Historical & Political Biographies

A biography of Albert Speer, an important figure of the Nazi High Command. An architect and an intellectual, he was seen to be a humane man, but, as Minister for Armaments, how could he not have known about the concentration camps? This book examines such moral issues about Speer and the Nazis.

A brilliant new biography of Boris Johnson from his best biographer, Andrew Gimson

"Witnesses were mysteriously murdered, and the FBI, NSA, CIA, and even the IRS were on a rampage. It was 1975, and a senator named Frank Church stood almost alone in the face of extraordinary abuses of power. ... Drawing upon hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of recently declassified documents, and reams of unpublished letters, notes, and memoirs, ... Risen presents [an] untold story of truth and integrity standing against unchecked power--and winning"--Dust jacket flap.

Alexander the Great (356-323 B C E) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. This title traces Alexander's influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later literatures of east and west.

"In The Yellow Pad, former United States Secretary of the Treasury and co-chairman of Goldman Sachs Robert Rubin sets out a number of methods and processes that have guided him through moments of crisis. He offers both qualitative and quantitative ways of sifting through difficult economic and social problems, the sum of which is an original intellectual framework that can be applied to both the most global universal problems and the daily dilemmas individuals face. Rubin speaks across generations and the political divide, engaging with the most contested and emotional issues of our times, and seeking to propose realistic policy solutions to move society forward without leaving anyone behind"--

"Bold, brash, and brimming with courage, Chuck Yeager burst onto the scene as a national hero in 1947, when he became the first to fly an airplane faster than the speed of sound. Yet even before his days as America's most famous test pilot, Yeager was a young fighter ace in the US Army Air Force, flying a P-51 Mustang over Nazi-occupied Europe. His exploits are the stuff of legend"--

The Motorcycle Diaries is Che Guevara's diary of his journey to discover the continent of Latin America while still a medical student, setting out in 1952 on a vintage Norton motorcycle together with his friend Alberto Granado, a biochemist.

**A DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022**'Anyone wanting to learn more about Putin's personality, ideas, power...should read this outstanding biography' Ian Kershaw, author of Personality and PowerThis book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what is happening in Ukraine today.Vladimir Putin has the power to reduce the United States and Europe to ashes in a nuclear firestorm. He invades his neighbours, most recently Ukraine, meddles in western elections and orders assassinations inside and outside Russia.Yet many Russians continue to support him. Despite western sanctions, the majority have been living better than at any time in the past. By fair means or foul, under Putin's leadership, Russia has once again become a force to be reckoned with.Philip Short's magisterial biography demolishes many of our preconceptions about Putin's Russia and explores in unprecedented depth the personality of its enigmatic and ruthless leader. What forces and experiences shaped him? What led him to challenge the American-led world order that has kept the peace since the end of the Cold War?To explain is not to justify. Putin pursues his goals relentlessly by whatever means he thinks fit. But on closer examination, much of what we think we know about him turns out to rest on half-truths.

An accessible and informative study of the life and work of this vaunted German philosopher. In this concise yet comprehensive critical biography, Ritchie Robertson examines the work of Friedrich Nietzsche within the context of his life. The book traces Nietzsche's development from outstanding classical scholar to cultural critic, who measured Imperial Germany by the standards of ancient Greece. It follows him on his path from a prophet (in the persona of Zarathustra) to a savage polemicist against modern liberal values, offering a "philosophy of the future." Robertson argues that Nietzsche's middle-period writings offer a subtle and searching analysis of his culture, more rewarding than the strident and often-controversial later works. The book also assesses Nietzsche's claim to be continuing the Enlightenment and shows that he valued reason, evidence, and fact, without which his historical case against Christianity would make no sense.