Historical

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us - an ambitious urban entrepreneur who rose up the social ladder, from leather-aproned shopkeeper to dining with kings....

The story begins in 1629, when the pride of the Dutch East India Company, the Batavia, is on its maiden voyage en route from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, laden down with the greatest treasure to leave Holland....

Our heroes can come from the most ordinary of places. As a shy young lad growing up in country Victoria, no one in the district had any idea the man Albert Jacka would become.

The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400....

The 38 letters written by Rockefeller to his son imparting his perspectives, ideology, and wisdom to his son....

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works....

Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist....

This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces....

The extraordinary story of the brave, bold Hubert Wilkins - Australia's most adventurous explorer, naturalist, photographer, war hero, aviator, spy and daredevil - brought to life by Australia's greatest storyteller....

On the night of March 24, 1944, Bram Vanderstok was number 18 of 76 men who crawled beyond the barbed wire fence of Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland. His memoir sets down his wartime adventures before being incarcerated in Stalag Luft III and...various escape attempts....

Medical historian Dr Suzie Edge examines 1,000 years of royal deaths to present a humorous deep-dive into the varied—and oft-gruesome—deaths of the king and queens of England and Scotland....

From age 15 to 40, David Hackworth devoted himself to the US Army and fast became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam....

In early December 1846, starving and desperate, Sarah Graves and 14 other pioneers led by George Donner set out for California on snowshoes and over the next 32 days endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors....

The first-hand account of the life, career, and the practices of horror at Auschwitz....

Helen of Troy is one of the most evocative names in ancient history. For nearly three thousand years she has been both the embodiment of absolute female beauty and a reminder of the terrible power that it can wield....

What can we learn from the stunning rise and mysterious death of the ancient world’s greatest conqueror? An acclaimed biographer reconstructs the life of Alexander the Great in this magisterial revisionist portrait....

From New York Times best-selling author H. W. Brands, a masterful biography of the Civil War general and two-term president who saved the Union twice....

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the 20h century....

The formation of England happened against the odds - the division of the country into rival kingdoms, the assaults of the Vikings, the precarious position of the island on the edge of the known world....

Meticulously researched, authoritative and unputdownable, Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore's Interregnum (1760-1799) opens a window to the life and times of one of the most debated figures from India’s history.

Ralph has just turned 20, and lands in Western Nebraska with only one dime in his pocket....

Saladin remains one of the most iconic figures of his age. As the man who united the Arabs and saved Islam from Christian crusaders in the twelfth century, he is the Islamic world's preeminent hero.

This is the story of the rise to national power of a desperately poor young man from the Texas Hill Country....

One of the most popular accounts by an Australian veteran of WWI - written entirely from the private soldier's point of view....

As a young child, Herman Lehmann was captured by a band of plundering Apache Indians and remained with them for nine years. This is his dramatic and unique story....

Las ideas son las protagonistas de este audio libro, pero no las ideas en abstracto sino las ideas encarnadas en personas con vidas tocadas por la pasión del poder, la historia y la revolución; y también por el amor, la amistad, la familia. Vidas reales, no ideas andantes. Por este audiolibro desfilan profetas de la redención como el heroico Martí, el idealista Rodó, el educador Vasconcelos o el indigenista Mariátegui.

Over two centuries have passed since his death on 4 May 1799, yet Tipu Sultan’s contested legacy continues to perplex India and her contemporary politics. A fascinating and enigmatic figure in India’s military past, he remains a modern historian’s biggest puzzle as he simultaneously means different things to different people, depending on how one chooses to look at his life and its events.

The newly-wed Anne Hastings faced her husband's wrath when her affair with William Compton was made public. Mary Tudor married to satisfy her brother's political need to ally with France, but when her decrepit royal husband died, she married the dashing Charles Brandon for love. William Parr, humiliated by his wife's extramarital affair, sought a divorce to marry the woman he loved.

Packed with shocking revelations, untold stories, and behind-the-scenes details, this six-book collection is a must-listen for anyone captivated by the dark and dangerous world of organized crime. For decades, the Mafia ruled the East Coast, shaping cities, corrupting politicians, and controlling vast criminal enterprises. The Six Families of East Coast pulls back the curtain on these powerful crime syndicates, revealing their history, key figures, and the bloody battles that defined them.

Discover the remarkable life of Crazy Horse... Famed Lakota warrior Crazy Horse was more than just a fearless fighter—he was a symbol of resistance and commitment to his people’s way of life. During his life, the Lakota faced relentless pressure from all sides. Rival tribes waged war over land and resources while waves of US settlers, backed by an ever-growing military presence, pushed further into their territory on the Great Plains. Despite these challenges, Crazy Horse stood unwavering, fighting not for personal glory but for the survival of his people and their homeland.

Irena Sendler is one of the often-unsung heroes of the Holocaust. Nevertheless, she deserves credit for her humanitarian efforts. Time and time again, she put her own safety at risk to save others. Her efforts were especially crucial as it pertained to saving the children who fell victim to the horrors of the Holocaust. As a Catholic Pole, Irena Sendler could have rather easily looked the other way and told herself that it was none of her business what was happening around her. But her conscience wouldn’t let her ignore the pleas of all those innocent voices who so desperately needed her aid.

As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a city hall lawyer and “Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight. During this time, Cuneo began a close friendship with British spy Ian Fleming and helped inspire Fleming's James Bond novels.

In Breaking Bread, third generation baker, food writer and presenter David Wright examines the universal questions about bread and baking. About the people who make and shape the bread we buy and the difficulties that social and cultural change, food fads and health directives have had, and are having, on the baking industry. After his family bakery sadly closed its doors after seventy-five years, Wright asks if the the closure of the bakery underlines the very idea that bread is a dying foodstuff. Is bread good or bad? And what does the future hold for bread?

Mike Burke arguably led one of the most interesting lives in twentieth century America. It seems that it was his destiny to have a rendezvous with history at every turn in his seventy years. The people that became his friends, associates and adversaries read like a who’s – who of America in the middle years of the twentieth century.

Why do people keep deep secrets about their lives and ancestry? In Family Declassified, Katherine Fennelly applies her expertise as a social science researcher to answer this question regarding her maternal grandfather, a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who arrived in the US one hundred years ago.

In August 1824, Lafayete arrived in New York City for what became his final goodwill tour of America. Throughout his thirteen-month trip, a tapestry of parades, banquets, concerts, and public honors unfolded, befitting the last surviving major general of the American Revolution. The country's Freemasons played a pivotal role in welcoming Lafayette and embraced him not just as a soldier and statesman but as a fellow Mason.

Based on actual events spanning forty years, this story is about the relentless struggle of a family’s search for freedom, the Great Seven Fidel Castro’s inner circle, and an epic adventure driven by a passionate love relationship set in pre- and post-Revolutionary Cuba. The love story is the main impetus of this chronicle. Pepe, the only survivor of the inner circle to escape several assassination attempts, is forced to leave his family and his fiancée (Alicia) in Cuba. Alicia, who is carrying his unborn child, conceals her pregnancy to ensure Pepe’s immediate departure to safety.

Step back in time to the early 1900s, a period when life was simpler, free from the distractions of the internet and smartphones. Yet, it was also a time fraught with danger and austerity. Join us on a gripping journey through "The Trail of the Tramp," a tale of adventure, hardship, and redemption. Follow the lives of Joe and Jim McDonald as they navigate the treacherous world of tramps, beggars, and criminals, seeking to reunite with their lost family and reclaim their honor.

Am 18. Februar 1882 besteigt Karl Marx in Marseille den Dampfer "Said" und verlässt zum ersten Mal Europa. Den Tod seiner Frau Jenny drei Monate zuvor hat er nicht verwunden. Er ist krank und hofft auf Genesung in Algier. Anhand von teils unpublizierten Quellen erzählt Uwe Wittstock höchst lebendig von der letzten großen Reise des großen Denkers und blickt mit ihm zurück auf sein außergewöhnliches Leben: die wilden Studienjahre in Bonn und Berlin, Marx’ frühe poetische Ambitionen, seine seltsam bremsende Rolle im Revolutionsjahr 1848, dann das ewige Exil, die Zumutungen der Armut.

Known as the "Father of Abolitionism," Reverend John Rankin is one of the greatest heroes previously lost to history. Sitting high above the small community of Ripley, Ohio, a lantern shone in the front window of a small, red brick home at night. It was a signal to slaves in Kentucky—a beacon of liberty in the darkness—just across the Ohio River. Anyone fleeing bondage could look to Reverend John Rankin's home for hope. To the slaveholders they fled from, Rankin's activities as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad invoked rage.

This book tells Dee Knight's story of "waking up" to the truth about the US war in Vietnam, then refusing the draft and going to Canada where he lived for six years. It relates the years-long campaign for amnesty, in which Knight was a leader. After war resisters won a partial amnesty, Knight continued campaigning against US wars up to the present day.

Ce livre raconte la vie de William Harben Carthew (1938-2023), alias Jean-Michel Beigbeder, l’homme qui choisissait les puissants en France, à la fin du XXe siècle. Comme il est dangereux d’écrire sur son père mort ! On risque de faire la connaissance posthume d’un espion franco-américain. De découvrir son enfance sinistre dans un pensionnat militaire catholique. D’en vouloir à sa famille qui a pourtant sauvé des juifs sous l’Occupation.

A Bygone Era. A time when one-room schools still populated the hills, and small-town teenagers in cars equipped with AM radios and stick shifts cruised Main Street after homecoming games. The Way We Were … Personal Reflections on Life in the Ozarks-Part 2 is a collection of articles from Lonnie Whitaker’s award-winning newspaper column in the Howell County News in Willow Springs, Missouri. Engaging anecdotes and colorful characters from the author’s life will transport you to a bygone era in the Missouri Ozarks of the 1950s and 60s.

La Nouvelle Angleterre et ses cottages gris perle, le cri des goélands, un phare rouge et blanc. Et puis eux, pulls torsadés, sourire immaculé... la mythologie nord-américaine dans toute sa splendeur. Eux, ce sont les Kennedy. Dont on sait tout. Vraiment ? Mais qui sont Carolyn et John ? Un couple béni des Dieux. Lui est " l'homme le plus sexy de la planète " selon la presse américaine. Elle, si belle et mystérieuse, a fait dire à Ralph Lauren devant ses stylistes : " Quand vous concevez un vêtement, pensez à Carolyn Bessette.

In the heart of Victorian France, a name once whispered with admiration and envy was Blanche Monnier. Known far and wide for her breathtaking beauty, Blanche was a vision of grace and charm, the epitome of a desirable young woman. However, beneath the glittering façade of her life lay a chilling secret, a dark tale of betrayal and unimaginable cruelty that would forever stain the annals of history.

Sound interesting? Listen to De Smet's Letters and Sketches, 1841-1842 and learn about the Catholic priest and missionary.

SIMPing. It’s not just a modern problem—it’s been around since biblical times. Some of the greatest men in history, from kings to warriors to prophets, have fallen victim to this tragic fate. You might think of SIMPs as guys today who send cash to OF models or wait five years in the “friend zone,” but make no mistake—these men have nothing on the biblical SIMPs, who risked their kingdoms, strength, and even their lives just to impress a woman.

En el piso de abajo son las memorias de una mujer sedienta de educación que no comprende por qué, cuando pedía un libro de la biblioteca de sus señores, éstos la miraran incrédulos y espantados. Con el tiempo, aprendió por su cuenta y en 1968 publicó este libro, que ha sido la fuente reconocida de inspiración de series como Arriba y abajo y Downton Abbey, pero mucho más incisiva e intencionada que ellas.

1932 zieht Erna aus einem kleinen Ort im Weserbergland nach Berlin - in die Metropole voller Versprechungen. Doch dem neunzehnjährigen Mädchen bleibt nicht viel Zeit, um die Sehnsucht nach einem aufregenden Leben in der Großstadt zu stillen. Viel zu schnell müssen die unbeschwerten Stunden den Stunden der Angst und der Trauer weichen. Erna versucht ihre aufrechte Haltung im Angesicht der Tyrannei zu bewahren. Schwerverletzt überlebt sie den Krieg und findet zwischen Trümmern und Tod ein neues Leben.

Christoph Probst und sein Freund Alexander Schmorell bildeten zusammen mit den Geschwistern Scholl und Willi Graf den engsten Kreis der studentischen Widerstandsgruppe "Weiße Rose" in München. "Hitler und sein Regime müssen fallen, damit Deutschland weiterlebt!" Christoph Probsts Flugblattentwurf – zerrissen in kleine Fetzen – entdeckte die Gestapo während der Verhaftung der Geschwister Scholl. Dieser handschriftliche Entwurf wurde nie vervielfältigt. Der 23-jährige Christoph Probst, Vater von drei Kindern, zahlte dafür mit seinem Leben.