Historical & Political Biographies

Lovers, companions, and husband and wife, Catherine and Prince Grigory Potemkin were also close political partners. This work reveals the complexity of Catherine and Potemkin's personal relationship in light of changes in matters of state, foreign relations, and military engagements. It gives insights into Catherine's passions, and her world.

Die Verleihung des Friedensnobelpreises von 1971 an Willy Brandt überraschte damals viele Deutsche. Doch das norwegische Nobelkomitee einte die Überzeugung, dass niemand im Jahr zuvor mehr für den Frieden in der Welt geleistet hatte als der deutsche Bundeskanzler. Über diesen Erfolg sollten jedoch die übrigen deutschen Friedensnobelpreiskandidaten der Jahre von 1962 bis 1971 nicht vergessen werden. Auch Ernst Bloch, Friedrich Wilhelm Foerster, Heinrich Grüber, Kurt Hahn, Martin Niemöller, Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze, Fritz v. Unruh und das von Herbert Barth ins Leben gerufene Internationale Jugend-Festspieltreffen Bayreuth haben sich um das Ansehen Deutschlands in der Welt verdient gemacht.

In this fully revised and updated edition of his 2021 biography of Starmer, Michael Ashcroft traces how he went from schoolboy socialist to radical lawyer and Director of Public Prosecutions before - aged 52 - becoming an MP, then Labour leader and now the occupant of Number 10.

A NEW YORK TIMES, LOS ANGELES TIMES, and USA TODAY BESTSELLER This "intimate and sympathetic portrait of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy that is as enthralling as she was" (Dana Thomas, New York Times bestselling author) reexamines her life and legacy as never before. Perfect for fans of My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, What Remains, and Fairy Tale Interrupted. A quarter of a century after the plane crash that claimed the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren, the magnitude of this tragedy remains fresh. Yet, Carolyn is still an enigmatic figure, a woman whose short life in the spotlight was besieged with misogyny and cruelty. Amidst today's cultural reckoning about the way our media treats women, Elizabeth Beller "reveals the true woman behind the mystery, and what a woman she turns out to be: fabulous, fierce, fashionable, flawed...formidable" (J. Randy Taraborrelli, New York Times bestselling author). When she began dating America's prince, Carolyn was thrust into an overwhelming spotlight filled with cruelly relentless paparazzi who reacted to her reserve with a campaign of harassment and vilification. To this day, she is still depicted as a privileged princess-icy, vapid, and drug-addicted. She has even been accused of being responsible for their untimely death, allegedly delaying take-off until she finished her pedicure. But now, the truth is finally unveiled. A fiercely independent woman devoted to her adopted city and career, Carolyn relied on her impeccable eye and drive to fly up the ranks at Calvin Klein in the glossy, high-stakes fashion world of the 1990s. When Carolyn met her future husband, John was immediately drawn to her strong-willed personality, effortless charm, and high intelligence. Their relationship would change her life and catapult her to dizzying fame, but it was her vibrant life before their marriage and then hidden afterwards, that is truly fascinating. Based on in-depth research and exclusive interviews with friends, family members, teachers, roommates, and colleagues, and featuring never-before-seen family photos, this comprehensive biography reveals a multifaceted woman worthy of our attention regardless of her husband and untimely death.

The Iron Lady reconsidered on the 100th anniversary of her birth

90 Seconds to Midnight tells the gripping and thought-provoking story of Setsuko Nakamura Thurlow, a thirteen-year-old girl living in Hiroshima in 1945, when the city was annihilated by an atomic bomb, and her ensuing quest to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

The previously unpublished wartime diary of Lieutenant General James Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

A personal memoir of deployment with the strike cell that hunted America's enemies in Iraq using cutting-edge technology.

Charting the life and writings of W¿adys¿aw Bie¿kowski, a leading politician and writer in communist Poland and sometime right hand man and ideologue of the Polish leader W¿adys¿aw Gomüka, this book outlines the shifts in the nature of communism in Poland throughout the period of communist rule.

Alan Munro reflects on his time in the RAF and the Cold War jets which he flew. It is his time on the Phantoms that is the main crux of this book. He discusses how the withdrawal of Lightnings from the RAF changed the Phantom's role and the impact this had on squadrons. This is a must for fans of the Cold War era fighters

Finding Hester explores the untold story of Hester Leggatt, a woman who helped trick the Nazis. Owing to a personal connection built with the Leggatt family, the author has been given exclusive access to the real diaries and letters of the woman who wrote the Operation Mincemeat love letters.

An enthralling portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, which brings her struggles vividly to life and reveals her forgotten place in British history.

The essential biography of Charles Evans Hughes, whose indelible career in politics and law shaped American modernization in the twentieth century.In the first full-life biographical study of Charles Evans Hughes in over seventy years, Joanne Reitano provides a fresh assessment of Hughes's distinguished, multifaceted public service during the first half of the twentieth century. His exceptional career included the roles of governor of New York (1906-1910), associate justice and presidential candidate (1910-1916), secretary of state (1921-1925), and chief justice of the Supreme Court (1930-1941). A household name in his own time, Hughes challenged bossism in New York politics, championed post-World War I internationalism, and brokered the world's first arms limitation agreement. On the Supreme Court, he was instrumental in modernizing legal doctrines concerning the interstate commerce clause, substantive due process, and civil liberties. Reitano unpacks the seemingly paradoxical nature of Hughes's political and legal careers, arguing that he was neither radical nor reactionary, but a structural reformer and a practical idealist who significantly impacted the nation's transition into the twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of sources, Reitano's work will be the definitive account of Charles Evans Hughes for years to come.

Soon to be an ITV drama starring Lucy Boynton, A Cruel Love is the definitive story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging. 'A forensically researched book that casts a haunting new light on the last woman to be hanged in Britain.' -DAILY MAILIn 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot her lover, David Blakely, dead. A two-day trial followed, but despite huge public outcry, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. At 28, Ruth became the last woman executed in Britain, her hanging one of the most notorious under prolific hangman Albert Pierrepoint. Carol Ann Lee examines the facts behind the headlines surrounding this infamous case, which many believe led to the dismantling of the death penalty a decade later. Drawing on interviews and in-depth research into the full range of sources, she reveals the woman behind the crime. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging, this is the acclaimed biography that inspired the ITV drama, A Cruel Love - a portrait of 1950s club life in all its seedy glamour, and a tragic true tale of murder, class, love and betrayal. 'Wonderful . . . it will become the standard reference on Ruth Ellis' Stewart P. Evans, crime historian

""Starting his reign in 1927, Alexander Alekhine dominated the world of elite chess for more than a decade. To this day, he is the only world chess champion to die while holding the title. On his way to the top, Alekhine dodged artillery on World War I battlefields, narrowly escaped a Bolshevik firing squad and negotiated with Nazis to escape occupied Paris. He also earned a reputation as a "grandmonster" of chess: arrogant, amoral and alcoholic. This book explores both the triumphs that established Alekhine as one of the most creative minds ever to storm the chess world and the tragic choices that ended his career and, finally, his life. He is still one of the most controversial figures in chess history, but competitive chess as we know it would not exist without him"--

Yadava does not just recount these events-he provides insights into the socio-political, economic, and military contexts that shaped them, offering a comprehensive, multi-dimensional view of the tumultuous periods that shaped modern India.

Were British Intelligence chiefs gullible or sensible to recruit an astrologer to assist in the war effort against Nazi Germany? And was the astrologer genuine or a charlatan?