Biography & Autobiography - Historical

William Temple (1881-1944) was the outstanding British religious leader of the twentieth century. He believed that the 'modern state' was incomplete without a modern Christian church, which should set the moral and political tone of the community. His political and religious best seller, Christianity...

This is the first biography in ninety years of Reginald Pole (1500SH1558), one of the most important international figures of the sixteenth century. Pole's career is followed as prot g and then harshest critic of Henry VIII, as cardinal and papal diplomat, legate of...

Otto Frisch took part in some of the most momentous developments in modern physics, notably the discovery of nuclear fission (a term which he coined). His work on the first atom bomb, which he saw explode in the desert 'like the light of a...

Pericles was the most famous leader of the most famous ancient Greek democracy - and also the most controversial in his own time and ever since. Was he a brutal imperialist ready to oppress other Greeks, or a clear-eyed defender of Athens' need for...

This study of "a court in exile" covers all aspects of the grandeur of court life. When King James II was deposed during the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688-89, he came with his family to France, where his cousin, Louis XIV allowed him to establish...

The word "Quisling" has been used as a synonym for "traitor" or "treachery." The original Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945) was a gifted Norwegian army officer who sided with the Nazis on the first day of Norway's entry into the Second World War. Dahl's biography is...

This is the first scholarly biography of Heinrich Br ning, chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932, and the last politican with a real chance to prevent the Nazi seizure of power. This book analyzes Br ning's cabinet's economic and fiscal policies for coping...

This epic biography, a gripping insider's account, is a long-overdue chronicle of the life and times of Mohammad Reza Shah, who ruled from 1941 to 1979 as the last Iranian monarch. Gholam Reza Afkhami uses his unparalleled access to a large number of individuals--including...

Samuel Pepys is as much a paragon of literature as Chaucer and Shakespeare. His Diary is one of the principal sources for many aspects of the history of its period. In spite of its significance, all previous editions were inadequately edited and suffered from...

This unorthodox biography explores the life of an extraordinary Enlightenment woman who, by sheer force of character, parlayed a skill in midwifery into a national institution. In 1759, in an effort to end infant mortality, Louis XV commissioned Madame Ang lique Marguerite Le Boursier...

Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. Fascinating, scandalous, and at times seemingly unbelievable stories from the notable lives of wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels, and stolid reactionaries, as well as an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian, and...

America was the place Smith had dreamed of his whole life.There, his character, determination, and ambition had propelled him to the top of society. He spent the rest of his life trying to return. Though he failed, he pointed the way for others, who...

"The words of David Livingstone express my feelings better than any words of my own. 'God had an only son, and He was a missionary and a physician.' A poor, poor imitation of Him I am, or hope to be. In this service I...

Praise for H. Paul Jeffers An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of GroverCleveland "A well-written and timely book that reminds us of GroverCleveland's courage, commitment, and honesty at a time when thesequalities seem so lacking in so much of American politics." ?JamesMacGregor Burns,...

Ein Bestseller jetzt neu als Broschurausgabe! Die gebundene Ausgabe erzielte hervorragende Kritiken im Daily Telegraph, New Scientist, The Independent und in der Sunday Times - um nur einige zu nennen. Israel hatte erstmals Zugang zu Werkstatt-Tageb?hern, Briefen und mehr als f?f Millionen Seiten Archivmaterial....

Critical Acclaim for Jacqueline Bouvier John Davis's intimate memoir of his beloved first cousin ""Readers longing for a dignified and elegant approach to Jackie's early years will enjoy this biographical gem by John H. Davis."" --Boston Herald ""Goes a long way to highlight the...

This memoir is the story of a black woman, Katie Makanya. Born in 1873, Makanya refused a chance of wealth and fame as a performer to marry and raise a family in her native South Africa. There she lived through the days of apartheid...

"Quite impressive. I doubt if there has been or will be a moredeeply researched and convincing account." --Evan Connell, authorSon of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn "The book to end all Earp books--the most complete, and mostmeticulously researched." --Jack Burrows, author...

An award-winning memoir, this is the moving story of an exceptional black South African woman who was born in 1873 and lived through the days of apartheid until 1955.Author: Margaret McCordISBN-10: 047117890XISBN-13: 9780471178903Publisher: Trade Paper PressLanguage: EnglishPublished: 04/25/1997Pages: 272Format: HardcoverWeight: 1.29lbsSize: 9.16h x 6.68w...

A contempary anecdote not only confirms that Martha commanded respect in her own right during her lifetime, but also suggests an awkward truth later historians have preferred to ignore-that without Martha and her fortune, George might never have risen to social, military, and political...

The dramatic arc of Saigo Takamori's life, from his humble origins as a lowly samurai, to national leadership, to his death as a rebel leader, has captivated generations of Japanese readers and now Americans as well - his life is the inspiration for a...

"An excellent book based on exhaustive research and written with fresh insight. It is a spellbinding accomplishment and brings both the man and his era to life. . . . It is an extraordinary achievement." -Arizona Daily Star "Carter presents this astounding tale in...

The definitive biography of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, leader of the only successful slave revolt in world history Toussaint Louverture's life was one of hardship, triumph, and contradiction. Born into bondage in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), the richest colony in the Western Hemisphere, he...

From a renowned medieval historian comes a new biography of King John, the infamous English king whose reign led to the establishment of the Magna Carta and the birth of constitutional democracy King John (1166-1216) has long been seen as the epitome of bad...

From the New York Times bestselling author, an acclaimed biography of President Teddy RooseveltLauded as "a rip-roaring life" (Wall Street Journal), TR is a magisterial biography of Theodore Roosevelt by bestselling author H.W. Brands. In his time, there was no more popular national figure...

Born a working-class, fatherless Californian in 1876, Jack London spent his youth as a boundlessly energetic adventurer on the bustling West Coast; by adulthood he had matured into the iconic American author of such still universally loved books as The Call of the Wild...

In this eagerly anticipated interpretation of the life and work of quintessential "public intellectual" Jane Addams (1860-1935), Jean Bethke Elshtain explores Addams's legacy thematically and chronologically, recounting her embrace of "social feminism," her challenge to the usual cleavage between "conservative" and "liberal," and the...

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, leaving behind a series of mysteries that captured the imaginations of historical investigators-an interest rekindled by the recent revelation that he fathered a child by Sally Hemmings, a woman he legally owned-yet there is still surprisingly little...

Sir Francis Walsingham's official title was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I, but in fact this pious, tight-lipped Puritan was England's first spymaster. A ruthless, fiercely loyal civil servant, Walsingham worked brilliantly behind the scenes to foil Elizabeth's rival Mary Queen of Scots and...

In 1914, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton sets out to become the first to traverse the continent of Antarctica. Their initial optimism is short-lived, however, as the ice field slowly thickens, encasing the ship Endurance in a death-grip, crushing their...

"REMARKABLE . . . A WONDERFUL STORY."--The Boston Globe The father is a high-ranking Communist officer, a Jew who survived Stalin's purges. The son is a "refusenik," who risked his life and happiness to protest everything his father held dear. Now, Chaim Potok, beloved...

Jacqueline Bouvier. Ethel Skakel. Joan Bennett. Three women who married into America's royal family and became forever linked in legend. Set against the panorama of explosive American history, this unique story offers a rarely-seen look at the relationship shared among the three women --...

Jacqueline Bouvier. Ethel Skakel. Joan Bennett. Three women who married into America's royal family and became forever linked in legend. Set against the panorama of explosive American history, this unique story offers a rarely-seen look at the relationship shared among the three women --...

Harvard-educated attorney Jennifer Harbury went to Guatemala to help refugees, and found herself drawn into a political drama that would test her beliefs, courage, and moral strength. She fell in love and married Efrain Bamaca Velasquez, better known as Commander Everardo, a Mayan Indian...

Born a slave in Maryland circa 1817, Frederick Douglass went on to become the most influential and distinguished African American of the nineteenth century. As an abolitionist, newspaper publisher, orator and statesman, Douglass dedicated his life to the triumph of freedom over oppression for...

In the tradition of The Professor and the Madman, a "brisk and vivid"( Los Angeles Times) account of an obsessive scholar. Polymath, eccentric, and synonym aficionado, Peter Mark Roget had a host of female admirers, was one of the first to test the effects...

Stephen Williams's book is the first biography of Diocletian to appear in English. It combines the historical narrative of his remarkable reign and those of his fellow-emperors, with a chapter-by-chapter study of each of the great problems he faced, the interlocking solutions he evolved...

Julius Caesar offers a lively, engaging, and thoroughly up-to-date account of Caesar's life and times. Richard Billows' dynamic and fast paced narrative offers an imaginative recounting of actions and events, providing the ideal introduction to Julius Caesar for general readers and students of classics...

The new edition of this extremely well-received political biography of Vladimir Putin builds on the strengths of the first edition to provide the most detailed and nuanced account of the man, his politics and his profound influence on Russian politics, foreign policy and society....

The definitive guide to the life of the first woman to play a major role in Greek political history, this is the first modern biography of Olympias.Presenting a critical assessment of a fascinating and wholly misunderstood figure, Elizabeth Carney penetrates myth, fiction and sexual...

This biography illuminates the life of Henry VII himself, how he ran his government, how his authority was maintained, and the nature of the country over which he ruled since he first claimed the throne in 1485.Sean Cunningham explores how Henry's reign was vitally...

This engaging new biography dispels many myths surrounding Nehru, and distinguishes between the icon he has become and the politician he actually was. Benjamin Zachariah places Nehru in the context of the issues of his time, including the central theme of nationalism, the impact...

The Age of Justinian examines the reign of the great emperor Justinian (527-565) and his wife Theodora, who advanced from the theatre to the throne. The origins of the irrevocable split between East and West, between the Byzantine and the Persian Empire are chronicled,...

Despite Alexander the Great's unprecedented accomplishments, during the last seven years of his life, this indomitable warrior became increasingly unpredictable, sporadically violent, megalomaniacal, and suspicious of friends as well as enemies. What could have caused such a lamentable transformation?This biography seeks to answer that...

Peter the Great, whose reign saw the explosion of Russia onto the European scene, has become a legendary figure in history, as well as the subject of abiding controversy over the past two decades. Does he deserve the title 'The Great'? Was he 'enlightened'...

Emperor Hirohito reigned for more than sixty years, yet we know little about him or the part he really played in the turbulent history of Showa Japan.Stephen Large draws on a wide range of Japanese and Western sources in his study of Emperor Hirohito's...

Written during the most eventful years of Benjamin Franklin's life (1771-90), the Autobiography is one of the most influential memoirs in history. This newly edited Norton Critical Edition includes an introduction that explains the history of the Autobiography within the larger history of the...

This Norton Critical Edition includes: Nick Bromell and R. Blakeslee Gilpin's introduction to Frederick Douglass's second autobiography, providing the deep contextualization teachers want and students need. The first edition text (1855), accompanied by the editors' detailed explanatory footnotes. Twelve contemporary works that relate to...

Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Antony: the names still resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, their lives pose a question that haunts us still: how to safeguard a republic from the flaws of its...

Born into but escaped from slavery, Frederick Douglass--orator, journalist, autobiographer; revolutionary on behalf of a just America--was a towering figure, at once consummately charismatic and flawed. His Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) galvanized the antislavery movement and is one of the...