Historiske og politiske biografier

One of the few RAF aircrew to play a central part in two of the Second World War's most momentous events, the Battle of Britain and D-Day, Cyril 'Frank' Babbage was a survivor. If Babbage's name was little known, his image shot to national prominence in late August 1940, briefly becoming the face of 'The Few'.

Alan Munro reflects on his time in the RAF and the Cold War jets which he flew. It is his time on the Phantoms that is the main crux of this book. He discusses how the withdrawal of Lightnings from the RAF changed the Phantom's role and the impact this had on squadrons. This is a must for fans of the Cold War era fighters

Finding Hester explores the untold story of Hester Leggatt, a woman who helped trick the Nazis. Owing to a personal connection built with the Leggatt family, the author has been given exclusive access to the real diaries and letters of the woman who wrote the Operation Mincemeat love letters.

An enthralling portrait of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, which brings her struggles vividly to life and reveals her forgotten place in British history.

"Written by a longtime friend and ally, Lincoln the Citizen offers a rare character study and insightful biography of Lincoln before he became president. Michael Burlingame restores material cut by editors of the original 1907 publication to present Henry Clay Whitney's work in full. Whitney's work reveals the legal and political spheres where Lincoln moved while providing eyewitness accounts and intimate stories shared by Lincoln himself. Whitney's unique vantage point informs analyses of everything from Lincoln's melancholic temperament to his colorful early career to views on his marriage and family life. Burlingame places Whitney's singular contributions within Lincoln studies but also weighs criticisms of the book and disputes over what information the author may or may not have invented. A restored edition of an invaluable memoir, Lincoln the Citizen presents a wealth of overlooked biographical detail by one of the people who knew Lincoln best"--

● Angelo Codevilla, a towering intellect and prolific scholar, left an indelible mark on the study of political philosophy and the practice of American statecraft. An Italian immigrant, Codevilla embraced the American experiment with a fervent belief in its republican ideals. His academic journey took him to Rutgers, where his early promise in physics hinted at the analytical rigor he later applied to political philosophy. Pursuing his passion for understanding human governance, he earned a PhD under the legendary Leo Strauss at the Claremont Graduate School. A Naval officer and later a key figure on Capitol Hill, Codevilla seamlessly bridged the worlds of strategic policy and classical thought. His advocacy for missile defense during the Reagan Administration--a concept many deemed visionary--was matched only by his sharp critiques of the bipartisan political class. Codevilla's profound engagement with the writings of Machiavelli, Tocqueville, and America's Founders informed his incisive works, including The Character of Nations and America's Rise and Fall Among Nations. A translator of Machiavelli's The Prince and an unrelenting critic of technocratic governance, he inspired a generation of thinkers to confront uncomfortable truths about modernity and the American regime. This festschrift gathers the reflections of prominent scholars who honor Codevilla's enduring legacy and the clarity he brought to questions of liberty, strategy, and the fate of nations. Essential reading for students of history, politics, and statecraft, it celebrates a man whose insights continue to resonate in an age in search of wisdom.

The essential biography of Charles Evans Hughes, whose indelible career in politics and law shaped American modernization in the twentieth century.In the first full-life biographical study of Charles Evans Hughes in over seventy years, Joanne Reitano provides a fresh assessment of Hughes's distinguished, multifaceted public service during the first half of the twentieth century. His exceptional career included the roles of governor of New York (1906-1910), associate justice and presidential candidate (1910-1916), secretary of state (1921-1925), and chief justice of the Supreme Court (1930-1941). A household name in his own time, Hughes challenged bossism in New York politics, championed post-World War I internationalism, and brokered the world's first arms limitation agreement. On the Supreme Court, he was instrumental in modernizing legal doctrines concerning the interstate commerce clause, substantive due process, and civil liberties. Reitano unpacks the seemingly paradoxical nature of Hughes's political and legal careers, arguing that he was neither radical nor reactionary, but a structural reformer and a practical idealist who significantly impacted the nation's transition into the twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of sources, Reitano's work will be the definitive account of Charles Evans Hughes for years to come.

Soon to be an ITV drama starring Lucy Boynton, A Cruel Love is the definitive story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging. 'A forensically researched book that casts a haunting new light on the last woman to be hanged in Britain.' -DAILY MAILIn 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot her lover, David Blakely, dead. A two-day trial followed, but despite huge public outcry, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. At 28, Ruth became the last woman executed in Britain, her hanging one of the most notorious under prolific hangman Albert Pierrepoint. Carol Ann Lee examines the facts behind the headlines surrounding this infamous case, which many believe led to the dismantling of the death penalty a decade later. Drawing on interviews and in-depth research into the full range of sources, she reveals the woman behind the crime. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging, this is the acclaimed biography that inspired the ITV drama, A Cruel Love - a portrait of 1950s club life in all its seedy glamour, and a tragic true tale of murder, class, love and betrayal. 'Wonderful . . . it will become the standard reference on Ruth Ellis' Stewart P. Evans, crime historian

Teddy Peacock-Edwards was one of eleven young men from Southern Rhodesia recruited into the RAF in 1938. This book, written by his acclaimed fighter pilot son, Rick Peacock-Edwards, describes his father's formative years and gives his overall impressions of his father as an individual, a father, and fighter pilot.

Based on seven interviews conducted by Dr. John T. Mason Jr. from September 1972 through February 1974, the volume contains 334 pages of interview transcript. The transcript is copyright 1982 by the U.S. Naval Institute; any restrictions originally placed on the transcripts by the interviewees have since been removed.

A stunning, curated celebration of the master of romance! Featuring a die-cut cover, foil accents, and original illustrations, this perfectly packaged gift book dives into the life and works of the famed Regency-era novelist and adds a sophisticated touch to desks and bookshelves.

A stunning, curated celebration of the master of worldbuilding! Featuring a die-cut cover, foil accents, and original illustrations, this perfectly packaged gift book dives into the life and works of the famed fantasy writer and adds a sophisticated touch to desks and bookshelves.

""Starting his reign in 1927, Alexander Alekhine dominated the world of elite chess for more than a decade. To this day, he is the only world chess champion to die while holding the title. On his way to the top, Alekhine dodged artillery on World War I battlefields, narrowly escaped a Bolshevik firing squad and negotiated with Nazis to escape occupied Paris. He also earned a reputation as a "grandmonster" of chess: arrogant, amoral and alcoholic. This book explores both the triumphs that established Alekhine as one of the most creative minds ever to storm the chess world and the tragic choices that ended his career and, finally, his life. He is still one of the most controversial figures in chess history, but competitive chess as we know it would not exist without him"--

Dafydd Elis-Thomas, The Rt Hon. the Lord Elis-Thomas of Nant Conwy, is an outstanding Welsh public figure. His political career spans from his first election as a Westminster MP for Plaid Cymru in 1974 at the age of twenty-seven, until May 2021 when he finally retired after twenty-two years of service as a member of the Senedd in Cardiff. Both controversial and magnetic, his life is captured in this biography. He has been branded a 'maverick', an 'intellectual acrobat' and a 'political chameleon' - as well as being labelled a 'terrorist' for his interventions in Northern Ireland, and a 'traitor' for opposing nationalism. As the first Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, he helped stabilise the new institution and embedded devolution during its first tentative decade. His career has often been marked by controversy, and this is what makes his story remarkable - just as his political life has proved to be unpredictable.