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Historical & Political Biographies

If you are interested in following a politician's remarkable life and their quest for the top of politics or getting really close to well-known or ordinary people and their lives back in history, then you will be able to find it here. Tales.as has compiled a large selection of over 10,000 exciting books on historical and political biographies. Find inspiration on everything from our international, best and new as well as older political biographies to the best and most exciting historical biographies of famous people from World War II. We are convinced that there is certainly a book that you will like, and thus a high probability of finding your next reading experience about exciting life stories here.
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  • by J. Bryan
    £14.99

    Admiral Halsey's Story, first published in 1947, is the gripping autobiographical account by William F. Halsey (1882-1959), legendary commander of the U.S. Third Fleet during World War II. The book covers Halsey's life and career, with detailed descriptions of his command - and the men and ships in his command - during the war years in the Pacific. This edition includes all 16 maps and 25 pages of photographs found in the original edition, and a complete index.

  • by Henry Clarke Dolive
    £33.49

    Engaging Life: Memoirs of a Charming, Willful Southern Woman of the 20th Century chronicles the true story of the life of Marcellite, a mischievous, sophisticated, and thoroughly Southern woman with great depth of character. Highly social and fun-loving, Marcellite-cousin, once removed, of author Dr. Henry Dolive and granddaughter of A Touch of Glory! protagonist, William Louis Dolive- immersed herself with people and their activities everywhere she went. Like its prequel, which takes place two generations prior during Reconstruction, Engaging Life is packed with three-dimensional characters full of vim and vigor and humorous action. Engaging Life highlights various stages of Marcellite's life, from her childhood until her death at 102, including three marriages, although she only counted two. Her life was shaped by the fascinating history of her time: World War I, living in southern cities, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and, in her second, 34-year military marriage, World War II, post-war Germany, the Korean Conflict, Huntsville and the space race, caring for her mother on the historic family grove, another marriage and extensive travel-both domestic and overseas. Although she had no biological children of her own, Marcellite was a cherished "mother" and "grandmother" to her descendants by marriage.

  • by Green Peyton
    £12.49

    5,000 Miles Towards Tokyo, first published in 1945, is the story of four U.S. Navy escort-carriers forming Air Group 60, especially the Suwannee (a converted oiler and home to the author) in the South Pacific during 1943 and 1944. The Group played a vital role in every important Pacific invasion from the Gilbert Islands to the Philippines, with its pilots flying thousands of bombing missions and patrols. The book looks at daily operations aboard the ships, plus paints a bigger picture of the action taking place in the South Pacific such as the strategies and decision-making of high-ranking officers, such as Generals MacArthur and Halsey. Author Green Peyton (pseudonym for Green Peyton Wertenbaker) was a noted science-fiction writer prior to the War; during the conflict he served as an air combat intelligence officer aboard the USS Suwannee, the focus of much of this book. The author worked daily with the Hellcat pilots of his squadron. Included are 18 pages of maps and illustrations and a complete index. Green Peyton died on July 26, 1968.

  • by Neal Middleton
    £14.49

    Dive into the world of Neal Middleton, an intrepid Military Policeman who served during the tail end of the Vietnam War. MP: Of The Troops and For The Troops chronicles his riveting journey-from his enlistment's backstory to his gripping experiences stationed abroad. Travel with Neal as he navigates PTSD, confronts fatal traffic accidents, encounters deadly drug overdoses, and witnesses the tension of race riots. Germany and Ft Sill, Oklahoma, become backdrops to his life's most transformative moments. While some of his tales evoke heavy emotions, others are tinged with humor, revealing the multifaceted nature of life as an MP. The memoir is a testimony to a soldier's resilience, shedding light on both the profound challenges faced and the camaraderie that kept spirits high. Whether you're curious about military life or the personal sacrifices made by those who wear the uniform, this memoir offers a deep, introspective view into a soldier's soul, told with unflinching honesty.

  • by George C. Kenney
    £13.49

    Ace of Aces: The Story of Fighter Pilot Dick Bong was first published in 1960, and recounts the exploits of Major Richard "Dick" Bong at the helm of his P-38 Lightning. Bong received the Medal of Honor for his achievement of downing 40 enemy Japanese planes in the southwestern Pacific theater, and he became a household name in America. His tally made him the highest-scoring American ace of all time, a record unlikely to ever be broken. Sadly, Bong died at the young age of 24 on August 6, 1945, in a flight accident during testing of the P-80 Shooting Star fighter. In Ace of Aces, his former commanding officer General George C. Kenney, recounts Bong's life: from his early days in Wisconsin, his sweetheart Marge, his aerial exploits and Kenney's own personal anecdotes. Illustrated with black and white photographs.

  • by Barney Oldfield
    £14.49

    First published in 1956, Never a Shot in Anger is Colonel Barney Oldfield's thesis that World War II was the high-water mark of what he believes is a rapidly vanishing profession-that of the war correspondent. As a public relations officer who knew most of the correspondents to cover World War II, he treats them from a new point of view and sees most of them in less heroic, but more humorous, proportion than they have seen themselves. A complete roster of the more than 1,800 U.S. accredited war correspondents is included in his book.Never a Shot in Anger is full of unusual incidents, none more comforting to the author than the one which discloses how he made good on a wild prophecy. Barney reported in 1942 to Lieutenant Colonel James M. Gavin, regimental commander of the 505th Parachute Infantry. Gavin saw no use for Barney's crazy-quilt background of press and publicity, saying, "The 505th is going to fight and doesn't need a press agent." Barney jested that Gavin might be the one to "lead the boys home in victory someday, and you'll need one then." Gavin waved him off, but on January 12, 1946, Major General James M. Gavin did march ahead of the 82nd Airborne Division up Fifth Avenue in New York "representing all the troops of all services who fought in World War II." And making many of the press, radio, photographic, and newsreel arrangements ahead of that march was Lieutenant Colonel Barney Oldfield-just as he had predicted.From early maneuvers in Tennessee and Louisiana all the way through to the Victory March on Fifth Avenue, Barney Oldfield was in the thick of the melee, the man in the middle, the military public relations officer who tried to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the press while staying within the bounds of military security. Both sides gave him a rough ride most of the way-from Grosvenor Square to the rubble of Berlin.Famous names are included in these pages-by-liners of the great newspapers and magazines, radio commentators, columnists, photographers, and the top generals of the European Theater: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, Parks, Simpson, Gavin. Their personalities, foibles, orders, clashes with the press, achievements provide much of the material for the book.If Barney Oldfield's problems were many, they were also funny at times. He talked a bunch of news-hawks into becoming paratroopers. He played St. Nicholas to a group of Dutch orphans when the Battle of the Bulge was breaking a short distance away. He lugged a typewriter 75 miles into German held territory to get the story of a lieutenant with a 24-man platoon who had "surrounded" a German army of 20,000 men. He kept his Ninth Army press camp so close behind the advancing troops that it was first over the Rhine...but these are just a few of the intimate and entertaining tales Barney describes in Never a Shot in Anger.

  • by Horgie
    £16.99 - 17.99

  • by French Strother
    £16.49 - 17.99

  •  
    £12.49

    В книге собраны заметки и очерки Анатолия Стреляного (@AnatoliStrelianyi), написанные в Украине в 2022-2023 годах.Анатолий Стреляный (р. 1939) - журналист, писатель, был комментатором проекта Намедни. Наша эра, работал на радиостанции Свобода, где вёл передачу Ваши письма.

  • by Kevin Roberts
    £12.49

    A fascinating insight into the life of a boy who grew up in Wales to fulfil his dream of becoming a soldier. The author's journey through his 26 years army service gives a captivating glimpse into the life of an ordinary soldier, exciting, entertaining, and sometimes not for the faint hearted. For a boy who'd barely been outside of Wales we read how Kevin completed two 6-month construction tours as part of the Royal Engineers Corp business and follow this young sapper's adventures as he experiences the reality of living with the wildlife in Kenya's Aberdare National Park, including a very close and personal encounter with an elephant which will stay with him forever, and his hilarious encounter with a skunk whilst driving a dirt track in Canada. An accomplished novice skydiver with over 150 jumps under his belt, he competed in the Tri-Service championships two years running and took part in parachuting exercises in Cech Republic and California. He also witnessed the devastating scars left behind in war torn Bosnia and Herzegovina shortly after the Bosnian war and in the early 1990s, has dodged mortars and rockets in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  • by Edward Granger
    £25.49

  • by David Scott (Associate Professor of History Gehring
    £93.99

    This book draws on archival research to explore the life and influence of Robert Beale, an English statesman of the sixteenth century and a known expert in foreign affairs. The book benefits from the fact that Beale's personal archive of papers survives almost intact in London.

  • by David Chanteranne
    £18.99

    An insight into the mind of Napoleon who, from modest beginnings, became Emperor of France and its vast empire. It examines his battles looks at his social and political reforms which revolutionized the western world.

  • by Maurilio E. Vigil
    £25.49

    Born in Santa Fe in 1802, Donaciano Vigil was an active participant in many of the critical events in New Mexico's history in the nineteenth century. Vigil was witness to New Mexico's transition from a Spanish province (1802-1821) to a Mexican department (1821-1846) and eventually to an American territory (1846-1877), and he was a key player in most of the events of that era. As a Hispano soldier and officer in the New Mexico Militia, he was instrumental in the Navajo Wars, the Rio Arriba insurrection of 1837, the Texas invasion of 1841, and the American invasion of 1846. As a Mexican statesman in New Mexico, he was one of the most active assemblymen. Following the American occupation, he joined the civil government, first as secretary, then as governor. It was in these roles that Donaciano left an enduring impact and legacy on the territory.In this gripping biography of a remarkable man, Maurilio E. Vigil and Helene Boudreau fill the gap within the scholarship on Hispanics in nineteenth-century New Mexico.

  • by History Encounters
    £10.49

    History Encounters unearths the greatest stories with the major events from History of Scotland to expand reader horizons for readers to be best informed. Scotland-its very name evokes a myriad of emotions. It's the country of romance, history, war, and hardship. It's the country of brave men dressed in kilts, playing the haunting music of the bagpipes, and raising gooseflesh on those who hear them. It's the country of crags and lochs, giant stags and of whisky distilled using water from deep peat bogs. Learning about history will keep you perceptive and make sure to not repeat mistakes that others made in the past. The different stories in this series will show the readers that history should not just be seen from one perspective, but from the different eyes of the groups of people involved. You never know, you might finally understand their choices, their actions and their reactions. In this historical series, you will discover:The history of different countries and culturesThe inner workings of major historical turning points in different countries.Different perspectives of major events in historyThe reasons behind different wars or battles throughout history This historical series are for anyone, no matter the age, gender or sexual orientation, who wants to learn fun, exciting and influential facts of what happened years before their time. Do you want to learn history through a multitude of different eyes?

  • by Charles Gounod
    £19.99

  • by Santino Soda
    £14.49

    Una storia di ideali e sacrificio nella Prima Guerra Mondiale.Domenico Sola, giovane studente di filosofia calabrese, condivide le idee futuriste e interventiste. Animato da sinceri ideali patriottici, tiene infuocati comizi per l'entrata in guerra dell'Italia. Allo scoppio del conflitto, si arruola volontario come ufficiale di fanteria e muore eroicamente in battaglia sul fronte del Pasubio nel 1916, durante la feroce Strafexpedition austriaca.La sua è una morte ricercata, un sacrificio per la Patria, che priva l'Italia di una promessa della cultura. In questo libro, attraverso una scrittura agile ed evocativa, rivivono la figura di Sola e le sue scelte, insieme alle grandi battaglie sul fronte trentino che segnarono il primo conflitto mondiale.Un ritratto toccante di una generazione idealista, che credeva nel riscatto dell'Italia attraverso il sacrificio estremo.

  • Save 22%
    by Bill Shaffer
    £13.99

    One of the country’s most powerful families embroiled in sex, lies, bigamy, and blackmail…and every new, deliciously humiliating morsel splashed across every newspaper in AmericaNow in paperback, the believe-it-or-not historical true crime behind one of the greatest scandals of the Gilded Age, and the story that gave rise to the sensational tabloid journalism still driving so much of the news cycle in the 21st century.An Alexander Hamilton heir, a beautiful female con artist, an abandoned baby, and the shocking courtroom drama that was splashed across front pages from coast to coast…It’s a historical true crime story almost too tawdry to be true—a con woman met the descendant of a Founding Father in a brothel, duped him into marriage using an infant purchased from a baby farm, then went to prison for stabbing the couple’s baby nurse—all while in a common-law marriage with another man. The scandal surrounding Evangeline and Robert Ray Hamilton was one of the sensations of the Gilded Age, a sordid, gripping tale involving bigamy, bribery, sex, and violence.Through personal correspondence, court records, and sensational newspaper accounts, The Scandalous Hamiltons explores not only the full, riveting saga of ill-fated Ray and Eva, but the rise of tabloid journalism—including an exclusive interview conducted by world-famous investigative reporter Nellie Bly—in a story that unfurls as a timeless tale of ambition, greed, and obsession.“Fans of Erik Larson–style histories and anyone who just loves a fun, gossipy read will love The Scandalous Hamiltons.”—Apple Books, Best of the Month Selection "Adultery? Check. Attempted murder? Check. Baby-trafficking? Check. These are just a few of the missteps of the woman who rained humiliation onto the House of Hamilton." —Marlene Wagman-Geller, author of Women of Means: Fascinating Biographies of Royals, Heiresses, Eccentrics and Other Poor Little Rich Girls

  • Save 18%
    by Fernando Morais
    £20.49

    THE FIRST AND LONG-AWAITED INSIDER BIOGRAPHY OF LUIZ INÁCIO LULA DA SILVA

  • by Ian Churchward
    £15.49

    This is the third revised edition of the original book which is about the songs I have written for my Richard III music project. It includes the lyrics for the songs which have been released on the albums by The Legendary Ten Seconds. The songs that I have recorded tell the story of the life and times of King Richard III. The introduction for the book has been written by the author Kathy Martin and her books include The Woodville Connection and The Beaulieu Vanishing. My book has been edited with the help of the author Sandra Heath Wilson who has had many novels published since the 1970's. Sandra wrote and read the narratives which accompany the songs for the second album about Richard III by The Legendary Ten Seconds. These narratives are included in my book. The original version of Songs About Richard III was published in 2016 and this revised edition includes details of the songs which have been recorded up until the end of 2022. It includes information about the Mer de Mort album which was recorded to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Mortimer History Society. It also includes details about the Torbay Pageant concept albums recorded by The Legendary Ten Seconds throughout 2020.

  • Save 15%
    by Chris Whipple
    £10.99

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Gatekeepers comes a revelatory, news-making look at how President Joe Biden and his seasoned team have battled to achieve their agenda—based on the author’s extraordinary access to the White House during two years of crises at home and abroad.

  • by Kate Dickinson Sweetser
    £16.49

    Ten Boys from History, is a classical and a rare book, that has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we at Alpha Editions have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and redesigned. These books are not made of scanned copies of their original work, and hence their text is clear and readable. This remarkable volume falls within the genres of History Biography

  • by Kate Dickinson Sweetser
    £16.49 - 17.99

  • Save 21%
    by Oleksandr Mykhed
    £14.99

    A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEARWhen everyday life becomes a state of emergency, how can yesterday's words suffice?'We were so happy and didn't know it...'A thirty-three-year-old writer lives in a quiet European suburb with his wife and his dog. His parents have bought an apartment nearby. On weekends they go out for brunch, cook and see friends. Life is good; it is normal. Then the invaders come.The Language of War is about what happens when your world changes overnight. When you wake up to the sound of helicopters and the smell of gunpowder. When your home is hit by shells or broken into by gunmen, and you spend another night in a basement-turned-bomb shelter. When, even though you've never held a weapon before, you realise the only choice is to fight back. It is about things one can never forget, or forgive.Bringing together Oleksandr Mykhed's vivid day-by-day chronicles of the invasion of Ukraine with a chorus of other voices - his family, friends in exile, those who have fought and have witnessed unimaginable atrocities - this book is both a record, and a reckoning. Haunting and timeless, it asks how it is possible to find the words to describe a new reality; how you can still make sense of the world when the only language you can speak is the language of war.

  • Save 24%
    by Ken Khachigian
    £18.99

    Named American Spectator's Political Book of The Year A compelling insider’s account by the trusted adviser and confidante to America’s presidential giants and political legends as he draws the curtains back on his most private moments with Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon during revolutionary changes in our economy, politics, communications, foreign policy, and culture.

  • by Mary Senter
    £11.49

    The twenty-nine stories and poems in G.I Days: An Anthology of Military Life give a glimpse into the lives of a diverse cross-section of U.S. military-connected writers, from Vietnam veterans to current military spouses. There is truly something for everyone in this collection. Poignant, heartbreaking, informative, and funny, the stories and poems range from historical works set during the Civil War to poems that reflect the struggles of recent vets to navigate a post-military reality. More than stories of war, this collection focuses on the everyday lives of military members and their families. Contributors include Sharnta Bullard, Lubrina Burton, Bill Cushing, Donald Delver, Noelle Dennard, Michelle DeRose, Mitzi Dorton, Peter Geier, Mary Gutierrez, Kathleen Isaac-Luke, Thomas Lambert, Mark Madigan, LeeAnn Meadows, Louise Moises, Tom Nawrocki, Jonathan Pessant, Nicole Powers, Brendan Praniewicz, William Price, H.V. Rhodes, Jennifer Rodrigues, Ricardo Ruiz, Patty Somlo, Ben Stewart, Bruce Sydow, Danella Sydow, Kait Walser, Ben White, Irene Winslow, and Aliza Wyman.

  • Save 14%
    by Sarah Bax Horton
    £9.49

  • Save 15%
    by David Reynolds
    £10.99

    A TELEGRAPH BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023'A highly imaginative and thought-provoking way of exploring the personality of a man who, like him or loathe him, left an indelible mark on our age' ADAM ZAMOYSKI

  • by Annette Susannah Beveridge
    £61.99

    His campaigns include the conquest of Samarkand, Kabul and the first battle of Panipat in ad 1526 are recorded. Unlike most official chronicles, which record the achievements of any particular ruler with pompousness and filled with heroism.

  • Save 11%
    by Peter Gray
    £39.99

    William Sharman Crawford (1780-1861) was the leading agrarian and democratic radical active in Ulster politics between the early 1830s and the 1850s. William Sharman Crawford and Ulster Radicalism is the first full biography of his life.

Historical biographies

At tales.as you will find exciting historical biographies about, among other things, great historical personalities, which provide a completely unique insight into their then or past lives. The reader gets even closer to the main character than ever before, by gaining greater knowledge of the person's past challenges and what has often been the basis for the drastic actions and decisions that have been made. Getting closer to Captain Sir Tom Moore, for example, in "Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day", born at the tail end of the Spanish flu epidemic, Tom Moore was raised in the Yorkshire Dales by a loving family that had not escaped tragedy. Whether fighting for his life in Burma or helming a firm back home, racing motorbikes or raising a family, he always sought to do his very best. However, our selection is far larger than celebrities and their success stories, as the range also largely caters to those readers who instead want to gain an insight into more ordinary people and their upsetting stories, which can cover the challenges that many others in these times have also faced. Captivating examples of these historical biographies can be anything from "Happiest Man on Earth" by Eddie Jaku, which is a heartbreaking and inspiring story about an Auschwitz survivor who shares what he learned about gratitude, tolerance and kindness. Or the story of Anne Frank in the biography "Diary of a Young Girl", where Anne kept a diary in which she confided her innermost thoughts and feelings, movingly revealing how the eight people living under these extraordinary conditions coped with the daily threat of discovery and death , these petty misunderstandings and the unbearable strain of living like prisoners.These historical biographies are just to name a few of many, but there are far more great biographies to be found above. Find the best historical biographies at tales.as, and be inspired, identify yourself or follow the ups and downs of an admired individual from their past dramatic lives.


Political biographies

If historical biographies are not to be your next book on the bookshelf, then our political biographies may instead fill the void and become your next amazing reading experience. The best political biographies can be found in our beautiful selection, and if it is especially books about politics that interest you, then you have not gone completely wrong. We offer, among other things, the latest political biographies from 2018, 2019 onwards as well as older exciting books. A popular bid for your next political biography may be the tale of Barack Obama about his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency — a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Our selection consists of a wide range of different political biographies, where there are also other older political biographies about everything from past politicians to life stories about current leaders or other people with a political influence who have chosen to share their captivating stories. Therefore, if you have a special interest in politics and love to get an even deeper insight into episodes, events or just a greater knowledge of a specific individual and of course their ups and downs, which have marked their eye-catching life story, then tales.as offers a lot of inspiration to pick up.

Political and especially historical biographies contain a lot of different and fantastic stories, hence the large selection of books that can be interesting for anyone to read. We have therefore put together a large selection of these biographies, so there are several alternatives to choose from that will hopefully capture your interest and cover your needs.

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