Biography: historical, political and military Books

Book SynopsisEugene V. Debs exploded upon the national scene in 1894 as the leader of a sensational strike by his American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman Parlor Car Company—a job stoppage which paralyzed the country's transportation network for nearly two weeks. On January 1, 1897, the polarizing public figure Debs declared his allegiance to international socialism, emerging as the most widely recognized socialist in America. He would thereafter tour the country relentlessly, speaking to large audiences and writing hundreds of articles on political and economic themes over the ensuing three decades. Debs almost singlehandedly established a new political party, the Social Democracy of America, in the summer of 1897, building upon the remnants of the depleted ARU. The organization advanced a double agenda, seeking to promote both electoral politics and the construction of socialist colonies on the frontier—a dual focus which led to internal tensions and a bitter split. In 1898 Debs cast his lot with Milwaukee publisher Victor L. Berger in a new organization dedicated to political action, the Social Democratic Party of America. After a split of the older and larger Socialist Labor Party of America in 1899, protracted unity discussions between the Debs group and an organized body of former SLP dissidents ensued. This unity effort was marked by Debs's first run for president of the United States on a joint Social Democratic ticket in November 1900. After heated on-again off-again negotiation between the two groups, a marriage was finally brokered in the summer of 1901 and the Socialist Party of America was launched. The party would soon grow to become the third biggest in American politics, with Debs enthusiastically heading the Socialist ticket in 1904 in the second of his five runs for the presidency.Trade Review"There is too much richness here to describe, so much more that the reader will discover. Read entry after entry or skip through and look for items of particular interest. Any method will satisfy curiosity about Debs and the particular era and will warm the heart of any socialist. But the final word on this volume, like its predecessors, belongs to the exquisite care for historical detail. Extensive footnotes follow many entries, explaining and exploring topics as no Introduction could do. Although the footnotes are ostensibly a sidebar, in them the editors have written a deep scholarly volume about Debs and his world." —Paul Buhle, Democratic Left "Gene Debs tirelessly urged the self-organization of working people in the United States as their only sure road to freedom. His role in the formation of the Socialist Party particularly provides lessons for our day." —Mark Lause "The United States has a rich tradition of democratic socialism, and Eugene Debs — defender of freedom, foe of despotism — is one of its most important figures. With their brilliant work of excavation, Tim Davenport and David Walters have restored socialism and Debs to their rightful place in the pantheon of US working-class politics." –Shawn Gude, Jacobin senior editor

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Book SynopsisAn illuminating biography of the bold, principled, and fiercely independent woman who defied convention to make her own mark on the world. Eslanda "Essie" Cardozo Goode Robeson lived a colorful and amazing life. Her career and commitments took her many places: colonial Africa in 1936, the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, the founding meeting of the United Nations, Nazi-occupied Berlin, Stalin's Russia, and China two months after Mao's revolution. She was a woman of unusual accomplishment—an anthropologist, a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist, and an internationally sought-after speaker. Yet historians for the most part have confined Essie to the role of Mrs. Paul Robeson, a wife hidden in the large shadow cast by her famous husband. In this masterful book, biographer Barbara Ransby refocuses attention on Essie, one of the most important and fascinating Black women of the twentieth century.Trade Review"Compelling."—Eleanor J. Bader, In These Times "In this incredibly powerful, vital work, Ransby has rescued Eslanda Robeson from the shadows of her famous husband and establishes her as one of the most important activists, scholars, critics and theorists to connect anticolonialism with the black freedom movement in the U.S."— Robin D.G. Kelley "Fascinating. . . A poignant portrait of a peripatetic, human rights activist willing to challenge oppression of any form wherever she could find it."—Kam Williams, Insight "This long overdue biography of a bold scholar-activist emerging from the shadow of her famous husband is a gift, and such are Ransby's narrative skills that I wept when, in her final pages, the vibrant Essie died, two days shy of 70. Ransby has a history of rescuing historically overlooked black female leaders; a prior biography was of the venerable civil rights activist Ella Baker. This new work is a major contribution to her glorious reclamation project."—Joan Steinau Lester, Ms. Magazine "What Barbara Ransby achieved in her biography of Ella Baker is repeated with verve and astonishing insight in Eslanda."— Herb Boyd, New York Amsterdam News "From a master biographer and historian of African American women, this mesmerizing story of an extraordinary woman's life and struggles offers a global view of black radical history. After this book no one will be able to think of Eslanda merely as Mrs. Paul Robeson."—Linda Gordon, author, Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits "Barbara Ransby has produced an insightful, fascinating, and significant biography. Eslanda Robeson has too long stood in the shadow of her remarkable husband, but as Ransby shows she was an important writer and political activist in her own right, whose life illuminates the international dimensions of the 20th-century black freedom movement."— Eric Foner, Columbia University "This is an enormously rich book by a masterful biographer, full of novel insights and surprises."— Penny Von Eschen, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisAn acclaimed journalist and novelist makes history personal, painting a rich and vivid portrait of the time when America become modern by tracing the life of one man who lived through it.It all began with a black-and-white family snapshot of a distinguished elderly gentleman with a fine head of spun-sugar hair. He was wearing round, tortoise-shell glasses, a three-piece suit and an expression of delight mixed with terror, for on his right knee he was balancing a swaddled infant with a bewildered look. The baby is Bill morris, the man is his father’s father, John Morris. That photo, taken in November 1952, the month the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb, a weapon a thousand times more powerful than the atom bombs that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Three years later, John Morris died at the age of 92. Bill has no memories of the man, but even as a boy he found himself marveling at the changes John must have witnessed and experienced in his long lifetime. He was born into a slave-owning Virginia family during the Civil War, and he died at the peak of the Cold War. At the time of his birth, the dominant technologies were the steam engine and the telegraph. He grew up in a world lit by kerosene and candles, he traveled by foot and horseback and wagon and drank water hauled from a well. He would live through Reconstruction, women’s suffrage, Prohibition, the Great Depression, two world wars, the Korean War and the advent of nuclear weapons. Though he was from a slave-owning family, he changed his views as he grew into adulthood, and would unhappily witnessed the horrors of Jim Crow and work against it. Fluent in German, he would witness Hitler’s rise to power, just one of the unimaginable occurrences of his time that suddenly became all-too-real. Deep in the Bible Belt, John was agnostic, perhaps even atheist, and held remarkably progressive beliefs on race relations, child rearing, women’s rights and religious freedom. He married an Irish Catholic from upstate New York at a time when Catholics, Jews and Yankees were not warmly welcomed in the South. And in that traditionally bellicose region, he was a life-long pacifist. He was, in a word, a misfit, but one whose story embodies a pivotal generation in American history. An acclaimed journalist and novelist, Bill Morris makes history personal in The Age of Astonishment, painting a rich and vivid portrait of the time when America become modern by tracing the life of one man who lived through it.Trade Review"[Morris] does a superb job of recounting a life amid a series of significant decades. His imaginative 'mongrel' approach—a mix of…biography, history, reportage, memoir, autobiography, and, when the record runs thin, speculation that flirts with fiction—is successful. An entertaining combination of domestic and world history." -- Kirkus, Starred Review“Novelist Bill Morris delivers a poignant biography of his grandfather, John Morris, a University of Georgia philologist. Though Morris touches on the technological and political upheavals of his grandfather’s lifetime, he pays the greatest attention to racial issues, noting that John was born on a Virginia plantation in 1863 and died in 1955, the same year Emmett Till was murdered. While some of his peers dove into Lost Cause fanaticism, John saw slavery as evil and once drove his daughter to a farmhouse where a Black man had been lynched because ‘he wanted her to know about [it] and think about [it] and never forget.’ An immersive and moving portrait of a quietly decent man and his monumental era.” * Publishers Weekly *"He had the conviction to live life the way he wanted. Morris is now spiritually connected to a grandfather captured in an old picture." * The Athens Banner-Herald *

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Book SynopsisIn 1918, Rebecca Goldberg—a Jewish immigrant from the Russian Empire living in rural Wilmington, Massachusetts—lost her husband, Nathan, to a railroad accident, a tragedy that left her alone with six children to raise. To support the family after Nathan’s death, Rebecca continued work she’d done for years: keeping chickens. Once or twice a week, with a suitcase full of fresh eggs in one hand and a child in the other, she delivered her product to relatives and friends in and around Boston. Then, in 1920—right at the start of Prohibition—one of Rebecca’s customers suggested that she start selling alcoholic beverages in addition to her eggs to add to her meagre income. He would provide his homemade raw alcohol; Rebecca would turn it into something drinkable and sell it to new customers in Wilmington. Desperate to feed her family and keep them together, and determined to make sure her kids would all graduate from high school, Rebecca agreed—making herself a wary participant in the illegal alcohol trade. Rebecca’s business grew slowly and surreptitiously until 1925, when she was caught and summoned to appear before a judge. Fortunately for her, the chief of police was one of her customers, and when he spoke highly of her character before the court, all charges were dropped. Her case made headline news—and she made history.Trade Review2022 International Book Awards Finalist in Nonfiction: Creative“Knapp's (Aging in Places, 2014) latest project reads like the makings of a movie...”—Booklist “Readers who are interested in history, especially among Jewish immigrants, will find Prohibition Wine: A True Story of One Woman’s Daring in Twentieth-Century America a quick and fascinating read.” —Portland Book Review “[A]n important and informative story about Eastern European Jewish immigrants of the era. An often engaging and atypical historical biography.”—Kirkus Reviews“Prohibition Wine is Marian Leah Knapp’s compact, elegant biography of her grandmother, an immigrant who forayed in bootlegging.”—Foreword Review“Through interviews, family histories, dogged combing of records, and even visits to cemeteries, Knapp has reconstructed the hardscrabble life of an immigrant grandmother she never knew. But if you're looking for a poignant tale of a modest Jewish matron contentedly sewing piece goods in a tenement workshop, look elsewhere. Rebecca Wernick Goldberg, widowed early and responsible for the care of six children, was above all else a survivor, and the story of how she built an illegal business in rural New England, outwitted the authorities, and kept her family together is nothing short of inspirational.”—Scott D. Seligman award-winning writer, historian, and author of The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City“This is a stunning story of the trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs of a Jewish immigrant, the indefatigable Rebecca Wernick Goldberg, and her survival financed in part by a self-generated clandestine enterprise, making and bootlegging wine in Massachusetts during the days of Prohibition.”—Peter I. Rose, author and Sophia Smith Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology, Smith College“’Ma knows best,’ Rebecca, an immigrant from Lithuania, tells her sons. These three words sum up the strength and determination with which she supports and steers her family through disastrous challenges and losses to ultimate success. Her powerful story recalls the ingenuity and sheer grit with which many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers–– immigrants, widows, women who birthed and buried countless babies, women who faced poverty and discrimination––held the world together for future generations. A timely reminder.”—Hendrika de Vries, author of When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew“‘In many ways, Rebecca Goldberg wasn't unusual,’ Marian Knapp writes in Prohibition Wine, her brief, poignant biography of her extraordinary grandmother. But of course Rebecca Goldberg was unusual, or there would be no reason to read this engrossing tale. This is a fun, short book proving that, if America isn't the greatest country ever, it is certainly one of the most quixotic, and interesting. Well done!”—Alex Beam, retired columnist for the Boston Globe and author of Broken Glass: Mies Van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the Fight over a Modernist Masterpiece“As a feminist and aging activist, I found Prohibition Wine compelling. This book highlights the importance of giving voice to women’s stories as part of American history. It is relevant today as current generations of immigrant women rise up to the challenges of life. It touches the lives of all of us across multiple generations as we all cope with the pandemic challenges. Prohibition Wine is powerful narrative and inspiring read!”—Joan Ditzion, LICSW, co-founder of Our Bodies Ourselves and co-author of all nine editions of Our Bodies, Ourselves; Ourselves And Our Children; and Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause“We first meet a feisty teenaged Rebecca Goldberg fleeing a Cossack and later as a young widow who became a bootlegger. Hats off to Marian Knapp for uncovering this powerful story of her grandmother and sharing it with us!”—Pamela S. Nadell, author, Director of the Jewish Studies Program and Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s & Gender History at American University“Marian Knapp's reconstruction of Rebecca Goldberg's life—as a Jewish immigrant, a struggling widow and mother, and a Prohibition-era bootlegger—both confirms and confounds our preconceived notions of the history of American Jewish women. This little book goes deep into the archives, telling a story that heightens our understanding of the past and our empathy for those who lived through it.”—Marni Davis, author of Jews and Booze and Associate Professor, Georgia State University“This short and readable book describes a universal immigrant experience through the lens of one family… Prohibition Wine reminds us of the bravery and resilience of these early Americans, but also of their trials and tribulations.”—Newton TAB

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Book SynopsisAn innovative account of the life of Tutankhamun, the rediscovery of his existence, and the enduring impact of the finding of his tomb, by leading Egyptologist Aidan DodsonThe spectacular discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 has given him an afterlife that has all but eclipsed the young king’s real career. This authoritative yet accessible book tells the story of Tutankhamun, from his own lifetime in the fourteenth century BC, down to modern times. It explores the various theories as to his parentage, his role in the ‘counter-reformation’ that followed the religious revolution of Akhenaten, and his premature death. It also looks at the monuments built during the king’s reign, his key officials, and the arrangements made for his funeral.Moving forward in time, Tutankhamun, King of Egypt considers the way in which Tutankhamun was written out of official history. The story is then picked up again in the early nineteenth century AD when, with the first decipherment of hieroglyphs, Tutankhamun’s name could once again be read, and the problem of his place in history considered by Egyptologists. Aidan Dodson traces possible solutions through the decades as more and more data came to light, culminating in the discovery of the king’s tomb. Yet, dazzling as that discovery was, many matters regarding Tutankhamun remain obscure today, even with the aid of genetic data. Dodson also looks at how the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb brought about the first of many outbreaks of "Tut-mania," and explores some of its manifestations.Richly illustrated in full color throughout, this fascinating book by a leading Egyptologist will be essential reading for anyone interested in the life and enduring legacy of ancient Egypt’s most famous king.Trade Review"By far the best book on Tutankhamun on the market: up to date information and analysis, clearly written, and beautifully produced."—Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Cardiff University"Dodson’s historical work is ever reliable, and this volume of Tutankhamun is no exception. Focusing on narrative history, chronology, major monuments, scholarly disagreements, and the reception of the boy-king’s reign, Dodson makes his mark within Egyptological Zeitgeist 100 years after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb."—Kara Cooney, When Women Ruled the WorldPRAISE FOR NEFERTITI, QUEEN AND PHARAOH OF EGYPT:"The most objective and well-balanced summation of her career to date . . . . This volume is well-produced and sumptuously illustrated and a fine addition to this welcome biographical series."—Morris Bierbrier, Egyptian Archaeology"Writing an overview of Nefertiti's life and times is essentially an impossible task. . . Only a few people are up to this task, and thank Heavens that one of them is Aidan Dodson. Bravo!! Buy this book." —Stephen Harvey, Ahmose and Tetisheri Project"This thoroughly researched, documented, and illustrated book includes maps, a chronology of dynasties, extensive endnotes, and image sources. . . Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals."—CHOICE"Dodson goes beyond prior scholarship by meticulously chronicling her life and offering up new theories about her origins and significance."—AramcoWorldTable of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviations and ConventionsIntroduction1. The Cradle of Tutankhamun2. The Reign of Tutankhaten3. The Reign of Tutankhamun4. The Death of Tutankhamun and Its Aftermath5. The Mansion of Millions of Years and the House of Eternity6. Limbo7. ResurrectionNotesChronologyBibliographySources of ImagesIndex

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Kate Kelly, the daring sister of legendary bushranger Ned Kelly, was mysteriously found dead in a lagoon outside the NSW town of Forbes in 1898.At the inquest, Kate's husband Bricky Foster claimed that she was addicted to drink and frequently spoke of suicide. However, a neighbour testified that she had only known Kate to drink since the recent birth of her baby and that she never spoke of suicide. Was it suicide, accident or murder, and why had she changed her name to Ada?While only a teenager, Kate rode as a messenger and decoy for the Kelly Gang, and was present at the gruesome Glenrowan siege. After Ned's execution, she appeared at public gatherings around Australia. Huge crowds came to see her talk and ride, and she helped to popularise the Ned Kelly story as a celebrity in her own right. Then she disappeared from the public eye.Rebecca Wilson is the first to uncover the full story of Kate Kelly's tumultuous life. It will surprise anyone who thought they already knew the story of Australia's most famous outlaw.'Rarely told in full, this is the fascinating life of one of the great characters in one of our greatest stories.' - Paul Terry, author of The True Story of Ned Kelly's Last Stand'Thoroughly recommended not only to those who have an interest in bushranging and the Kelly dynasty but anyone who enjoys a well-written and riveting yarn, based on fact.' - Rob Willis OAM, National Library of Australia Oral History and Folklore Collections

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Book SynopsisIt is 1963. South Africa is in crisis and the white state is under siege. On 19 August the dreaded Security Police swoop on Griggs bookstore in downtown Durban and arrest Eleanor, the daughter of the manageress. They threaten to 'break her or hang her' if she does not lead them to her lover, 'Red' Ronnie Kasrils, who is wanted on suspicion of involvement in recent acts of sabotage, including the toppling of electricity pylons and explosions at a Security Police office in Durban. Though she comes under intense pressure during interrogation, Eleanor has her own secret to conceal. She has been acting as a clandestine agent for the underground ANC and must protect her handlers and Ronnie at all costs. Astutely, she convinces the police that she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and, still a prisoner, is sent off to a mental hospital in Pietermaritzburg for assessment. It is here that she plots her escape ...This remarkable story of a young woman's courage and daring at a time of increasing repression in apartheid South Africa is told here for the first time with great verve and elan by Eleanor's husband, Ronnie Kasrils, who eventually became South Africa's Minister of Intelligence Services in 2004. He is the author of a bestselling autobiography, Armed and Dangerous.Trade Review"This is a wonderful book about a courageous and extraordinary woman who was highly principled, yet endowed by nature with all the clandestine skills. Her exploits recall the heroism of the great SOE women agents of the Second World War, yet the values she fought for so intrepidly are still in the balance today. Ronnie Kasrils tells her story with humility and a pride that the reader can only share." - John le Carre 'Secret acts of great bravery by hundreds of heroic men and women overthrew apartheid - not brilliant secret negotiating, or a change of heart by the white regime's Western backers. Eleanor Kasrils's amazing role in this story is told by her husband Ronnie for the first time. Readers of his earlier books will recognise the excitement of his storytelling and his memory for telling detail, but the tenderness of this book is new ... Ronnie's response to Eleanor's sudden death last year at home in South Africa was to write this extraordinary book at breakneck speed. It is a love story, a historical document of great importance, and a terrific tale of a clandestine success.' - Victoria Brittain 'This "little" book about an "ordinary" woman with the heart of a lioness confirms the truth that our freedom was not free. From its pages rings out another truth that among the outstanding heroines and heroes of the South African struggle were those who did not set out to perform heroic deeds. These are the heroic combatants for freedom like the Unlikely Secret Agent, Eleanor Kasrils, the subject of this engrossing "little book", who did the equally "little" things without which victory over the apartheid regime would have been impossible ... Eleanor's story also poses a question about the future - what are the "little things" each one of us should do to win the new struggle for the further entrenchment of democracy and the defeat of poverty and underdevelopment, acting as our own liberators.' - Thabo Mbeki

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Book SynopsisDavid Lloyd George is widely regarded as one of the most effective British prime ministers of the twentieth century. A dynamic speaker and committed social reformer, he led Britain successfully through the devastation of World War I and had a powerful impact on international politics. In the post-war peace treaties, he sought a just, rather than a vengeful, settlement for the defeated powers in an attempt to preserve a peaceful international order. Whilst Lloyd George's achievements were undoubtedly substantial, his political record was not entirely without blemish and, in his personal life, he was a fascinating and complex character. Renowned as a womaniser, after 1913 he retained two separate households - one with his wife and one with his mistress, his former private secretary. Based on extensive research, Travis L. Crosby provides a fresh appraisal of the life of one of Britain's most conflicted politicians.Trade Review'This book provides a new assessment of a somewhat enigmatic figure. Travis Crosby cuts through the thicket of views and suggests persuasive explanations of Lloyd George's behaviour. In the process the Lloyd George laid bare is neither an opportunist nor an ideologue; instead, he is shown to be someone who calculated and responded to situations and sought to produce resolutions.' Peter Catterall, Reader in History, University of Westminster 'This is a deeply considered, vivid, lucid and genuinely illuminating book that deals as frankly and comprehensively with Lloyd George's capacity to encounter and foment conflict in his public life as with his tendency to take similar risks in his private affairs.' - Denis Judd, author of Empire: The British Imperial Experience 1765 to the PresentTable of ContentsIntroduction The Education of a Statesman To England, To Parliament With Radical Intent? In the Cabinet Robbing the Hen Roost Triumph Scandal and Failure Imperial Matters and Foreign Affairs Nightmare ‘The Righteousness That Exalteth a Nation’ Prime Minister in War Prime Minister in Peace Reconstruction and Resistance The Irish Revolution ‘To Straighten Ragged Edges’ The Long Good-Bye 18. Return to Wales

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Book Synopsis'Teutonic Titans: Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and the Kaiser's Military Elite' covers the era 1847-1955-heavily illustrated with over 500 images of German Emperor Wilhelm II's First World War marshals and generals, emphasizing their lives, careers, battles, and campaigns. The book covers both Western and Eastern Fronts, as well as the Balkans, Baltics, Middle, and Far East. It is also heavily detailed with maps, cartoons, graphics, and photographs, plus descriptions of strategies, tactics, weapons, statistics on all losses, and results. Period cartoons add to the vast array of photographic sources worldwide: United States National Archives and Library of Congress, Washington and College Park, Maryland; Imperial War Museum London: Bundesarchiv, Bonn, and also His Majesty's own albums at Doorn House, Holland, many of them previously unpublished. German Crown Prince Wilhelm and Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht, all German Chiefs of General Staff and War Ministers are detailed as well, plus all top Allied leaders and commanders: Woodrow Wilson, John J. Pershing; David Lloyd George, King George V, Sir Douglas Haig, and Sir John French among them; Tsar Nicholas II, Grand Duke Michael, and more; Frenchmen Henri Petain, Joffre, Foch, and Weygand; as well as those of Serbia, Italy, Greece, Rumania, and Bulgaria.Table of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgments; Timeline of Events; 1 Stage, 1847-1914; 2 East, 1914-18; 3 Middle East, 1914-18; 4 Balkan States, 1916-18; 5 Baltic States, 1916-18; 6 West, 1914-18; 7 Armistice and Revolution, 1918-20; 8 Weimar Republic, 1921-31; 9 Nazis, 1932-34; 10 Scepters, 1935-36; 11 Swastikas, 1937-45; 12 Imperial & Royal Exits, 1951-55; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisWho were the greatest commanders of the American Civil War, and what made them so? In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-colour illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps, The Great Commanders of the American Civil War is a fascinating comparison of the greatest Confederate and Union military leaders.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Beauregard vs McDowell (First Manassas) 2. Jackson vs Shields (Kernstown) 3. Grant vs Johnston (Shiloh) 4. Farragut vs Lovell (New Orleans) 5. McClellan vs Johnston (Gaines’ Mill) 6. Lee vs McClellan (Antietam) 7. Buell vs Bragg (Perryville) 8. Lee vs Hooker (Chancellorsville) 9. Lee vs Meade (Gettysburg) 10. Grant vs Lee (Spotsylvania) 11. Sherman vs Hood (March to the Sea) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe opening shots of a great conflictThe German plan of attack in 1914 involved a giant ''hooking'' movement commencing within Germany itself and then advancing through Luxembourg and neutral Belgium towards the Continental channel ports before arcing south-east to embrace the French heartland. France would be taken from the rear of Verdun on the River Meuse to Orleans on the Loire. Paris-caught squarely in the middle of this giant sweep-would be literally enveloped. History shows that the plan did not go the way the Germans intended and their advance, stopped by the French and the B. E. F, meant the war became stalemate of trenches, wire and mud, a war of attrition that led to the eventual defeat of Germany. Initially, however, it seemed as though nothing could prevent the advance of the vast juggernaut of that was the German army. The first stages of the Great War went very much according to plan and the first nation casualty was Belgium. The war quite literally rolled over this small nation and students of the conflict have tended to overlook these important events as a tiny nation fought to defend itself against hopeless odds. The author of this book was an American journalist who was present in Europe at the time these events were taking place, he saw the campaign unfold with his own eyes and has recorded what he saw for posterity. This is an interesting book, about the outbreak of hostilities to the arrival on the field of battle of the British Army, told from an unusual perspective.Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020, a vivid work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in Edo - now known as Tokyo - and a portrait of a great city on the brink of momentous change'Compelling... Deeply absorbing' GuardianThe daughter of a Buddhist priest, Tsuneno was born in 1804 in a village in Japan's snow country and was expected to lead a life much like her mother's. Instead - after three divorces and with a temperament much too strong-willed for her family's approval - she ran away to follow her own path in Edo, the city we now call Tokyo.Stranger in the Shogun's City is a rare, captivating portrait of one woman as she endeavours to recreate herself and her life, and provides a window into the drama and excitement of Japan at a pivotal moment in history.'Marvellous... Stanley builds up a picture of Tsuneno's world, immersing us in an experience akin to time travel' TLS* Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography 2020 ** Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2021 ** Winner of the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography ** Longlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown *Trade ReviewHow did it feel to live in what was even then one of the largest cities in the world, a place of vivid and brilliant creativity, isolated by decree from the world at large? This is the question that Amy Stanley has set herself in this quietly ambitious book... She has extracted a touching and accessible story about leaving the provinces for the thrilling loneliness of the big city, about making mistakes and making the same mistakes again... a minor miracle of documentary and literary archaeology -- Richard Lloyd Parry * The Times *At the heart of Stanley's book is the extraordinary and terrible story of Tsuneno... Using detailed documentation, Stanley builds up a picture of Tsuneno's world, immersing us in temple, village and town life in an experience akin to time travel... Tsuneno's story takes us into virtually every corner of this remarkable society on the brink of change -- Lesley Downer * Times Literary Supplement *Stanley's book - a stunning work of academic persistence, reconstruction and luck - weaves the hard-won details of Tsuneno's life into the final years of the Edo period, brilliantly highlighting the clues that both Japan, and the city that would become Tokyo, were on the brink of change... Few western writers have managed to capture the DNA strands from this fabulously colourful moment of Tokyo's past and weave them so adroitly -- Leo Lewis * Financial Times *The great achievement of this revelatory book is to demolish any assumption on the part of English language readers that pre-modern Japan was all blossom, tea ceremonies and mysterious half-smiles... Tsuneno is interesting and admirable precisely because she was of her time and had to make the best of the hand she had been dealt. It is her ordinariness, and her multiple failures at not getting what she wanted, that make her story so deeply absorbing * Guardian *A visit to the past that is a refreshing antidote to the histories of great men-and the occasional great woman-at times of flux... Tsuneno's life was not a heroic one. The heroism lies rather in Ms Stanley's efforts to decipher her story... the paper trail Tsuneno left behind is remarkable * Economist *

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Book Synopsis‘It's a masterpiece, of course, but more than that it shows that there is some such thing as being a simple observer’ Nicci French, IndependentIt was 1932 when Joseph Mitchell first came across Joe Gould, a Harvard-educated vagrant of Greenwich Village. Penniless, filthy, scurrilous, charming, thieving, Joe Gould was widely considered a genius. He was working on a book he called an Oral History – the longest book ever written he claimed, formed of recorded conversations set down in exercise books. Of course, when Gould died the great epic was nowhere to be found.This compelling portrait of a true New York eccentric, a man who embodied the disconnected, delusional nature of real life, was Mitchell’s personal enquiry into the agony of writer’s block.Joe Gould's Secret can be found in the longer collection of Mitchell's writing Up in the Old Hotel.Trade ReviewWhy does the book mean so much to us? It's a masterpiece, of course, but more than that it shows that there is some such thing as being a simple observer -- Nicci French * Independent *A little masterpiece of observation and storytelling * Ian McEwan *

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Book SynopsisPeter Shore worked under Hugh Gaitskell, serving in successive Labour Cabinets under first Harold Wilson and subsequently James Callaghan. He wrote the 1964, 1966 and 1970 general election manifestos for the party and stood in both the 1980 and the 1983 party leadership elections. He would go on to be known as one of the Labour Party's most important thinkers. He had a long political career at the upper levels of the Labour Party and was close to successive leaders. Despite this, he was also independent minded, as evidenced by the 1976 IMF crisis and his long-standing opposition to European integration. As well as this key debate, the authors also address crucial issues within the Labour movement, from macroeconomic management to the extent to which the party can be a force for socialism. This remarkable new study offers a comprehensive and timely reappraisal of the man and his record, examining the context within which he operated, his approach and responses to changing social and economic norms, his opposition to Britain's membership of what is now the EU, and how he was viewed by peers from across the political spectrum. Finally, it examines the overall impact of Peter Shore on the development of British politics. With contributions from leading experts in the fields of political theory, and from Shore's own contemporaries, this book is an important new assessment of one of Labour's most interesting political thinkers in twentieth-century British politics.Trade Review"A superb work which refreshes the political history of the second half of the twentieth century by inserting the contribution of a man who, far from being forgotten, ought to be revered on the left." - Stephen Pollard "A truly first-rate biography”- Tom Gallagher, Think Scotland

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Book Synopsis'There is only one colour that matters, one that unites us all. And that colour is green.'The Royal Marine Commandos have become a byword for elite raiding skills and cutting-edge military operations. They are globally renowned, yet shrouded in mystery. With unique insight and authority, Commando captures the essence and heart of this revered military unit then and now, exploring their role patrolling the high seas and policing coastlines around the globe, and revealing their rich history and what it means to win and wear the legendary green beret.With full and exclusive access to every level of the organisation, author and former Royal Marine Monty Halls tells the real stories of extraordinary individuals through a period of historic global unrest: from Future Commando forces on high-profile drug busts to Mountain Leaders training across glaciers north of the Arctic Circle; from medics who serve as global first responders in conflict to wounded veterans raising vast sums to support their brethren in the Corps Family. These are the modern vanguard of a legendary unit, descendants of the misfits and eccentrics who were so effective and feared in WW2 that Hitler famously ordered them to be shot on sight.Commando is an unforgettable glimpse into a rarified world of danger, drama, and valour.

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Book SynopsisA Chronology of the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was first published in 2009; this was fully revised, expanded in 2012 and 2014, an Addenda & Corrigenda was published in 2016.  This 2018 edition has been completely updated and revised and supersedes all previous editions, it includes all of the revisions and corrections that were made previously plus the information and maps included in the Addenda & Corrigenda.  Also included is information located during research since 2016.  New photographs have been added to those already published and The Times is now listed in the sources with the date of publication.  The index has been compiled professionally by Geraldine Beare.The first section contains a family tree and a detailed chronology of the major and minor events in the life of Sir Arthur and his family from 1755 to 1930.  This is followed by sections on events from 1930 to 1998, An Arctic Voyage in 1880, maps of Conan Doyle’s travels, the residences of Conan Doyle and his family, where are they buried, locations of plaques and statues, Arthur Conan Doyle and cricket, Arthur Conan Doyle and Portsmouth Football Club, Innes Doyle and cricket, a list of biographies and semi-biographical works, a list of Facsimile manuscripts that have been published, a bibliography, a selective list of miscellaneous writings, works consulted and about the chronologist.  Finally, there are a number of well-reproduced photographs of ACD his family at various times of his life; some have not appeared in print before. This publication proves that there is more to Arthur Conan Doyle than just Sherlock Holmes.

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Book SynopsisOn 20 January 1973, the Bissau-Guinean revolutionary Amílcar Cabral was killed by militants from his own party. Cabral had founded the PAIGC in 1960 to fight for the liberation of Portuguese Guinea and Cape Verde. The insurgents were Bissau- Guineans, aiming to get rid of the Cape Verdeans who dominated the party elite. Despite Cabral's assassination, Portuguese Guinea became the independent Republic of Guinea- Bissau. The guerrilla war that Cabral had started and led precipitated a chain of events that would lead to the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Lisbon, toppling the forty-year-old authoritarian regime. This paved the way for the rest of Portugal's African colonies to achieve independence. Written by a native of Angola, this biography narrates Cabral's revolutionary trajectory, from his early life in Portuguese Guinea to his death at the hands of his own men. It details his quest for national sovereignty, beleaguered by the ethnic-based identity conflicts the national liberation movement struggled to overcome. Through the life of Cabral, António Tomás critically reflects on existing ways of thinking and writing about the independence of Lusophone Africa.Trade Review'[A] welcome revisionist biography.' -- History Today'Antonio Tomás’ … book on Amílcar Cabral takes us back to the crucible of decolonisation and permits us to assess its aspirations and limitations anew.' -- Africa Is a Country'This is a beautiful book. It is elegant. It is elegiac. It is exciting: readers are on the verge of historical unearthings and historiographical revelations every time the pages turn.' -- Theoria'This is a unique interpretation of an iconic revolutionary using recently opened state security police archives. It challenges the accepted narrative and forces scholars to rethink ideas about victory over colonial rule in the Portuguese colonies as well as continues the debate about Cabral’s contribution to this.' -- Joye Bowman, Professor of History, Associate Dean of Research, University of Massachusetts Amherst'This impressive new biography uses mainly Portuguese sources to challenge many of the myths about Cabral’s life and places his ideas and achievement firmly within the context of Cape Verdian history.' -- Malyn Newitt, Emeritus Professor of History, King’s College London'On the basis of newly available archival sources, Tomas provides a powerful, highly original and much-needed rethinking of Cabral’s enduring impact while also engaging with contemporary debates on identity, belonging and the role of ideas in African politics, and transcending the all-too-frequent hagiography that surrounds his legacy.' -- Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Professor of the International Politics of Africa, University of Oxford'A very refreshing, at times moving, biography of Amílcar Cabral. The book distinguishes Cabral from other renowned anti-colonial leaders and thinkers, deftly handling the dilemmas, tensions and ambiguities of the struggles of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde for independence from Portugal and unpicking the sad narrative behind his killing.' -- Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development, SOAS, University of London

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Book SynopsisIn this fascinating biography of the Indian revolutionary M. P. T. Acharya (1887–1954), Ole Birk Laursen uncovers the remarkable transnational networks, movements and activities of India’s most important anticolonial anarchist in the twentieth century. Driven by the urge for complete freedom from colonialism, authoritarianism, fascism and militarism, which are rooted in the idea and politics of the nation-state, Acharya fought for an international vision of socialism and freedom. During the tumultuous opening decades of the 1900s—marked by the globalisation of radical inter-revolutionary struggles, world wars, the rise of communism and fascism, and the growth of colonial independence movements—Acharya allied himself with pacifists, anarchists, radical socialists and anticolonial fighters in exile, championing a future free from any form of oppression, whether by colonial rulers or native masters. Drawing on a wealth of archival material, private correspondence and other primary sources, Laursen demonstrates that, among his contemporaries, Acharya’s turn to anarchism was unique and pioneering in the struggle for Indian independence. Anarchy or Chaos is the first comprehensive study of M. P. T. Acharya. It offers a new understanding of the global and entangled history of anarchism and anticolonialism in the first half of the twentieth century.Trade Review‘[Anarchy or Chaos] vividly captures the itinerant lives of anticolonial revolutionaries… providing a rare glimpse into the racial Indian diaspora and migrant communities worldwide.’ -- Asian Review of Books'Shining a spotlight on an under-researched area of anarchism in Indian history, this biography places Acharya fully into the historical record--alongside political giants of his generation such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. An exciting tale.' -- Neilesh Bose, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of Victoria, and author of 'India after World History''In his impressive biography of one of the main protagonists of Indian leftist activism, Laursen skilfully connects the story of Indian nationalism with the wider global history of communism and anarchism. A compelling, ambitious and highly original book.' -- Harald Fischer-Tiné, Professor for the History of the Modern World, ETH Zurich, and author of 'Shyamji Krishnavarma: Sanskrit, Sociology and Anti-​​Imperialism''A rich and illuminating account of a forgotten but significant presence in the intertwined histories of anticolonialism, socialism and anarchism. Laursen's meticulous research and lucid narration redresses a major gap in the annals of anticolonial resistance and global struggles for justice.' -- Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies, University of Cambridge, and author of 'Insurgent Empire''Carefully researched and lucidly written, this captivating book tracks the political life of a dynamic but peripheral figure in South Asian anticolonialism, uncannily present at many critical events in the global history of Indian nationalism. Placing anarchism at its centre, Laursen nuances the development of leftist thought in South Asia.' -- Kama Maclean, Professor of History, South Asian Institute, University of Heidelberg, and author of 'A Revolutionary History of Interwar India'

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Book SynopsisWhether Queen or commoner, the lives of women throughout history is a fascinating study. Elizabeth Woodville, 'The White Queen', managed to make the transition from commoner to Queen and became the epitome of medieval heroines – the commoner who married a King. When she became the wife of Edward IV her actions changed the life of her entire family. Vilified both by their contemporaries and by many historians since, the Woodville family were centre stage during the reigns of Edward IV and Richard III. Elizabeth Woodville became the ancestress of future Kings and Queens. This book takes a fresh look at the lives of Elizabeth's sisters. Although information on them is scarce, by looking at the men they married, their families, the places they lived and the events that they lived through we can catch a glimpse of their lives. Each sister has their own story to tell and they may not have achieved the dizzying heights that their sister did, but they are all fascinating women.

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Book SynopsisAs well as being an important medieval theologian, Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great) also made significant contributions to the study of astronomy, geography and natural philosophy, and his studies of the natural world led Pope Pius XII to declare Albertus the patron saint of the natural sciences. Dante Alighieri acknowledged a substantial debt to Albertus's work, and in the Divine Comedy placed him equal with his celebrated student and brother Dominican Thomas Aquinas. In this, the first full, scholarly biography in English for nearly a century, Irven M. Resnick and Kenneth F. Kitchell Jr narrate Albertus's key contributions to natural philosophy and the history of science, while also revealing the insights into medieval life and customs that his writings provide.

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Book SynopsisThis highly revelatory book, based on original research and completely new analysis, presents a compelling new suspect as the most notorious serial killer of all time: Jack the Ripper.Using a different analytical approach, for the first time, Sarah Bax Horton identifies a named perpetrator as Jack the Ripper by linking eye-witness accounts of the killer’s distinctive physical characteristics to his official medical records. It argues that his broken left arm, which left him unable to work in early 1888, was one of his triggers to kill as part of a serious physical and mental decline caused by severe epilepsy.This new perpetrator fits the profile as stated by the police of the day: a local man of low class of whom they became aware after the final murder, when they launched an unsuccessful surveillance operation against him. As has never been done before, the author – an experienced former government researcher with specific expertise in research and analysis – formulates a complete analysis of the killer and his methodology, including how he accosted his victims, where he took them to their deaths, his unique modus operandi of a blitz-style attack, and how he escaped from each crime scene without detection.Each of the six murders – from Martha Tabram to Marie Kelly – is discussed and reconstructed as perpetrated by this man, with his escalating violence clearly demonstrated.Trade ReviewWe have waited three decades for a book-length examination of Hyam Hyams and thankfully Sarah Bax Horton has given us one - and what an excellent job she has done. This is a well-researched, well-written, and long-needed book-length examination of a likely suspect. If you have an idea of the sort of man Jack the Ripper might have been, Hyam Hyams could be it. * Paul Begg *A book that has been too long coming...her book is well researched and written. One-Armed Jack should be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in the Whitechapel Murders...Buy it now * Adam Wood, Ripperologist and editor of Crime Through Time *

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Book SynopsisCleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Mark Antony, was the only member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to survive after her parents were defeated by the future Roman emperor Augustus at the Battle of Actium. Paraded as a prisoner in a Roman triumph, then brought up in the household of Augustus’ sister Octavia, she would marry a North African prince, becoming co-ruler of the Roman client-state of Mauretania. Jane Draycott recreates the life and times of a woman who became a powerful ruler in her own right at a time when most women were marginalised, and whose remarkable life shines new and revelatory light on Roman politics, society and culture in the early years of the Empire.Trade ReviewAnyone who wants to learn more about [an] underappreciated female ruler should read this book * All About History *Draycott brings to life the little-known story of an intelligent, powerful woman of mixed Macedonian, Roman, and Egyptian heritage making her own way in exciting historical times -- Adrienne Mayor, author of The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient WorldA vibrant and fascinating portrait of a great woman who deserves her place in the pantheon of Roman queens -- Emma Southon, author of Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman WorldFascinating! Full of fabulous facts about ancient Rome, Egypt and North Africa. I loved all the details of life in Cleopatra's world supported by a feast of visual and literary references -- Caroline Lawrence, author of The Roman MysteriesJane Draycott has written an excellent account of Cleopatra's daughter – princess, captive, and queen. In Draycott's capable hands, the archaeological evidence tells half the tale, and it is intriguing. Here, Cleopatra Selene finally attains her rightful place in history -- Barry Strauss, Cornell University, author of The War that Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at ActiumIt is extraordinary that such a story has remained untold for so long. The historian and archaeologist Jane Draycott has masterfully pieced together a rich range of literary and artistic sources to create this immensely readable account of a great queen, Egyptian and Roman, who wielded power at a time when women were largely marginalised. * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisThe Supermarine Spitfire has achieved iconic status due to its exceptional design and the enduring bravery of its pilots during the conflicts of World War Two. Revered by pilots, this high-performance fighter aircraft is best remembered for operations with RAF Fighter Command in the defence of Britain in 1940, although the Spitfire went on to serve in every theatre of war. Using the Spitfire's speed, manoeuvrability and impressive firepower, Allied pilots enjoyed great success in aerial combat against all the leading Axis fighter types from 1940 through to VJ Day. No fewer than ten marks of Spitfire saw action as fighters during World War Two, and more than 460 RAF, Commonwealth and USAAF pilots claimed five or more enemy aircraft shot down to achieve ace status. The exploits of 40 aviators that made ace from Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa and the US are examined in this volume. Alongside the more famous names of 'Johnnie' Johnson, Douglas Bader and 'Sailor' Malan, lesser-known aces including Bill Rolls, Brian Carbury and Don Laubman are included. Their stories, and the deadly conflicts in which they took part, are told through combat reports, first-hand accounts, award citations and autobiographical extracts. This volume contains more than 240 photographs of the aces and the various Spitfires (and other fighter types) that they flew, as well as 40 meticulously researched, specially commissioned profile illustrations.

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