Historical & Political Biographies

Revolutionary practitioner, theorist, factional chief, sparkling writer, 'ladies' man' (e.g., his affair with Frieda Kahlo), icon of the Revolution, anti-Jewish Jew, philosopher of everyday life, grand seigneur of his household, father and hunted victim, Trotsky lived a brilliant life in extraordinary times. Robert Service draws on hitherto unexamined archives and on his profound understanding of Russian history to draw a portrait of the man and his legacy, revealing that though his followers have represented Trotsky as a pure revolutionary soul and a powerful intellect unjustly hounded into exile by Stalin and his henchmen. The reality is very different, as this masterful and compelling biography reveals.

In 1889 Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman met in a Lower East Side coffee shop. Over the next fifty years they became fast friends, fleeting lovers, and loyal comrades. This dual biography offers a glimpse into their intertwined lives, the influence of the anarchist movement they shaped, and their unyielding commitment to equality and justice.

The image of Catherine of Aragon has always suffered in comparison to the heir-providing Jane Seymour or the vivacious eroticism of Anne Boleyn. But when Henry VIII married Catherine, she was an auburn-haired beauty in her twenties with a passion she had inherited from her parents, Isabella and Ferdinand, the joint-rulers of Spain who had driven the Moors from their country.This daughter of conquistadors showed the same steel and sense of command when organising the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Flodden and Henry was to learn, to his cost, that he had not met a tougher opponent on or off the battlefield when he tried to divorce her.Henry VIII introduced four remarkable women into the tumultuous flow of England's history: Catherine of Aragon and her daughter 'Bloody' Queen Mary; and Anne Boleyn and her daughter, the Virgin Queen Elizabeth. 'From this contest, between two mothers and two daughters, was born the religious passion and violence that inflamed England for centuries,' says David Starkey. Reformation, revolution and Tudor history would all have been vastly different without Catherine of Aragon.Giles Tremlett's new biography is the first in more than four decades to be dedicated entirely and uniquely to the tenacious woman whose marriage lasted twice as long as those of Henry's five other wives put together. It draws on fresh material from Spain to trace the dramatic events of her life through Catherine of Aragon's own eyes.'Enthralling biography . . . this lively and richly detailed book . . . describing the queen's fierce battle to retain her crown, Tremlett brilliantly breathes life into the shadowy figure of a stubborn and finally heroic woman.'Daily Telegraph

William Cavendish, courageous, cultured and passionate about women, embodies the popular image of a cavalier. Famously defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, he went into a long and miserable continental exile before returning to England in triumph on the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660.Lucy Worsley brings to life a fascinating household of the 17th century, painting a picture of conspiracy, sexual intrigue, clandestine marriage and gossip. From Ben Jonson and Van Dyck to a savage, knife-wielding master-cook, Cavalier is a brilliant illumination of the stately home in England and all its many colourful inhabitants.

Using television Audience of One reframes America through the rattled mind of a septuagenarian, insomniac, cable-news-junkie president.

George "Bugs" Moran was the last of Chicago''s spectacular North Side gang leaders, a colorful and violent dynasty that began with Dean O''Banion in 1920. In <em>The Man That Got Away, </em>author Rose Keefe provides the first in-depth look at the enigmatic gangster''s charmed and wacky life from his Minnesota childhood to his early years as a horse thief. She chronicles his two marriages, his rise and fall in Chicago''s Prohibition-era underworld, his life as an independent outlaw in the 1930s and ''40s, and his last days in Leavenworth Penitentiary.In the process of telling Moran''s story, some of the twentieth century''s most fascinating and bewildering gangland figures are revisited: Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, Dean O''Banion, Vincent "the Schemer" Drucci, Earl "Hymie" Weiss, showboating Chicago Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson, the gang-hating but oddly pro-Moran Judge John H. Lyle, Virgil Summers, and Albert Fouts.History did not record the details of Moran''s last confession, but the public record and Rose Keefe''s interviews with Moran''s former associates now allow us to form an educated guess.

The inspiring story of a US Special Forces soldier who was medically retired after stepping on an IED, and his incredible return to active duty.

This biography covers the scientific and human aspects of Marie's life, detailing her tumultuous personal history at a time of social upheaval, and her struggle to gain recognition in an era when female scientists were almost unknown.

A compulsive collection of the world's most entertaining, inspiring and powerful letters with art at their heart, curated by the founder of the global phenomenon lettersofnote.com

Deftly combining social satire with political critique, Taunsvi anticipates Manto's Partition fiction, written after 1948… The Sixth River is a most welcome addition to the burgeoning personal narratives on Punjab's and India's partition.' -Ayesha Jalal, Mary Richardson Professor of History, Tufts UniversityThe Partition of India in 1947 left millions displaced amidst indiscriminate murders, rapes and looting. The Sixth River, originally published as Chhata Darya, is an extraordinary first-person account of that violent time. Born Ram Lal Bhatia in the town of Taunsa Sharif, then in the Punjab, Fikr Taunsvi left for the cosmopolitan city of Lahore in the 1930s. Here he worked with various newspapers, wrote poetry and articles, and became a part of the intellectual circle. But when independence was announced, Fikr was faced with a new reality-of being a Hindu in his beloved city, now in Pakistan.The Sixth River is the journal Fikr wrote from August to November 1947 as Lahore disintegrated around him. Fikr is angry at the shortsightedness and ineptness of Radcliffe, Nehru, Gandhi and Jinnah. In the company of likeminded friends such as Sahir Ludhianvi, he mourns the loss of the art and culture of Lahore in the bloodlust and deluded euphoria of freedom; and derides the newly converted, who adopted stereotypical religious symbols. He is bewildered when old friends suddenly turn staunch nationalists and advise him to either convert or leave the country. And the deep, unspeakable trauma millions faced during Partition reaches Fikr's doorstep when his neighbour murders his daughter, and when he is eventually forced to migrate to Amritsar in India. Powerful, ironic and deeply harrowing, The Sixth River is an invaluable account of the Partition. This brilliant translation by Maaz Bin Bilal makes the classic available in English for the first time.

The gripping autobiography of a man whose air force career firmly proved him to be 'One of the Few'

Few people have had such an impact on the political and business world as Donald J Trump. But beyond the presidency, his entire family has an incredible and intriguing story to tell.Now, inside this biography, you’ll discover the incredible life and achievements of the Trump family. From their arrival to America and the businesses they founded to Donald J Trump’s successful ascent to the Whitehouse and his long-standing career beforehand. Few people have had such an impact on America and the world – even long before his presidential bid – than Trump.But aside from politics, this biography serves to illuminate the character, mindset, and personality of Trump in a never-before-seen way. Delving into his family, past, and current life, this is a powerful and enlightening account of the Trump family’s legacy, from the ambition and drive that led to so much success, to the relationships and partnerships that helped it all happen.Their story goes far beyond the presidential race that captured the attention of so many millions – the story of the Trump family has so much more to tell. From Fred Trump and his casinos to their humble beginnings in Germany, Trump: The Biography is a must-read for anyone interested in the history, achievements, and legacy of this extraordinary family.Buy now to discover just how much the Trump family influenced America.

Rockefeller was the quintessential industrialist. He created an industry out of nascent oil and gas start-ups during a time when none existed. His strategies and tactics may not have been approved by all, but he was certain he was doing God’s work.We live in a world today that is based on the actions of John D. Rockefeller. Everything we do and how we live are the result of oil and its power. This inherent structure is based on what one man did when the oil industry was just starting off. He was strategic in his thinking, choosing to enter the refining side of the oil industry instead of the exploring and drilling aspect of it. He started with one refinery and then quickly bought up more than 90 percent of his competitors in the state within a few short years. The story of Rockefeller as told in this book provides a deep view of the oil industry and is told from a very human and real perspective. It looks at the events that shaped his life, from the shenanigans of his crooked father to the pleasant and philanthropic old man that he became. It is a story that is both instructive and interesting. It is a story of America itself told from the perspective of one of the world’s most successful men who rose from nothing and set the world on its path—a path that we still traverse today almost a century after his passing.Read this book and learn about the conversations and twists and turns that were part of John D. Rockefeller’s life. Feel what he felt as he navigated happiness and disappointment, clarity and confusion. What are you waiting for? Scroll up and click the ‘Buy Now’ button to learn about ‘The Original Titan.’

Erich von Manstein was a German commander of the Wehrmacht, Nazi Germany's armed forces during the Second World War. He attained the rank of field marshal.A biography that every student of military history should read. This book gives out the life, military career and military leadership of this great Military Commander. This book is a compilation of high quality articles from the Internet.

Hardly the buffoon he is frequently made out to be, Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) was an able politician who won the esteem of many statesmen and who knew how to cooperate peacefully with foreign governments when it suited him.

The surprising story of how wrestling superstar Glenn "Kane" Jacobs beat all the odds to become the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

The Tower of London is an iconic building, having held many famous prisoners since it was first built in the 1100s.

Definitive anthology of the deadliest snipers of the Second World War.

Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory's million-copy-plus bestselling memoir-now in trade paperback for the first time."Powerful and ugly and beautiful...a moving story of a man who deeply wants a world without malice and hate and is doing something about it."-The New York TimesFifty-five years ago, in 1964, an incredibly honest and revealing memoir by one of the America's best-loved comedians and activists, Dick Gregory, was published. With a shocking title and breathtaking writing, Dick Gregory defined a genre and changed the way race was discussed in America.Telling stories that range from his hardscrabble childhood in St. Louis to his pioneering early days as a comedian to his indefatigable activism alongside Medgar Evers and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gregory's memoir riveted readers in the sixties. In the years and decades to come, the stories and lessons became more relevant than ever, and the book attained the status of a classic. The book has sold over a million copies and become core text about race relations and civil rights, continuing to inspire readers everywhere with Dick Gregory's incredible story about triumphing over racism and poverty to become an American legend.

Biteback Publishing is delighted to announce a major new project, a two volume series of biographies of every female MP ever to be elected to the House of Commons.

On 8 March 1941, a 27-year-old Jewish Dutch student living in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam made the first entry in a diary that was to become one of the most remarkable documents to emerge from the Nazi Holocaust. Over the course of the next two and a half years, an insecure, chaotic and troubled young woman was transformed into someone who inspired those with whom she shared the suffering of the transit camp at Westerbork and with whom she eventually perished at Auschwitz. Through her diary and letters, she continues to inspire those whose lives she has touched since. She was an extraordinarily alive and vivid young woman who shaped and lived a spirituality of hope in the darkest period of the twentieth century. This book explores Etty Hillesum's life and writings, seeking to understand what it was about her that was so remarkable, how her journey developed, how her spirituality was shaped, and what her profound reflections on the roots of violence and the nature of evil can teach us today.

A 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.

For the privileged a cosmopolitan pleasure ground; For the desperate a port of last resort. A pot of gold at the end of an Oriental rainbow; A thick slice of hell denounced from the pulpit. The start of a journey for many; The end of the road for some. A place to find fame, or to seek anonymity; Rogues, chancers, showgirls, criminals... For so many people from so many lands, there was one phrase that sent a tingle of hope or a shiver of anticipation down every spine: "e;DESTINATION SHANGHAI"e;

On 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.