Biography: historical, political and military Books

Book SynopsisMurdered in Mongolia in 1935 aged only 29, the Welsh investigative journalist Gareth Jones is a national hero in Ukraine for being the first reporter to reveal the truth about the Holodomor - the 1932-33 genocide inflicted on Ukraine by the Soviet Union which killed over four million people. A graduate of Aberystwyth and Cambridge universities, Jones - fluent in Welsh, English, Russian, French and German - was talented, well-connected and determined to discover the truth behind the momentous political events of the post-war period. He travelled widely to report on Mussolini's Italy, the fledgling Irish Free State, the Depression-ravaged United States, and was the first foreign journalist to travel with Hitler after the Nazis had taken power in Germany. Jones' quest for truth also drew him to the Soviet Union where his reporting of the Holodomor incurred the wrath of Stalin who, in 1933, banned Jones from ever returning. In August 1935, on the eve of his 30th birthday, Jones was killed by bandits in Manchukuo - Japanese-occupied Inner Mongolia - while on a 'Round-the-World Fact-Finding Tour'. Suspicions surrounding his death remain to this day, heightened by the close involvement of individuals with known links to the NKVD, the Soviet Union's secret police. Drawing upon Jones' articles, notebooks and private correspondence, Martin Shipton, the respected political journalist at Jones' former newspaper, the Western Mail, reveals the remarkable yet tragically short life of this fascinating and determined Welshman who pioneered the role of investigative journalism.Trade Review'Martin Shipton's biography is a much needed and welcome contribution to our understanding of Jones' experiences and his life' Mick Antoniw MSTable of ContentsIntroduction Acknowledgements Foreword Part 1 1. The Young Mr Jones - The Talented Linguist from Barry 2. European Visits - The Well-Travelled Student 3. Westminster - Working For Lloyd George 4. United States of America - Ivy Lee and the Art of Public Relations 5. Foreign Affairs Advisor - Reunited with Lloyd George 6. Weimar Germany - The Rise of the Nazis 7. Soviet Union - Eyewitness to Famine in Ukraine 8. Making Headlines - Breaking News of the Holodomor 9. Betrayal - The Denigration of Gareth Jones 10. Nazi Germany - The Horrors of Fascism 11. Wales and Ireland - Contrasting Celtic Nationalisms 12. The Round the World Trip - The Final Journey 13. Mongolia - Death and Intrigue 14. Barry - A Town in Mourning Part 2 15. A Flawed Hero? - Anti-Semitism and Accusations of Nazi Sympathies 16. Jones' Journalistic Legacy - The Ongoing Battle for Truth Part 3 - Appendices Appendix 1: The Holodomor - Did Stalin Target Ukraine Appendix 2: Walter Duranty - The Betrayal of Journalism Appendix 3: Animal Farm - George Orwell's Mr Jones? Appendic 4: Mr Jones - Interview with Agnieszka Holland Index Bibliography

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Book SynopsisGustaf Mannerheim was one of the greatest figures of the 20th century. As a young Finnish officer he witnessed the coronation of the last Tsar and was decorated for bravery in the Russo-Japanese War. He spent two years undercover in Asia as an agent of the 'Great Game'. Crossing China on horseback, he stopped en route to teach the 13th Dalai Lama how to shoot a pistol; he also spied on the Japanese navy. Having escaped the Bolsheviks by the skin of his teeth in 1917, he commanded the anti-Russian forces in the local revolt and civil war and later, during Finland's darkest hour, he lead the defence of his country against the impossible odds of the Winter War. In this, the first major biography of Mannerheim for a decade, Jonathan Clements brings new material to light on Mannerheim's time in Manchuria and Japan. This is a fascinating appraisal of an adventurer and explorer who would go on to forge a new nation.Trade Review'...the author has combined that knowledge of a historian with the accessibility of a novelist. I hadn't heard much about Finland's Gustaf Mannerheim before, but I am certainly intrigued to read more about his fascinating life.' 'Absorbing, superbly detailed, powerfully written biography...'

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Book Synopsis‘A combination of all that is best in memoir, biography and history.’ – Caroline Moorehead 'In this remarkable book... Jauncey has performed the great service of reminding us of a wonderful figure from Scotland’s recent history.' – Alexander McCall Smith It would be impossible to invent Don Roberto today – a fantastic combination of Don Quixote and Sir Gawain, Indiana Jones and the Lone Ranger. He was so multi-faceted, so complex, that every chapter in his story reveals some new and contradictory aspect of his personality. He is best known as the co-founder, with Keir Hardie, of the Scottish Labour Party, and later as the founding president of the Scottish National Party. But in a long and extraordinary life he was many other things besides.

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Book SynopsisThe charismatic, near-mythological figure of Josip Broz Tito was many things: an inspirational partisan leader and scourge of the Germans during their occupation of Yugoslavia in the Second World War; a doctrinaire communist but an ever-present thorn in Moscow's side; an oppressor, a dictator, a reformer, and a playboy. He managed Yugoslavia's internal tensions through personality, force of will, and political oppression. It was only after his death in 1980 that the true scale of this feat was understood; the country's institutions and politicians were then revealed as rudderless, and the country created by Tito - a Croat turned Yugoslav - collapsed into a bloody and at times genocidal civil war. These ethnic conflicts were Tito's nightmare, yet, as Neil Barnett shows in this short but engaging biography, they were in many ways the result of his own myopic egomania.Trade Review'Entertaining and timely' - Financial Times; 'An engaging and elegant biography' - The Tablet.

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Book SynopsisDorothy Wellesley was a poet, gardener, traveller and heiress; she was also bisexual and a rebel. She became the lover of Vita Sackville-West, wrecking her marriage to the Duke of Wellington. She was the intimate friend of W.B. Yeats in his final years. On the fringes of the Bloomsbury Group, she had a unique view of these iconic writers and artists. Blue Eyes and a Wild Spirit, written by Dorothy’s granddaughter Jane Wellesley, draws on unpublished material, including private Wellesley family papers and hitherto unknown source materials. This is a riveting biography of a complex and fascinating woman.Trade ReviewA tender, warm biography... A story for our times. * The Independent *A fascinating, reckless and maverick member of one of the nation’s most famous families.An extraordinary woman, an extraordinary life. This is an engaging study – a treat of a book.

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes—this one.” —The Washington Post * “Dazzling.” —The New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky, comes the first definitive narrative history of Watergate—“the best and fullest account of the crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)—exploring the full scope of the scandal through the politicians, investigators, journalists, and informants who made it the most influential political event of the modern era.In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police. The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership. Watergate, as the event is called, becomes a shorthand for corruption, deceit, and unanswered questions. Now, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Garrett M. Graff explores the full scope of this unprecedented moment from start to finish, in the first comprehensive, single-volume account in decades. The story begins in 1971, with the publication of thousands of military and government documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which reveal dishonesty about the decades-long American presence in Vietnam and spark public outrage. Furious that the leak might expose his administration’s own duplicity during a crucial reelection season, President Richard M. Nixon gathers his closest advisors and gives them implicit instructions: Win by any means necessary. Within a few months, an unsteady line of political dominoes are positioned, from the creation of a series of covert operations code-named GEMSTONE to campaign-trail dirty tricks, possible hostage situations, and questionable fundraising efforts—much of it caught on the White House’s own taping system. One by one they fall, until the thwarted June burglary attracts the attention of intrepid journalists, congressional investigators, and embattled intelligence officers, one of whom will spend decades concealing his identity behind the alias “Deep Throat.” As each faction slowly begins to uncover the truth, a conspiracy deeper and more corrupt than anyone thought possible emerges, and the nation is thrown into a state of crisis as its government—and its leader—unravels. Using newly public documents, transcripts, and revelations, Graff recounts every twist with remarkable detail and page-turning drama, bringing readers into the backrooms of Washington, chaotic daily newsrooms, crowded Senate hearings, and even the Oval Office itself during one of the darkest chapters in American history. Grippingly told and meticulously researched, Watergate is the defining account of the moment that has haunted our nation’s past—and still holds the power to shape its present and future.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR WATERGATE: A NEW HISTORY “Do we need still another Watergate book? The answer turns out to be yes — this one: Garrett M. Graff’s Watergate: A New History. It is a remarkably rich narrative with compelling characters, who range from criminal and flawed to tragic and heroic. As someone who played a small role in the drama while I was editing many of The Washington Post’s Watergate stories, I found that Graff convincingly populates and re-creates an extraordinary time in the history of the country and this city. ... fast-paced ... filled with apt sketches of its many characters, major and minor, from all the president’s men, and some of their spouses, to journalists, investigators, lawyers and members of Congress. It vividly re-creates all the key events, from Nixon’s overreaction to the revelation of the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War in June 1971 to his resignation in August 1974.... engaging, informative and thought-provoking, more than earning its place on bookshelves alongside the old histories.” —Len Downie, Jr., The Washington Post “Dazzling. . . A lively writer, Graff explores the dramatic scope of the Watergate saga through its participants — politicians, investigators, journalists, whistle-blowers and, at center stage, Nixon himself.” —Douglas Brinkley, The New York Times Book Review “Award-winning author Graff aims to give readers the full scope of Watergate — a much bigger, more bizarre story than even remembered — telling the full story from start to finish in this ambitious book.” —New York Post “A definitive, exhaustive account of the scandal. . . a fascinating, horrifying examination of the Nixon presidency up close—enough to scare the record straight.” —AirMail “A meticulously researched, expansive history of the Watergate scandal from start to finish, from the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 to the reverberations that echo through present day.” —Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY “A brisk, riveting, compulsively readable, comprehensive, up-to-date narrative of the entire tangled affair, and it's hard to imagine it better told. . . . Now the best and fullest account of the Watergate crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Monumental. . . effortlessly clarifies the strands of one of the most complex episodes in modern history. . . A masterful, epic look at a story that is still barely believable.” —The Daily Mail “This meticulously researched and documented book should now become the definitive source for those who wish to dive into the cesspool of deceit, intrigue and criminal behavior that were associated with the seemingly innocuous break-in and the cover-up. ... [Graff] makes a valiant attempt to connect all the disparate threads from the confusing tapestry of multiple investigations, muffled tapes and self-serving memoirs available. His organization of the book makes the 700-plus pages flow seamlessly as the investigators reach their inevitable conclusions. In summary, this book should be required reading for any citizen with the faintest interest in how the sausage-factory of Washington politics functions and how our country has managed to arrive at today’s dysfunctional impasse.” —J. Kemper Campbell, Lincoln Journal-Star “Lively, wide-ranging, detailed.” —Erica J. Smith, The Virginian Pilot “Garrett Graff aptly calls Watergate a 'Gordian knot of scandal.' This comprehensive, searching, yet elegant book untangles it more completely than any attempt so far. I learned a lot!” —Rick Perlstein, bestselling author of Nixonland and Reaganland “Watergate is one of the great tragic double-edged swords of modern American history: its crimes were swiftly exposed, the criminals punished, the rule of law restored––and it profoundly, permanently undermined American citizens' trust in their government. Garrett Graff's fresh chronicle of that inflection point is lucid, enlightening and indispensable.” —Kurt Andersen, author of Evil Geniuses and writer-host of Nixon at War “I thought I knew all the Watergate stories. I was wrong. Graff did a herculean job going through so much existing Watergate material to pull together a compelling new story and make it all fresh again. Think you know the entire story from beginning to end? Not until you’ve read this.” —Howard Mortman, C-SPAN communications director and author of When Rabbis Bless Congress “Expertly researched and assembled, this is a valuable introduction to one of history’s greatest political scandals. . . . Graff skillfully interweaves the perspectives of journalists and law enforcement officials investigating the Watergate break-in with the Nixon team’s attempts to “use the organs of government to cover up their own rogue operation,” and incisively analyzes how the congressional inquiry into the scandal resulted in Democrats and Republicans coming together to uphold the Constitution and limit the powers of the president.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisThe world’s leading expert on Osama bin Laden delivers for the first time the “riveting” (The New York Times) definitive biography of a man who set the course of American foreign policy for the 21st century and whose ideological heirs we continue to battle today.In The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergan provides the first reevaluation of the man responsible for precipitating America’s long war with al-Qaeda and its decedents, capturing bin Laden in all the dimensions of his life: as a family man, as a zealot, as a battlefield commander, as a terrorist leader, and as a fugitive. The book sheds light on his many contradictions: he was the son of a billionaire yet insisted his family live like paupers. He adored his wives and children, depending on his two wives, both of whom had PhDs, to make critical strategic decisions. Yet, he also brought ruin to his family. He was fanatically religious but willing to kill thousands of civilians in the name of Islam. He inspired deep loyalty, yet, in the end, his bodyguards turned against him. And while he inflicted the most lethal act of mass murder in United States history, he failed to achieve any of his strategic goals. In his final years, the lasting image we have of bin Laden is of an aging man with a graying beard watching old footage of himself, just as another dad flipping through the channels with his remote. In the end, bin Laden died in a squalid suburban compound, far from the front lines of his holy war. And yet, despite that unheroic denouement, his ideology lives on. Thanks to exclusive interviews with family members and associates, and documents unearthed only recently, Bergen’s “comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling” (H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World) portrait of Osama bin Laden reveals for the first time who he really was and why he continues to inspire a new generation of jihadists.Trade Review"Meticulously documented, fluidly written and replete with riveting detail... Equally revealing about the Americans and their pursuit of him." — The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "Of the raft of books that are marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and its aftermath, few are likely to be as meticulously documented, as fluidly written or as replete with riveting detail as Peter Bergen’s The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden... A page-turner." — The New York Times Book Review "The portrait [Bergen] draws is intimate and detailed."— The Washington Post "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden does much more than reveal a human side to a mass murderer, offering the general reader an authoritative and convincing portrait of a man whose misdeeds changed all our lives in many ways, none for the better." — The Guardian "Comprehensive, authoritative, and compelling." — H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World

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Book SynopsisThe hidden history of one of the world’s greatest inventors, a man who disrupted the status quo and then disappeared into thin air on the eve of World War I—this book answers the hundred-year-old mystery of what really became of Rudolf Diesel. September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder. After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world. The Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of mankind and refused to keep the technology out of the hands of the British or any other nation. For John D. Rockefeller, the engine was nothing less than an existential threat to his vast and lucrative oil empire. As electric lighting began to replace kerosene lamps, Rockefeller’s bottom line depended on the world’s growing thirst for gasoline to power its automobiles and industries. At the outset of this new age of electricity and oil, Europe stood on the precipice of war. Rudolf Diesel grew increasingly concerned about Germany’s rising nationalism and military spending. The inventor was on his way to London to establish a new company that would help Britain improve its failing submarine program when he disappeared. Now, New York Times bestselling author Douglas Brunt reopens the case and provides an astonishing new conclusion about Diesel’s fate. “Equal parts Walter Isaacson and Sherlock Holmes, The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel yanks back the curtain on the greatest caper of the 20th century in this riveting history” (Jay Winik, New York Times bestselling author).Trade Review“Brunt is very good at drawing out the political tensions that swirled around Diesel during his life…A dynamic detective story.” —The New York Times“Excellent…a well-researched and well-written biography.” —Wall Street Journal“[A] thrilling investigation...Brunt’s audacious yet surprisingly tenable theory makes for a wildly enjoyable outing.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“This book is the granddaddy of books that show you something you didn’t know about people you do…an odyssey…a terrific who-dunnit, there’s everything to love about this book.” —Mike Rowe“The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel sheds light on one of the most perplexing mysteries of the twentieth century, and on a man whose invention had the power to threaten empires and change the fate of nations. Written with the intensity of a thriller, this brilliant work will ensure the reader and the world will long remember Rudolf Diesel.” —Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Only the Dead“Equal parts Walter Isaacson and Sherlock Holmes, The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel yanks back the curtain on the greatest caper of the 20th century in this riveting history.” —Jay Winik, New York Times best selling author of 1944: FDR and the Year that Changed History“Outstanding—Brunt mixes a historian's respect for research with a novelist's eye for character, adds fascinating context and connections, and reaches a conclusion worthy of James Bond.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author“A riveting, impressive, history-changing book. I couldn’t put it down and gasped at the conclusion. DIESEL is in the history Hall of Fame.” —Zibby Owens, host of Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books and author of Bookends and Blank“A page turning crime thriller that also delivers a significant new understanding of the forces that shaped the outcome of World War I and beyond. This fascinating story, told in the most vivid fashion, about a name so many recognize has been missed by true crime aficionados and historians alike—until now. An important addition to 20th century history.” —Dan Abrams, New York Times bestselling author of Lincoln’s Last Trial“Douglas Brunt delivers an unputdownable piece of nonfiction that reads like a taut thriller. Insightful, suspenseful, and thoroughly enjoyable, you will be absolutely captivated!” —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Fall

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Book SynopsisPulitzer Prize­–winning reporter and dean of Trumpologists David Cay Johnston reveals years of eye-popping financial misdeeds by Donald Trump and his family.While the world watched Donald Trump’s presidency in horror or delight, few noticed that his lifelong grifting quietly continued. Less than forty minutes after taking the oath of office, Trump began turning the White House into a money machine for himself, his family, and his courtiers. More than $1.7 billion flowed into Donald Trump’s bank accounts during his four years as president. Foreign governments rented out whole floors of his hotel five blocks from the White House while lobbyists conducted business in the hotel’s restaurants. Payday lenders and other trade groups moved their annual conventions to Trump golf resorts. And individual favor seekers joined his private Mar-a-Lago club with its $200,000 admission fee in hopes of getting a few minutes with the President. Despite earning more than $1 million every day he was in office, Trump left the White House as he arrived—hard up for cash. More than $400 million in debt comes due by 2024, and Trump still lacks the resources to pay it back. “Few people are as well positioned to write an exposé of the former president as Johnston” (The Washington Post), and The Big Cheat offers a guided tour of how money flowed in and out of Trump’s hundreds of enterprises, showing in simple terms how a corrupt president used our government for his benefit, even putting national security at risk. Johnston details the four most recent years of the corruption that has defined the Trump family since 1885 and reveals the costs of Trump’s extravagant lifestyle for American taxpayers.Trade Review"We know more than ever why Trump should not have been president and why he or any of his minions cannot be president of this democracy again. Johnston’s book is filled with amazing research." * Eugene Weekly *"The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and longtime Trump-watcher Johnston delivers enough charges to fuel a few hundred indictments. . . . Johnston assembles a case that’s full of news and startling incidents. . . . Those inclined to despise Trump and Trumpism will find ample reinforcement." * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *"A devastating roundup of malfeasance." * Publishers Weekly *“Few people are as well positioned to write an exposé of the former president as Johnston. . . . The Big Cheat is a guided tour of the Trump circus in 18 colorful vignettes. . . . A good book, full of old-fashioned reporting based on original sources and primary documents, colorfully written and convincingly argued.” -- James Kwak * The Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisLee Kuan Yew, first Prime Minister of Singapore, is a figure whose international stature far exceeds that of the tiny island over which he presided for thirty years. Lee is the principal architect of Singapore's political stability and its international economic success, and often credited with being a leader of economic development throughout Asia. Yet the continuing interest in him several years after his retirement from the prime ministership derives mainly from his many contributions on the greater world stage. This first book ever to analyse the origin and substance of Lee's ideas remains timely and relevant, as well as provocative, and will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, not just of Singaporean history but those who follow the fortunes of Singapore and Asia in the wider connected world of the 21st Century.Trade Review"It is probably the best book on how Lee's world view developed, what factors were responsible for this and how the context and circumstance of Singapore's political development have shaped these changes. It should be required reading for anyone trying to gain insight into one of the most successful politicians Asia has ever produced." Kenneth Christie, Democratization, 8(3), 2001"

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Book SynopsisThe biography delves into the enigmatic persona of Rahul Gandhi, exploring his evolution, influences, and upcoming responsibilities as he steps into a prominent political role. Written by two young journalists, it examines the intersection of modernity and dynasty in his political journey.

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Book SynopsisRosa Luxemburg holds a fascination as a radical socialist committed to democratic values, and a woman whose charismatic personality and impassioned speeches inspired her followers without resort to bureaucratic organization. Mathilde Jacob was her friend and assistant, and writes this biography.

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Book Synopsis300 years ago, in April 1721, a smallpox epidemic was raging in England. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu knew that she could save her 3-year-old daughter using the process of inoculation. She had witnessed this at first hand in Turkey, while she was living there as the wife of the British ambassador. She also knew that by inoculating - making her daughter the first person protected in the West - she would face opposition from doctors, politicians and clerics. Her courageous action eventually led to the eradication of smallpox and the prevention of millions of deaths. But Mary was more than a scientific campaigner. She mixed with the greatest politicians, writers, artists and thinkers of her day. She was also an important early feminist, writing powerfully and provocatively about the position of women. She was best friends with the poet Alexander Pope. They collaborated on a series of poems, which made her into a household name, an 'It Girl'. But their friendship turned sour and he used his pen to vilify her publicly. Aristocratic by birth, Mary chose to elope with Edward Wortley Montagu, whom she knew she did not love, so as to avoid being forced into marrying someone else. In middle age, her marriage stale, she fell for someone young enough to be her son - and, unknown to her, bisexual. She set off on a new life with him abroad. When this relationship failed, she stayed on in Europe, narrowly escaping the coercive control of an Italian conman. After twenty-two years abroad, she returned home to London to die. The son-in-law she had dismissed as a young man had meanwhile become Prime Minister.

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Book Synopsis'Through thick and thin, never separate. Stick together, guard each other, and live for one another.' As Hitler's war intensified, the Ovitz family would have good reason to stand by their mother's mantra. Descending from the cattle train into the death camp of Auschwitz, all twelve emerged in 1945 as survivors - the largest family to survive intact. What saved them? Ironically, the fact that they were sought out by the 'Angel of Death' himself - Dr Joseph Mengele. For seven of the Ovitzes were dwarfs - and not just any dwarfs, but a beloved and highly successful vaudeville act known as the Lilliput Troupe. Together, they were the only all-dwarf ensemble with a full show of their own in the history of entertainment. The Ovitzes intrigued Mengele, and amongst the thousands on whom he performed his loathsome experiments, they became his prize 'patients': 'You're something special, not like the rest of them.' It was this disturbing affection that saved their lives. After being plunged into the darkest moments in modern history, this remarkable troupe emerged with spirits undimmed, and went on to light up Europe and Israel, which offered them a new home, with their unique performances. Giants reveals their moving and inspirational story.Trade Review"An astonishing story: both wretchedly sad and oddly uplifting - Giants can scarcely fail to stay with you." Mail on Sunday '[An] amazing story sympathetically and eloquently told ... The authors show great respect and affection for the Ovitzes ... Theirs was a life worth living and a story very worth telling.' New York Review of Books "Their remarkable story, extensively researched, is so beautifully and sympathetically written that it fully deserves to appeal far beyond its core audience." BBC History Magazine

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Book SynopsisPioneer aviator, numero uno industrialist, institution-builder, philanthropist and manager par excellence, J.R.D. Tata was a nation builder who continues to be a source of inspiration to both young and old. Having placed India on the aviation map of the world with his pioneering flight in 1932, he went on to guide the destiny of his brainchild Air India with the same enthusiasm and eye for perfection which informed his other ventures.As an industrialist, JRD is credited with placing the Tata Group on the international map. Apart from being a businessman par excellence, he was a patron of the sciences and the arts, a philanthropist and yet a man with a passion foriterature, fast cars, skiing and flying. As a philanthropist, he was respected for building and keeping alive the tremendously active Tata charitable trusts and adding some of his own. As a founder of institutions he played a seminal role in the founding of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the National Centre for the Performing Arts among many others and advocated family planningong before anybody had visualized that population would be a problem.But it is as an inspirer of men that JRD will always be remembered. With an uncanny knack for selecting the right man for the right job, his greatest achievementay in his ability to weld a team and get the best out of persons who differed greatly in outlook, character and ability. Filled with an unmistakable zest forife, his desire to instil and inspire a spirit of initiative and enterprise was always evident and heed those working for and with him, in the only way he knew: with affection.

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Book SynopsisRash Behari Bose led armed struggle for Indian independence, from bombing Viceroy in 1912 to founding Azad Hind Fauj in 1940s. Inspired mutinies, created support network globally. INA handed to Subhas Chandra Bose. British left India quickly after WWII.

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Book SynopsisTranslation of: Vite de' piu eccellenti architettori, pittori et scultori italiani.Trade Review`...a book which has come to be recognised as the single most important contemporary source of information on hundreds of artists of the Italian Renaissance period.' Irish IndependentTable of ContentsIncludes: Cimabue; Giotto; Duccio; Luca della Robbia; Paolo Uccello; Ghiberti; Masaccio; Filippo Brunelleschi; Donatello; Piero della Francesca; Fra Angelico; Fra Filippo Lippi; Domenico Ghirlandaio; Sandro Botticelli; Andrea del Verrocchio; Mantegna; Leonardo da Vinci; Giorgione; Raphael; Titian; Michelangelo

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Book SynopsisThis final volume in John Röhl's acclaimed biography of Wilhelm II explores the Kaiser's role in the international crises leading up to the outbreak of war in 1914. It also charts his experience of exile in Holland and his frustrated hopes that the Nazis would restore him to the throne.Trade Review'A masterpiece and one of the greatest political biographies of our times.' Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Times'The single most important recent contribution to the debate on the causes of the First World War.' BBC History Magazine'One of the outstanding biographies of the past twenty years.' Philip Mansel, The Spectator'A powerful and impressive thesis.' Jonathan Sperber, The Times Literary Supplement'Devastating.' Norman Stone, Literary Review'Magisterial is the only word that adequately describes Röhl's final installment of his authoritative biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II. This massive tome examines in a most engaging way the personal role the Kaiser played in facilitating the major political and diplomatic crises leading to the Great War … Highly recommended.' M. A. Mengerink, Choice'Reviewers of Röhl's work will find it difficult to avoid echoing each other: adjectives such as 'monumental' and 'definitive' are well-nigh inescapable in the face of this enormous achievement … Future researchers with an interest in any aspect of the Kaiser's life or his role in the government of Imperial Germany will find Röhl an indispensable guide to the documentary record.' Andrew G. Bonnell, European History Quarterly'This book is the final instalment of John Röhl's exhaustive and magisterial three-volume biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Like the two preceding parts, this volume is meticulously researched, full of new insights, beautifully written and, notwithstanding its great length and substantial weight, difficult to put down. Taken either on its own or as the culmination of a trilogy, it is a monumental achievement…This is an outstanding work. So much new research and scholarship has gone into completing it that it is difficult to imagine what other new documents might be out there waiting to be unearthed that would materially add to what Röhl has written. Equally, with this volume and its two predecessors in the public domain it is hard to see why anyone else would attempt a new study of Wilhelm II. While no work of history ever has the final word, surely this is as close to definitive as a biography can get.' Matthew S. Seligmann, The English Historical Review'Scholars of the period owe a great debt to Röhl. Whether, in the final analysis, one agrees with his reading of Wilhelm, Röhl has redirected attention to the importance of human agency in history. In tandem, he has also liberated his subject both from being a caricature, a cardboard cutout knave, and from the less-than-benign neglect of those with structuralist predilections.' T. G. Otte, The Journal of Modern HistoryTable of Contents1. Death and transfiguration; 2. The Kaiser and England during the Boer War; 3. 'I am the balance of power in Europe': Wilhelm between Britain, Russia and France; 4. The Boxer Rebellion and the Baghdad Railway; 5. The shabby compromise: Wilhelm II and Bülow's Chancellorship; 6. Wilhelm II and the Germans, 1900–1904; 7. 'We two make history and destiny is in our hands!' Kaiser and Tsar on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War; 8. The Anglo-German antagonism: the Kaiser, the King and public opinion; 9. The Kaiser and America; 10. Uncle and nephew: Edward VII and the 'encirclement' of Germany; 11. East Asia in flames: the Russo-Japanese War and its consequences; 12. Operational plans for a war in Western Europe; 13. 'Paris must get one in the eye from us one day!' The Kaiser and the First Morocco Crisis; 14. 'A turning point in the history of Europe', or the fiasco of Björkö; 15. Balance of power or hegemony? The Anglo-German conflict and the quarrel with King Edward; 16. Humiliation in Algeciras; 17. 'Encirclement': caught in the web of the Entente; 18. Germany's 'Dreadnought Leap': the Kaiser and 'his' navy; 19. The zenith of personal monarchy: the Kaiser and the government on the eve of the great crisis; 20. 'Kings are only human, after all': scandals at the Hohenzollern court; 21. Prince Eulenburg's downfall: the campaign against the Liebenberg 'Camarilla'; 22. The Kaiser's visit to Windsor and Highcliffe, November-December 1907; 23. The hot summer of 1908: on the verge of war with Britain; 24. 'Our Kaiser and his People!' The crisis of Wilhelm's personal monarchy; 25. Nemesis: Wilhelm II and the Daily Telegraph affair; 26. Upheaval in the Balkans: Kaiser Wilhelm and the Bosnian Annexation Crisis of 1908–09; 27. The 'pantomime': from Bülow to Bethmann Hollweg; 28. Wilhelm and the direction of foreign policy under Bethmann Hollweg; 29. The king is dead, or new hopes of an agreement with England; 30. Agadir: the leap of the Panther; 31. 'The enemy identified': the acceleration of the naval race and the growing menace of war; 32. 'Already leader of the United States of Europe'? The Kaiser and the debacle of the Haldane Mission; 33. November 1912: the strategic switch from West to East; 34. Deterrence: the unresolved problem of Britain's neutrality; 35. 'Berlin has warned us off again': the 'postponed racial war against Slavdom'; 36. Kaiser and Reich: Wilhelm's Personal Monarchy on the eve of war; 37. 'With head held high and hand on hilt!' Preparations for war 1913–14; 38. Summer 1914: the decision for war; 39. The Kaiser's last Norwegian cruise; 40. Confusion in Potsdam: the fear of Britain's involvement; 41. Into the abyss: the outbreak of war; 42. The Supreme War Lord in the First World War; 43. The Kaiser's war aims; 44. Downfall: the collapse of the Hohenzollern monarchy; 45. The unicorn in winter: a new life in exile; 46. 'Blood must flow, much blood': the Kaiser and the 'swinish' Weimar Republic; 47. Monarch by the grace of Hitler? Wilhelm II and the Third Reich.

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Book SynopsisThe authorised life story of the king who gave up his throne for love, by one of our most distinguished biographers.In this masterly authorized biography, Philip Ziegler reveals the complex personality of Edward VIII, the only British monarch to have voluntarily renounced the throne.With unique access to the Royal Archives, Ziegler overturns many myths about Edward and tells his side of the story from his glamorous existence as Prince of Wales to his long decline in semi-exile in France. At the heart of the book is an unflinchingly honest examination of Edward's all-consuming passion for Wallis Simpson, which led to his dramatic abdication.Elegant and devastating, this is the most convincing portrait of Edward ever published.Trade Review‘Philip Ziegler is a master of biographical narrative …Seldom has such exhaustive research been made so compellingly readable’ Michael Holroyd ‘Ziegler has told Edward’s story with consummate skill’ Sarah Bradford, Sunday Times ‘Beautifully written and constructed’ Michael Bloch, Sunday Telegraph ‘Ziegler writes with urbanity and generosity but is unflinching in his judgements … an exemplary biography’ Richard Davenport-Hines, Times Literary Supplement ‘A splendid book of impeccable scholarship, admirably written, moving, ironical and at times very amusing …’ Robert Blake, Country Life ‘A book of such compelling interest and frankness that it is difficult to put down … a very fine book’ New York Times Book Review ‘I found Ziegler’s book riveting’ Paul Barker, Listener ‘He writes brilliantly’ Christopher Hudson, Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisNever less than compelling She consistently succeeds in bringing what might otherwise seem dusty and remote to vivid life' Tom Holland, Literary ReviewStarts with an erupting volcano and then gets more exciting Wonderfully rich, witty, insightful and wide-ranging' Sarah BakewellIn a dazzling, lively new literary biography, Daisy Dunn weaves together the lives of two Roman greats: Pliny the Elder, author of Natural History, and his nephew Pliny the Younger, who inherited his uncle's notebooks and intellectual legacy.Breathing vivid life back into the Plinys, Daisy Dunn charts the extraordinary lives of two outstanding minds and their lasting legacy on the world.A fascinating,compelling andexcellent biography' Simon Sebag MontefioreImmensely entertaining and readable Thoroughly recommended'Sunday TimesTrade Review‘A fascinating, compelling and excellent biography of the two great Plinys of Ancient Rome, as well as a celebration of nature, a study of literature and the human soul, and a lens into Roman society itself … This work of both scholarship and entertainment, arranged in Plinyesque seasons rather than strict chronology, is a delight that befits their high standards.’ Simon Sebag Montefiore ‘Starts with an erupting volcano – and then gets more exciting. A wonderfully rich, witty, insightful and wide-ranging portrait of the two Plinys … and their world.’ Sarah Bakewell 'Daisy Dunn’s book is an absolute delight. Meticulously researched and beautifully crafted, it shines a clear beam of light into the private lives of Pliny the Elder and Younger.' Giles Milton ‘Immensely entertaining and readable …. Dunn has given us a delightful new biography … Thoroughly recommended’ Sunday Times ‘Never less than compelling … Without ever veering into historical fiction, she consistently succeeds in bringing what might otherwise seem dusty and remote to vivid life … A portrait of the Roman Empire that gives the reader something of the shiver down the spine that Herculaneum can inspire’ Tom Holland, Literary Review ‘It is a story …retold with vivid flair…Dunn knits [the two Plinys’] lives together well and analyses the influence that they would have later on scholars from the Italian Renaissance to the English Romantic poets’ The Times ‘An enthralling and ambitious book … Dunn has a great eye for a story, and writes wonderfully’ The Daily Telegraph ‘If only Daisy Dunn’s book had been around back when I was an aspiring classicist … Dunn is a good writer, with some of the easy erudition of Mary Beard … Her translations of both Plinys are graceful and precise … Her enthusiasm, together with her eye for the odd, surprising detail, wins you over’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisThe Times Book of the Year*Winner of the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, 2022**Winner of the General Society of Colonial Wars'' Distinguished Book Award, 2021**Winner of the History Reclaimed Book of the Year, 2022**Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize, 2021*Andrew Roberts, one of Britain''s premier historians, overturns the received wisdom on George IIIGeorge III, Britain''s longest-reigning king, has gone down in history as ''the cruellest tyrant of this age'' (Thomas Paine, eighteenth century), ''a sovereign who inflicted more profound and enduring injuries upon this country than any other modern English king'' (W.E.H. Lecky, nineteenth century), ''one of England''s most disastrous kings'' (J.H. Plumb, twentieth century) and as the pompous monarch of the musical Hamilton (twenty-first century).Andrew Roberts''s magnificent new biography takes entirTrade ReviewGeorge, Roberts writes, "more than filled the role of King of Great Britain worthily; he filled it nobly". After reading this mammoth, elegant and splendidly researched biography, no open-minded reader could possibly disagree - not even an American. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *'Andrew Roberts is our most prodigious biographer ... His demolition of the authors of the Declaration's case against George III is elegant and comprehensive. -- Dominic Lawson * Daily Mail *Magisterial ... George III is notorious for two reasons: losing America and going mad. Roberts provides a fresh and spirited account of both occurrences ... Roberts's fundamentally humane approach to his biographical subjects ... treats George III with as much respect and compassion when sick, blind and deaf as when powerful at the promising start of his reign. The result is a lengthy book that remains engaging throughout. -- Ruth Scurr * The Times *powerful ... a very fine book ... This book should be read by every American whose interest in history goes beyond the feel-good. It is challenging, but richly evidenced and scrupulously argued. ... Coming after his powerful studies of Halifax, Salisbury, Napoleon and Churchill, it consolidates Roberts's position as one of the greatest biographers in the English language today. -- Noel Malcolm * Daily Telegraph *If not for such fierce competition (in the form of such works as Salisbury: Victorian Titan, Churchill: Walking with Destiny and Masters & Commanders) one might be able to unequivocally say that George III is the author's masterpiece. This biography teems with detail, ideas and elegance. Roberts is a great writer - and this is one of his greatest achievements. Roberts sets himself a goal, that of challenging or overturning certain misconceptions that we might harbour about his subject. That George III was a tyrant, unintelligent and a victim of porphyria. Suffice to say, Roberts achieves his goal: mission impossible turns into mission accomplished. Roberts convinces through both persuasive prose and hard evidence (as opposed to just supposition). ... magnificent -- Richard Foreman * Aspects of History *George may become Britain's best-understood monarch, thanks to this impressive new biography. It is unashamedly revisionist. ... Roberts's account is masterly, combining a compelling narrative - one has to keep turning the pages even though one knows the outcome - with analysis that is both cogent and incisive. He appears to have read everything that is in the mainstream and much that isn't, including a wide range of archival sources. ... [George III] has had to wait two centuries for rehabilitation, but it has come at last. Roberts has got deep inside George and his world and has found a man of many sterling qualities. ... tremendous -- Tim Blanning * Literary Review *In this magisterial life of George III, Roberts burnishes his stellar reputation as biographer and historian, dismantling many of the myths that have beset the memory of the man who ruled Britain and Ireland for almost sixty years from 1760. Roberts marshals the evidence meticulously and persuasively to show that George was nothing like the capricious, overbearing, intolerable figure of legend ... It is bracing, too, to see that Roberts has lost none of his disdain for the "Whig interpretation of history" - the comfort blanket of those who believe that Britain's story is one of the steady institutional defeat of autocracy by liberal incrementalism. Now at the top of his game, he has not surrendered the irreverent, revisionist tone that has made him one of the most important public intellectuals of our times. -- Matthew d’Ancona * Tortoise *This superb royal biography ... A book so diligently researched cannot fail to be rich in curious detail and amusing turns of phrase. There are plums on almost every page. -- Hamish Robinson * The Oldie *The strength of this generous new biography is that it correctly portrays George III as a dedicated, benevolent ruler , scrupulous in his constitutional role as head of government and head of state. -- John Martin Robinson * Country Life *Andrew Roberts admires George III, and he is right to do so. The historical image of the king as a tyrant and a lunatic is not remotely true in the first case (a contention Roberts provides much evidence to substantiate) and true only for part of his reign in the second. ... A handsome and thorough biography ... but above all, Roberts has written a superlative political history of the period between 1760 and 1809. -- Simon Heffer * New Criterion *he does his scholarly homework. This is a compendious product of intricate investigation. Roberts has read everything ... It is a magnificent achievement. -- Kate Maltby * Spectator *Andrew Roberts makes a strong revisionist case for the generally maligned George III in this engrossing, brilliant biography -- Andrew Adonis * Prospect Magazine *As his outstanding books on Halifax, Salisbury and Churchill also demonstrate, he is a master of the biography. ... Roberts systematically, cogently and helpfully reinterprets his subject's role and reputation. -- Jeremy Black * History Today *In this mammoth and meticulous biography, Andrew Roberts presents a compelling case for the defence of George III. -- Book of the Week * The Week *Such is Roberts's persuasive interpretation, supported by a wide range of sources and argued with keen insight into political realities. ... It must be hoped that Andrew Roberts's important, serious and timely book plays an appropriate role in the rethinking that can now hardly be avoided. -- Jonathan Clark * Times Literary Supplement *magnificent ... In Andrew Roberts, George has found his Boswell, but one with the wit and erudition of a Johnson. Britain's most misunderstood monarch he may have been, but this biographer has entered into this conscientious king's troubled mind with more than customary empathy. -- Daniel Johnson * Spectator USA *Roberts harnesses a truly extraordinary amount of archival information to offer a comprehensive grasp of a rather tragic, thoroughly misunderstood king. -- Lindsay Chervinsky * Financial Times *This outstanding new biography of George III is timely. The first of the Hanoverians to identify as British was mocked, slandered and vilified during his lifetime and is still regularly cited in the American media as the epitome of tyranny. Over the past two centuries historians have dismissed him as incompetent and despotic. Andrew Roberts has no time for such ill-founded nonsense. ... George has found a true champion in Andrew Roberts, who has ridden up gallantly to challenge unfounded prejudice. ... This impressively researched and scholarly account of the King's life and travails is compulsively readable and, in its tragic end, deeply moving. It is full of fascinating detail, insightful vignettes and vivid local colour. -- Adam Zamoyski * The Critic *Andrew Roberts's mighty Life, drawing on masses of unseen papers locked up in Windsor Castle, turns on its head the lazy idea of George III as a tyrant halfwit...every page is entertaining -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph Books of the Year *This hefty book - elegantly written, the fruit of extensive research - is the case for the defence of Britain's "most misunderstood monarch". -- Robbie Millen * The Times Book of the Year *Deeply researched, it ranges with equal authority from his private life to the military history of the American War of Independence; its tenacious fairness towards its subject gives it the sort of polemical edge that one finds in revisionist history at its best. -- Noel Malcolm * TLS Books of the Year *No other writer, except possibly Alan Bennett, has set out to make us love King George more. Or admire him more ... What makes Roberts's massive biographies so distinctively rewarding is that he provides the reader with enough evidence to undermine his own conclusions. -- Ferdinand Mount * London Review of Books *The book which impressed me most, and which I most enjoyed, this year is Andrew Roberts's George III. It is based on such astonishingly wide-ranging and original research that I felt I was reading about the period for the first time. Unknown facts and wonderful anecdotes had me turning the pages with a curiosity I seldom feel when reading about supposedly familiar events. Andrew Roberts is remarkably even-handed, and there is no special pleading on behalf of this genuinely misunderstood and wilfully misrepresented monarch who did his best to be a good constitutional ruler during a very choppy period in British history. -- Adam Zamoyski * Aspects of History Books of the Year *meticulously researched ... an eye-opening portrait of the man and his times * Publishers Weekly *A deep, expansive study not only of George III but also of the political and social complexities of England and the United States during his reign. -- Kathleen McCallister * Library Journal *a deeply textured portrait of George III [and] a capacious, prodigiously researched biography from a top-shelf historian. -- Kirkusan outstanding and surprisingly moving portrait of a misunderstood king, distinguished by refreshing revisionism but also illuminated by deep humanity. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Spectator World Books of the Year *Roberts is in a rich vein of form at present; after bestselling books on Napoleon and Churchill, yet another masterpiece has tumbled from his pen. -- Dan Jones * The Good Web Guide *Roberts has been justly acclaimed as one of his generation's leading historians ... His new biography seeks to challenge popular myths about the monarch. ... Roberts, employing the same flair for original research and ability to convey historical context and vivid prose that he used in previous books ... thoroughly debunks all the assumptions most people have about the king. -- Jonathan Tobin * Washington Examiner *exhaustively researched and written in accessible, non-jargony prose. Meticulous and forensic, it sometimes reads like a defense counsel's case for his client ... Roberts's defense of George III, though, is the fullest, the clearest, and likely to be the most definitive. -- Robert G. Ingram * National Review *Roberts has painted a masterful portrait of a patriotic, diligent and cultivated monarch. ... This new biography is a treasure-house of detail. ... George III is an engaging, humane and at times beautiful testament to the importance of giving our ancestors a fair hearing. -- Harrison Pitt * European Conservative *

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Book SynopsisChronicling the development of Randolph's political and racial ideologyTrade Review"Bynum focuses on Randolph’s career in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, when he was formulating his ideas on social justice, race, and class. . . . The result is a deeper look at the ideals that drove Randolph."--Booklist"Bynum does an excellent job of discussing Randolph's attempts to secure bargaining for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. In doing so, he exposes the shameful behavior of the union movement in its unwillingness to accept blacks."--Labor Studies Journal"Bynum's well-researched monograph makes a useful contribution to the growing body of literature on the 'long' civil rights movement."--The Journal of American History"An intriguing intellectual history."--The Journal of Southern History"Bynum's book is lucid and an excellent work that can be used for both academic research and casual reading. . . . Bynum's research has opened a window to new scholarship on Randolph's thinking, his role in the civil rights movement, and his demands for accountability from the U.S. government."--H-1960s"Relating Randolph's racial, economic, and political thought to his efforts to address injustice, Bynum does an excellent job of positioning Randolph's ideology with that of his contemporaries on the political left. This study is ideal for students and scholars of twentieth-century African American history, labor history, and race relations."--Cary D. Wintz, editor of African American Political Thought, 1890–1930: Washington, Du Bois, Garvey, and RandolpTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction ixPart 1. Building Black Identity at the Turn of the Century 1. A. Philip Randolph, Racial Identity, and Family Relations: Tracing the Development of a Racial Self-Concept 3 2. Religious Faith and Black Empowerment: The AME Church and Randolph's Racial Identity and View of Social Justice 24Part 2. Constructing Class Consciousness in the Jazz Age 3. Black Radicalism in Harlem: Randolph's Racial and Political Consciousness 47 4. Crossing the Color Line: Randolph's Transition from Race to Class Consciousness 63Part 3. The Rise of the New Crowd Negroes 5. A New Crowd, A New Negro: The Messenger and New Negro Ideology in the 1920s 85 6. Black and White Unite: Randolph and the Divide between Class Theory and the Race Problem 101Part 4. Blending Race and Class 7 Ridin' the Rails: Randolph and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters' Struggle for Union Recognition 119 8. Where Class Consciousness Falls Short: Randolph and the Brotherhood's Standing in the House of Labor 136 9. Marching Toward Fair Employment: Randolph, the Race/Class Connection, and the March on Washington Movement 157 Epilogue: A. Philip Randolph's Reconciliation of Race and Class in African American Protest Politics 185 Notes 201 Bibliography 227 Index 237Illustrations follow page 82

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Book SynopsisA captivating compendium of rare and exquisite first-hand records of ocean voyages around the world and in different ages, providing a fascinating insight into exploration and adventure at sea.Trade Review'A captivating collection of exquisite first-hand records providing fascinating insights into exploration and adventure at sea' - Traveller'Beautiful … readers could easily be left with the impression that all 18th-century seafarers were also talented artists' - CNN Travel'Lewis-Jones’s book has everything from illustrated accounts of whaling voyages and naval battles to depictions of Kamchatkan kayakers and fluorescent sea slugs' - The Scotsman'Thrilling ... succeeds in illustrating not only the diversity of maritime sketchbooks but also how vital they were for their creators' - Times Literary Supplement'Magnificent first-hand accounts of the thrills and spills of sea exploration' - The Lady'The sort of book to curl up with … you will relish each turn of the page as you explore the nautical journeys … humorous, poignant and most definitely informative … this is a book to learn from and treasure' - Family Tree'Endlessly diverting and beautifully produced' - Daily Telegraph'A remarkable treasure chest' - Geographical'Gorgeously produced … a lovely present for anyone who’s fascinated by exploration' - Practical Boat Owner'Readers of this beautifully-produced volume will be far from miserable, and may even be inspired to keep their own journals and images of life' - Nautilus Telegraph'One of the most spectacular and fascinating books I have ever read. A real privilege! Superb' - Book Reviews Monthly'Remarkable' - Bookanista'Wide-ranging and beautifully illustrated' - Books of the Year, Spectator

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Book SynopsisThe true story of how Britain''s maritime power helped gain this country unparalleled dominance of the world''s economy, Admirals celebrates the rare talents of the men who shaped the most successful fighting force in world history. Told through the lives and battles of eleven of our most remarkable admirals - men such as James II and Robert Blake - Andrew Lambert''s book stretches from the Spanish Armada to the Second World War, culminating with the spirit which led Andrew Browne Cunningham famously to declare, when the army feared he would lose too many ships, ''it takes three years to build a ship; it takes three centuries to build a tradition.''

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Book SynopsisThe Commentaries of Pius II (1405-1464), the only autobiography ever written by a pope, was composed in elegant humanistic Latin modeled on Caesar and Cicero. This edition contains a fresh Latin text based on the last manuscript written in Pius's lifetime and an updated and corrected version of the 1937 translation.Trade ReviewAeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, the Sienese humanist who became Pope Pius II, describes the election that brought him to the papal throne in a cold, mordant key that anticipates the Italian styles of Machiavelli and Guicciardini...For all his severity, Pius had a delightful way of describing cities and countryside. He could mock himself charmingly, as when he described his stay among the barbarian inhabitants of the British borders, who had never seen wine or white bread, and whose eager young women he refused to sleep with, as he stayed up all night for fear of bandits "among the heifers and nanny goats, who kept him from sleeping a wink by stealthily pulling the straw from his pallet." Pius's Commentaries, presented in a most elegant and informative way by Margaret Meserve and Marcello Simonetta, may well be the most entertaining work in the whole [I Tatti Renaissance Library] series. -- Anthony T. Grafton * New York Review of Books *

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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 SynopsisIn Means of Ascent, Book Two of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Robert A. Caro brings alive Lyndon Johnson in his wilderness years. Here, Johnson’s almost mythic personality—part genius, part behemoth, at once hotly emotional and icily calculating—is seen at its most nakedly ambitious. This multifaceted book carries the President-to-be from the aftermath of his devastating defeat in his 1941 campaign for the Senate-the despair it engendered in him, and the grueling test of his spirit that followed as political doors slammed shut-through his service in World War II (and his artful embellishment of his record) to the foundation of his fortune (and the actual facts behind the myth he created about it).   The culminating drama—the explosive heart of the book—is Caro’s illumination, based on extraordinarily detailed investigation, of one of the great political mysteries of the century. Having immersed himself in Johnson’s life and world, Caro is able to reveal the true story of the fiercely contested 1948 senatorial election, for years shrouded in rumor, which Johnson was not believed capable of winning, which he “had to” win or face certain political death, and which he did win-by 87 votes, the “87 votes that changed history.”   Telling that epic story “in riveting and eye-opening detail,” Caro returns to the American consciousness a magnificent lost hero. He focuses closely not only on Johnson, whom we see harnessing every last particle of his strategic brilliance and energy, but on Johnson’s “unbeatable” opponent, the beloved former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson, who embodied in his own life the myth of the cowboy knight and was himself a legend for his unfaltering integrity. And ultimately, as the political duel between the two men quickens—carrying with it all the confrontational and moral drama of the perfect Western—Caro makes us witness to a momentous turning point in American politics: the tragic last stand of the old politics versus the new—the politics of issue versus the politics of image, mass manipulation, money and electronic dazzle.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Grand Prix de la Biographie Politique""Winner of the Prix littéraire de biographie historique Brantôme""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""A fascinating story. . . . Zunz’s account of Beaumont and Tocqueville’s journey and the subsequent writing of Democracy in America is riveting."---Lynn Hunt, New York Review of Books"[A] superbly written biography. . . . Accessible and erudite."---Stephen W. Sawyer, Times Literary Supplement"Zunz has written what must surely be the definitive account of the public life of Alexis de Tocqueville."---Alan Ryan, Literary Review"A masterpiece."---Peter McPhee, Australian Book Review"This biography gives us, often with just a few telling strokes, the ambitious but depressive young aristocrat . . . the Romantic literary self-creator . . . and the liberal politician.""---Jedediah Britton-Purdy, New Republic"Zunz, the foremost living Tocqueville expert, sensitively and masterfully examines the Frenchman’s life in full. . . . Engaging and informative."---Michael M. Rosen, Commentary"As a narrative biography, Olivier Zunz’s The Man Who Understood Democracy succeeds tremendously. The details of Tocqueville’s life—and the events he lived through—are rendered with engaging clarity."---Paul Sagar, The Critic"An informative biography. . . . Zunz explains what Tocqueville learned—and what he failed to notice—during his travels throughout the United States. . . . Zunz also provides a splendid account of Tocqueville’s career as a practical politician in France."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune"A major new biography . . . [Zunz] is ideally matched to his subject. . . . [Tocqueville] could not have a more deeply knowledgeable biographer."---Brooke Allen, Hudson Review"An exhaustively researched and discretely focused biography."---Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal"The Man Who Understood Democracy must now stand as the authoritative biography of Alexis de Tocqueville, far surpassing the achievements of earlier biographers such as Hugh Brogan. From start to finish, it is elegantly written, judicious, erudite, and a hugely insightful and informative read."---Jeremy Jennings, Tocqueville21"A richly detailed intellectual biography. . . . Wide-ranging and meticulously argued." * Publishers Weekly *"Magisterial. . . . [A] virtuosic account of Tocqueville’s life and work."---Tarek Masoud, Journal of Democracy"A wide-ranging study of the life and thought of the French aristocrat. . . . [An] astute biography." * Kirkus Reviews *"An outstanding new biography of Alexis de Tocqueville that is sure to be the standard for years to come." * Choice *"A self-recommending biography of one of the greatest social science thinkers. Easy to read, and good for both the generalist and specialist reader."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"Olivier Zunz’s The Man Who Understood Democracy is an excellent biography of this major figure of political philosophy. It is well-written and judicious in its use of detail."---Theodore Dalrymple, Law & Liberty"Tocqueville has a lot to offer us. The publication of this biography is as much an occasion to engage with his ideas as it is to be inspired by his longing for truth and his commitment to creating conditions conducive to human flourishing."---Suyash Rai, Carnegie India

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Book SynopsisFidel Castro is one of the most interesting and controversial personalities of our time he has become a myth and an icon. He was the first Cuban Caudillo the man who freed his country from dependence on the USA and who lead his people to rediscover their national identity and pride. Castro has outlived generations of American presidents and Soviet leaders. He has survived countless assassination attempts by the CIA, the Mafia, and Cubans living in exile. He has become one of the greatest politicians of the 20th Century. His biography, and the history of his country exemplify the tensions between East and West, North and South, rich and poor. As Castro''s life draws to a close, the question as to what will become of Cuba is more important that ever. Will Castro open Cuba to economic reform and democratization, or stick to his old slogan socialism or death? In this remarkable, up-to-date reconstruction of Castro''s life, Volker Skierka addresses these queTrade Review"A comprehensive and highly readable biography written in a remarkably even-handed tone." The Guardian "Volker Skierka has written the book that those wanting to understand the present-day politics of Cuba and its ruler have been awaiting for a long time. He has done so with a freshness, simplicity and elegance that makes it a pleasure to read ... accessible and fascinating to the casual reader and the specialist alike." BBC History Magazine "An exceptional, evenhanded portrait of an undeniably strong leader's strengths and weaknesses." Midwest Book Review "A fascinatingly good read and a treasure trove of information." Morning Star "Volker Skierka's study of Castro stands out for its admirable clarity and accessibility. Synthesizing a wealth of literature, and casting a cool eye on the official pieties of both Havana and Washington, Skierka has drawn a critical but far from unsympathetic portrait of this extraordinary figure of the Cold War world whose personal tenacity ensured that Cuban Communism survived with him into the new millennium." James Dunkerley, Queen Mary UniversityTable of ContentsList of plates. A Note of Thanks. Acknowledgements. Preface to the English Edition. 1. The Heroic Myth. 2. The Young Fidel. Among Jesuits. Among gangsters. 3. The Young Revolutionary. Storm and stress: Moncada. “Che”, the Argentinean. Stormy crossing on the Granma. A guerillero in the Sierra Maestra. 321 against 10,000. 4. The Young Victor. Communists and “barbudos”. 1,500 revolutionary laws. 5. Old Enemies, New Friends. The great powers at the gates. The CIA, the Mafia and the Bay of Pigs. Fidelismo. “Mongoose” and “Anadyr”. Thirteen days on the brink of a third world war. Three gamblers. 6. The Long March with Che. Moscow, Beijing, and Havana. The new man. The demise of Che. 7. Bad Times, Good Times. War and peace with Moscow. Ten million tons. Into the Third World. The revolution devours its children. 8. Alone Against All. Exodus to Florida. Rectificacion and perestroika. The Soviet imperium collapses. The brother’s power. War economy in peacetime. 9. The Eternal Revolutionary. Class Struggle on a dollar basis. Cuba and the global policeman. Castro, God and the Pope. Freedom or “socialismo tropical”. 10. Don Quixote and History. Notes. Bibliography. Index

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Book SynopsisFluent in both English and French, he served as Hitler’s translator during negotiations with Chamberlain, the British declaration of war and the surrender of France, as well as translating the Führer’s infamous speeches for radio. He has contributed to He Was My Chief, I Was Hitler’s Chauffeur, With Hitler to the End and Hitler’s Last Witness.

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Book SynopsisIn 1836, Charles Henry Harrod found himself in a prison hulk awaiting transportation to Tasmania for seven years’ hard labour.

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Book SynopsisMemorable not for his life but his death, Edward V is probably better known as one of the Princes in the Tower, the supposed victim of his uncle, Richard III. This work presents to us the backdrop to this tragically short life - and reveals how he was both the hope of a dynasty and an integral cause of that dynasty''s collapse.

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Book SynopsisWar, revolution and love - dazzling medieval history from a rising starWar, revolution, treason and love - the thrilling tale of Sir John of Gaunt brought to life by medieval history''s rising star. ‘The Red Prince announces Helen Carr as one of the most exciting new voices in narrative history.’ Dan Jones Son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV and the sire of all the Tudors. Always close to the English throne, John of Gaunt left a complex legacy. Too rich, too powerful, too haughty… did he have his eye on his nephew’s throne? Why was he such a focus of hate in the Peasants’ Revolt? In examining the life of a pivotal medieval figure, Helen Carr paints a revealing portrait of a man who held the levers of power on the English and European stage, passionately upheld chivalric values, pressed for the Bible to be translated into English, patronised the arts, ran huge risks Trade Review‘In Shakespeare’s Richard II, John of Gaunt gives the “this scepter’d isle… this England” speech. This vivid history brings to life his princely ambitions and passion.’ -- The Times, Best Books of 2021‘Helen Carr has captured the drama of [John of Gaunt’s] life and the tensions inherent in it in a compelling portrait. In so doing, she reminds us of the contradictions of a period remote from our own, not just in time but in values and beliefs too… Carr has brought to life one of the major figures of medieval England.’ -- Linda Porter, Literary Review‘The Red Prince is not…just a book of battles and wars. Carr’s John of Gaunt is a man who loved as passionately as he fought… Carr’s sensitive use of contemporary sources paints a poignant deathbed scene… in The Red Prince it is the towering figure of John of Gaunt, a thoroughly European Englishman, who takes centre stage and it’s a stirring and memorable performance.’ -- Leanda de Lisle, The Times‘Helen Carr is a really exciting new talent in the world of history writing, whose work strikes a perfect balance between lucidity and scholarship. Her debut, The Red Prince, is a beautifully nuanced portrait of an oft misunderstood man.’ -- Rebecca Rideal, author of 1666: Plague, War and Hellfire‘Superb, gripping and fascinating, here is John of Gaunt and a cast of kings, killers and queens brought blazingly, sensitively and swashbucklingly to life. An outstanding debut.’ -- Simon Sebag Montefiore‘A long overdue reappraisal of one of medieval England’s greatest but most enigmatic figures. The Red Prince announces Helen Carr as one of the most exciting new voices in narrative history.’ -- Dan Jones, author of the Plantagenets and The Hollow Crown‘Helen Carr is one of the most exciting and talented young historians out there. She has a passion for medieval history which is infectious and is always energetic and engaging, whether on the printed page or the screen.’ -- Dan Snow‘Deploying vivid and compelling prose alongside her considerable scholarship, Helen Carr fully succeeds in restoring John of Gaunt to his rightful place – in the first rank of medieval princes. This is an excellent book, that brings the fourteenth century back to life through a thoughtful parade of intriguing characters – none more fascinating than John of Gaunt himself.’ -- Charles Spencer, bestselling author of Blenheim and Killers of the King‘John of Gaunt is a name to conjure with – an English duke who sought to become a king in Spain, a complicated, controversial man to whom, as “time-honour’d Lancaster”, Shakespeare gives one of his greatest speeches. Helen Carr puts him centre stage: The Red Prince is the rattling good story of a life lived on an epic scale, told with care, insight and humanity.’ -- Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves and Joan of Arc‘Helen Carr tells the gripping story of John of Gaunt’s dramatic and controversial career, from the wars he waged across Europe to the political intrigue and rebellion he faced at home, and above all the way in which his life was marked by profound love, and loss. This is an engaging and moving portrait of one of the leading figures of the Hundred Years War.’ -- Sophie Thérèse Ambler, author of The Song of Simon de Montfort‘This biography explores the motivations of a complex figure who, for years, skilfully moved through a world of chivalry, legislative machinations and enormous wealth… This is a compelling profile of a pivotal figure in English history.’ -- History Revealed‘His fame has faded in recent years but Helen Carr’s absorbing new biography returns him to his rightful place.’ -- Daily Mail‘An absorbing biography of one of the great figures of the English past.’ -- New European‘[The] opening reference is… typical of the nuances of Carr’s portrayal of an often-misunderstood figure… Carr presents an authoritative account, acknowledging all aspects of a complex character whose devotion to royal privilege was equally a convoluted illustration of his own interests.’ -- Emma J. Wells, TLS‘Helen Carr’s spellbinding and richly researched debut biography… looks at one of the major medieval figures in Britain with a fresh and appealing perspective… Carr tells his story with conviction and fascinatingly rich detail.’ -- Boisdale Life

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