Biography: historical, political and military Books

Book SynopsisThe page-turning biography of an Australian woman who refused to bend to the expectations of her husband and her time. Julia Sorell was an original. A colonial belle from Tasmania, vivacious and warm-hearted, Julia’s marriage to Tom Arnold in 1850 propelled her into one of the most renowned families in England and into a circle that included Lewis Carroll and George Eliot. Her eldest daughter became a bestselling novelist, while her grandchildren included the writer Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, and the evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley. With these family connections, Julia is a presence in many documented and famous lives, but she is a mostly silent presence. When extracted from her background of colonial life, extracted from the covers of marriage and family life, her story reveals an extraordinary woman, a paradox who defied convention as much as she embraced it. What began as a marriage born of desire soon turned into a relationship riven by discord. Tom’s sudden decision to become a Catholic and Julia’s refusal to convert with him plunged their lives into a crisis wherein their great love for each other would be pitted against their profoundly different understandings of marriage and religion. It was a conflict that would play out over three decades in a time when science challenged religion, when industrialisation challenged agrarian forms, when democracy challenged aristocracy, when women began to challenge men. It was a conflict that would shape not only their own lives and that of their children, but also touch the lives of all those who came into contact with them. Told with the pace, depth, and psychological richness of a great novel, An Unconventional Wife is a riveting biography that shines a shaft of light on a hidden but captivating life.Trade Review‘In An Unconventional Wife, Mary Hoban has given us an inconvenient heroine: a woman hobbled by her times, champing at the bit, going nowhere but telling us everything. Pieced together through impeccable research and told with all the urgency and intrigue of a soap opera, the story of Julia Sorell demands recognition of — and respect for — a woman who would otherwise be lost to history. Utterly charming.’ -- Clare Wright‘An Unconventional Wife is superbly written, and skilfully draws on a number of diverse sources, compensating for a lamented lack – an intimate diary kept by Julia herself. Mary Hoban has got to the kernel of this story, since she has correctly conceived it as an exercise in the recuperation of women’s history.’ -- Jim Davidson * Australian Book Review *‘Mary Hoban has bypassed poets and thinkers, churchmen and colonial administrators to create a spirited biography of the ‘‘unknown woman’’, as she calls Julia Sorell Arnold.’ -- Brenda Niall * Sydney Morning Herald *‘An exceptional exercise in factual delving and a feat of imaginative sympathy.’ -- Gideon Haigh‘A magisterial work of biography, utterly assured in research and style. This compelling and moving book reanimates the lost life of Julia Sorell Arnold, a spirited, independent woman in an age when women were expected to be quiet. With deep insight and empathy Hoban brings to life Julia and Tom’s troublesome marriage. Their passionate but fractious relationship speaks directly to the irascible relations between women and men in our own divisive times. This book is a remarkable achievement by an expert and gifted biographer.’ -- Rod Jones‘Hoban has uncovered the story of a woman, admired by many friends and family, who refused to bow to the customs of the day, spoke her mind when others would have kept quiet and stayed true to her faith ... a remarkable life that needed to be told.’ -- Barry Reynolds * Herald Sun *‘An Unconventional Wife, Mary Hoban’s elegant biography of Julia Sorrell Arnold, who was born in Tasmania in 1826 and died in England 61 years later, challenges traditional notions of biography, examining a woman other writers might have ignored ... An Unconventional Wife performs a worthy act of recovery in lucid prose, revealing an intelligent woman caught up in the struggles and limitations of her time.’ -- David Mason * Weekend Australian *‘Hoban portrays her as an independently-minded woman at a time when women were expected to conform to their husband’s views.’ -- Andrea Ripper * Courier Mail *‘An illuminating portrait of a Victorian wife and mother who was rescued from silence ... A sparkling biography and cultural history.’ STARRED REVIEW * Kirkus Reviews *‘This is a wonderful story, told with great clarity. There is compassion too, and you can only imagine that the author is taking great pains to suppress her own anger at the way Victorian society was expected to behave, whether in distant Tasmania or academic Oxford or backwater Dublin. The reader is caught between sympathy for Julia and admiration for her insistence on her dignity.’ -- Frank O’Shea * Tinteán *‘This is an absorbing book, one I could not put down ... She writes well and fluently, and her prose is a pleasure to read.’ -- Alison Alexander * Tasmanian Historical Research Association, Papers and Proceedings *‘Expertly told … well-researched … Hoban’s writing is engaging. She expertly draws the reader in to Julia’s story and, rather than a dry catalogue of facts, the reader is presented with a page-turning account of an incredible woman.’ -- Hannah Viney * Eras Journal, Monash University *

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Book SynopsisA Daily Express Book of the Year ‘Engrossing … grips you and doesn’t let go.’ The Spectator ‘Waterdrinker’s gift for savage comedy and his war correspondent’s eye have few contemporary equivalents.’ The Times A thrilling escapade through the Soviet Union of the ’90s and early 2000s by a tour guide turned smuggler turned novelist, that tells the unputdownable story of modern Russia. One day, in 1988, a priest knocks on Pieter Waterdrinker’s door with an unusual request: will he smuggle seven thousand bibles into the Soviet Union? Pieter agrees, and soon finds himself living in the midst of one of the biggest social and cultural revolutions of our time, working as a tour operator ... with a sideline in contraband. During the next thirty years, he witnesses, and is sometimes part of, the seismic changes that transform Russia into the modern state we know it as today. This riveting blend of memoir and history provides startling insight into the emergence of one of the world’s most powerful and dangerous countries, as well as telling a nail-biting, laugh-out-loud adventure story that will leave you on the edge of your seat.Trade Review‘Waterdrinker’s gift for savage comedy and his war correspondent’s eye have few contemporary equivalents.’ -- Simon Ings * The Times *‘A gripping memoir by one of Holland’s most admired novelists … a valuable historical document of the era.’ -- Rupert Christiansen * The Telegraph *‘Engrossing … grips you and doesn’t let go.’ -- Matthew Janney * The Spectator *‘A disarming, erudite, shocking, laugh-out-loud Dutch bestseller.’ -- Rory Maclean * TLS *‘A wonderful, page-turning narrative … fascinating and endlessly readable … Waterdrinker is a gifted storyteller.’ -- Donal O’Keeffe * Irish Examiner *‘The recreations of revolutionary Russia are vivid (including his hatred of the Tsar, Lenin, and Stalin) as is the daily reality of living in glasnost Russia. There are some positively Dostoevskian characters, and his portrait of Russia caught at twin moments of upheaval (1917, 1988) is an epic tale told with deceptive simplicity.’ -- Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen * The Sydney Morning Herald *‘A remarkable, sly blend of memoir and history, past and present, amusement and bemusement. How the memoir of a Dutch writer selling bibles in Russia also becomes the story of our past century is beyond me. But in Waterdrinker’s masterful hands, it does. The Long Song of Tchaikovsky Street is a spectacular tale, and a towering achievement.’ -- Shalom Auslander, author of Mother for Dinner‘Russia’s recent history has been inspirational and unpredictable, tragic and bizarre, and it takes a quirky literary autobiography like this to capture that. From showing the Russian president’s wife through Amsterdam’s red-light district to wheeling and dealing in the dying days of the USSR, Waterdrinker offers up an eminently readable and critically affectionate vision of a Russia constantly in the throes of reinvention.’ -- Professor Mark Galeotti, author of A Short History of Russia‘An evocative personal history of smuggling and surviving.’ * Foyles *‘I really enjoyed it … it spoke to my own experiences.’ -- Mark Galeotti * The Spectator TV *‘Peter Waterdrinker’s experiences of Russia over the past quarter century are undoubtedly worth telling … his descriptions are evocative.’ -- Owen Matthews * Catholic Herald *‘In this compelling memoir … Waterdrinker recounts the awful and at the same time great decades that gave Russians a radically redefined role on the world stage … An intensely personal perspective on geopolitical transformation.’ -- Bryce Christensen * Booklist, starred review *‘[Waterdrinker] interweaves memoir and history in this impressionistic account of Russia from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to the present day … [he] incisively captures the beauty and terror of his adopted country … Russophiles will savour this iconoclastic portrait of modern Russia.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘An octogenarian aristocrat cooped up in a decrepit Soviet madhouse, doctors requiring bribes before even considering treating patients, the wife of a Russian president touring Amsterdam’s red-light district, lust-driven physicists embezzling foreign aid programs, the mad monk Rasputin. These are just a handful of the memorable characters Pieter Waterdrinker draws in his idiosyncratic, darkly humorous, captivating blend of memoir, history, and reportage that spans Russia’s last century. It’s a terrific read that will engage and inform in equal measure.’ -- Gordon Peake * The Canberra Times *‘Compelling.’ * The Herald *‘Words by Waterdrinker are as amazing as a superior circus.’ * Elsevier *‘How evocatively Waterdrinker can write! A hundred years after the Russian Revolution, he makes this violent period of history shine once again.’ * Zin *

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Book SynopsisDapper, dynamic, overarchingly ambitious, Guido Schmidt was Austria? s youngest and most controversial Foreign Minister. Corresponding secretly with Gö ring while betraying Axis secrets to Sir Robert Vansittart at the British Foreign Office, Schmidt ducked and weaved across a European landscape of increasing menace and treachery. Accompanying the Austrian Chancellor to Berchtesgaden in February 1938, Schmidt alone kept his nerve and negotiated an agreement with Ribbentrop which neutralised many of Hitler? s bullying demands. When Hitler invaded Schmidt was one of the very few Austrian ministers to escape the clutches of the SS. In a curious gesture of protection, Gö ring sent a plane to Vienna to rescue him from the wrath of the Austrian Nazis. This enigmatic move by Hitler? s greatest of paladins came back to haunt Schmidt after the war when he was put on trial for high treason. Acquitted in 1947 for ? lack of evidence? , Schmidt? s reputation never recovered. Accessing invaluable family papers hitherto unseen by any historian, Richard Bassett has produced a fascinating account of an important personality who played a pivotal role in the European crisis in the run-up to the Second World.

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Book SynopsisA new edition of the groundbreaking biography of activist, newspaper editor and community organiser, Claudia Jones. Featuring a preface by Black feminist writer, Lola Olufemi, and an appendix compiled by Marika Sherwood. This is the first book in Lawrence Wishart's new Radical Black Women Series.

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Book SynopsisThis edition celebrates the centenary of Williams's birth. RAYMOND WILLIAMS (1921-1998) was the most influential socialist writer and thinker in post-war Britain. Now, for the first time, making full use of Williams's private and unpublished papers and by placing him in a wide social and cultural landscape, Dai Smith, in this highly original and much praised biography, uncovers how Williams's life to 1961 is an explanation of his immense intellectual achievement. "It is Smith's ambition to set out the lonely, almost monastic path Raymond took through childhood, army and adult education towards his deserved eminence. But the biographer's greatest achievement is to find his own discerning route through what often seems to be a jungle of contradiction... This is a worthwhile book and a very good one." - David Hare, The Guardian "It is a remarkable piece of work and will henceforth be essential to the understanding of the making of Raymond Williams." - Eric Hobsbawm "Becomes at once the authoritative account... Smith has done all that we can ask the historian as biographer to do." - Stefan Collini, London Review of Books "Carrying an impressive deal of intensive research lightly... the portraiture throughout is graphic, richly detailed and subtly shaded... in these packed, lucidly written pages..." - Terry Eagleton, New Welsh ReviewTrade Review"It is Smith's ambition to set out the lonely, almost monastic path Raymond took through childhood, army and adult education towards his deserved eminence. But the biographer's greatest achievement is to find his own discerning route through what often seems to be a jungle of contradiction... This is a worthwhile book and a very good one." David Hare, The Guardian; "It is a remarkable piece of work and will henceforth be essential to the understanding of the making of Raymond Williams." Eric Hobsbawm; "Becomes at once the authoritative account... Smith has done all that we can ask the historian as biographer to do." Stefan Collini, London Review of Books; "Carrying an impressive deal of intensive research lightly... the portraiture throughout is graphic, richly detailed and subtly shaded... in these packed, lucidly written pages..." Terry Eagleton, New Welsh Review

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Book SynopsisMary’s own story is here revealed and given value in its own right, not merely as ‘the wife of …’ or ‘the mother of …’. This remarkable woman deserves her own place in history. Mary Clegg was a spirited young woman from a liberal, non-conformist background in the East Midlands, the daughter of a head teacher and pioneering educationalist. He believed not just in the value of a broad education, but also in the importance of a stimulating learning environment. When Mary married one of her father’s former teaching staff, effectively relinquishing the chance of an independent career for herself, she focused on supporting her husband’s career and nurturing her three sons. However, Mary’s innate vitality could not be constrained by ‘domestic tasks’ alone. As war loomed again during the 1930s Mary’s humanitarian instincts were given full rein as she quite literally rescued and saved young lives, innocent victims of warped political ideologies in Europe.

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Book SynopsisAlexander Kinghorne was a child of the Scottish Enlightenment, an agricultural innovator, surveyor, civil engineer and incurable romantic. But at the age of 54, driven by adversity and hope, he chose to take his family to the penal colony of New South Wales. Would he succeed in this new land? Would he rescue his children and restore them to the prominence in society he was sure was enjoyed by his shadowy forbears? Alexander's achievements extended beyond these things to a more intangible legacy of humanity and support for others.

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Book SynopsisPhilosopher, psychoanalyst, politician, propagandist, prophet. although difficult to categorise, Frantz Fanon (1925 - 1961) is one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century and one of our most powerful writers on race and revolution. FANON FOR BEGINNERS provides a clear, detailed introduction to the life and work of the man Jean-Paul Sartre called the voice of the Third World.The book opens with a biography, following Fanon from his birthplace of Martinique through combat in World War II and education in France, to his heroic involvement in the fights for Algerian independence and African decolonisation. After a brief discussion of Fanon''s political and cultural influences, the main section of the book covers the three principal stages of Fanon''s thought:The Search for Black Identity, as presented in Black Skin, White Masks, the stunning diagnosis of racism that Fanon wrote while he was studying medicine and psychoanalysisThe Struggle Against Colonialism, as explained in A Dying Colonialism and Toward the African Revolution, essays Fanon produced when he was actively engaged in Algeria''s war of independenceThe Process of Decolonidation, as analysed in The Wretched of the Earth, the book that extended insights gained in Algeria to Africa and the Third World.FANON FOR BEGINNERS concludes by examining Fanon''s influence on political practice, such as the Black Power Movement in the United States, on literary theory and on political studies. This book will serve as an introduction as well as a tribute to the Frantz Fanon and how his works and words continue to have a profound impact on contemporary cultural debate.

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Book SynopsisThis is a memoiristic book and a dual portrait, built around intense friendships with two leading public intellectuals who achieved celebrity status—Susan Sontag on a global scale, George Steiner principally in Europe, though also for a time in the US. For audiences at Woody Allen movies Sontag was the prime embodiment of the term “intellectual,” whose famous 1965 essay “Notes on Camp” won her an enormous following. For viewers of French, German and British television over decades Steiner was the primary interview show talking head, igniting controversy on many fronts, while also commanding a loyal audience for thirty years as a book critic at The New Yorker. To know Sontag and Steiner, as this memoir suggests, was often to feel overmatched and yet also bemused and awe-struck. Both of them gave off an air of omniscience and self-confidence, as if they had taken to heart the words of the Nobel laureate Elias Canetti, who wrote, “I cannot become modest; too many things burn in me.”Maestros & Monsters is the work of a well-known public intellectual who was close to Sontag and Steiner over a half century, and who managed to bring them together on several occasions—the only times they ever met. Those encounters are among the most bizarre episodes in this narrative, which also features extended encounters with such literary figures as Arthur Koestler, Edward Said, Phillip Rieff, James Wood and others.Trade ReviewA delicious portrait of two difficult, brilliant intellectuals, and a spirited vindication of criticism as a noble calling.--Garth GreenwellThis superb book takes us back to the last moments of the golden age of American letters. --Cornel WestRobert Boyers has been in close contact with every seismic shift in literary, intellectual, artistic, and academic quarters.--Joyce Carol OatesA moving contribution to the history of our intellectual culture.--Darryl PinckneyA thrillingly generous book ... in the grand tradition of Samuel Johnson's "Lives of the Poets," Sainte-Beuve's biographical sketches, and Turgenev's "Literary Reminiscences."--Philip Lopate Table of ContentsIntroductionPart One: The Fascination of What's Difficult: Susan Sontag Chapter 1 Seriously Uncool? 21Chapter 2 Is This Rude? 34Chapter 3 Disappointments and Dismissals 44Chapter 4 Authority Figure. 58Chapter 5 Turn of the Cultural Wheel 70Chapter 6 The Therapeutic 80Chapter 7 To Teach or Not 90Chapter 8 Motherhood and Sexuality. 99Chapter 9 Rhapsode 106Part Two: Impossible to Tell: George SteinerChapter 1 A First Meeting. 113Chapter 2 I Had a Good Time 120Chapter 3 Under Attack 128Chapter 4 Master Teacher 139Chapter 5 An Evening with Arthur Koestler. 151Chapter 6 A Brave Beginning 162 Chapter 7 Creative Distortion. 170Chapter 8 I Wish You Hadn't Done That. 182Chapter 9. An Academy of One 195Part ThreeAfterword 203Notes 209Names Index 217About The Author 219Photographs 221

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Book SynopsisHerbert Martin Massey was by any measure, a remarkable man. He was wounded three times in three separate conflicts, the first of which, in the First World War, almost killed him. Brought down in flames by one of Germany’s great aces, Werner Voss, he somehow recovered from his horrific, life-threatening injuries to continue his flying career in the Royal Air Force, only to be nearly killed once more in the Palestine Emergency of 1936, when his life was saved by the thin metal of his cigarette case. Then, at the age of 44 and having risen through the ranks to Group Captain, he was shot down over Holland on the second of the Thousand Bomber Raids in June 1942.Massey was taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to Stalag Luft III at Sagan. Here, he was to excel as the Senior British Officer, vigorously defending the rights of his fellow prisoners of war, the men now under his command. Respected and admired by his comrades and captors alike, fate handed to him the decision to authorise the Great Escape, the famous breakout from Sagan in March 1944.Too badly wounded to join the escape himself, Martin Massey was the man to whom the Germans first broke the news of the execution of fifty of those who had been recaptured. Repatriated to Britain because of his wounds shortly afterwards, it was Massey who brought home the details of the murders which began the process of bringing the perpetrators to justice post-war.Decorated for his gallantry and leadership six times, men like Martin Massey come along only rarely. This book, using previously unseen documents and photographs, tells his story.Trade ReviewExtremes of Fortune is an intimate look at Massey's amazing life through the lens of contemporary letters and memoirs...definitely qualifies as adventure reading for the World War I aviation enthusiast. * Indy Squadron Dispatch *

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From Canal Boy To President Or The Boyhood And | BookCurl

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Book SynopsisKarpal Singh is widely regarded as Malaysia’s best criminal and constitutional lawyer. His sudden death on 17 April 2014 in a horrific car accident – just a month after he was convicted of sedition in the High Court – shocked and saddened Malaysians to the core and left a deep void in the country’s legal and political landscape. Karpal was a fearless advocate for justice and a defender of human rights in South East Asia and has appeared in the Privy Council in London on a number of occasions before such appeals were abandoned by Malaysia. He is renowned for his defence of many people from many nations who have faced the death penalty under Malaysia's Dangerous Drugs Act. In recent years, one of his biggest achievements was his successful defence of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on two charges of sodomy in 2012. On the night he died, Karpal was still fighting for Anwar, who had been convicted once again of sodomy, and seeking to reassure him. He told the Opposition leader in a telephone call he would do his best in the prosecution’s `fast-tracked’ Federal Court of Appeal. Indeed, Karpal had Anwar’s files with him in his vehicle when the fateful crash occurred. In this edition with a new foreword by Karpal’s son, Gobind Singh Deo, veteran journalist Tim Donoghue completes the biography of Malaysia’s tenacious and principled lawyer-politician

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Book SynopsisRoy and Zhores Medvedev, two identical twins with a unique fate, not only lived through a whole century of history, from Stalin to Putin, they wrote and made history. Their research on Stalinism, the first to come out of the Soviet Union in the 1960s-1970s, turned them into famous dissidents overnight, but their criticism of the regime always remained loyal to Soviet power. The story of their lives provides a snapshot into the history of Soviet dissent, from psychiatric hospitalization to forced exile, and from KGB interrogations to collaboration with Western news correspondents. Yet their trajectory was also marred by controversy with fellow dissidents, and in the post-Soviet era active support of authoritarian rulers, including Vladimir Putin. Trade Review“Yet even when Martin gives the brothers full voice, it is to her credit that they don't always appear noble, ethical or as smart as they seem to think. Roy comes across as brave, conspiratorial, vainglorious and ethically compromised. Zhores was less political and ideological, but then again, he lived primarily abroad until his death in 2018. … For those who remember the brothers' publications from the 1970s and 1980s, Roy and Zhores Medvedev will provide much new detail and nuance. It may be tempting from afar to disparage their ‘loyal dissent’, but Barbara Martin reminds us that they carved out this position at great personal risk to their family and themselves. For those who have not followed their more recent story, however, the book will provide a sobering perspective on the value of a loyal Russian opposition.”— Ethan Pollock, Times Literary Supplement“Historian Barbara Martin has written a compelling dual biography of brothers Zhores and Roy Medvedev, who gained fame for their ‘dissident’ writings in the late Soviet period even as they advocated for the reform of socialism not its abandonment. Martin traces their respective careers, deftly summarizes their prolific writings, and shows how they navigated pressure from the state and rebutted critiques from the regime’s more radical opponents. This study is particularly valuable for its meticulous and judicious delineation of differences among Soviet era non-conformists. Martin also analyzes Roy Medvedev’s turn toward writing laudatory biographies of Nazarbaev, Lukashenko, and Putin.”— Dr. Kathleen Smith, Professor of Teaching, Georgetown University“If we want to understand today's Russia, we need to know the biographies of its people and their winding lives, which are almost unimaginable in the West. Barbara Martin presents two such keys to Putin's Russia in the form of the ‘loyal dissidents,’ the Medvedev twins, one the famous author of Let History Judge, the other a recalcitrant biologist forced into exile in Britain in 1973. One can have been persecuted, arrested, and harassed by the Soviet state himself and still conclude that Russia must be led by a ‘strong hand.’ An important book!”— Susanne Schattenberg, author of Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman (2022)“Roy and Zhores Medvedev are amongst the most fascinating and important figures in the history of Soviet dissent, but much about them has remained unknown or poorly understood until now. Barbara Martin’s account offers a meticulously researched and richly detailed history of the brothers’ parallel, but very different, lives in the Soviet Union, Western Europe, and the USA. Drawing on a huge amount of new archival and interview material, Martin traces their lives and activities across many fields, including history, science, and political activism, and through the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. The first joint biography in English, this landmark study is likely to remain the standard work for many years to come. More than just a biography, though, this new study also casts new light on the diverse practices and politics of dissidence, representing a major contribution to the new wave of scholarship on Soviet dissent.” — Polly Jones, Professor of Russian, University of OxfordTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsList of AbbreviationsNote on ArchivesIntroductionChapter 1. A Youth in Stalin’s Shadow Chapter 2. A Crusade in Soviet BiologyChapter 3. Stalin Is No MoreChapter 4. Making Sense of StalinismChapter 5. Rebellious IntelligentsiaChapter 6. A Question of MadnessChapter 7. New ThreatsChapter 8. Into ExileChapter 9. Carving a “Third Way” in the Cold WarChapter 10. Solzhenitsyn: The End of a FriendshipChapter 11. Finding and Losing Political AlliesChapter 12. Under the KGB’s WatchChapter 13. Andropov’s ProtectionChapter 14. The Nuclear ThreatChapter 15. The Rise and Fall of Gorbachev’s Socialist DemocracyChapter 16. The End of the Soviet OrderChapter 17. Praising the Strong Rulers

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Book SynopsisTo most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals: self-defense versus nonviolence, Black Power versus civil rights, the sword versus the shield. The struggle for Black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright.In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives. Now updated with a new afterword, this is a strikingly revisionist account of Malcolm and Martin, the era they defined, and their lasting impact on today's Movement for Black Lives.

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Book SynopsisWe turn to Machiavelli at every tumultuous period in history - he is the one who knows how to philosophize in dark times. In fact, since his death in 1527, we have never stopped reading him, always to pull ourselves out of a torpor. But what do we really know about this man? Is there more to his work than that term for political evil, Machiavellianism? It was Machiavelli's luck to be disappointed by every statesman he encountered - that was why he had to create his paper Prince. Today, the question that remains is not why he wrote, but for whom - for princes or for those who want to resist them? What is the art of governing? Is it to take power, or to keep it? In this timely book, Patrick Boucheron undoes many of our assumptions about Machiavelli, showing how his rich, complex thought is key to understanding his time, and may be crucial to interrogating our own.

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Book SynopsisThe story of how three individuals conquered the plague of the sea

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Book SynopsisWhat buried secret lies beneath the stones of one of England's greatest former churches and shrines, the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St Edmunds? The search for the final resting place of King Edmund has led to this site, beneath which Francis Young argues the lost king''s remains are waiting to be found. Edmund: In Search of England''s Lost King explores the history of the martyred monarch of East Anglia and England''s first patron saint, showing how he became a pivotal figure around whom Saxons, Danes and Normans all rallied. Young also examines Edmund''s legacy in the centuries since his death at the hands of marauding Vikings in the 9th century. In doing so, this fascinating book points to the imminent rediscovery of the ruler who created England.Trade ReviewSimultaneously a sophisticated work of history, a compelling detective story and a moving meditation on what it is to be English, this is a fascinating and wonderful book. -- Tom HollandThe author's enthusiasm for his subject, and for the quest to find the mortal remains of St. Edmund, everywhere shines through. Authoritative and reliable, this volume is at the same time an enjoyable and engaging read. -- John Ashdown-Hill, MBETable of ContentsPreface List of Illustrations Abbreviations Chronology Introduction 1. Angelcynn: Edmund’s People 2. Death of a King 3. Invincible Martyr: The Early Cult of Edmund, 869-1066 4. ‘Patron of all England’: Edmund in the Medieval World, 1066-1539 5. A Lost King: Edmund since the Reformation Conclusion: Finding Edmund? Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Cambridge Spies continue to fascinate - but one of them, John Cairncross, has always been more of an enigma than the others. He worked alone and was driven by his hostility to Fascism rather than to the promotion of Communism. During his war-time work at Bletchley Park, he passed documents to the Soviets which went on to influence the Battle of Kursk. Now, Geoff Andrews has access to the Cairncross papers and secrets, and has spoken to friends, relatives and former colleagues. A complex individual emerges – a scholar as well as a spy – whose motivations have often been misunderstood. After his resignation from the Civil Service, Cairncross moved to Italy and here he rebuilt his life as a foreign correspondent, editor and university professor. This gave him new circles and friendships – which included the writer Graham Greene – while he always lived with the fear that his earlier espionage would come to light. The full account of Cairncross's spying, his confession and his dramatic public exposure as the ‘fifth man’ will be told here for the first time, while also unveiling the story of his post-espionage life.Trade ReviewExtremely well-researched ... Both fascinating and exciting in equal measure. * The Wee Review *Compelling… Geoff Andrews’s research is extensive and exemplary. * Morning Star *[Cairncross] lived in a sort of self-imposed exile on the Continent, eking out an existence as a jobbing writer and translator. When he was finally unmasked as the Fifth Man, nobody really seemed to care. [Andrews] has set out to remedy this. * Mail on Sunday *Andrews rightly emphasizes the range of Cairncross's literary talents. He would have made a successful, though highly argumentative, full-time academic, and was a formidable linguist. * Times Literary Supplement *In Agent Moliere, respected historian Geoff Andrews provides a well-researched and absorbing account of Cairncross’s life from his passing on of secret documents to the Russians during World War II to his later life as a university professor in Italy and his eventual unveiling as the ‘fifth man’. A must for all armchair spies. -- Jeff Popple * Canberra Weekly *Geoff Andrews, an Open University politics lecturer, throws new light on this mystery [of how John Cairncross found himself in the pay of Moscow's spy masters]. * The New European *Geoff Andrews brilliantly captures the essence of the unlikely “fifth man” in the notorious Cambridge spy ring, exploding the myths surrounding John Cairncross. His meticulous research paints a picture of an exceptional scholar from a humble background uncomfortable in the corridors of the Whitehall establishment. As Andrews astutely comments, Cairncross was “incapable of subscribing to any kind of orthodoxy”. Agent Molière is a refreshing and most welcome biography which blows away the cobwebs left by traditional spy writers. * Richard Norton-Taylor, author of The State of Secrecy *A thorough and thoughtful exploration of the complex life and personality of John Cairncross. This is the book we have been waiting for that rounds off the epic story of the Cambridge Spies. * Roland Philipps, Author of A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean *Table of ContentsPrologue: 'The Chase' Chapter 1: A Scottish Education Chapter 2: From Glasgow to Germany Chapter 3: A Political Awakening Chapter 4: Cambridge Chapter 5: The Foreign Office Chapter 6: Agent Moliere Chapter 7: Appeasement Chapter 8: A Political Career Begins Chapter 9: Bletchley Park Chapter 10: Enter Graham Greene Chapter 11: Cold War and Resignation Chapter 12: An Italian Escape Chapter 13: Professor Cairncross Chapter 14: Confession and Exile (Again) Chapter 15: Hot Autumn Chapter 16: The ‘Fifth Man’ Chapter 17: The Human Factor Epilogue: 'fact and Fiction in the Life of John Cairncross'

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Book SynopsisMajor Norton gave the order to fire two or three times … Their advanced machine gunners could be seen rushing forward and establishing themselves in commanding posts … Almost at once the ridge we were occupying was swept by machine gun fire … E.F. Norton lived a life of distinction in the declining years of the British Empire. Born into an accomplished, well-travelled family, he followed his heart and enlisted for a professional career as a soldier. A distinguished military career followed, punctuated with indulgences in his passion for exploration and mountaineering. The British Empire was starting to crumble, and Norton would be called upon more than once to rise to a variety of challenges. Norton’s gift for leadership was first demonstrated via his rapid progression through the ranks in the First World War, which paved the way for future leadership appointments, having earned the confidence and respect of those under his command. Events in the Second World War followed suit, when Norton was abruptly assigned the post of acting governor of Hong Kong, entrusted to save the civilian population from imminent Japanese invasion. The 1924 Everest expedition also exemplifies the pattern of having had leadership thrust upon him – in this case when General Charles Bruce was struck down by malaria on the approach march. Leading from the front, Norton set an altitude record for climbing on Everest without supplementary oxygen – a record only bettered in 1978 when Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made the first ascent of Everest without oxygen. Yet tragedy would follow Norton’s achievement, when George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappeared high on the mountain. In Norton of Everest, Hugh Norton has written sensitively and knowledgably about his father’s remarkable life as mountaineer, soldier, naturalist, artist and family man. As on Everest, the real story is not only the death of the gallant, but also the heroics of the quiet survivors like E.F. Norton. Table of ContentsForeword by Wade Davis; Preface; 1. The Early Years; 2. Soldiering; 3. A Pen Portrait; 4. Mountaineering; 5. The Middle Years; 6. Acting Governor of Hong Kong; 7. Retirement; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book reviews and analyses the modern history of Kuwait by telling the story of Abd al-Aziz Sa'ud al-Babtain (b. 1936), a businessman, philanthropist, and poet whose own story closely interweaves with the history of the state. 'The Poet and Businessman' takes a uniquely wide-ranging view of this history and is a rare study of an individual from a generation in the Gulf who experienced it firsthand and witnessed the benefits of the discovery of oil. It was this discovery, which came with costs alongside the many benefits, that has played a crucial part in the socio-economic and cultural development of Kuwait and across the wider Gulf region. Constructing an overview of the modern history of Kuwait in parallel with the life of Abd al-Aziz Sa'ud al-Babtain, Stenberg succeeds in filling a lacuna in contemporary scholarship on the Middle East, especially on a neglected area of Arabian history. The result is a balanced account of the state of Kuwait enriched by the story of a remarkable and influential individual.Trade Review‘Poet and Businessman provides a wonderful insight into the tremendous change that has gripped the Gulf region, and Kuwait in particular, over the past 70 years. The book is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the political and social changes in a country that only became independent in 1961. A significant addition to the existing literature.’ Dr Christian Koch, Director of Research, Gulf Research Center; ‘Stenberg offers an illuminating lens on the history of modern Kuwait in the life of the founder of one of the country’s most successful and influential family-owned holding companies. A resourceful entrepreneur and a keen advocate of Arabic poetry and culture, al-Babtain is older than Kuwait itself and his story exemplifies the role his generation of business magnates and philanthropists have had on the country’s path to a national identity and economic prosperity.’ Lisa Anderson, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; ‘This is an engaging and illuminating work on a period of history in the Gulf region that remains overlooked. A key aspect of Stenberg’s discussion is an analysis of Kuwait’s post-invasion transformations, shedding light on the hopes and struggles of its leadership and its people, citizens and residents, women and men. Al-Babtain’s career captures nuances of, and relationships between,Islam, Arabism, capitalism and culture, both state and popular.’ Dr Amal Ghazal, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Simon Fraser University

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Book SynopsisGrace C. Huang reconsiders Chiang Kai-shek’s leadership and legacy in an intriguing new portrait of this twentieth-century leader. Comparing his response to imperialism to those of Mao, Yuan Shikai, and Mahatma Gandhi, Huang widens the implications of her findings to explore alternatives to Western expressions of nationalism and modernity.Trade ReviewBy elucidating Chiang from within a Chinese cultural frame, Huang makes a genuine contribution to studies of Chiang Kai-shek available in English…Informative and thought-provoking. It decisively moves away from the question of whether Chiang failed to stand up to Japan or in fact saved China—the question that has dominated studies of Chiang for nearly eight decades now. She is no doubt right that Chiang sustained and amplified a narrative of humiliation that faded under Mao but which Beijing once again finds useful to promote its agenda. -- Hans van de Ven * China Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisPaolo Giovio’s Portraits of Learned Men provides brief biographies of 146 men from Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio to Erasmus, Thomas More, and Juan Luis Vives that were meant to accompany portraits in a museum of great figures in modern history. This volume contains a fresh edition of the Latin text and a new, more complete English translation.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of a distinguished public servant, who as US Secretary of Labor, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of State, was pivotal in steering the great powers toward the end of the Cold War. Deftly solving critical but intractable national and global problems was the leitmotif of George Pratt Shultz's life. No one at the highest levels of the United States government did it better or with greater consequence in the last half of the 20th century, often against withering resistance. His quiet, effective leadership altered the arc of history. While political, social, and cultural dynamics have changed profoundly since Shultz served at the commanding heights of American power in the 1970s and 1980s, his legacy and the lessons of his career have even greater meaning now that the Shultz brand of conservatism has been almost erased in the modern Republican Party. This book, from longtime New York Times Washington reporter Philip Taubman, restores the modest Shultz to his central place in American history. Taubman reveals Shultz's gift for forging relationships with people and then harnessing the rapport to address national and international challenges, under his motto "trust is the coin of the realm"—as well as his difficulty standing up for his principles, motivated by a powerful sense of loyalty that often trapped him in inaction. Based on exclusive access to Shultz's personal papers, housed in a sealed archive at the Hoover Institution, In the Nation's Service offers a remarkable insider account of the behind-the-scenes struggles of the statesman who played a pivotal role in unwinding the Cold War.Trade Review"This is a masterpiece. Philip Taubman, one of the great reporters and editors from The New York Times, has dug forever and found the real, authentic George Shultz, one of the true peacemakers of the 20th century. Essentially positive but not avoiding some well-documented criticisms, this biography reminds me of David McCullough's classic biographies of Presidents John Adams and Harry Truman—defining and sure-footed in every paragraph."—Bob Woodward, #1 bestselling author of Peril and Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate"The nuanced diplomacy of George Shultz at the end of the Cold War was a major reason that 45-year conflict ended with a whimper rather than the nuclear bang we had all feared. In his biography about Shultz, Philip Taubman masterfully explains the many keys to Shultz's success, including his giant intellect and understated ability to build personal relationships with his interlocutors in the Soviet Union. In the Nation's Service is a must read for those interested in the life and times of one of our nation's foremost secretaries of state."—James A. Baker, III, 61st U.S. Secretary of State"Philip Taubman has written an outstanding book about the extraordinary life and public service of Secretary Shultz. As Taubman describes in these pages, Shultz possessed the rare ability to build consensus among people with diverse and sometimes deeply opposing views, exhibiting an agile diplomacy that allowed him to aid in the peaceful end of the Cold War. Taubman's account deftly captures the character of this American icon, the halls of power in which he served the nation, and the consequential one hundred years in which he lived."—Condoleezza Rice, 66th US Secretary of State, Tad and Dianne Taube Director, Hoover Institution"Taubman makes a persuasive case that Shultz was one of the most distinguished American officials of the last half century."—H.W. Brands, author of The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America and Reagan: The Life"Philip Taubman's new biography of Shultz, In the Nation's Service, offers a more complicated assessment of the well-known government official and of the modern history of the GOP. Shultz's saga of triumph and turmoil offers a reminder that the brutal moral conditions Republican administrations impose on those who work in them were not just confined to Trump, but have been manifest all along."—Washington Monthly"Philip Taubman's In the Nation's Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz adds a surprising new dimension to the Reagan saga. Through the eyes of Shultz, the secretary of state, Taubman portrays the Reagan administration as swamped and nearly paralyzed by disorganization and infighting. Cabinet members and White House aides were constantly at each other's throats. This will come as no surprise to students of the Reagan presidency, but Taubman, a longtime reporter and editor at the New York Times, introduces a new and highly credible source. [Taubman's research] provides valuable new insight into the Reagan years, and he gives Shultz credit for holding things together."—David E. Hoffman, The Washington Post"Taubman's book is remarkable in many ways. [I]t gives Shultz the credit he deserves in guiding Reagan's foreign policy, especially in ending the Soviet empire, that had been reserved for just Reagan, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, President George H.W. Bush, and his top diplomat James Baker."—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner"The humanity and human touch of Shultz and his biographer emerge on nearly every page."—Walter Clemens, New York Journal of Books"Taubman has written an outstanding biography of George Shultz, both comprehensive and consistently engaging. Taubman's biography excels at conveying Shultz's human characteristics—trustworthiness, solidity, fortitude, plain-spoken directness, quick intelligence, ambition—which brought him to the summit of the American political system and made him such an invaluable player in it."—Gabriel Schoenfeld, The American Purpose"Mr. Taubman has given us a distinctly American story: A young man from a middle-income family in New Jersey, refined by education at Princeton and early service in uniform, comes to help guide U.S. foreign affairs through a perilous world moment. Shultz's spirit of service and loyalty is regrettably no longer dominant in American diplomacy or bureaucracy."—Kate Bachelder Odell, Wall Street Journal"As capably captured by Philip Taubman in his official biography of the 60th secretary of state, In the Nation's Service, Shultz had a front-row view of both the Reagan administration and the end of the Cold War. Indeed, he was an active player in it, instrumental in directing Reagan's more cooperative approach to the Soviet Union and helped along by a willing partner in Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev."—Samuel Sweeney, Foreign Policy"Taubman's excellent biography deserves great praise for highlighting the enormous debt of gratitude the country owes to George Shultz, not only for his herculean efforts to bring an end to the Cold War but also his many other achievements 'In the Nation's Service.'"—Ambassador Gary Grappo, The Cipher BriefTable of Contents01. "Grow Up a Real Man" 02. No Empty Threats 03. The Real Economy 04. Pathway to Power 05. Equal Opportunity 06. Treasury Travails 07. Odd Man Out 08. A Common Foundation 09. Stumbling Start 10. Soviet Policy Standoff 11. Nancy Reagan to the Rescue 12. Shultz's Opponents Strike Back 13. A Test of Loyalty 14. Hitting Bottom 15. The Target Is Destroyed 16. Combating Terrorism 17. Reelection and Renewed Hope 18. Sea Change in the Kremlin 19. The Fireside Summit 20. Battles That Never End 21. Implosion of a Presidency 22. Back on Track 23. Encore in Moscow 24. Epilogue

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Book SynopsisJournalist, activist, popular historian, and public intellectual, Lerone Bennett Jr. left an indelible mark on twentieth-century American history and culture. Rooted in his role as senior editor of Ebony magazine, but stretching far beyond the boundaries of the Johnson Publishing headquarters in Chicago, Bennett's work and activism positioned him as a prominent advocate for Black America and a scholar whose writing reached an unparalleled number of African American readers.This critical biography—the first in-depth study of Bennett's life—travels with him from his childhood experiences in Jim Crow Mississippi and his time at Morehouse College in Atlanta to his later participation in a dizzying range of Black intellectual and activist endeavors. Drawing extensively on Bennett's previously inaccessible archival collections at Emory University and Chicago State, as well as interviews with close relatives, colleagues, and confidantes, Our Kind of Historian celebrates his enormous influence within and unique connection to African American communities across more than half a century of struggle.

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Book SynopsisA writer in search of his roots discovers stories of African American struggle, sacrifice, and achievement. In The Garretts of Columbia, author David Nicholson tells a multigenerational story of Black hope and resilience. Carefully researched and beautifully written, The Garretts of Columbia engages readers with stories of a family whose members believed in the possibility of America. Nicholson relates the sacrifices, defeats, and affirming victories of a cohort of stalwart men and women who embraced education, fought for their country, and asserted their dignity in the face of a society that denied their humanity and discounted their abilities. The letters of Anna Maria "Mama" Threewitts Garrett, along with other archival sources and family stories passed down through generations, provided the framework that allowed Nicholson to trace his family's deep history, and with it a story about Black life in segregated Columbia, SC, from the years after the Civil War to World War II.

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Book SynopsisIn 1962, James Meredith famously desegregated the University of Mississippi (a.k.a. Ole Miss). As the first Black American admitted to the school, he demonstrated great courage amidst the subsequent political clashes and tragic violence. After President Kennedy summoned federal troops to help maintain order, the South—and America at large—would never be the same.Man on a Mission depicts Meredith’s relentless pursuit of justice, beginning with his childhood in rural Mississippi and culminating with the confrontation at Ole Miss. A blend of historical research and creative inspiration, this graphic history tells Meredith’s dramatic story in his own singular voice. From the dawn of the modern civil rights movement, Meredith has offered a unique perspective on democracy, racial equality, and the meaning of America. Man on a Mission presents his captivating saga for a new generation in the era of Black Lives Matter.

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Book SynopsisThe Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creative. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject, and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots. Many people know that Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was a British statesman and prime minister, a speechmaker who led Britain through the dark days of the Second World War. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he came under enemy fire over 50 times; took 36 bottles of wine, 18 of scotch and 6 of vintage brandy to the Boer War; painted over 600 works of art and won the Nobel Prize for Literature; and developed his taste for Havana cigars while working as a war correspondent in the Cuban War of Independence.

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Book SynopsisThe Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creatives. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots. Many people know that Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (1883-1971) was a prolific French fashion designer and founder of the House of Chanel, who ruled over Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. What, perhaps, they don't know is that: she was taught to sew by nuns and started Chanel by making hats; that she lived in a suite at the Ritz Hotel, Paris, for 37 years; that, in 1935, she was recognized as the world's wealthiest woman; and that, prior to her fashion career, she worked as a singer, famously gaining the nickname 'Coco' from one of her songs. Biographic: Coco presents a visual catwalk through her life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the genius behind the garments.

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Book SynopsisBaruch Spinoza (16321677) was one of the most important philosophers of all time; he was also one of the most radical and controversial. The story of Spinoza''s life takes the reader into the heart of Jewish Amsterdam in the seventeenth century and, with Spinoza''s exile from Judaism, into the midst of the tumultuous political, social, intellectual, and religious world of the young Dutch Republic. This new edition of Steven Nadler''s biography, winner of the Koret Jewish Book Award for biography and translated into a dozen languages, is enhanced by exciting new archival discoveries about his family background, his youth, and the various philosophical, political, and religious contexts of his life and works. There is more detail about his family''s business and communal activities, about his relationships with friends and correspondents, and about the development of his writings, which were so scandalous to his contemporaries.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments; Preface; 1. Settlement; 2. Abraham and Michael; 3. Bento/Baruch; 4. Talmud Torah; 5. A merchant of Amsterdam; 6. Cherem; 7. Benedictus; 8. A philosopher in Rijnsburg; 9. 'The Jew of Voorburg'; 10. Homo politicus; 11. Calm and turmoil in The Hague; 12. 'A free man thinks least of all of death'; A note on sources.

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Book SynopsisThe Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Harry S. Truman, whose presidency included momentous events from the atomic bombing of Japan to the outbreak of the Cold War and the Korean War, told by America’s beloved and distinguished historian.The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man—a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined—but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman’s story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman’s own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary “man from Missouri” who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history.Trade Review"Meticulously detailed, elegantly written, tightly constructed, rich in revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights. It is, as its subject demands, biography on the grand scale." -- Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post"A warm, affectionate and thoroughly captivating biography....the most thorough account of Truman's life yet to appear. " -- Alan Brinkley, The New York Times Book Review"McCullough's marvelous feel for history is based on an appreciation of colorful tales and an insight into personalities. In this compelling saga of America's greatest common-man president, McCullough adds luster to an old-fashioned historical approach...the sweeping narrative, filled with telling details and an appreciation of the role individuals play in, shaping the world." -- Walter Isaacson, Time"Remarkable....you may open it at any point and instantly become fascinated, so easy, lucid, and energetic is the narrative and so absorbing the sequence of events." -- The Economist"McCullough is a master storyteller whose considerable narrative skills have been put to exquisite use in re-creating the life and times of America's 33rd president." -- Robert Dallek, Los Angeles Times Book ReviewTable of ContentsCONTENTSPart One -- SON OF THE MIDDLE BORDER1. Blue River Country2. Model Boy3. The Way of the Farmer4. SoldierPart Two -- POLITICIAN5. Try, Try Again6. The Senator from Pendergast7. Patriot8. Numbered DaysPart Three -- TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY9. The Moon, the Stars, and All the Planets10. Summer of DecisionPart Four -- MR. PRESIDENT11. The Buck Stops Here12. Turning Point13. The Heat in the Kitchen14. Fighting ChancePart Five -- WEIGHT OF THE WORLD15. Iron Man16. Commander in Chief17. Final DaysPart Six -- BACK HOME18. Citizen TrumanACKNOWLEDGMENTSSOURCE NOTESBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX

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Book SynopsisGeorge Washington spent most of his time farming, often employing experimental methods. Washington saw slave-powered scientific agriculture as the key to the nation's prosperity. Bruce Ragsdale argues that it was slave labor's inefficiency as much as its inhumanity that finally convinced Washington to emancipate the men and women bonded to him.Trade ReviewDelightfully instructive…In this reliable and thorough rendering of ‘the most celebrated farmer of the age,’ Ragsdale undeniably casts new light on Washington on the question of slavery. By bringing to life Washington’s farming world, he does more than that. Washington at the Plow reminds us of the importance of agriculture and its enlightened improvement to America’s founding. In doing so, it illuminates much for early-American specialists and general readers alike. -- Mark G. Spencer * Washington Post *George Washington is typically known as the first U.S. president and a general. But for most of his life he was a farmer, and the implications of this agrarian background are, Ragsdale argues, far-reaching. Washington’s understanding of nation-building was inextricably linked to the concept of land cultivation, and his attempt to modernize farming techniques led him to reconsider, and ultimately reject, slave labor. * Bloomberg *Ragsdale does a masterful job presenting the quandary that slavery created for the first president…[This book] adeptly uses the lenses of agricultural development and slavery to present a multidimensional representation of America’s first—and arguably most revered—president. Both scholars and lay readers will find Ragsdale’s account a strong contribution to the historiography of Washington as a landowner, a public leader, and a private citizen. -- Camille Davis * H-Net Reviews *Bruce Ragsdale’s excellent work advances the scholarship of Washington and slavery using the rich resources Washington left behind…The flowing prose and readability make this book accessible to scholars and a general audience looking for a unique perspective on George Washington the farmer. -- Lynn Price Robbins * North Carolina Historical Review *Washington played a cautious, often contradictory role with respect to slavery. Why he did so is the subject of [this] timely new book…A portrait of Washington deeply rooted in the culture and politics of his era. -- Nicolaus Mills * Daily Beast *A fascinating and richly informative portrait of George Washington focused on how ‘agricultural improvement and the work of nation building were firmly joined in [his] mind.’…Ragsdale’s lucid explanations of agricultural and financial matters and excellent usage of underexamined primary sources make this a must-read for fans of early American history. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *A landmark work that both deepens and complicates our understanding of George Washington. Ragsdale’s focus on farming—the subject the general and president cared most about—casts new light on nearly every other aspect of his life, not least the vexed issue of slavery. This fascinating book has done more to change my views on Washington than anything I have read in a long time. -- François Furstenberg, author of In the Name of the Father: Washington’s Legacy, Slavery, and the Making of a NationRagsdale depicts a wealthy white man in a slave society aspiring to be an enlightened farmer and a republican icon. Washington at the Plow is detailed, discerning, judicious. -- Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father: Rediscovering George WashingtonThis absorbing study of Washington as citizen farmer makes for compelling reading. Ragsdale is an authoritative guide to the famed Virginian’s embrace of agricultural innovations, then being pioneered in Britain, and to his attempts to make the enslaved workforce at Mount Vernon more productive, leading to his subsequent disillusionment with forced labor. He sheds new light on the African American communities on the Washington farms and the former president’s decision to emancipate his slaves after his death. -- Flora Fraser, author of The WashingtonsIn his engagingly written study of Washington as the ‘founding farmer,’ Bruce A. Ragsdale reveals that although the American Revolutionary War and the presidency would take Washington away from Virginia, the cultivation of the plantations at Mount Vernon were never far from his mind. Ragsdale convincingly argues that the ‘story of Washington’s life as a farmer fundamentally reshapes the familiar biography of the general and president.’ -- James MacKay * Agricultural History Review *An excellent book, clearly written and argued. What is most impressive is how far-reaching it is: Ragsdale helps us realize that agriculture tells us so much about Washington’s thought and character, from his plans for the political economy of the new nation to his view of slavery. Washington tried every device he could to make slavery work before eventually deciding the slave system was hopelessly flawed and must be abandoned. Better than anyone, Ragsdale explains Washington’s complicated decision to free his slaves in his will. -- Richard L. Bushman, author of The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century

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Book Synopsis‘His photographic skills enabled him to convert what he felt about Whitby and the countryside around it—the feelings he carried inside himself from the time he came from smoky Leeds as a child to first see the coast—into a visual tribute which goes far beyond mere documentary recording.’As one of the first men to devote his life and creative energy to photography, Frank Sutcliffe moved away from the confines of Victorian photographic conventions, which were based on artifice, and set himself the task of photographing the people and the countryside that he saw around him in as truthful and straightforward a manner as his equipment would allow. Despite his rarely leaving Whitby, Sutcliffe's work was known, exhibited and printed all over the world.Michael Hiley has traced Sutcliffe's writings on photography, many of which are to be found only in newspaper archives and specialist photographic libraries. As the son of a painter, Sutcliffe was aware both of the unique qualities of photography and of the debt it owed to painting. The years of his greatest success were those of unprecedented upheaval in both painting and photography, and Frank Sutcliffe: Photographer of Whitby sets out to establish the relationship between Sutcliffe's work and that of the leading photographers and painters of his time.

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Book SynopsisJames VI & I, the namesake of the King James Version of the Bible, had a series of notorious male favourites. No one denies that these relationships were amorous, but were they sexual? Michael B. Young merges political history with recent scholarship in the history of sexuality to answer that question. More broadly, he shows that James's favourites had a negative impact within the royal family, at court, in Parliament, and in the nation at large. Contemporaries raised the spectre of a sodomitical court and an effeminized nation; some urged James to engage in a more virile foreign policy by embarking on war. Queen Anne encouraged a martial spirit and moulded her oldest son to be more manly than his father. Repercussions continued after James's death, detracting from the majesty of the monarchy and contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War. Persons acquainted with the history of sexuality will find surprising premonitions here of modern homosexuality and homophobia. General readers will find a world of political intrigue coloured by sodomy, pederasty, and gender instability. For readers new to the subject, the book begins with a helpful overview of King James's life.

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