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Englands Elizabeth (Routledge Revivals)
by Thomas HeywoodPublished in 1982: England’s Elizabeth was first issues in 1631, and it is probably the earliest separately published biography of Elizabeth I’s early years. An important example of the author’s considerable, and largely neglected, non-dramatic work, the book has never been previously edited.
HMS Trenchant: From Chatham to the Banka Strait (Military History Ser.)
by Vice Admiral Arthur HezletThe decorated Royal Navy submariner documents the history of the submarine he commanded during World War II.This is both the war memoir of a distinguished naval officer and the history of HMS Trenchant, a T Class submarine. Admiral Hezlet was appointed to command Trenchant from her completion in early 1944 until mid–1945 during which time she and her crew worked up, voyaged to the Far East and carried out five highly dangerous and successful operational patrols. On their arrival at Freemantle in July 1945, Trenchant had been at sea for eighty-two out of the last ninety-four days and covered 15,000 miles. More than that, she had sunk the Japanese cruiser Ashigara, the largest warship sunk by a British submarine, as well as a minesweeper, a submarine, and a mass of miscellaneous enemy shipping. The crew’s achievements were honoured by the award of seven DSCs, eleven DSMs and nine Mentioned-in-Despatches.
Mary Tudor (Women In History Ser.)
by H.F.M. PrescottA highly-readable popular biography of 'Bloody Mary' - winner of the James Tait Black prize.Mary I is notorious for her persecution of Protestants and has been vilified by generations of partisan historians. H.F.M. Prescott brings a more humane and measured perspective to the life of this tormented woman. First published in 1940 under the title SPANISH TUDOR, Prescott's biography won the James Tait Black prize the following year. An extensively revised and updated edition was published in 1953 under the title MARY TUDOR.Prescott sums up her subject's life as follows: 'Perhaps no other reign in English history has seen such a great endeavour made, and so utterly defeated. All that Mary did was undone, all she intended utterly unfulfilled...mistaken often, almost always misguided in her public office, with much blindness, some rancour, some jealousy, some stupid cruelty to answer for, she had yet trodden, lifelong and manfully, the way that other sinners know.'
Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear
by Carl HiaasenThis is the ultimate hilarious, cynical, but absolutely realistic view of a college graduate's future. And what he or she can or can't do about it."This commencement address will never be given, because graduation speakers are supposed to offer encouragement and inspiration. That's not what you need. You need a warning."So begins Carl Hiaasen's attempt to prepare young men and women for their future. And who better to warn them about their precarious paths forward than Carl Hiaasen? The answer, after reading Assume the Worst, is: nobody.Illustrated by bestselling author/illustrator and National Book Award winner Roz Chast, this book is bound to be a classic, sold year after year come graduation time. Although it's also a good gift for anyone starting a job, getting married, or recently released from prison. Because it is not just funny. It is, in its own Hiaasen way, extremely wise and even hopeful. Well, it might not be full of hope, but there are certainly enough slivers of the stuff in there to more than keep us all going.
The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return To A Ruinous Sport
by Carl HiaasenEver wonder how to retrieve a sunken golf cart from a snake-infested lake? Or which club in your bag is best suited for combat against a horde of rats? If these and other sporting questions are gnawing at you, The Downhill Lie, Carl Hiaasen's hilarious confessional about returning to the fairways after a thirty-two-year absence, is definitely the book for you. Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl wisely quit golfing in 1973, when "Richard Nixon was hunkered down like a meth-crazed badger in the White House, Hank Aaron was one dinger shy of Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, and The Who had just released Quadrophenia." But some ambitions refuse to die, and as the years--and memories of shanked 7-irons--faded, it dawned on Carl that there might be one thing in life he could do better in middle age than he could as a youth. So gradually he ventured back to the dreaded driving range, this time as the father of a five-year-old son--and also as a grandfather. "What possesses a man to return in midlife to a game at which he'd never excelled in his prime, and which in fact had dealt him mostly failure, angst and exasperation? Here's why I did it: I'm one sick bastard." And thus we have Carl's foray into a world of baffling titanium technology, high-priced golf gurus, bizarre infomercial gimmicks and the mind-bending phenomenon of Tiger Woods; a maddening universe of hooks and slices where Carl ultimately--and foolishly--agrees to compete in a country-club tournament against players who can actually hit the ball. "That's the secret of the sport's infernal seduction," he writes. "It surrenders just enough good shots to let you talk yourself out of quitting." Hiaasen's chronicle of his shaky return to this bedeviling pastime and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem--culminating with the savage 45-hole tournament--will have you rolling with laughter. Yet the bittersweet memories of playing with his own father and the glow he feels when watching his own young son belt the ball down the fairway will also touch your heart. Forget Tiger, Phil and Ernie. If you want to understand the true lure of golf, turn to Carl Hiaasen, who has written an extraordinary book for the ordinary hacker.
Kick Ass: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen
by Carl Hiaasen Diane StevensonIn the words of Carl Hiaasen, "You just cover a lot of territory and you do it aggressively and you do it fairly and you don't play favorite sand you don't take any prisoners. It's the old school of slash-and-burn metropolitan column writing. You just kick ass. That's what you do. And that's what they pay you to do."
Bernini
by Howard HibbardSculptor and architect Bernini was the virtual creator and greatest exponent of Baroque in 17th century Italy. He has left his greatest mark on Rome where Papal patronage provided him with enormous architectural commissions.
The Art of Cycling: Philosophy, Meaning, And A Life On Two Wheels
by James HibbardA meditative love letter to the sport of cycling, revealing how cycling can shed new light on age-old questions of selfhood, meaning, and purpose.Interweaving cycling, philosophy, and personal narrative, The Art of Cycling provides readers with a deep understanding of the highs and lows of being an elite athlete, the limits of approaching any sporting pursuit from a strictly rational perspective, and how the philosophical and often counterintuitive lessons derived from sport can be applied to other areas of life. Accessible to everyone from the hardened racer to the casual fan, this updated American edition of The Art of Cycling engages the history of thought through the lens of cycling to undermine much of what is typically thought of as "intellectual," breathing new vitality into life, and countering society's obsession with progress and drive towards the abstract, detached, and virtual.
Wilfred Owen: The definitive biography of the best-loved war poet
by Dominic HibberdThe definitive biography of the war poet - 'Dominic Hibberd has probably done more more than any other individual to illuminate Owen's life and work. His new Life is a triumph ... it is difficult to believe it will ever be superseded' Mark Bostridge, The Independent on SundayWhen Wilfred Owen died in 1918 aged 25, only five of his poems had been published. Yet he became one of the most popular poets of the 20th century. For decades his public image was controlled by family and friends, especially his brother Harold who was terrified anyone might think Wilfred was gay. In recent years much new material has become available. This book, based on over thirty years of wide-ranging research, brings new information to almost every part of Owen's life. Owen emerges as a complex, fascinating and often endearing character with an intense delight in being alive.
Wilfred Owen: The definitive biography of the best-loved war poet
by Dominic HibberdThe definitive biography of the war poet - 'Dominic Hibberd has probably done more more than any other individual to illuminate Owen's life and work. His new Life is a triumph ... it is difficult to believe it will ever be superseded' Mark Bostridge, The Independent on SundayWhen Wilfred Owen died in 1918 aged 25, only five of his poems had been published. Yet he became one of the most popular poets of the 20th century. For decades his public image was controlled by family and friends, especially his brother Harold who was terrified anyone might think Wilfred was gay. In recent years much new material has become available. This book, based on over thirty years of wide-ranging research, brings new information to almost every part of Owen's life. Owen emerges as a complex, fascinating and often endearing character with an intense delight in being alive.
The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431–1519
by Christopher HibbertThe first major biography of the Borgias in thirty years, Christopher Hibbert's latest history brings the family and the world they lived in-the glittering Rome of the Italian Renaissance-to life. The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame -- his daughter Lucrezia and her brother Cesare, who murdered Lucrezia's husband and served as the model for Machiavelli's The Prince. The Borgias were notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder. The story of the family's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to the highest position in Italian society is an absorbing tale.
Charles I: A Life of Religion, War and Treason
by Christopher HibbertWhen Charles Stuart was a young child, it seemed unlikely that he would survive, let alone become ruler of England and Scotland. Once shy and retiring, an awkward stutterer, he grew in stature and confidence under the guidance of the Duke of Buckingham; his marriage to Henrietta of Spain, originally planned to end the conflict between the two nations, became, after rocky beginnings, a true love match. Charles I is best remembered for having started the English Civil War in 1642 which led to his execution for treason, the end of the monarchy, and the establishment of a commonwealth until monarchy was restored in 1660. Hibbert's masterful biography re-creates the world of Charles I, his court, artistic patronage, and family life, while tracing the course of events that led to his execution for treason in 1649.
Disraeli: The Victorian Dandy Who Became Prime Minister
by Christopher HibbertTo Thomas Carlyle he was "not worth his weight in cold bacon," but, to Queen Victoria, Benjamin Disraeli was "the kindest Minister" she had ever had and a "dear and devoted friend." In this masterly biography by England's "outstanding popular historian" (A.N. Wilson), Christopher Hibbert reveals the personal life of one of the most fascinating men of the nineteenth century and England's most eccentric Prime Minister. A superb speaker, writer, and wit, Disraeli did not intend to be a politician. Born into a family of Jewish merchants, Disraeli was a conspicuous dandy, constantly in debt, and enjoyed many scandalous affairs until, in 1839, he married an eccentric widow twelve years older than him. As an antidote to his grief at his wife's death in 1872, he threw himself into politics becoming Prime Minister for the second time in 1874, much to the Queen's delight.
George IV: The Rebel Who Would Be King
by Christopher HibbertHibbert delivers a superbly detailed picture of the life and times of George IV including his exorbitant spending on his homes, his clothes, and his women; his patronage of the arts; his 'illegal' marriage to Catholic Mrs Fitzherbert, and lesser known facts such as his generous charity donations andhis witty one-liners, including one he uttered when he met his bride-to-be (Caroline of Brunswick) for the first time: 'Harris, I am not well, fetch me a brandy.' George IV was the son of George III (whowent insane and inspired 'The Madness of King George') and was the founder of the prestigiousKing's College in London.
The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age
by Christopher HibbertBiography of the woman who was queen for 45 years, during England's most dazzling era.
Gunboat Command: The Biography of Lieutenant Commander Robert Hichens DSO* DSC** RNVR
by Antony HichensThis biography draws heavily on the personal diaries of the subject, Robert Hichens (or Hitch as he was universally known).After a brief description of his early life, time at Oxford, his motor racing achievements (including trophies at Le Mans in his Aston Martin) and RN training, the book focuses on his exceptional wartime experiences. Hitch was the most highly decorated RNVR officer of the war with two DSOs, three DSCs and three Mentions in Despatches. He was recommended for a posthumous VC. We read of his early days in vulnerable minesweepers and the Dunkirk Dynamo operation, (his first DSC).In late 1940 he joined Coastal Forces serving in the very fast MGBs, soon earning his own command and shortly after command of his Flotilla. He was the first to capture an E-Boat. His successful leadership led to many more successes and his reputation as a fearless and dynamic leader remains a legend today.The book contains detailed and graphic accounts of running battles against the more heavily armed E-boats. Tragically he was killed in action in April 1943, having refused promotion and a job ashore.
Prime Minister's Wives
by Mark HichensMuch is required of a prime minister's wife. As a hostess, sympathetic ear and adviser, she must ensure her husband never puts a foot wrong (and never do so herself). Arguably she has one of the hardest jobs in politics - without ever stepping into the House of Commons.Of the wives from the past two centuries featured in this book, nearly all have given their husbands unqualified support in political matters, two notable exceptions being Emily Palmerston and Clementine Churchill, who were always ready to dissent. And, until Audrey Callaghan and Cherie Blair, none had careers of their own. They came from a variety of backgrounds: some, such as Emily Palmerston, Caroline Lamb, Catherine Gladstone and Dorothy Macmillan, from the ruling classes. Two - Clementine Churchill and Margot Asquith - had aristocratic connections, while Lucy Baldwin's father was a scientist, Mary Ann Disraeli's was a junior naval officer and Margaret Lloyd George's a Welsh hill farmer. In terms of their marriages, some were secure, some wobbly and one actually broke down. In the case of Clementine Churchill, her marriage to Winston of fifty-seven years was a particularly remarkable achievement.Mark Hichens examines these women - and one husband, Denis Thatcher - in the light of their personalities and achievements as well as the roles they have indirectly played in British history in this timely volume.
Cielo de octubre (Rocket Boys)
by Homer HickamAsí comienza la maravillosamente entretenida y extraordinaria autobiografía de la vida de «Sonny» Homer Hickam, Jr. en Coalwood, Virginia Occidental, un pueblo miserable donde lo único que importaba era la minería de carbón y el fútbol americano. El segundo hijo introspectivo del superintendente de la mina y de una madre decidida a alcanzar una vida mejor para su hijo, Sonny se unió a un grupo de inadaptados para quienes el futuro parecía incierto. Pero en 1957, luego de haber visto el satélite soviético Sputnik cruzar el cielo de los Apalaches, Sonny y sus amigos adolescentes tomaron el futuro en sus manos, cambiando sus vidas y su ciudad para siempre.Recordando una carrera distinguida en la NASA que hizo realidad los sueños de su niñez, Hickam relata la historia de su juventud, llevando a los lectores a la vida de aquel pueblo minero y las de los muchachos que encarnaron sus tensiones y sus sueños. Con la ayuda —y en ocasiones los obstáculos— de los habitantes de Coalwood, los jóvenes aprendieron no solo a convertir escombros de minería en cohetes que surcaban los cielos, sino que encontraron esperanza en una ciudad en la que el progreso pasaba desapercibido.Una autobiografía única, Cielo de octubre es a la vez una crónica inspiradora de triunfo y una historia luminosa del amor de una madre, los temores de un padre y la vida de un joven.Con la sencilla gracia de un narrador por naturaleza, Homer Hickam capta a la perfección un momento en el cual un pueblo agonizante, una familia dividida y una banda de adolescents soñadores se atrevieron a mirar más allá de sus diferencias y a fijar sus objetivos en las estrellas... y vieron un futuro que la nación estaba apenas empezando a imaginar.
The Coalwood Way: A Memoir (Coalwood #2)
by Homer HickamIt's fall, 1959, and Homer "Sonny" Hickam and his fellow Rocket Boys are in their senior year at Big Creek High, launching handbuilt rockets that soar thousands of feet into the West Virginia sky. But in a season traditionally marked by celebrations of the spirit, Coalwood finds itself at a painful crossroads. The strains can be felt within the Hickam home, where a beleaguered HomerSr. is resorting to a daring but risky plan to keep the mine alive, and his wife Elsie is feeling increasingly isolated from both her family and the townspeople. And Sonny, despite a blossoming relationship with a local girl whose dreams are as big as his, finds his own mood repeatedly darkened by an unexplainable sadness. Eager to rally the town's spirits and make her son's final holiday season at home a memorable one, Elsie enlists Sonny and the Rocket Boys' aid in making the Coalwood Christmas Pageant the best ever. But trouble at the mine and the arrival of a beautiful young outsider threaten to tear the community apart when it most needs to come together. And when disaster strikes at home, and Elsie's beloved pet squirrel escapes under his watch, Sonny realizes that helping his town and redeeming himself in his mother's eyes may be a bigger-and more rewarding-challenge than he has ever faced. The result is pure storytelling magic- a tale of small-town parades and big-hearted preachers, the timeless love of families and unforgettable adventures of boyhood friends-that could only come from the man who brought the worldRocket Boys
Sky of Stone: A Memoir (Coalwood #3)
by Homer HickamOnce again, #1 bestselling author Homer Hickam takes readers on a ride back to the hometown of his youth in a new memoir as moving asOctober Sky. The New York Timesapplauded, "Hickam builds a story of overcoming obstacles worthy of Frank Capra," and readers are eager for more. By the summer of 1961, Sonny Hickam, who has just finished his first year of college, thinks he has left his hometown of Coalwood behind forever. He's got big dreams—dreams that got their lift-off with the backyard rocket launches of his adolescense. But a scandal at the mine that threatens to ruin his father takes Sonny home for the summer. And to his surprise, what begins as a summer of coal dust and misery will allow him to discover truths not just about his parents, work, and Coalwood, but about himself and the true nature of his dreams. As he did inOctober Sky, Hickam's touching memoir recreates a place and time that is at once uncannily familiar and wonderfully revealing. USA Todayraved, "Unlike so many memoirs, this book brings to life more than on man's experiences. " Hickam makes this happen again inSky of Stone.
Rocket Boys (Coalwood #1)
by Homer H. Hickam Jr.The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the film October Sky, Rocket Boys is a uniquely American memoir—a powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother's love and a father's fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space . . . and who made those dreams come true. <p><p> With the grace of a natural storyteller, NASA engineer Homer Hickam paints a warm, vivid portrait of the harsh West Virginia mining town of his youth, evoking a time of innocence and promise, when anything was possible, even in a company town that swallowed its men alive. A story of romance and loss, of growing up and getting out, Homer Hickam's lush, lyrical memoir is a chronicle of triumph—at once exquisitely written and marvelously entertaining.
The Son that Elizabeth I Never Had: The Adventurous Life of Robert Dudley’s Illegitimate Son
by Julia A. HickeySir Robert Dudley, the handsome ‘base born’ son of Elizabeth I’s favourite, was born amidst scandal and intrigue. The story of his birth is one of love, royalty and broken bonds of trust. He was at Tilbury with the Earl of Leicester in 1587; four years later he was wealthy, independent and making a mark in Elizabeth’s court; he explored Trinidad, searched for the fabled gold of El Dorado and backed a voyage taking a letter from the queen to the Emperor of China. He took part in the Earl of Essex’s raid on Cadiz and was implicated in the earl’s rebellion in 1601 but what he wanted most was to prove his legitimacy. Refusing to accept the lot Fate dealt him after the death of the Queen, he abandoned his family, his home and his country never to return. He carved his own destiny in Tuscany as an engineer, courtier, shipbuilder and seafarer with the woman he loved at his side. His sea atlas, the first of its kind, was published in 1646. The Dell’Arcano del Mare took more than twelve years to write and was the culmination of a lifetime’s work. Robert Dudley, the son Elizabeth never had, is the story of a scholar, an adventurer and Elizabethan seadog that deserves to be better known.
Running From the Shadows: A true story of how one woman faced her past and ran towards her future
by Stephanie HickeyIn Running from the Shadows Stephanie Hickey tells, in her own words, how she survived abuse at the hands of a trusted family member and of how running, a simple physical activity helped her achieve mindfulness, but also to rediscover love and faith in her body - to reclaim it. Charting her life growing up in the rolling countryside of Waterford in the safety of her beloved family to the moment her childhood was shattered, to the court case where she waived her anonymity, to how she was able to reclaim a sense of herself through the sport which became like a therapy, Running from the Shadows is told with humour, strength and incredible courage -- a book that reveals how, even when things seem at their bleakest, a run through the Irish countryside, can bring you back into the light.
Running From the Shadows: A true story of how one woman faced her past and ran towards her future
by Stephanie HickeyIn Running from the Shadows Stephanie Hickey tells, in her own words, how she survived abuse at the hands of a trusted family member and of how running, a simple physical activity helped her achieve mindfulness, but also to rediscover love and faith in her body - to reclaim it. Charting her life growing up in the rolling countryside of Waterford in the safety of her beloved family to the moment her childhood was shattered, to the court case where she waived her anonymity, to how she was able to reclaim a sense of herself through the sport which became like a therapy, Running from the Shadows is told with humour, strength and incredible courage -- a book that reveals how, even when things seem at their bleakest, a run through the Irish countryside, can bring you back into the light.