Historiska & politiska biografier

Relaying the events of Desmond Ibbotson's short but eventful but eventful career as well as what happened next, investigating his tragic death on a routine test flight, and how he came to have two graves

A deeply researched account of the life and legacy of the man who defined the profession of private eyeAllan Pinkerton, the world's most famous private detective, has been an enduring source of fascination since the nineteenth century. But the details of his impact, business empire, and private life have been incomplete. Drawing on overlooked primary sources, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones provides an authoritative account of the man and the Pinkerton National Detective Agency (PNDA). It is the story of how PNDA's founder and its successive generations of heirs put it at the center of American history for decades. A small sampling of Pinkerton's activities includes providing intelligence in the Civil War, pursuing high-profile outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and protecting scabs in the Homestead lockout, for which they became notorious. The book continues telling PNDA's history into the twentieth century. General readers as well as scholars of American history will be fascinated by this rich new portrait of Pinkerton's accomplishments, controversies, and contradictions.

Surviving the Odd is a rare and deeply personal glimpse into a childhood spent in the halls of one of Californias first homes for the mentally ill. With humor and an unflinching eye, Candi recounts growing up amidst psychiatric patients, a father who ran the care home like a nightclub, and a world where madness and laughter often blurred together. As she navigates through the chaos, she unearths a story of resilience, love, and the determination to find her own voice amidst the clamor of mental illness and societal disregard in the Bay Area during the 1970s.This book is an unforgettable exploration of what it means to survive in a world that often feels on the edge, wrapped in the bittersweet absurdity of a life lived between punchlines and lithium prescriptions.

The story of Joanna - princess, pioneer, captive and queen - and of the wider twelfth-century world that she inhabited.

This study of the last pagan Roman emperor provides remarkable insight into the man and his times.

Prince Harry often found himself in the shadow of his older brother, Prince William. This was especially true as the sun set over Balmoral Castle. A series of events began that would shape Prince Harry's future.The whole British monarchy and the world waited for Queen Elizabeth II's passing. But Prince Harry, who was far away, didn't make it to her side in time.As the hours passed, emotions soared and tensions within the royal family reached a boiling point. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were on a tour in Europe. King Charles told Harry not to bring Meghan to Balmoral, causing a big upset.Learning of the Queen's death online made things even harder for Harry. This event was not just a personal loss but also widened the gap in the royal family.The Sussexes had already made a big change in March 2020 by stepping down as working royals. They moved to the United States. The queen's death brought even more tension, showing the challenges faced by Prince Harry as the 'spare' heir. The absence of Prince Harry at Queen Elizabeth II's bedside during her final moments serves as a stark symbol of the growing tensions within the British royal family. This estrangement, rooted in complex personal and institutional conflicts, has been deepened by several events over the years, particularly the Sussexes' departure from royal duties.In March 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, officially stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family. This departure, often referred to as "Megxit," marked a profound shift in the British monarchy's dynamic. It was a move that reflected not only their desire for independence but also signified a break from royal tradition and expectations. For the royal institution, it was a public acknowledgment of the challenges of balancing personal freedom with royal duties, especially as media scrutiny continued to weigh heavily on the Sussexes.One particularly poignant moment of tension arose during Queen Elizabeth II's final days. King Charles III reportedly directed that Meghan Markle not be present at Balmoral, where the Queen was being cared for. This decision, whether driven by personal or institutional motives, only served to highlight the existing familial discord. The exclusion of Meghan from the Queen's bedside was symbolic of the deeper divides within the family, particularly between Harry and the rest of the royal institution.Perhaps the most emotionally charged detail of this strained relationship was how Prince Harry learned of his grandmother's passing. It was reported that he was informed of Queen Elizabeth II's death not through family communication, but via the internet. This underscores the poignant reality of Prince Harry's current standing in the royal family-estranged from the inner circle that once defined his life, and learning of monumental family events in the same way as the general public. Such a moment symbolizes the emotional and physical distance that has grown between Harry and the monarchy.

Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's sister, lived a remarkable life. A princess, duchess and queen, she was known as the English Rose for her beauty. Mary Tudor, Queen of France, aims to explore the life of one of the few who stood up to Henry VIII and lived to tell the tale. Henry VIII is well known, but his larger-than-life character often overshadows that of his sisters. Mary Tudor was born a princess, married a king and then a duke, and lived an extraordinary life. This book focuses on Mary's life, her childhood, her relationship with Henry, her marriages and her relationship with her husbands. Mary grew up in close proximity to Henry, becoming his favourite sister, and later, after her marriage to the French king, she married his best friend, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. The events impacting the siblings will be reviewed to examine how they may have changed and shaped their relationship.

The first biography and collected writings of one of the leading West Indian anti-colonialists of the twentieth century

The first translation into English of Jérémie Gallon's prize-winning contemporary biography, Kissinger, the European draws lessons from Kissinger's life and actions and discusses how they might be used to create a more coherent and stronger European foreign policy. This new English edition includes an additional chapter to the French edition, detailing the author's meeting with Kissinger in Connecticut prior to Kissinger's death and ten days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Chapters address themes, moments, and figures that shaped Kissinger's legacy, including subjects as diverse as Jewishness, football, his years at Harvard, and his close relationships with figures such as Lee Kuan Yew, Anwar Sadat, and Zhou Enlai.Gallon is as interested in the statesman as he is in the man himself, and the text reads more like a novel than an academic biography, including the most glamorous and intimate aspects of his like and making no secret of Kissinger's faults and the accusations levelled against him.At a time when Europe again faces dangerous and threatening times, Gallon argues that Europe must renew its sense of history and long-term strategic vision, and that Kissinger, whom he considers the direct heir of such European diplomats as Talleyrand, Metternich and Castlereagh, should be a principal source of inspiration.

Steven M. Gillon, New York Times bestselling author of America's Reluctant Prince, is back with the story of how WWII shaped the characters and politics of seven American presidents. World War II loomed over the twentieth century, transforming every level of American society and international relationships and searing itself onto the psyche of an entire generation, including that of seven American presidents: John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.  The lessons of World War II, more than party affiliation or ideology, defined the presidencies of these seven men. They returned home determined to confront any force that threatened to undermine the war’s hard-won ideals, each with their own unique understanding of patriotism, sacrifice, and America’s role in global politics. In Presidents at War, Gillon examines what these men took away from the war and how they then applied it to Cold War policies that proceeded to change America, and the world, forever. A nuanced and deeply researched exploration of the lives, philosophies, and legacies of seven remarkable men, Presidents at War deftly argues that the lessons learned by these postwar presidents continue to shape the landscape upon which current, and future, presidents stand today.

From the moment Mary, Queen of Scots set foot on English soil in May 1568, she was the prisoner of her cousin, Elizabeth I of England. Exile tells the story of Mary's English years - almost half her life - with reference to the latest research and the many locations where she was held captive.

An award-winning critical biography of Finland's towering leader, charting his statecraft, his political journey and his strategic bravado, carving out independence between Stalin and Hitler.

Originally published in 1988, Rotten to the Core? asks who was the real Neville Heath? The author deals with Heath the psychopath, but it also depicts the curious post-war society which allowed him to take root and to flourish, showing that Heath the confidence trickster - and murderer - was a man of his time.

Originally published in 1987, in this new approach to the case of William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw), Francis Selwyn looks both at the career of Joyce, the Irish-American-cum-Fascist bully-boy, and the changing nature of treason, altered by the events of the Second World War.