Creator: Patrick Camiller
Publication date: 2001-10
Dewey code: 967.51031
Price: £9.74
Review The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo / Grove Press:
Publication date: 2008-09-15
Dewey code: 973
RRP: £15.50
Price: £6.24
Review The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy / University Press of Kansas:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2005-10-01
Dewey code: 945.093092
RRP: £8.99
Price: £3.73
Review Silvio Berlusconi: Television, Power and Patrimony: NEW UPDATED EDITION: Television, Power and Patrimony / Verso Books:
Publication date: 1990-03
Dewey code: 973.9230924
Price: £29.31
Review Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2 (Years of Lyndon Johnson) / Alfred A. Knopf:
Publication date: 2002-01-01
Dewey code: 978.020924
RRP: £11.99
Price: £7.15
Review Jim Bridger: Mountain Man / University of Nebraska Press:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2007-08-28
Dewey code: 821
RRP: £9.99
Price: £6.58
Review The Bruce (Canongate Classics) (Canongate Classics) / Canongate Books:
Edition: New edition
Publication date: 1996-09
Dewey code: 973.922092
RRP: £12.99
Price: £16.97
Review JFK: The Last Dissenting Witness / Pelican Publishing Co:
Publication date: 2001-05-30
RRP: £25.00
Price: £5.97
Review Marie Antoinette / Weidenfeld & Nicolson:Marie Antoinette, Antonia Fraser's first book in five years, heralds the welcome return of her wonderfully lucid, engaging style as she disentangles myth from fact regarding the life of the still controversial, and misunderstood, wife of Louis XVI of France. It is also perhaps her most assured work to date. The daughter of Empress Maria Teresa of Austria, the 14-year-old Marie Antoinette, or l'Autrichienne, was sent to France to marry the Dauphin in 1770 in an act of political union between the two countries. Despite her husband's preference for the hunting field over the bedroom, and a somewhat inexpressive personality-his final terse diary entry was to be, appropriately, "Rien"-a decade of French courtly exuberance entailed. Her disappointment in marriage gave way to an enjoyment of her position, especially on turning 30, yet an increasing number of libelles and scandalous rumours about the new Queen and her sexual proclivities grew from Versailles' whispers to the shouts of what was to be the revolution of 1789. This was followed by her own awful demise and beheading four wretched years later, after the appalling torture of her own young son falsely testifying that he had been sexually abused by her. Those are the skeletal facts of her life, but Fraser fleshes out the story with her customary composed authority. Her stated ambition is twofold. The book's subtitle, "The Journey", refers to Marie Antoinette's political significance in a union over which she had no control, but also her own personal story, from the ill-educated, overwhelmed teenage bride to the despised monarch who bore the brunt of all the ills of the ancien régime. Fraser, arch debunker, necessarily removes the apocryphal-Mozart the child prodigy saying that he would marry her, the infamous "let them eat cake" comment that preceded her by several hundred years, dressing as a milkmaid at her model village in the grounds of Versailles-to reveal a woman whose misfortunes, she concludes, outweighed her failures. [+]Like the Jemima Shore detective novels she also pens, Fraser displays an unerring ability to ask the right questions. Most of all, though, she writes with an understated, unadorned clarity that imparts her learning with an ease to be both envied and savoured. In 1789, Marie Antoinette famously said to a deputation from the Commune of Paris, "I've seen everything, known everything, and forgotten everything". There could be no wiser, compassionate and judicious reclaimer of her besmirched reputation than Antonia Fraser. -David Vincent.
Authors
- Benjamin Levine
- Gordon M. Goldstein
- Benjamin Rochkin
Dewey code: 327.730597
RRP: £16.29
Price: £11.25
Review Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam / Times Books:
Publication date: 2007-06-06
Dewey code: 959.5403092
RRP: £20.00
Price: £2.99
Review Sylvia, Queen Of The Headhunters: An Outrageous Englishwoman And Her Lost Kingdom / Weidenfeld & Nicolson General:
Publication date: 2001-02
Dewey code: 976.4063092
RRP: £9.74
Price: £3.24
Review A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House / Harper Perennial:The political biography, complete with life-altering turning points and apolitical philosophy for leading the United States into greatness, has become obligatory for those running for president-just one more thing to check off the "To Do" list on the way to the Oval Office. A Charge to Keep is George W. Bush's offering: a light and breezy book mixing personal and political remembrances that prove heavy on chatty anecdotes and light on policy prescriptions. If you read the last chapter you'll sort of learn where George W. stands on most things but still not really discern how he would actually run the country. There are no revelations, either personal or political; Bush's wild side and youthful indiscretions, like stealing a Christmas wreath from a New Haven hotel for his Yale fraternity, are touched on lightly to the extent that he discusses them at all. A Charge to Keep is so upbeat and positive that, in describing the Houston woman to whom he was engaged in college and from whom he "gradually drifted apart", Bush says simply, "I still think the world of her and our parting was friendly. We were very young, we lived in different places and we gradually developed different lives. "George W. has been labelled a lightweight by some; A Charge to Keep will do nothing to dispel that notion. [+]It features lots of Bush family memories and numerous mentions of George W's famous parents, including letters from his father, the president. George W. has followed closely in his father's footsteps, attending the same prep school and the same college. He even belonged to the same secret society at Yale, Skull and Bones. From college it was on to flight school and the Texas Air National Guard, Harvard Business School and then (again, like his father) the Texas oil business and politics. George W. seems mostly in sync with his father on policy issues as well. "A thousand points of light" is transformed slightly to become "compassionate conservative", which pops up in the final chapter more than ten times. Readers will come away knowing many of the experiences and events that have helped shaped George W. but his future is still an open book. -Linda Killian.
Publication date: 2001-08-09
RRP: £20.00
Price: £20.00
Review Colditz / Hodder & Stoughton Ltd:Claiming anything, let alone a book on the Colditz story, as "the definitive history", is certainly a bold move. But since Henry Chancellor was the man behind the acclaimed British television series, Escape from Colditz, it might just be true. Certainly it is an enthralling read, although given its subject matter it could hardly be anything else. Colditz, more prosaically known to the German military as "Oflag 4C", was the supposedly escape-proof medieval German fortress from which over 300 men during the Second World War attempted to escape, and from which 32 made a "home-run". A small but hugely morale-boosting figure. With tragic heroism, some of these successful escapees, having risked life and limb getting back to the home country, then returned eagerly to the war only to be killed in battle. Chancellor's book represents 76 interviews carried out over a course of 14 years, and so promises to be exhaustive. It also corrects some of the errors in the classic but not always flawless memoirs of former prisoners such as Major Pat Reid. He is also good on adding colourful if tangential details, such as the fact that the great expansion of castle took place under the reign of Augustus the Strong of Saxony in the 17th century, a man who fathered no fewer than 354 offspring. The heart of the book, however, is the accounts of escape by the men themselves who lived to tell the tale. [+]This is a history book that will make your hands clammy with fear and excitement. One can also relish the humour with which these old soldiers recall their days and nights of danger. One of them attempted to escape disguised as a woman. "But I had made the great mistake of filling it [his bra] with biscuits, in an attempt not to waste space. Unfortunately by the time I had crawled through the tunnel the biscuits had turned to crumbs and everything was sagging. " So, not only a thrilling and inspiring history, but a useful guide to cross-dressing too: don't keep biscuits in your bra. -Christopher Hart.
Publication date: 2003-06-09
Dewey code: 973
RRP: £19.55
Price: £10.00
Review Living History / Headline:As with most books written by politicians while in office (or at least aiming for one), Living History is, first and foremost, safe. There are interesting observations and anecdotes, the writing is engaging and there is enough inside scoop to appeal to those looking for a bit of gossip, but there are no bombshells here and it is doubtful the book will change many minds about this polarising figure. This does not mean the work is without merit, however, for Hillary Clinton has much to say about her experience as first lady, which is the primary focus of the book. Those interested in these experiences and her commentary on them will find the book worth reading; those looking for revelations will be disappointed. Beginning with a brief outline of her childhood, college years, introduction to politics and courtship with Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton covers a wide variety of topics: life on the campaign trail, her troubled tenure as leader of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform, meetings with foreign leaders and her work on human rights, to name a few. By necessity, she also addresses the various scandals that plagued the administration, from Travelgate to Whitewater to impeachment, though she does not go into great detail about each one; rather, she seems content to simply state her case and move on without trying to settle too many old scores. Along the way, she offers many apologies, though perhaps not the kind some would expect. She does not shy away from her "vast right-wing conspiracy" comment, for instance, though she does wish that she had expressed herself differently. Regarding the Monica Lewinsky scandal, she maintains that her husband initially lied to her, as he did the rest of the country, and did not come clean until two days prior to his grand jury testimony. Calling his betrayal "the most devastating, shocking and hurtful experience of my life", she explains what the aftermath was like personally and why she has elected to stand by her man. [+]In all, Living History is an informative book that goes a long way towards humanising one of the most recognisable and controversial women of our age. -Shawn Carkonen, Amazon. com As with most books written by politicians while in office (or at least aiming for one), Living History is, first and foremost, safe. There are interesting observations and anecdotes, the writing is engaging and there is enough inside scoop to appeal to those looking for a bit of gossip, but there are no bombshells here and it is doubtful the book will change many minds about this polarising figure. This does not mean the work is without merit, however, for Hillary Clinton has much to say about her experience as first lady, which is the primary focus of the book. Those interested in these experiences and her commentary on them will find the book worth reading; those looking for revelations will be disappointed. Beginning with a brief outline of her childhood, college years, introduction to politics and courtship with Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton covers a wide variety of topics: life on the campaign trail, her troubled tenure as leader of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform, meeting with foreign leaders and her work on human rights, to name a few. By necessity, she also addresses the various scandals that plagued the administration, from Travelgate to Whitewater to impeachment, though she does not go into great detail about each one; rather, she seems content to simply state her case and move on without trying to settle too many old scores. Along the way, she offers many apologies, though perhaps not the kind some would expect. She does not shy away from her "vast right-wing conspiracy" comment, for instance, though she does wish that she had expressed herself differently. Regarding the Monica Lewinsky scandal, she maintains that her husband initially lied to her, as he did the rest of the country, and did not come clean until two days prior to his grand jury testimony. Calling his betrayal "the most devastating, shocking and hurtful experience of my life", she explains what the aftermath was like personally and why she has elected to stand by her man. In all, Living History is an informative book that goes a long way towards humanising one of the most recognisable and controversial women of our age. -Shawn Carkonen This review refers to the print edition of this book.
Edition: New edition
Publication date: 1969-02
Price: £14.99
Review Disraeli (University Paperbacks) / Routledge:
Publication date: 2000-04-06
Dewey code: 720
Price: £15.99
Review Brunelleschi's Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence / Chatto & Windus:Filippo Brunelleschi's design for the dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence remains one of the most towering achievements of Renaissance architecture. Completed in 1436, the dome remains a remarkable feat of design and engineering. Its span of over 140 feet exceeds St Paul's in London and St Peter's in Rome, and even outdoes the Capitol in Washington DC, making it the largest dome ever constructed using bricks and mortar. The story of its creation and its brilliant but "hot-tempered" creator is told in Ross King's delightful Brunelleschi's Dome. King has already established himself as an accomplished novelist, author of Domino, Ex-Libris, and the story of both dome and architect offer him plenty of rich material. The story of the dome goes back to 1296 when work began on the cathedral but it was only in 1420, when Brunelleschi won a competition over his bitter rival Lorenzo Ghiberti to design the daunting cupola, that work began in earnest. King weaves an engrossing tale from the political intrigue, personal jealousies, dramatic setbacks and sheer inventive brilliance that led to the paranoid Filippo, "who was so proud of his inventions and so fearful of plagiarism" finally seeing his dome completed only months before his own death. King argues that it was Filippo's improvised brilliance in solving the problem of suspending the enormous cupola in bricks and mortar (painstakingly detailed with precise illustrations) that led him to "succeed in performing an engineering feat whose structural daring was without parallel". He tells a compelling and informed story, ranging from discussions of the construction of the bricks, mortar and marble that made up the dome, to its subsequent use as a scientific instrument by the Florentine astronomer Paolo Toscanelli. -Jerry Brotton.
Publication date: 2004-09-16
Dewey code: 941.08508655
RRP: £18.99
Price: £0.01
Review The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister / Chatto & Windus:
Publication date: 1997-04-28
Dewey code: 328.41073
RRP: £6.95
Price: £6.94
Review Commons Knowledge: How to be a Backbencher: How to Be a Backbencher / Seren:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2004-01-18
Dewey code: 941
RRP: £8.99
Price: £2.95
Review George III's Children / The History Press Ltd:
Publication date: 2008-05-01
Dewey code: 828.91409
RRP: £24.99
Price: £15.34
Review Raymond Williams A Warrior's Tale (Library of Wales) (Library of Wales) (Library of Wales) / Parthian:
Edition: New Ed
Publication date: 2001-10-05
Dewey code: 920
RRP: £11.99
Price: £6.82
Review Livingstone (Yale Nota Bene) (Yale Nota Bene) / Yale University Press:
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The African Dream: The Diaries of the Revolutionary War in the Congo, The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman Versus Conspiracy, Silvio Berlusconi: Television, Power and Patrimony: NEW UPDATED EDITION: Television, Power and Patrimony, Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 2 (Years of Lyndon Johnson), Jim Bridger: Mountain Man, The Bruce (Canongate Classics) (Canongate Classics), JFK: The Last Dissenting Witness, Marie Antoinette, Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam, Sylvia, Queen Of The Headhunters: An Outrageous Englishwoman And Her Lost Kingdom, A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House, Colditz, Living History, Disraeli (University Paperbacks), Brunelleschi's Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence, The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister, Commons Knowledge: How to be a Backbencher: How to Be a Backbencher, George III's Children, Raymond Williams A Warrior's Tale (Library of Wales) (Library of Wales) (Library of Wales), Livingstone (Yale Nota Bene) (Yale Nota Bene) |
