A valuable reminder of the remarkable rise and achievements of the uneducated orphan farm boy who became Minister of Labour during WW2, and one of the prime architects of West Germany, NATO ... read more
Cairncross differed from the other Cambridge spies in his political outlook and motivation; he didn't work closely with any of them. Suspected as the 'Fifth Man', his identity was confirmed ... read more
Zulfikar was executed in 1979; three of his children were murdered. One can understand why the brilliant author Fatima keeps her distance from politics.
Unjustly ejected from the Liberal government in 1915 as a 'German sympathiser', Haldane's influence on many of our institutions was great, and lasting.
Son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV: the man with the levers of power, to whom Shakespeare gave the speech about 'this sceptered isle'.
There have been many books on Plath, but this is in fact the first full biography. Sensitive and perceptive, it navigates both the controversies and poetry with skill.
Despite his prominence as a crucial figure in China's struggle against deforestation, Purdom (1880-1921) has been largely overlooked by history. He lived a short, quietly heroic life, campai... read more
The cover of this book shows the gorgeous Zoffany portrait of these talented and influential siblings, who were born in a Northumberland rectory and became involved in such a wide range of C... read more
Takes the reader from the earliest written accounts to the present in vivid portraits. The empress Masako is there, and presumably princess Murasaki Shikibu, whose diary is not only fascina... read more
The first biography of this much loved author, bonne vivante, European, and John Sandoe customer, mentored by Aldous Huxley. Hastings' earlier biographical subjects include Somerset Maugham,... read more
A slim volume on life and thought of one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century. It ranges over her dramatic life, her love affair with Martin Heidegger, exile, Eich... read more
A riveting portrait of the man who sold many of the books that drove the Renaissance, who knew where manuscripts were, arranged for copies to be made and trod carefully among rival ruling fa... read more
Of the 50,000 Jews who were sent to concentration camps from Salonika, only 2,000 returned. The author is one of them. This manuscript from 1948 is presented by his grandson.
Lodge was hugely significant in US politics, from his influence with Eisenhower and as ambassador to Vietnam, right up to the 1970s. He did more than anyone else to transform the Republicans... read more
An ironic moment, perhaps, for a major new biography of the man who first uttered, 'The lamps are going out all over Europe' (August, 1914)... Grey remains the longest-ever serving Foreign S... read more
Mathilde Carre joined the French Resistance in 1940 but was captured by the Germans a year later and betrayed her network. She survived working as as a double agent and then - possibly - a t... read more
It seems that the stalwart defender of Imperial narratives and values was a compulsive and manipulative womanizer. Thousands of newly discovered letters show an unexpected side to the histor... read more
Executed in 1953 for conspiracy to commit espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union, a crime of which she was almost certainly innocent. This is a valuable book on 'The American Dreyfus Affair... read more
From the author of the biography of Shchukin comes the story of another extraordinary pre-Revolutionary Russian collector of European art. He spent 1.5 million francs on 486 paintings, which... read more
Translated from the German, this is a substantial book on the man who led Europe out of the Napoleonic chaos; the father of realpolitik, according to Kissinger.
She went from socialite to pariah when she married George III's sixth son in 1793, without the King's permission. Her children were declared illegitimate, the family scorned: this is a movin... read more