Historical & Political Biographies

Alors que, au lendemain de la Seconde guerre mondiale, en Italie et en France, les principals cultures politiques se sont consolidées, à partir de la fi n des années 1960, ells font face aux changements profonds qui affectent les sociétés ouest-européennes, jusqu'à la restructuration des systèmes de partis des deux pays au milieu des années 1990. Les auteurs et autrices de cet ouvrage collectif analysent les transformations et érosions subies par les cultures politiques, ainsi que l'hybridation et le renouveau de ces cultures.In the aftermath of World War II, Italy and France saw the consolidation of their principal political cultures. However, from the late 1960s onwards, these cultures encountered profound changes that impacted Western European societies, culminating in the restructuring of both countries' party systems by the mid-1990s. The authors of this collective work delve into the transformations and erosions experienced by these political cultures, as well as their hybridization and the emergence of new ones.

A scandal-drenched account of the fall of one of England's great aristocratic dynasties.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, a rollicking adventure following three eccentric Victorian archeologists and linguists on a twenty-year quest to decipher cuneiform, the oldest script in the world.

The harrowing experience of an Artillery unit charged with an Infantry mission in one of the most hostile killing fields in Afghanistan--the Arghandab Valley

Ballybunion to the River Kwai is the remarkable story of Don Kennedy's harrowing experience as an Irish prisoner of war under the Japanese from 1942-45.

Growing up in a working-class family in Manchester, Harry Furness joined the army in 1939 at the age of 16. Having always been captivated by the stories of First World War snipers, he immediately volunteered for sniper training when the army began to recruit soldiers in 1941. He did exceptionally well, qualifying as a marksman whilst a pre-war army cadet and was quickly promoted to lance corporal. Just prior to D-Day, he was promoted to corporal in the Green Howards Regiment and landed at Gold Beach on 6th June 1944. Together, he and his comrades began a hard fight across North-West Europe, gradually moving through Northern France, Belgium, Holland and eventually into Germany as they pushed the Germans back towards the Rhine. The manifold dangers and occasional humour of Harry Furness's experiences of war come across in a very matter-of-fact but compelling way in the dozens of previously unpublished letters, personal interviews and images that make up Martin Pegler's fascinating, moving biography of Furness and his extraordinary life.

John Potts Slough, the Union commander at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, lived a life of relentless pursuit for success that entangled him in the turbulent events of mid-nineteenth-century America. As a politician, Slough fought abolitionists in the Ohio legislature and during Kansas Territory's fourth and final constitutional convention. He organized the 1st Colorado Volunteer Infantry after the Civil War broke out, eventually leading his men against Confederate forces at the pivotal engagement at Glorieta Pass. After the war, as chief justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court, he struggled to reform corrupt courts amid the territory's corrosive Reconstruction politics.Slough was known to possess a volcanic temper and an easily wounded pride. These traits not only undermined a promising career but ultimately led to his death at the hands of an aggrieved political enemy who gunned him down in a Santa Fe saloon. Recounting Slough's timeless story of rise and fall during America's most tumultuous decades, historian Richard L. Miller brings to life this extraordinary figure.

This comprehensive biography details the life of Rear Admiral John Lorimer Worden, who commanded the ironclad USS Monitor during the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads and went on to co-found the U.S. Naval Institute.Throughout his 52-year career, Rear Adm. John Lorimer Worden was always the right officer for the job. The epitome of an innovative commander who helped move the U.S. Navy out of the age of sail and into the era of ironclad technology, Worden’s contributions extended beyond the Battle of Hampton Roads and shaped the future of the Navy. He demonstrated exceptional leadership in both combat and peacetime. Worden immediately proved himself a capable choice for key assignments, leading a successful rescue mission and capturing a prize ship during the Mexican-American War. Three tours at the U.S. Naval Observatory established him as a scientific officer. After delivering secret dispatches in 1861 that kept Fort Pickens in Florida for the Union, Worden attempted to return to Washington, D.C., and was arrested by Confederate authorities, thus becoming the first prisoner of war during the Civil War. After six months in captivity, he returned to command the USS Monitor—the “little ship that saved the nation”—at the historic Battle of Hampton Roads. There, he faced the Confederate CSS Virginia in the first-ever clash of ironclads, suffering severe wounds while fighting the battle to a standstill. Upon recovery, he returned to command the USS Montauk, where his unparalleled expertise in ironclad design and combat tactics continued to set him apart. From testing ships in battle to overseeing the innovative production of ironclads at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, he consistently refined his craft. Confronted with multiple ship design failures, he relentlessly drove improvements, pushing the boundaries of naval technology and securing lasting progress in the development of modern warships.  After the war, Worden became superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he trained the next generation of naval officers and co-founded the U.S. Naval Institute. His five-year tenure at the academy was not without controversy that tested his leadership. He deftly handled a nationally embarrassing hazing scandal, resulting in congressional authority for the superintendent to directly discipline and expel errant midshipmen. Worden also managed sensitive issues surrounding the appointment of the first African American midshipman and the first Japanese midshipman while he helmed the academy. Worden capped his career by ably serving as commander-in-chief of the European Squadron during a time of upheaval on that continent. Displaying courage, commitment, and diplomacy, Worden skillfully led U.S. European naval forces from 1875 to 1877. From Ironclads to Admiral’s thorough examination of Worden’s life and leadership emphasizes his strategic insights, innovative spirit, and dedication to service. Readers will uncover the profound impact of an officer of great achievement who inspired others to say, “Let Worden do it!”

The escape of General MacArthur from the Philippines after the initial Japanese onslaught in World War II is well known. This is the story of the gallant PT-boat men who rescued him, only to be abandoned in enemy-occupied territory.

"A memoir of one woman's extraordinary personal journey in the US military and her work to honor her predecessors with the Congressional Gold Medal. Chronicling Cummings's unlikely but successful path to leadership roles in the US Army and afterward, this book also tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (known as the Six Triple Eight)-a trailblazing African American World War II Women's Army Corps unit-and of the grassroots campaign Cummings led to honor them"--

When he returned to the Netherlands in 2009, decades after World War II, Jefferson Wiggins realized that no one he met knew about the segregated US Army during the war, nor did they know about the contribution of Black American soldiers to the liberation of the Netherlands. They were not mentioned anywhere in Dutch history books or in archives. Together with oral historian Mieke Kirkels, Wiggins sat down to record his memories. Wiggins passed away in 2013, and his widow, Janice Wiggins-Paterson, continued the project in his memory. With newly discovered archival material, and richly illustrated, this book gives a lively account of an undocumented story of WWII, Black American, and Dutch military history.