Kategoria BISAC: Biography & Autobiography >> Historical

In this second edition of Arthur Keaveney's classic biography, a fresh generation of students, scholars and readers are introduced to one of the most pivotal figures in the outgoing Roman Empire.

A definitive book in its field, this second edition is a must read. Completely rewritten and updated to include the further discoveries of the last two decades, it challenges traditional views of Sulla as a tyrant and harsh military dictator and instead delivers a compellingly complex portrait of a man obsessed with the belief that he was blessed with divine favour.
Written by a leading...

Sam Wilkinson provides an accessible introduction to the reign of Caligula, one of the most controversial of all the Roman Emperors. Caligula's policies have often been interpreted to be those of a depraved tyrant. This study provides a reassessment of this controversial reign by scrutinising the ancient literary sources that are so hostile to Caligula, and by examining the reasoning behind the policies he enforced. Key topics discussed include: * Caligula's early life and accession to power * Caligula's relationship with the Senate * how far Caligula's domestic and foreign policies can be...

First published in 1927. John Macdonald (1741-96) was born, and died, a Scottish Highlander. First published at the time of the French Revolution, these memoirs of his days in service provide a rich panorama of life in the company of blind fiddlers, maid-servants, the Scottish aristocracy, soldiers, historians, Oriental Princes, servants of the East India Company and men of great wealth, including James Coutts the banker. In 1768 - as the result of an errand - it fell to Macdonald to witness the death of Laurence Sterne.
'Simply packed with interest' Sunday Times
'..a model of genuine...

First published in 1927. 'This diary is history' The Observer
This is the first complete published edition of Teonge's Diary. The edition of 1825, besides omitting several passages, contained many faulty transcriptions which have now been corrected for this edition. An intensely human document, enlivened with sketches of the people he met and places he visited, Teonge's Diary is one of the finest accounts of life on board ship in the seventeenth century. When not at sea, Henry Teonge's life was as a parson and this edition of his Diary includes a full inventory for his Parish, providing an...

First published in 1931. None of the manuscripts which have come down to us represent the original form of Marco Polo's narrative, but it is clear that certain texts are closer to the lost original than others. Entrusted with the task of preparing a new Italian edition of Marco Polo, Benedetto discovered many unknown manuscripts. He carefully edited the most famous of the manuscripts (the Geographic text) and collated it with the other best known ones.
- An invaluable index has been added to Aldo Ricci's of Benedetto's text, which includes all the identifications made in the Geographic...

Marco Polo's famous book about his journey to China, written in 1298, continues to be a subject of considerable controversy. One recent book on the subject argues that Marco Polo never went to China at all, and other scholars have pointed out apparent mistakes and important omissions in Marco's writings, including his failure to mention the Great Wall, and his apparently erroneous description of the course of the Yellow River. This book re-examines Marco Polo's book. It argues convincingly that he did indeed go to China, and that the apparent errors and omissions are all explicable - for...

John Grainger's detailed study examines a period of intrigue and conspiracy, studies how, why and by whom Domitian was killed and investigates the effects of this dynastic uncertainty and why civil war didn't occur in this time of political upheaval.

This is a political biography of the French industrialist and political activist Jacques Lemaigre Dubreuil (1894-1955), president of the Taxpayers' Federation in the 1930s, entrepreneur in wartime France and Africa, organizer of the 'Group of Five' in Algiers which prepared for the Allied landings in North Africa (November 1942), 'inventor' of General Henri Giraud as a candidate for the leadership of liberated North and West Africa, negotiator of the Murphy-Giraud Agreements and the Anfa Memorandum with President Roosevelt (1942 and 1943), political writer on the postwar future of France in...

Studying references and writings in over 900 personal letters, an unparalleled source, this book presents a rounded and intriguing account of the three women who, until now, have only survived as secondary figures to Cicero.

In a field where little is really known about Cicero's family, Susan Treggiari creates a history for these figures who, through history, have not had voices of their own, and a vivid impression of the everyday life upper-class Roman women in Italy had during the heyday of Roman power.

Artfully assembling a rounded picture of their...

Studying references and writings in over 900 personal letters - an unparalleled source, this book presents a rounded and intriguing account of the three  women who, until now, have only survived as secondary figures to Cicero.

In a field where little is really known about Ciceros family, Susan Treggiari creates a history for these figures who, through history, have not had voices of their own, and a vivid impression of the everyday life upper-class Roman women in Italy during the heyday of Roman power.

Artfully assembling a rounded picture of their personalities and experiences,...

Sam Wilkinson provides an accessible introduction to the reign of Caligula, one of the most controversial of all the Roman Emperors. Caligula's policies have often been interpreted to be those of a depraved tyrant. This study provides a reassessment of this controversial reign by scrutinising the ancient literary sources that are so hostile to Caligula, and by examining the reasoning behind the policies he enforced. Key topics discussed include: * Caligula's early life and accession to power * Caligula's relationship with the Senate * how far Caligula's domestic and foreign policies can be...

During his campaign against racism in South Africa and his involvement in the Congress-led nationalist struggle against British colonial rule in India, Mahatma Gandhi developed a new form of political struggle based on the idea of satyagraha or non-violent protest. He ushered in a new era of nationalism in India by articulating the nationalist protest in the language of non-violence or ahisma that galvanized the masses into action.
"Social and Political Thought of Mahatma Gandhi "focuses on the principles of satyagraha and non-violence, and the evolution of these precepts in the context...

This is a fresh account of Julius Caesar - the brilliant politician and intriguing figure who became sole ruler of the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar examines key figures such as Marius, Sulla, Cicero, Mark Antony, Gaius Octavius (emperor Augustus), Calpurnia and Cleopatra, as well as the unnamed warriors who fought for and against him, and politicians who supported and opposed him.

Including new translations from classical sources, Antony Kamm sets Caesar's life against the historical, political and social background of the times and addresses key...

This unique book, based on full access to official records, exposes for the very first time the mysterious life and career of Desmond Morton, intelligence officer and personal adviser to Winston Churchill during the Second World War. After distinguished service as artillery officer and aide-de-camp to General Haig during the First World War, Morton worked for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) from 1919 to 1934, and was involved in secret operations against Bolshevik Russia and a resurgent Germany. Morton met Churchill on the Western Front in 1916, supporting him throughout the wilderness...

Reading Rodney King/Reading Urban Uprising keeps the public debate alive by exploring the connections between the Rodney King incidents and the ordinary workings of cultural, political, and economic power in contemporary America. Its recurrent theme is the continuing, complicated significance of race in American society. Contributors: Houston A. Baker, Jr.; Judith Butler; Sumi K. Cho; Kimberle Crenshaw; Mike Davis; Thomas L. Dumm; Walter C. Farrell, Jr.; Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Ruth Wilson Gilmore; Robert Gooding-Williams; James H. Johnson, Jr.; Elaine H. Kim; Melvin L. Oliver;...

The Rodney King incidents - the beating, the trial and the uprising - raised a number of questions about the connections between poverty, racial ideology, economic competition, and the exercise of political power. What is the relationship between the beating of Rodney King and the workings of racism in America? How was it possible for defence attorneys to convince a jury that the videotape they saw did not depict an excessive or unjustified use of violence? In the burning of Koreatown, what role did racial stereotypes of African Americans and Korean Americans play, and how, are we to...

Hamilton Holt, editor of The Independent, collected these touching autobiographies of ordinary people--new immigrants and sharecroppers, cooks and fishermen, women and men working in sweatshops, in the city, and on the land. First published in 1906, and reissued a decade ago, this new edition of Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans is expanded to include lives Holt did not include in his original selection, as well as a new preface by Werner Sollors.

Guibert of Nogent has provided us with much of what we know about life in Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries. His autobiography, his crusade chronicle and his critique of relics create a rich and textured portrait of this vibrant and violent social landscape. His observations range widely from the philosophical to the extremely personal with topics including his mother, sexuality, cleanliness and life in a Benedictine monastery. Yet, in spite of is importance to our understanding of his era, Guibert himself has not been the subject of an historical biography in nearly a century.

This fascinating account highlights the extent the world's major powers will go to as they seek to insure their own interests and agendas, despite the wishes of those whose countries they invade and occupy. The Accidental Tourist profiles Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's involvement in the so-called Arabi Revolt in 1882. It addresses Blunt's tireless efforts on behalf of the Egyptian Nationalists to mediate the differences between Britain and Egypt and prevent a British invasion of Egypt. It highlights what amounted to a government cover-up of the actions of certain governmental officials to...

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.