour de force over an extraordinary half century of campaigning for justice. -- Helen Clark, former New Zealand Prime Minister and United Nations Development ChiefPeter's gripping story and his passionate activism resonates with me over our common (African) childhood and exile in Britain -- Natasha Kaplinsky, broadcasterFrom fighting for Nelson Mandela's freedom to exposing his betrayal under Jacob Zuma, a 50 year story of constant campaigning. -- Sir Trevor McDonald, broadcasterTalk about courage and chutzpah - this young 'un helped topple apartheid! -- Ronnie Kasrils, former ANC underground chief and Minister

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Book SynopsisJohn Major's prime ministership was an eventful one. Between 1990 and 1997 he presided over Britain's participations in the Gulf War, the start of the Northern Ireland peace process, the Maastricht Treaty negotiations and, of course, Black Wednesday and Britain's exit from the ERM, as well as a surprise fourth consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party. An Unsuccessful Prime Minister? is the first wide-ranging appraisal of John Major's government in nearly two decades. Widely criticised by politicians on the right of the Conservative Party and from the other political parties as well as by journalists, Major's government was living on borrowed time towards the end, beset by splits over Europe and by allegations of sleaze before being crushed by New Labour in the 1997 general election. This book reconsiders the role of John Major as Prime Minister and the policy achievements of his government, and argues that although it was not one of the greatest of governments it did have more success than critics would allow.Trade Review"Twenty years after he left office, John Major's reputation is undergoing an extraordinary recovery. Written with great insight, the essays in this fascinating volume will surely shape the way we think about Major himself, his government and 1990s Britain. Astute, thoughtful and often surprising, they suggest that his government had far more substantial achievements than was often thought at the time, while the man himself emerges as one of our most likeable, pragmatic and effective Prime Ministers. A tremendous book." - Dominic Sandbrook; "As a member of John Major's Cabinet, I saw at first hand the challenges and frustrations as well as successes. It did so much better than its critics recognised at the time. I welcome this appraisal which, though by no means uncritical, offers a better balanced assessment than has previously been available." - Virginia Bottomley; "John Major had a torrid time as Prime Minister, but was a more substantial figure than his critics suggested. This timely reassessment of his record and achievements is an important corrective and should be read by everyone interested in the modern Conservative Party." - Andrew Gamble, University of Sheffield

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Book SynopsisWhen David Cameron and Nick Clegg stepped out into the rose garden at No. 10 to launch the first coalition government since the Second World War, some doubted whether the coalition could survive a full term - or even a full year. Five years later, this bold departure for British politics had weathered storms, spending cuts and military strikes, rows, referendums and riots.In this compelling insider account, David Laws lays bare the inner workings of the coalition government from its birth in 2010 to its demise in 2015. As a key figure at the heart of government, he witnessed first-hand the triumphs, the tantrums and the tactical manoeuvrings.Now, he brings this experience to bear, revealing how crucial decisions were made and uncovering the often explosive divisions between and within the coalition parties. Honest, insightful and at times shocking, Coalition shines a powerful light on perhaps the most fascinating political partnership of modern times.

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Book SynopsisIn a period when Western military engagement has unleashed violent sectarianism global terrorism, and become a catalyst for the biggest exodus of migrants since the Second World War, the 1999 Nato intervention in Kosovo remains a unique and shining example of a process that led to a peaceful transition from vicious ethnic war to modern democracy. Less than twenty years ago, a young ethnic Albanian student leader called Hashim Thaci, led a revolution against Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian tyrant with the biggest military force in Europe, and convinced the West to bomb Belgrade out of Kosovo. The aerial bombardment beckoned a period of unrivalled peace in the Balkans which Western leaders who sought to subsequently overturn other tyrannies in foreign lands would view with envy as a rare successful model. Nato intervention in Kosovo, led by Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, resulted in democracy and the rule of law. By contrast, however, attempts by George W.Bush to effect regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by America, Britain and France to do the same in Libya, have left lethal power vacuums filled by Islamist insurgents, and brought about the downfall of Western leaders themselves. This book is the story of the rare success of Western military intervention and the first biography of the new President of Kosovo, the youngest country in Europe.

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Book SynopsisFOREWORD BY PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY When Constance Markievicz stood for election as MP for Dublin St Patrick's in 1918, few people believed she could win the seat - yet she did. A breakthrough in the bitter struggle for female enfranchisement had come earlier that year, followed by a second landmark piece of legislation allowing women to be elected to Parliament - and Markievicz duly became the first female MP. A member of Sinn Fein, she refused to take her seat. She did, however, pave the way for future generations, and only eleven months later, Nancy Astor entered the Commons. A century on from that historic event, 491 women have now passed through the hallowed doors of Parliament. Each one of these pioneers has fought tenaciously to introduce enduring reform, and in doing so has helped revolutionise Britain's political landscape, ensuring that women's contributions are not consigned to the history books. Containing profiles of every woman MP from 1918 to 1996, and with female contributors from Mary Beard to Caroline Lucas, Ruth Davidson to Yvette Cooper and Margaret Beckett to Ann Widdecombe, The Honourable Ladies is an indispensable and illuminating testament to the stories and achievements of these remarkable women.

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Book SynopsisFrom the tragic massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, to signing the Treaty of Rome when Britain entered the Common Market, Barbara Hosking was there. This is the story of a Cornish scholarship girl with no contacts who ended up in the corridors of power. It is also the very personal story of her struggle with her sexuality as a bewildered teenager, and as a young woman in the 1950s, a time when being gay could mean social ostracism. Born during the General Strike in 1926, Barbara Hosking worked her way through London's typing pools in the 1950s to executive posts in the Labour Party, then to No. 10 as a press officer to Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Between working on a copper mine in the African bush, pioneering British breakfast television and negotiating the complexities of government, hers has been a life of breadth and bravery. This is Barbara Hosking's unheard-of account of the innermost workings of politics and the media amid the turbulence of twentieth-century Britain.

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Book SynopsisPolarising, combative, unconventional: few embody the fraught nature of British politics today quite like John Bercow. A man who is revered by his one-time opponents and condemned by his former bedfellows, he has traversed the deep chasm between the Conservative right and the liberal left during a career that has never been short of controversy. Thanks to his eventful decade as Speaker of the House of Commons, he is seen by some as a great moderniser; by others, a constitutional arsonist. In this revealing biography, political editor Sebastian Whale tracks Bercow’s journey from his childhood suffering at the hands of bullies, to his membership of the far-right Monday Club, through to his contentious Speakership, taking in bitter confrontations in the Commons, challenges to convention and attempted coups along the way. With the UK’s exit from the EU secured and bullying allegations beginning to resurface, Bercow’s legacy is under fresh scrutiny. Based on exclusive interviews with those close to the heart of Parliament, including both allies and detractors, this is the unvarnished story of John Bercow, one of the most influential political figures of the Brexit age.

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Book SynopsisStatesman, pre-eminent leader and founder of the free world’s then largest and most formidable trade union, Ernest Bevin was one of the most rousing figures of the twentieth century. Minister of Labour in the wartime coalition during the Second World War, he was Churchill’s right-hand man, masterminding the home front while the war supremo commanded the battle front. Afterwards, he was Foreign Secretary at one of the most critical moments in international history, responsible for keeping Stalin and communism out of Western Europe, and for creating West Germany, NATO and the transatlantic alliance, all of which underpin European democracy and security to this day. An orphan farm boy from Bristol, Bevin’s astonishing rise to fame and power is unmatched by any leader to this day. In this discerning and wide-ranging biography, Andrew Adonis examines how ‘the working-class John Bull’ grew to a position of such authority, and offers a critical reassessment of his life and influence. Finally exploring Bevin’s powerful legacy and lessons for our own age, Adonis restores this charismatic statesman to his rightful place among the pantheon of Britain’s greatest political leaders.Trade ReviewBook of the year, The Spectator; Political book of the year, The Times; 'A biography brimming with colour and insight that brings both the character of the man and his many achievements vividly to life.' Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer

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Book SynopsisIn September 1962, John Vassall, a clerk at the Admiralty in London, was unmasked as a Soviet spy. After being photographed in compromising positions while working at the British embassy in Moscow, Vassall was blackmailed into handing British defence secrets over to his Soviet handlers for seven years. While there have been several successful books and film adaptations about the Profumo, Jeremy Thorpe and Duchess of Argyll affairs, the story of John Vassall, who was responsible for a more serious intelligence breach, is ripe for retelling. It has everything: a honey trap, industrial-scale espionage, journalists jailed for not revealing their sources and the first modern tabloid witch-hunt, which resulted in a ministerial resignation and almost brought down Harold Macmillan’s government. With access to newly released MI5 files and interviews with people who knew Vassall from the 1950s until his death in 1996, this book sheds new light on a neglected spy scandal. Despite having been drugged and sexually assaulted by the KGB in Moscow, as a gay man John Vassall was shown no mercy by the British press or the courts. Sentenced to eighteen years in jail, he served ten years, despite telling MI5 everything. Once released, he found that many of his old friends and lovers had been persecuted or dismissed from the civil service in Britain, America and Australia. Unlike the Cambridge Five, who courted attention, after leaving prison Vassall changed his name to avoid the media and lived quietly in London. Including atmospheric detail about Dolphin Square – a hotbed of political intrigue but also a safe haven for members of the LGBT community – in the 1950s and ’60s, this is an explosive tale of sexual violence, betrayal, conspiracy, snobbery, homophobia and hypocrisy that blows apart some of the British establishment’s darkest secrets.

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Book SynopsisMary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Millicent Fawcett, Emmeline Pankhurst, Constance Markievicz, Nancy Astor They terrorised the establishment. They fought for the vote. They pushed back boundaries and revolutionised our world. For the hundredth anniversary of the historic moment the franchise was finally extended to women, here is a selection of suffragette and suffragist activists and pioneering MPs from the pages of Jenni Murray’s bestselling A History of Britain in 21 Women. Set against the backdrop of a world where equality is still to be achieved, it is a vital reminder of the great women who fought for change.Trade Review‘Celebrates the defiant spirit of Britain’s groundbreaking heroines’ * Daily Mail *‘The perfect introduction to the female pioneers who spearheaded the women’s movement and the fight for women’s suffrage.’ * Vintage Life *

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Book SynopsisA BBC History Magazine Book of the Year A writer, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer, Sir Walter Ralegh lived more lives than most in his own time, in any time. The fifth son of a Devonshire gentleman, he rose to become Queen Elizabeth’s favourite, only to be charged with treason by her successor. Less than a year after the death of his Queen, Ralegh was in the Tower, watching as the scene was set for his own execution. Patriot or Traitor is the dramatic story of his rise and fall.Trade Review‘What brings the book to brilliant life is Ralegh’s voice. In conversation with his writing, Beer’s prose soars… It’s hard not to think Sir Walter would have approved.’ * Guardian *‘Beer’s book is a rigorous and readable take on her subject – it captures the full scope of the character of Ralegh, one that remains frustrating, but endlessly fascinating.’ * The Times *‘This beautifully written and impeccably researched biography offers a fresh perspective on one of the most colourful and controversial characters of the Tudor and Stuart age. The hero of Elizabeth I and the scourge of her successor, Ralegh is brought to life as never before.’ -- Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors‘With colourful detail and astute interpretation, esteemed historian Beer follows Ralegh’s dramatic rise and disastrous fall… the full story is well-told here.’ * Booklist *‘Heroic, grasping, gifted, a poet and politician, an explorer, dreamer and schemer – an iconic renaissance man brought vividly to life in this work of maturity, judgement and humanity.’ -- Sarah Fraser, author of The Prince Who Would Be King‘A fascinating investigation of Ralegh – bringing to life this complex, mysterious character, and the beginnings of the Elizabethan Empire in all its brutal reality – showing us the world he travelled and the Queen herself, commanding, frustrating, and unpicks the truth of his shocking and rapid fall from power.’ -- Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens‘A fascinating reappraisal. Beer brings Ralegh to life as a man, as well as providing exceptional detail on the times in which he lived. I highly recommend it.’ -- Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women‘Writing with pace and personality, Anna Beer captures Sir Walter Ralegh in all his paradoxical complexity: his bravery and intellectual energy, the man of violence who also wrote passionate poetry, his lust for life competing with a desire for a good death. Sometimes drawn to Ralegh and at other times repelled by him, Anna Beer assays his career with honesty and sharp observation.’ -- John Cooper, author of The Queen’s Agent‘Much of what we think we know about Sir Walter Ralegh – potatoes, tobacco, spreading his cloak over a “plashy place” – is fable. The real story is far more exciting. Here was a man who both achieved and failed extravagantly, who was both hated and loved excessively, and who both lived life and faced death courageously. In this fascinating, eloquent and scholarly new book, Anna Beer reveals the full measure of the man.’ -- Suzannah Lipscomb, author of The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII

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Book SynopsisVladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the October 1917 uprising, is one of the most misunderstood leaders of the twentieth century. In his own time, there were many, even among his enemies, who acknowledged the full magnitude of his intellectual and political achievements. But his legacy has been lost in misinterpretation; he is worshipped but rarely read.Tariq Ali explores the two major influences on Lenin's thought - the turbulent history of Tsarist Russia and the birth of the international labour movement - and explains how Lenin confronted dilemmas that still cast a shadow over the present. Is terrorism ever a viable strategy? Is support for imperial wars ever justified? Can politics be made without a party? Was the seizure of power in 1917 morally justified? Should he have parted company from his wife and lived with his lover?In The Dilemmas of Lenin, Ali provides an insightful portrait of Lenin's deepest preoccupations and underlines the clarity and vigour of his theoretical and political formulations. He concludes with an affecting account of Lenin's last two years, when he realized that "we knew nothing" and insisted that the revolution had to be renewed lest it wither and die.Trade ReviewReading this book on your vacation will make your life better and your mind broader. -- Branko Milanovic, * author of Global Inequalities *Ali encourages the reader to take a fresh look at Lenin's choices in the context of a repressive autocracy, the poverty and misery of the bulk of the population under tsarism and the industrialised slaughter of the first world war. What underpins his book is the view that October was an "innocent and utopian birth" that was subsequently "twisted" into Stalinism by three devastating years of civil war. -- Daniel Beer * Guardian *A powerful tool for those wanting to understand the real Lenin and therefore the real politics behind those revolutionaries who fought so hard but ultimately failed in their goal. -- Lindsey German * Counterfire *

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Book SynopsisThe Fearless Benjamin Lay chronicles the transatlantic life and times of a singular and astonishing man-a Quaker dwarf who became one of the first ever to demand the total, unconditional emancipation of all enslaved Africans around the world. He performed public guerrilla theatre to shame slave masters, insisting that human bondage violated the fundamental principles of Christianity. He wrote a fiery, controversial book against bondage that Benjamin Franklin published in 1738. He lived in a cave, made his own clothes, refused to consume anything produced by slave labour, championed animal rights, and embraced vegetarianism. He acted on his ideals to create a new, practical, revolutionary way of life.Trade ReviewBenjamin Lay was a Quaker, a philosopher, a sailor, a commoner and a revolutionary abolitionist. Crossing the seas from Colchester to Philadelphia and beyond he spoke truth to power and, as a little person, waged a politics of the body in his everyday life. His antinomian radicalism has been wonderfully excavated by Marcus Rediker in this eloquent testament. -- Catherine Hall, author of Legacies of British Slave-Ownership and Civilising SubjectsAdmirers of Marcus Rediker’s splendid The Slave Ship will be delighted by this historian’s new book. Sailor, pioneer of guerrilla theater, and a man who would stop at nothing to make his fellow human beings share his passionate outrage against slavery, Benjamin Lay has long needed a modern biographer worthy of him, and now he has one. -- Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost

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