Biography: historical, political and military Books
Pegasus Books Shackleton
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£18.00
Pegasus Books Lawrence of Arabia: My Journey in Search of T. E.
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£28.80
Counterpoint Escudo Americano: El sargento inmigrante que
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£22.40
Chicago Review Press This Is Really War: The Incredible True Story of
Book SynopsisIn January 1940, navy nurse Dorothy Still eagerly anticipated her new assignment at a military hospital in the Philippines. Her first year abroad was an adventure. She dated sailors and attended dances. But as 1941 progressed, signs of imminent war grew more urgent. Military wives and children were shipped home to the States, and the sailors increased their daily drills. Days after Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Japanese military assaulted the Philippines. When Manila fell to Japan in early January 1942, Dorothy was held captive in a hospital and then transferred to a civilian prison camp. Under the direction of Chief Nurse Laura Cobb, Dorothy and ten other navy nurses maintained rank and reported each day to a makeshift hospital. Cramped conditions, disease, and poor nutrition meant the navy nurses and their army counterparts were overwhelmed caring for the camp. In May 1943, a civilian physician asked Cobb if the navy nurses would consider transferring to a new prison camp in the countryside. The twelve nurses feared the unknown, but they could not deny they were needed. On the morning of their departure, inmates used the public address system to play the navy fight song, "Anchors Aweigh." The nurses were overwhelmed by the response. They had indeed been the anchors of the camp, who kept ill inmates form drifting. In the new prison camp, the "twelve anchors" turned a stripped infirmary into a functioning hospital. Despite their own ailments, they provided nonstop care for starving, diseased, and abused inmates. Over the years, their friendships deepened, and several of the women, including Dorothy, even found love.This Is Really War is an inspiring story about a young nurse who fought for life during a dark time.Trade Review" This Is Really War tells the mostly unknown story of the US Navy nurses captured by the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II. The reader will learn how these nurses, who considered themselves average women, rose to the challenge and survived a prison experience that many, many others did not. A thoroughly researched, fascinating book." Elizabeth Norman, author of We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan and Women at War: The Story of Fifty Military Nurses Who Served in Vietnam"With her vivid style coupled with immaculate research, Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi tells an incredible true story that reads like great fiction. This Is Really War is an unflinching portrait of women surviving the unthinkable. This is history both epic and personal, recounted by a gifted writer." Arnie Bernstein, author of Swastika Nation: Fritz Kuhn and the Rise and Fall of the German-American Bund" This Is Really War is a testament to both the horrors of Japanese captivity during the Second World War and the resilience of the American nurses forced to endure it. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi's beautifully detailed writing is equal parts captivating and heartbreaking." Kathryn J. Atwood, author of Women Heroes of World War II"Lucchesi's well-researched, horrifying story effectively and compassionately recounts underappreciated courage, professionalism, and resiliency." -- Booklist
£23.36
Chicago Review Press Brooklyn to Baghdad: An NYPD Intelligence Cop
Book SynopsisBrooklyn to Baghdad is the true story of a retired NYPD intelligence sergeant applying his street-cop tactics and interrogation skills against a lethal insurgency that had infected Iraq. A group of retired Special Forces soldiers and law enforcement experts came together to form the counterinsurgency group codenamed “Phoenix Team.” Exposing the corruption of both the Iraqi and US governments, the team faced serious setbacks and challenges. Brooklyn to Baghdad shows the effectiveness of Phoenix Team, their ability to process forensic evidence and human intelligence gleaned through interrogations at the point of capture to provide direct targeting for follow-on missions. This memoir also illustrates the politics of Washington, DC, and the US Army in the war-fighting effort, which continually hampered complete success while simultaneously preserving career aspirations. Throughout are many humorous and emotional anecdotes that reveal the men behind the missions and the toll the theater of war takes on real human livesTrade Review"An exhilarating and infuriating look at busting bad guys on both sides of the Earth. Feel secure that the man about to tell you his story of law enforcement from Brooklyn to Baghdad is of the utmost character. You are in good hands." Vincent Marra, NYPD Deputy Inspector, Ret., from his foreword"If you don't understand how important a weapon on-the-ground intelligence and interrogationor, as Christopher Strom might put it, 'talking' can be, you need to read this book. 'Phoenix' and similar intel programs played an important role in Iraq and will continue to do so in any future conflict; here they are presented at ground level. Brooklyn to Baghdad illuminates a part of modern warfare rarely mentioned in history books, let alone news accounts of war. Its warts-and-more portrayal of personalities is refreshing. Its candid discussion not only of problems but of the dilemmas and ethics, or occasional lack thereof, of contemporary policing and military intelligence gathering makes it more than just a page-turner, though it is that, too. Strom, Preisler, and Benson have added an important book to the post-9/11 oeuvre." Jim DeFelice, coauthor of American Sniper, Every Man a Hero , and other bestsellers"Terse, detailed account of a no-nonsense cop's time running interrogations in Iraq."Kirkus Reviews"Overall, this is a highly informative glimpse into the cat and mouse side of counterterrorism." Booklist Online
£22.46
Chicago Review Press The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of
Book Synopsis2018 and 2019 Washington State Book Award Finalist (Biography/Memoir) • Excerpted in The Atlantic and Politico • TIME Magazine – One of 6 Books to Read in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death Martin Luther King Jr. was a cautious nineteen-year-old rookie preacher when he left Atlanta, Georgia, to attend divinity school up north. At Crozer Theological Seminary, King, or “ML” back then, immediately found himself surrounded by a white staff and white professors. Even his dorm room had once been used by wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In addition, his fellow seminarians were almost all older; some were soldiers who had fought in World War II, others pacifists who had chosen jail instead of enlisting. ML was facing challenges he’d barely dreamed of. A prankster and a late-night, chain-smoking pool player, ML soon fell in love with a white woman, all the while adjusting to life in an integrated student body and facing discrimination from locals in the surrounding town of Chester, Pennsylvania. In class, ML performed well, though he demonstrated a habit of plagiarizing that continued throughout his academic career. But he was helped by friendships with fellow seminarians and the mentorship of the Reverend J. Pius Barbour. In his three years at Crozer between 1948 and 1951, King delivered dozens of sermons around the Philadelphia area, had a gun pointed at him (twice), played on the basketball team, and eventually became student body president. These experiences shaped him into a man ready to take on even greater challenges. Based on dozens of revealing interviews with the men and women who knew him then,The Seminarian is the first definitive, full-length account of King’s years as a divinity student at Crozer Theological Seminary. Long passed over by biographers and historians, this period in King’s life is vital to understanding the historical figure he soon became.
£16.10
Chicago Review Press Jack Ruby: The Many Faces of Oswald's Assassin
Book SynopsisJack Ruby changed history with one bold, violent action: killing accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV two days after the November 22, 1963, murder of President John F. Kennedy. But who was Jack Ruby, and how did he come to be in that spot on that day? As we approach the sixtieth anniversaries of the murders of Kennedy and Oswald, Jack Ruby’s motives are as maddeningly ambiguous today as they were the day that he pulled the trigger. The fascinating yet frustrating thing about Ruby is that there is evidence to paint him as at least two different people. Much of his life story points to him as bumbling, vain, violent, and neurotic; a product of the grinding poverty of Chicago’s Jewish ghetto; a man barely able to make a living or sustain a relationship with anyone besides his dogs. By the same token, evidence exists of Jack Ruby as cagey and competent, perhaps not a mastermind, but a useful pawn of the Mob and of both the police and the FBI; someone capable of running numerous legal, illegal, and semi-legal enterprises, including smuggling arms and vehicles to both sides in the Cuban revolution; someone capable of acting as middleman in bribery schemes to have imprisoned Mob figures set free.Cultural historian Danny Fingeroth's research includes a new, in-depth interview with Rabbi Hillel Silverman, the legendary Dallas clergyman who visited Ruby regularly in prison and who was witness to Ruby’s descent into madness. Fingeroth also conducted interviews with Ruby family members and associates. The book’s findings will catapult you into a trip through a house of historical mirrors. At its end, perhaps Jack Ruby’s assault on history will begin to make sense. And perhaps we will understand how Oswald’s assassin led us to the world we live in today.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Killing the Killer 2. Assassination 3. World’s Apart 4. A World Gone Mad 5. War at Home, War Abroad 6. The Old Frontier 7. The Personal and the Political 8. Converging Forces 9. Life Is a Carousel 10. The New Frontier 11. The Center Cannot Hold 12. Autumn in New York . . . and Dallas 13. Murder Most Foul 14. Frenzy 15. Hero of the People 16. Whom the Gods Would Destroy 17. Dallas Justice 18. Sound and Fury 19. Pyrrhic Victory 20. Going Home 21. Afterlife Index
£24.26
Beaver's Pond Press The Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the
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£20.85
University of Delaware Press Victorine du Pont: The Force behind the Family
Book SynopsisVictorine Elizabeth du Pont, the first child of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont and his wife Sophie, was seven years old when her family emigrated to America, where her father established the humble beginnings of what would become a corporate giant. Through correspondence with friends and relatives from the ages of eight to sixty-eight, Victorine unwittingly chronicled the first sixty years of the du Pont saga in America. As she recovered from personal tragedy, she became first tutor of her siblings and relations. This biography makes the case that Victorine has had the broadest—and most enduring—influence within the entire du Pont family of any family member. The intellectual heir of her venerable grandfather, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, although Victorine grew up in an age where women's opportunities were limited, her pioneering efforts in education, medicine, and religion transformed an entire millworkers’ community. Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Genealogies Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours Family Portraits Foreword Dr. David Cole Preface Acknowledgments Note to the Reader 1 France, 1792–1795 2 America’s Turn 3 Wilmington, Delaware 4 Emergence 5 Post-Rivardi Years 6 Ferdinand 7 Mourning on the Brandywine 8 Departures and Arrivals 9 Life and Spirit on the Brandywine 10 The Brandywine Manufacturer’s Sunday School 11 A New Superintendent 12 Second Mother 13 A Growing Family, a Thriving Community 14 National Recognition 15 Legacies and Conflicts 16 Loss and Restoration 17 A Time to Build 18 Bells 19 Feeling an Interest 20 Nearing Home 21 Pathway’s End 22 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index
£999.99
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Empieza, sigue o déjalo / Start, Stay, or Leave:
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£16.11
University Press of Colorado Eben Smith: The Dean of Western Mining
Book SynopsisDavid Forsyth recounts the life of Eben Smith, an integral but little-known figure in Colorado mining history.
£999.99
Iter Press Selected Letters, 1514–1543
Book SynopsisThe voluminous correspondence of Maria Salviati de’ Medici. In recent years, there has been an upsurge of interest in Maria Salviati de’ Medici, specifically, in her role in Medici governance and her relationships with other members of the Medici court. Maria Salviati’s surviving correspondence documents a life spent close to the centers of Medici power in Florence and Rome, giving witness to its failures, resurrection, and eventual triumph. Presented here for the first time in English, this book is a representative sample of Maria’s surviving letters that document her remarkable life through a tumultuous period of Italian Renaissance history. While she earned the exasperation of some, she gained the respect of many more. Maria ended her life as an influential dowager, powerful intercessor for local Tuscans of all strata, and wise elder in Duke Cosimo I’s court. The first critical, analytical, biographical work on Maria Salviati de’ Medici’s life and letter-writing in English. Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Illustrations Abbreviations Introduction: A Life in Letters Maria’s Early Life Maria as Wife Maria as Widowed Mother Lady Maria: Dowager Queen Lady Maria: Manager of the Children’s Court and Wise Elder Remembering Maria Maria Salviati de’ Medici as Letter Writer The Afterlife of Maria’s Correspondence Note on the Translation and Edition Selected Letters Letters 1–40: Maria as Wife, 1514–1526 Letters 41–75: Maria as Widowed Mother, 1527–1536 Letters 76–150: Lady Maria, 1537–1543 Appendix A: List of Selected Letters Appendix B: Genealogical Tables Appendix C: Names, Dates, Measures, Currency, and Time Bibliography Index
£999.99
WestBow Press Uncle Bob: The True Story of Bob Ogren
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£22.46
£32.24
BookBaby Ghost of Our Grandfather
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£15.19
The New York Review of Books, Inc John Aubrey, My Own Life
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£28.00
The New York Review of Books, Inc A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary,
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£15.26
The New York Review of Books, Inc War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary,
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£16.11
Fulcrum Publishing The Governor's Chessboard: A Lifetime of Public
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£15.26
Sourcebooks, Inc The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of
Book SynopsisThe story of the people who see beyond the stars—an astronomy book for adults still spellbound by the night sky.Humans from the earliest civilizations through today have craned their necks each night, using the stars to orient themselves in the large, strange world around them. Stargazing is a pursuit that continues to fascinate us: from Copernicus to Carl Sagan, astronomers throughout history have spent their lives trying to answer the biggest questions in the universe. Now, award-winning astronomer Emily Levesque shares the stories of modern-day stargazers in this new nonfiction release, the people willing to adventure across high mountaintops and to some of the most remote corners of the planet, all in the name of science.From the lonely quiet of midnight stargazing to tall tales of wild bears loose in the observatory, The Last Stargazers is a love letter to astronomy and an affirmation of the crucial role that humans can and must play in the future of scientific discovery.In this sweeping work of narrative science, Levesque shows how astronomers in this scrappy and evolving field are going beyond the machines to infuse creativity and passion into the stars and space and inspires us all to peer skyward in pursuit of the universe's secrets.Trade Review"Levesque leads readers on a pilgrimage to observatories throughout the world in her wonderful debut. This will particularly appeal to young women interested in science, but any stargazer would enjoy this joyous adventure through modern astronomy." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review"If you've ever wondered what astronomers do--what they really do—and the human journey from the era of eyepieces to gigantic robotic cameras, The Last Stargazers puts you there with compelling honesty, following the scientists and students with hundred-ton telescopes as backdrop." - Erik Asphaug, author of When the Earth Had Two Moons
£18.04
Fidelis Publishing, LLC Sgt. York His Life, Legend, and Legacy: The
Book SynopsisWar hero, Medal of Honor recipient, and subject of an Oscar-winning film, Sgt. Alvin York was the most famous soldier of his generation. But behind the honors and publicity was an uncompromising Christian patriot who suffered when his ideals were challenged by shifting views of faith, patriotism, and moral relativism. Untouched by German gunfire, York faced destruction from disease, disrespect, and the IRS. Sgt. York: His Life, Legend, and Legacy reveals the whole story of this great American figure based on original battlefield eyewitness reports, Hollywood archives, and interviews with York’s family and friends. This new edition includes a message from York’s ninety-year-old son, Andrew Jackson York.Trade Review''The greatest civilian soldier of the War.'' General John J. Pershing , describing Sergeant Alvin York, who later received the Congressional Medal of Honor, Prauthoy, France, 1919"What you did was the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe.'' Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Allied Commander in World War I, upon awarding Sergeant York the Croix de Guerre with Palm, St. Sliva, France, 1919''When I die, I had rather it be said about me that I gave my life toward aiding my fellow man than for it to be said that I became a millionaire through capitalizing on my fame as a fighter. I do not care to be remembered as a warrior; but as one who helped others to Christ.'' Sergeant York, speaking before the First Presbyterian Men's Club, Nashville, Tennessee, 1926"This exemplar of the American fighting man died in 1964, all but forgotten.'' Life magazine, describing Sergeant York in a special issue on American heroes, 1997
£15.15
Fidelis Publishing, LLC Walking Through the Fire: My Fight for the Heart
Book SynopsisJust two weeks after winning reelection to his ninth term in Congress, Steve King was stunned to learn the “Swamp” was poised to unleash a treacherous media blitzkrieg designed to kill his Congressional political career on the spot. The words, “They believe they can force you to resign” ring in his ears yet today. He knew Democrats and the media would pile on. Unfortunately, the threat was from within his party and it was far more dangerous. The Republican establishment, RINOs, elitists, globalists, and NeverTrumpers needed him out of the way. This is the full story.Table of ContentsCONTENTS Prologue . Chapter One: Running Risks Chapter Two: Sharing the Truth Chapter Three: Keeping Your Head Chapter Four: Forcing Your Heart Chapter Five: Manning Up Chapter Six: Finding My Voice Chapter Seven: Understanding Trump Chapter Eight: 2002: Honoring the Greatest Nation Chapter Nine: 2005: Elevating the English Language Chapter Ten: 2005: Defending America’s Intellectual Property Chapter Eleven: 2006: Defining Evil Chapter Twelve: 2006: Building the Wall Chapter Thirteen: 2009: Defending Constitutional Government Chapter Fourteen: 2010: Defending Common Sense Chapter Fifteen: 2011: Reviving a Dying Civilization Chapter Sixteen: 2012: Fighting for Life Chapter Seventeen: 2012: Rebutting the Left’s Slander Chapter Eighteen: 2012: Saying No to Multiculturalism Chapter Nineteen: 2013: Honoring the Rule of Law Chapter Twenty: 2015: Warning of the Islamic Threat Chapter Twenty-One: 2016: Defending Western Civilization Chapter Twenty-Two: 2016: Calling the Suicide Hotline Chapter Twenty-Three: 2017: Protecting a Beating Heart Chapter Twenty-Four: 2017: Restoring Our Civilization Chapter Twenty-Five: 2017: Nurturing a Miracle Chapter Twenty-Six: 2018: Redefining “McCarthyism” Chapter Twenty-Seven: 2019: Coping with the Collaborators Chapter Twenty-Eight: 2020: Keeping the Faith Appendix Notes
£22.46
The Liffey Press Charles Frederick Ball: From Dublin's Botanic
Book SynopsisWhen Charles Frederick Ball was killed at Gallipoli in 1915 The Irish Times called him ‘one of the best known botanists and horticulturists in Ireland’. Fred Ball (to friends and family) trained in horticulture at Kew Gardens in the UK, moved to Dublin in 1906, became Assistant Keeper at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, and was editor of the journal Irish Gardening. A skilled plant breeder, he could have expected, in time, to succeed Sir Frederick Moore as Keeper of the Botanic Gardens. Instead, he responded to the call to serve king and country, enlisting in the famous 7th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. This book describes Fred Ball’s life and achievements up to his tragic death at Suvla Bay in September 1915, shedding new light on his contribution to Irish horticulture as well as his time as a soldier. It is also the story of Fred Ball’s relationship with Alice Lane, the youngest daughter of a well to do Anglo-Irish family, who was the love of his life. They were married in Dublin in December 1914, just after Fred had joined up. The author, Alice’s grandson, discovered among his mother’s papers a small metal box containing over 100 letters that Fred wrote to Alice between 1911 and 1914. These letters, combined with further research in libraries and archives in Ireland and England, provide a captivating account of Fred Ball’s life in the Victorian and Edwardian worlds of which he was a part. Richly illustrated with historical photographs, Charles Frederick Ball offers a moving testament to a life tragically cut short. “A fascinating story, beautifully told. And what a wonderful collection of photographs.” – Jeff Kildea, author of Anzacs and Ireland “Excellent ... [a] really valuable reference … It is a sad though exciting story.” – Seamus O’Brien, Head Gardener, National Botanic Gardens, Kilmacurragh
£24.21
Allen & Unwin The Convict's Daughter: The scandal that shocked
Book SynopsisOne wet autumn evening in 1848, fifteen-year-old Mary Ann Gill stole out of a bedroom window in her father's Sydney hotel and took a coach to a local racecourse. There she was to elope with James Butler Kinchela, wayward son of the former Attorney-General. Her enraged father pursued them on horseback and fired two pistols at his daughter's suitor, narrowly avoiding killing him. What followed was Australia's most scandalous abduction trial of the era, as well as an extraordinary story of adventure and misadventure, both in Australia and abroad. Through humiliation, heartache, bankruptcy and betrayal, Mary Ann hung on to James' promise to marry her. This is a compelling biography of a currency lass born when convicts were still working the streets of Sydney. Starting with just a newspaper clipping, historian Kiera Lindsey has uncovered the world of her feisty great, great, great aunt, who lived and loved during a period of dramatic social and political change. 'A wonderfully vivid and pacey tale of passion, scandal and big ideas.' - Michael Cathcart, presenter of ABC Radio National's Books & Arts 'This is a ripper read and a great way of dealing with our history.' - Chris Wallace-CrabbeTrade Review'Archives, adventures, seduction and shipwrecks-The Convict's Daughter has it all.' - Lucy Bracey, Way Back When 'This is a ripper read and a great way of dealing with our history.' - Chris Wallace-Crabbe 'Unputdownable! I'm struck by Mary Ann's amazing audacity, and the way the book captures Sydney as a place so utterly brilliantly.' - Dr Catie Gilchrist, Dictionary of Sydney 'The Convict's Daughter might be called "the new history"-highly readable, in fact, a compelling page-turner, but resting on solid scholarship.' - Babette Smith, The Sydney Morning Herald
£16.16
Allen & Unwin Radio Girl: The story of the extraordinary Mrs
Book SynopsisWinner, Best 2020 Non-fiction, ACT Notable Awards As you climbed the rickety stairs of an old woolshed at Sydney harbour in 1944, you would hear the thrum of clicks and buzzes. Rows of men and women in uniforms and headsets would be tapping away vigorously at small machines, under the careful watch of their young female trainers. Presiding over the cacophony was a tiny woman, known to everyone as 'Mrs Mac', one of Australia's wartime legends.A smart girl from a poor mining town who loved to play with her father's tools, Violet McKenzie became an electrical engineer, a pioneer of radio and a successful businesswoman. As the clouds of war gathered in the 1930s, she defied convention and trained young women in Morse code, foreseeing that their services would soon be sorely needed. Always a champion of women, she was instrumental in getting Australian women into the armed forces. Mrs Mac was adored by the thousands of young women and men she trained, and came to be respected by the defence forces and the public too for her vision and contribution to the war effort. David Dufty brings her story to life in this heartwarming and captivating biography.'[An] incredible and inspiring life... Dufty's new biography captures her unwavering dedication in the face of adversity.' - Professor Genevieve Bell, Australian National University 'A cracking story about the famous Australian radio engineer you've never heard of.' - Dick Smith, entrepreneur and philanthropist Trade Review'Captivating account' - The Canberra Times'Violet McKenzie deserves to be regarded as an Australian legend' - Weekend Australian'There's much to love about this meticulously researched work on a fascinating woman whose story is largely lost to history' - The Saturday Paper'A charming and very human story of how one small person mobilised an army of communicators to meet a national emergency' - Australian Naval Institute
£19.51
Nimbus Publishing (CN) Duffy: Stardom to Senate to Scandal
£26.96
Nimbus Publishing (CN) Duffy: Stardom to Senate to Scandal
£19.76
Nimbus Publishing Ltd Aftershock: The Halifax Explosion and the Persecution of Pilot Francis Mackey
Book SynopsisMont Blanc, a French munitions ship, into Bedford Basin to join a convoy across the Atlantic when it was rammed by Belgian Relief vessel Imo. The resulting massive explosion destroyed Halifax's north end and left at least two thousand people dead, including pilot William Hayes aboard Imo. Who was to blame? Federal government and naval officials found in Pilot Mackey a convenient target for public anger. Charged with manslaughter, he was imprisoned, villainized in the press, and denied his pilot's license even after the charges were dropped. A century later he is still unfairly linked to the tragedy. Through interviews with Mackey's relatives, transcripts, letters, and newly exposed government documents, author Janet Maybee explores the circumstances leading up to the Halifax Explosion, the question of fault, and the impact on the pilot and his family of the unjust, deliberate persecution that followed.
£17.95
Caitlin Press Cataline: The Life of BC's Legendary Packer
Book SynopsisIn the early days of British Columbia, pack trains of horses or mules were a lifeline for the early pioneer population. Explorers, trappers, traders, miners, merchants, workers and settlers and relied on them for the materials needed to live and work. Packers were also vital to the building of railways, roads, and telegraph lines. Pack mule train drivers followed trails created over the years by the First Nations people and later by the fur trading companies, to travel between settlements in the rugged backcountry. The most famous of all the men who ran the pack trains was Jean Caux, who would enter British Columbias history as the legendary packer Cataline. Cataline came to North America from Southern France with his brother, eventually landing in British Columbia in 1858. Having learned the trade from Mexican packers in California and Washington, Cataline established a pack train operation that grew to be one of the most well-known and reliable in the province, including securing contracts with the government and Hudsons Bay Company. Cataline witnessed many of the pioneering events that shaped the province, including the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, the Cariboo Gold Rush of 1862, the coming of the railway to Ashcroft in 1886, and the Grand Trunk Pacific to Hazelton in 1912. Cataline also crossed paths with significant historical figures such as Judge Matthew Begbie, famed anthropologist James Teit, and Amelia York (née Paul, daughter of Chief Kowpelst (Telxkn) of the Nlakapamux people of Spuzzum), a world-famous First Nations basketmaker, with whom Cataline had two children. In Cataline, the legend and life of the man has been remembered in the words of his friends, his family, and those who chronicled the times and development of the province.
£14.99
Te Herenga Waka University Press Shirley Smith: An Examined Life
Book SynopsisShirley Smith was one of the most remarkable New Zealanders of the 20th century, a woman whose lifelong commitment to social justice, legal reform, gender equality and community service left a profound legacy. She was born in Wellington in1916. While her childhood was clouded by loss – her mother died when she was three months old and her beloved father, lawyer and later Supreme Court Judge David Smith, served overseas during the war – she had a privileged upbringing. She studied classics at Oxford University, where she threw herself into social, cultural and political activities. Despite contracting TB and spending months in a Swiss clinic, she graduated with a good Second and an intellectual and moral education that would guide her through the rest of her life. She returned to New Zealand when war broke out, and taught classics at Victoria and Auckland University Colleges, before marrying eminent economist and public servant Dr W.B. Sutch in 1944, and giving birth to a daughter in 1945. She kept her surname – unusual at the time – and poured her energy into issues of human rights and social causes. She qualified as a lawyer at the age of 40, and in her career of 40 years broke down many barriers, her relationship with the Mongrel Mob epitomising her role as a champion of the marginalised and vulnerable. In 1974, Bill Sutch was arrested and charged with espionage. After a sensational trial he was acquitted by a jury, but the question of his guilt has never been settled in the court of public opinion. Shirley had reached her own political turning point in 1956, with Khrushchev’s revelations about Stalin and the Hungarian crisis, but she remained loyal to her husband, and the ongoing controversy weighed heavily on her later years. Shirley Smith: An Examined Life tells the story of a remarkably warm and generous woman, one with a rare gift for frankness, an implacable sense of principle, and a personality of complexity and formidable energy. Her life was shaped by some of the most turbulent currents of the 20th century, and she in turn helped shape her country for the better.
£24.65
Reaktion Books Soren Kierkegaard
Book SynopsisThe Danish philosopher, theologian and author Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is widely considered to be one of the most important religious thinkers of the modern age. He is known as the `father of existentialism', but his work was also influential on theories of modernism, theology, Western culture, church politics and the Christian faith. His wit, imagination and humour have inspired a generation of followers from Franz Kafka to Woody Allen. But how did this inattentive schoolboy rise to critique the work of great thinkers such as Hegel and the German Romantics? Who was the unusual person writing behind the many pseudonyms? And in what way are Kierkegaard's concepts still relevant today? In this absorbing new biography Alastair Hannay unravels the mystery of Soren Kierkegaard's short but momentous career. Kierkegaard's key concepts and major works are described alongside the major incidents in his private and public life, from his longing for selfhood expressed at the age of 22, to a verbal assault on the Church in the months prior to his early death at the age of 42. Soren Kierkegaard is a story of a man destined to become a thorn in the side of society.
£999.99
Birlinn General Jane Haining: A Life of Love and Courage
Book Synopsis'Balances detailed research with powerful storytelling to create a well-written and heart-wrenching account' - Nicole Gemine, Press and Journal Jane Haining was undoubtedly one of Scotland’s heroines. A farmer’s daughter from Galloway in south-west Scotland, Jane went to work at the Scottish Jewish Mission School in Budapest in 1932, where she was a boarding school matron in charge of around 50 orphan girls. The school had 400 pupils, most of them Jewish. Jane was back in the UK on holiday when war broke out in 1939, but she immediately went back to Hungary to do all she could to protect the children at the school. She refused to leave in 1940, and again ignored orders to flee the country in March 1944 when Hungary was invaded by the Nazis. She remained with her pupils, writing 'if these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness'. Her brave persistence led to her arrest in by the Gestapo in April 1944, for "offences" that included spying, working with Jews and listening to the BBC. She died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz just a few months later, at the age of 47. Her courage and self-sacrifice, her choice to stay and to protect the children in her care, have made her an inspiration to many.Trade Review'Miller balances detailed research with powerful storytelling to create a well-written and heart-wrenching account, the message of which sombrely resonates today' -- Nicole Gemine * Press and Journal *'Mary Miller has written a detailed and very moving biography and Jane Haining is widely recognised as a woman of rare and noble character. Her story is both moving and ultimately horrifying and Miller tells it extremely well' -- Allan Massie * Scotsman *'In this well-researched and clearly written book Mary Miller pieces together the fragments of Jane Haining’s life. Haining’s firm moral compass emerges clearly, making her story heroic as well as heart-rending. Materially, she may have left little behind, but her legacy is enduring' * Church Times *'The story of a woman so committed to staying with her students as a missionary teacher that she risked and indeed suffered in the Holocaust is well told in this biography by Mary Miller' * Methodist Recorder *'Haining's is a terrible story but it is also an inspiring one, as as the stories of all those who looked evil in the face, and "no" to it' * Catholic Herald *'The definitive account of the life of the Dumfriesshire-born girl. Mary Miller has meticulously researched Jane Haining’s life and created a seamless and compelling acount' * Life and Work *'Meticulously researched, beautifully written and deeply moving. Mary Miller shows Jane not as a saint but as a living, breathing often laughing person. A fine biography about a fine and brave woman' -- Maggie Craig'Jane Haining, a Scottish woman killed by the Nazis for her work among Jews in wartime Hungary, has found the biographer that she deserves. Soberly, movingly, Mary Miller tells the story of her life, and her death, in the service of an ideal. An inspiring tale of quiet heroism' -- Neil MacGregor'A biography as calm, meticulous and movingly humane as Jane Haining herself. Mary Miller has reclaimed the life of a woman who embodied the best of Scotland and the finest values of her faith - and done her proud' -- Sally Magnusson
£999.99
Fonthill Media Ltd Hans Sturm: A Soldier's Odyssey on the Eastern
Book SynopsisThere are many biographies of former soldiers of the German Wehrmacht, many of whom had fascinating stories to tell, and several of whom were highly decorated. Few, however, can match Hans Sturm in his astonishing rise from a mere private in an infantry regiment, thrown into the bloody maelstrom of the Eastern Front, to becoming a glorified war hero whose role brought him into direct regular contact with Prominenten of the Third Reich. This young man's fearless heroism in combat earned him some of Germany's highest military awards, and yet he was pugnaciously outspoken about bullying and injustice. From striking a member of the feared Sicherheitsdienst in defence of a Jewish woman to refusing to wear a decoration he felt was tainted by its encouragement of inhumane treatment of enemy partisans, Sturm repeatedly stuck to his moral values no matter what the risk. But even when the war was finally over, his travails did not end: he was held in a number of Soviet labour camps, before finally being released in 1953. Hans Sturm: A Soldier's Odyssey on the Eastern Front is an engaging reconstruction of events based on exchanges of correspondence and reminiscences between the author and Hans Sturm himself. It vividly portrays not only a German soldier's experience on the Eastern Front, but the intriguing trajectories that success in the battlefield yielded for him at home under the Nazi regime.
£999.99
Fonthill Media Ltd Wandering Princess: Princess Helene of France,
Book SynopsisHelene was a strong-willed princess, raised in France but closely connected with the court of Queen Victoria. After the premature end to a romance with Victoria's grandson, she married into the royal family of Italy. However, Helene began extended adventuresome trips into Africa where she became a big-game hunter, explorer and travel writer, escaping from an unhappy marriage and the boredom of court life. Her travels took her around the world, but her sense of royal duty brought her back to nurse aboard a hospital ship in Libyan waters, then to an important role as head of the Italian Red Cross nurses during the First World War while her husband headed Italy's Third Army, and her two sons served in the artillery and the navy. Afterwards, her strong Italian nationalism made her an ally to Gabriele d'Annunzio and Benito Mussolini, but the disastrous Second World War saw her grandchildren interned in Austria and her older son die as a British prisoner-of-war while she continued her charitable work in Naples. When the country voted to become a republic in 1946, Helene was the only member of the royal family allowed to remain in Italy with her second 'secret' husband.
£999.99
Fonthill Media Ltd SS-Major Horst Kopkow: From the Gestapo to
Book SynopsisOn 27 May 1942, SS General Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated by British-trained Czech agents who had parachuted into Czechoslovakia. He died of his wounds on 4 June 1942. Two days later, Gestapo Captain Horst Kopkow's department at Reich National Security HQ was given fresh directions. From 6 June 1942 until the end of the war, Kopkow was responsible for coordinating the fight against Soviet and British parachute agents dropped anywhere in Germany or German-occupied territories. This new direction for Kopkow made his name. Within months the "Rote Kapelle" Soviet espionage ring was uncovered in Belgium, who could be traced directly to Berlin and Paris. A new counter-espionage fight had begun, and any agents caught would pay with their lives. In France and Holland the Gestapo caught many Special Operations Executive agents trained in Britain. By spring 1944 almost 150 British agents had been caught and deported to German concentration camps, and almost all had been murdered without trial by the December. Kopkow was directly involved in these murders. Arrested by British forces after the war, Kopkow was extensively interrogated due to his counter-espionage experience. For the next 20 years, Kopkow was a consultant for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service.
£23.75
Fonthill Media Ltd Christiaan Barnard: The Surgeon Who Dared
Book SynopsisFrom humble beginnings as a `barefoot boy’ in a small town in the heart of South Africa, he learned to mix with presidents and prime ministers, with royalty and popes, and quickly embraced the high-life of the jet-set who surrounded him. Throughout life, he was a serial womanizer, bedding famous European film stars (and their secretaries). He survived three tempestuous marriages and divorces, each wife becoming younger than the last until their age difference reached 40 years. This scientifically-trained surgeon called on the services of a `witchdoctor’ (a sangoma)—unsuccessfully—to help punish those who had contributed to the break-up of his second marriage. With no experience himself, he trained his daughter to become the second-ranked water skier in the world, though he was disappointed she never became world champion. Perhaps the immense effort he put into driving her to success accounted for the relative neglect of his oldest son, who, as a young doctor, suffered increasing depression until he died of a drug overdose at an early age. The surgeon pursued his goals in heart surgery despite a lifetime of pain from arthritis and a disability from asthma, which might eventually have killed him. Having established the first major heart surgery programme in Africa, he eventually became distracted by other interests until he was a mere shadow in his own department. Yet he remained in the public eye through his gifts for public speaking and as a writer. He travelled the world, published two autobiographies, wrote popular books on health for the public, particularly relating to heart disease and arthritis, and penned books on such varied subjects as the politics of apartheid in his homeland, and euthanasia. He became a well-regarded and popular columnist for several South African newspapers, and collaborated on the writing of four novels. He branched into the business world and expanded the meagre financial rewards earned from his surgical services to the South African health care system by investing in restaurants in Cape Town, establishing a game reserve in the hinterland of South Africa, and causing controversy by his role in advertising a cream that reputedly prevented wrinkling of the skin. He set up a heart research foundation and a foundation that paid for children from all over the world to travel to Cape Town for corrective open heart surgery. This charismatic and controversial man was Chris Barnard who, by the way, also dared to carry out the world’s first human heart transplant in December 1967. Can we summarize Chris Barnard? Not very easily. He was a first-class doctor—skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, conscientious, concerned, decisive, and wise. He was an inquiring and innovative surgeon—though famously irascible in the operating room—with a vision of the future developments in his chosen field, and the ability, judgment, and courage to play a part in contributing to those developments. He was an informative and highly entertaining speaker and raconteur, a gifted writer, farmer, restaurateur, an unofficial ambassador for his country—and a good friend.Table of ContentsForeword: Sir Roy Calne; 1 The most unforgettable character; 2 Barefoot boy—childhood; 3 Learning his trade—medical school and junior doctor; 4 The New World—surgical training in Minneapolis; 5 Mentor and maverick—Walt Lillehei; 6 Proving himself—establishing heart surgery in Cape Town; 7 Prelude to the first heart transplant; 8 Studying kidney transplantation with David Hume in Virginia; 9 Life’s defining moment—the first human-to-human heart transplant; 10 The heart transplant heard around the world; 11 The controversy over Hamilton Naki; 12 The first survivor—Barnard’s second heart transplant; 13 Heart transplant fever; 14 Meeting of the minds—the first international conference; 15 The consequences of fame; 16 A way with words—Chris as a public speaker; 17 Fame over family; 18 Staying ahead of the pack—subsequent heart transplants in Cape Town; 19 Another innovation—the piggyback heart transplant; 20 Second wife, second life; 21 Insight and innovation—important advances in heart transplantation; 22 A price too high—personal tragedies; 23 Money matters—business opportunities; 24 New horizons—Oklahoma City; 25 Three strikes and you’re out (third marriage); 26 The media—make and break; 27 Putting pen to paper—a secondary career; 28 Was everything black or white? Chris’s opinions on apartheid; 29 The Nobel Prize—should Chris have received it?; 30 Old age and death; 31 Looking back; Appendix 1–Today–progress in alternative forms of heart replacement; Appendix 2–Chris Barnard–biographical outline, degrees, awards and honours; Appendix 3–Books written by Chris Barnard; Appendix 4–Select bibliography; Appendix 5–What happened to the other players in the heart transplant story?.
£23.75
Fonthill Media Ltd The Imperial Families of Ancient Rome
Book SynopsisThe Roman Empire was a spectacular polity of unprecedented scale which stretched from Scotland to Sudan and from Portugal to Persia. It survived for over 500 years in the west and 1,480 years in the east. Ruling it was a task of frightening complexity; few emperors made a good fist of it, yet thanks to dynastic connections, an efficient bureaucracy and a governing class eager to attain the kudos of holding the highest offices, it survived the mad, bad and incompetent emperors remarkably well. Although not always apparent, it was the interplay of emperors’ kin and family connections which also made a major contribution to controlling the empire. This book aims to put on record the known ancestry, relations and descendants of all emperors, including ephemeral ones and show connections from one dynasty to another as completely as possible, accompanied by concise biographical notes about each ruler and known facts about family members, which include Romans both famous and obscure. It also attempts to distinguish between certainty and possibility and to eliminate obvious fiction. The introduction provides a narrative lead-in to the creation of the empire, attempts to clarify the complexities of Roman genealogy and assess the sources.Table of ContentsList of Genealogical Tables; A Note on the Tables and Text Conventions; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction: From Republic to Empire; Institutions & Élites; Roman Names and Conventions; The Main Sources; Imperial Families: Prologue: Julius Caesar; I Augustus & His Dynasty I(a) The Julians; I(b) The Claudians 1; II The Flavians; II(a) The Year of the Four Emperors; II(b) The Flavian Dynasty; III The Silver Age; III(a) Nerva to Hadrian; III(b) The Antonines; IV The Severans to the Gordians; IV(a) The Year of the Five Emperors & the Severans; IV(b) Maximinus I to Gordianus III; V The Military Anarchy; V(a) The Senatorial Emperors; V(b) The First Gallic Empire; V(c) The Palmyrene Empire; V(d) The Soldier Emperors; VI The Tetrarchy and the Fourth Century; VI(a) The Tetrarchy...; VI(b) The House of Constantine; VI(c) The Valentinians and the First Theodosius; VII The Western Empire; VII(a) The House of Theodosius; VII(b) The Last Emperors of the West; VIII The Eastern Empire to 602; VIII(a) The House of Theodosius and Successors; VIII(b) The Leonine Dynasty and Anastasius; VIII(c) The House of Justinian to 602; Appendix I: Dynastic continuity: Caesar to Alexander Severus; Appendix II: Magnus Maximus in British Legend; Appendix III: A Fifteen Hundred Year Bloodline; Abbreviations; Bibliography.
£38.00
Fonthill Media Ltd Todger: Thomas Jones VC, DCM, 1st Battalion, The
Book SynopsisEven by Victoria Cross standards, the exploits of Thomas 'Todger' Jones V.C., D.C.M., of the 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment, are truly extraordinary. It was a miracle that he survived the act for which he was awarded his V.C., but remarkably, after going 'over the top' by himself, he defeated the odds and secured what is believed to be the most prisoners ever captured by a single individual in the entire war. 'Todger', as he was affectionately known, served as a private soldier for the duration of the conflict, but in that time he displayed outstanding levels of gallantry and leadership, far in excess of his rank. A quiet man unassuming man in peacetime, Todger was a force to reckon with when in battle. This book chronicles his life with an added emphasis on his wartime service in the trenches of France and Flanders. Todger was born and bred in Runcorn, Cheshire. In 2014 his commemorative statue was unveiled opposite the town's cenotaph. This book also features never seen before photographs of the statue being made.Table of ContentsForeword; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Pre-War; 2 The World Goes to War; 3 Hill 60: 'One of my Hottest Trials'; 4 A Bombing Attack; 5 The Somme; 6 'I Laughed like Blazes'; 7 Heartiest Congratulations; 8 The Closest of Friends; 9 'How the Dickens did you do it Jones'?; 10 The Engagements Continue; 11 Back to the Front; 12 Return to Blighty; 13 Post War; 14 Family and Personal Life; 15 A Character Assessment; 16 Remembrance; 17 In His Own Words; Appendix I: Hugh Colvin VC; Appendix II: Todger's Siblings; Appendix III: Todger's Funeral; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
£23.75
Fonthill Media Ltd The Foreign Policy of the Third Reich: 1933-1939
Book SynopsisEvery phase of the Third Reich's foreign policy was determined by its authoritarian leader, Adolf Hitler. Following his rise to power, his political acuity and utter lack of scruple enabled him to achieve numerous diplomatic successes against the well-intentioned but largely ineffectual Anglo-French democracies. First by duplicity, then by bluff and bluster, and finally by brinkmanship, Hitler succeeded in establishing a strengthened and united Greater Germany (Grossdeutschland) in preparation for a Second Great War. This book examines in depth the revanchist foreign policy of Hitler's Germany from 1933 to 1939: the withdrawal of Germany from the League of Nations, German rearmament, the introduction of compulsory military service and the enlargement of the German Armed Forces, the remilitarization of the Rhineland, the notorious Hossbach Conference, the Austrian 'Anschluss', the Munich Conference, the brazen seizures of Bohemia-Moravia and the Memel District, the Danzig crisis, the cynical brokering of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, and the German invasion of Western Poland.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I: German Diplomacy and the Inaction of the Western Powers; Part II: Annexation and Expansion; Part III: Preparations for War; Appendix A: The Reich Defence Law, 21 May 1935; Appendix B: The Hossbach Memorandum, 10 November 1937; Appendix C: Operation Otto: The Planned Invasion of Austria, 11 March 1938; Appendix D: Operation Green: The Secret Plan for an Aggressive War against Czechoslovakia, 30 May 1938; Appendix E: The Munich Agreement, 29 September 1938; Appendix F: Decree Regulating the Status of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, 16 March 1939; Appendix G: Memorandum from the German Government Denouncing the Anglo- German Naval Agreement, 27 April 1939; Appendix H: The Pact of Steel (The German-Italian Alliance) and Secret Additional Protocol, 22 May 1939; Appendix I: The Nazi-Soviet Pact (Treaty of Non-Aggression Between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and Secret Additional Protocol, 23 August 1939; Appendix J: Proposal for a Settlement of the Problem of Danzig and the Polish Corridor and of the German-Polish Minorities Question, 31 August 1939; Appendix K: Directive No. 1 for the Conduct of the War, 31 August 1939; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index.
£33.25
Fonthill Media Ltd Kowtow: Georgian Britain, Imperial China and the
Book SynopsisIn 1793, George Macartney introduced two of the leading empires of his age, and set off one of the greatest power shifts in history. ‘Kowtow: Georgian Britain, Imperial China and the Irishman who Introduced Them’ tells the story of Macartney, Britain's first Ambassador to China, and his career that spanned the globe, from the Caribbean to India, from Brazil to Indonesia, and then finally through China to Peking. Kowtow explains why Macartney’s embassy was needed, and examines the nature and personalities of the Ambassador and his imperial host, the Emperor Qianlong. The reader will journey with Macartney across the world into Peking’s Summer Palace, before crossing over the Great Wall to Qianlong’s summer hunting grounds in Rehe. The story of the Macartney mission provides significant lessons for modern diplomatic engagements and trade relations, and still causes great reverberations today. As a result, his mission represents one of the major missed opportunities in history and the challenges faced by Macartney still finds echoes in relations between China and the West.Table of ContentsIntroduction, Learning to Kowtow; 1 ‘It Must Not be Difficult to Impress the Chinese’ The Need for a British Embassy to the Court of Qianlong ; 2 ‘Who in the World is this Young Man, Who Knows So Much About So Many Things?’ George Macartney, Ambassador of King George III to the Emperor Qianlong; 3 ‘Affable and Affectionate to His Subjects, Vindictive and Relentless to His Enemies’ Qianlong, Son of Heaven, Emperor of China; 4 ‘The Severest Sufferings Both in Body and Mind’ Setting Sail for China, via Rio de Janeiro, Tristan da Cunha, Batavia and Tay Son; 5 ‘The Greatest City on the Surface of the Globe’ By Sea, River and Road to Peking; 6 The Kowtow An ‘Ingenious Vehicle’; 7 ‘Treated Too Favourably, a Barbarian Becomes Arrogant’ From Peking to Rehe; 8 ‘King Solomon in All His Glory’ An Audience With Qianlong; 9 ‘Tremblingly Obey and Show No Negligence!’ Rejection; 10 ‘An Opportunity of Knowing Us’ South to Canton, and Home; 11 ‘An Old, Crazy, First-rate Man of War’ the Aftermath; Conclusion.
£23.75
Verso Books Boy 30529: A Memoir
Book Synopsis"Anyone who survived the exterminations camps must have an untypical story to tell. The typical camp story of the millions ended in death ... We, the few who survived the war and the majority who perished in the camps, did not use and would not have understood terms such as 'holocaust' or 'death march.' These were coined later, by outsiders." Boy 30529 tells the story of a child who at the age of twelve lost everything: hope, home, and even his own identity. Born into a respectable Czech family, Felix's early years were idyllic. But when Nazi persecution threatened in 1938, his father travelled to England, hoping to arrange for his family to emigrate there. His efforts came too late, and his wife and children fell into the hands of the Fascist occupiers. Thus begins a harrowing tale of survival, horror and determination. Over the following years, Felix survived five concentration camps, including Terezín, Auschwitz and Birkenau, as well as, by the skin of his teeth, the Death March from Blechhammer in 1945. Losing both his brother and mother in the camps, Felix was liberated at Buchenwald and eventually reunited at the age of seventeen with his father in Britain, where they built a new life together. Boy 30529 is an extraordinary memoir, as well as a meditation on the nature of memory. It helps us understand why the Holocaust remains a singular presence at the heart of historical debate.Trade ReviewWith a detachment that makes the telling all the more powerful, Felix Weinberg has given witness to what he saw and experienced through the terror, misery and absurdity of his teenage years. This was, he explains, at first a gift to his family, and this intimacy without sentimentality draws us in to the loss at the heart of the book. It was also a history he had suppressed, and as Weinberg tells it, he explains that it's strange and painful to document it for the first time. He revisits the suddenness of round-ups, random killings, separations, forced labour and marches. This reminded me that the war against the Jews was above all else a war against our physical presence in Europe which this book replies to simply by having been written. Beyond that though, is the reply of a boy who escaped annihilation and found that by staying alive he could think, study, research and eventually teach at the highest level. In the face of genocide on any people, anywhere at any time, the book is the ultimate response: that we exist and have the right to exist. I wasn't only moved by it. I was strengthened by it. -- Michael Rosen, author, poetAn unusually good-natured memoir about life in the Nazi camps and the travails of being a postwar refugee. Weinberg ... has a quick, curious mind...A revelation ... told with both candor and odd innocence. * Kirkus Reviews *All those who care about the proper documenting of this horrendous era must be grateful to Felix Weinberg for giving us this insightful and ultimately uplifting account. -- Suzanne Bardgett, Imperial War MuseumA very witty and highly readable account of life in Nazi camps, with truly original information and an amazing sense of humour. A great lesson in resilience, survival, hope-and genuine modesty. -- Gilbert Achcar * The Arabs and the Holocaust *A sensitive, witty, intelligent-and ultimately, extremely moving-memoir. -- Richard Zimler, author of The Warsaw AnagramsFelix Weinberg's memoir stands out from other Holocaust memoirs in its accomplished style, its powers of exact recollection and depiction and in its dry humour. -- Professor Charmian Brinson, author of The Strange Case of Dora Fabian and Mathilde WurmTold with an honest, contemporary, sometimes wry viewpoint, Weinberg's graphic memories are haunting, as he searches the Web and historical archives to find out now what he did not know then, while it was happening to him: where he was marching, how many died. The dual perspective, then and now, and the blend of family intimacy (including occasional photos) with the gripping, authoritative historical overview make this an essential title for discussion. * Booklist *
£16.21
Verso Books Che Wants to See You: The Untold Story of Che
Book SynopsisFor the first time, Ciro Bustos, Che's right-hand man in the struggle for Argentina, tells his story. As a young man inspired by the example of Cuba, Bustos was determined to bring revolution to the home country he shared with his hero. After a failed attempt to liberate Argentina, it was not until 1966 that he was contacted by the Cubans once again and told, "Che wants to see you."Under false papers, Bustos crossed the border into Bolivia, where Che was in hiding with his guerrilla forces; and here, for the first time, Che shared his plans for a continental revolution. In this fascinating memoir, Ciro Bustos tells us a story only he is able to recount: what really happened in Bolivia in 1967 and why he did not betray Che.Trade ReviewThe last vital element that completes the jigsaw of Che Guevara's extraordinary life. This long-awaited book is both an important contribution to history and a gripping read. -- Richard Gott, author of A New History of Cuba
£23.75
Christian Focus Publications Ltd Lamp Unto My Feet: How God has Used His Word
Book SynopsisGod's Word directs people's lives. Over a hundred bite-sized, thrilling, biographical sketches from a wide range of cultures, times, gifts and status show how God's Word determined their story. Here we meet theologians, missionaries, hymn writers, athletes and others including James, the Lord's brother, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Jonathan Edwards, Fanny Crosby, Mary Slessor, C. S. Lewis and Helen Roseveare.Trade ReviewThis delightful book meets this need. You may read it through completely, or simply dip into it reading a chapter or two when you want to be inspired by a "history treat," or you may read a specific chapter on someone in whom you are interested in knowing more about. -- Ajith Fernando (Teaching Director, Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka )Readers will be moved to faithful obedience to Christ as they read the accounts. -- Dennis P. Hollinger (President and Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, Massachusetts)I'm halfway through Peter Barnes' A Lamp unto my Feet and want to commend him for writing it, and you for publishing it. An outstanding and very helpful work. -- David RobbThese delightful sketches of Christian leaders remind us that Scripture shapes lives in many varied and rich ways. -- Peter SanlonI commend this wonderful book to the Church with a prayer: read it slowly, carefully, and prayerfully before bed and let the faithfulness of God quiet your heart, calm your soul, and seal your sleep with a lamp of faithfulness that will cause you to dream dreams and have visions of how God's Word will change your life. -- Michael A. Milton
£15.68
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Who is Hillary Clinton?: Two Decades of Answers
Book SynopsisWho is Hillary Clinton? is a fascinating time-lapse depiction of the leading Democratic presidential candidate as seen from the left. But it is also much more than that. A carefully-edited anthology of The Nation's coverage of Clinton's career, it's a rigorous and painstaking study of one of our most enigmatic public figures. It is a history of our time, and a must-read for the 2016 election season, providing perspective on the woman who could become the first female President of the United States.Contributors include David Corn, Erica Jong, Christopher Hitchens, Michael Tomasky, William Greider, Ari Berman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Chris Hayes, Jessica Valenti, Richard Kim, Joan Walsh, Jamelle Bouie, Doug Henwood, Heather Digby Parton, Michelle Goldberg, and many more.
£26.02
Merrion Press Frenzy and Betrayal: The Anatomy of a Political
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£21.98
Merrion Press The Enigma of Arthur Griffith: ‘Father of Us All’
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£22.31
Verso Books The Dilemmas of Lenin: Terrorism, War, Empire,
Book Synopsis"Without Lenin there would have been no socialist revolution in 1917. Of this much we can be certain."Vladimir 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.On the centenary of the Russian Revolution, 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 MilanovicAli 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 *[The Dilemmas of Lenin] aims to rescue Lenin from both liberal caricature and Soviet hagiography by recovering the realism and dynamism of his political thought. -- David Sessions * The New Republic *An incredibly powerful, panoramic, and insightful study of the central revolutionary figure of the twentieth century ... The Dilemmas of Lenin helps attentive readers comprehend something of what happened in history, the realities of our time, and how the future could unfold if we approach it with understanding and commitment. -- Paul Le Blanc * International Socialist Review *
£16.99
Irish Academic Press Ltd Marshal William Carr Beresford: ‘The ablest man I
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£57.35
