Historical

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain.

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a 10-day journey across the front lines of World War II from Germany back to Paris....

John Lennon and Paul McCartney knew each other for twenty-three years, from 1957 to 1980. This book is the myth-shattering biography of a relationship that changed the cultural history of the world.

Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton....

From National Book Award winner Ron Chernow, a landmark biography of George Washington....

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

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....

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

Alexandra Fuller tells the idiosyncratic story of her life growing up white in rural Rhodesia as it was becoming Zimbabwe....

At one time, Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the idea that she had a story to tell.....

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention....

The River of Doubt brings alive extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived....

The New York Times bestselling author returns with a biography examining the dramatic life and unparalleled leadership of England's greatest medieval king.

The definitive biography of the great soldier-statesman by the New York Times best-selling author of The Storm of War....

The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world....

The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America....

In 2013 Assata Shakur, founding member of the Black Liberation Army, former Black Panther and godmother of Tupac Shakur, became the first ever woman to make the FBI's most wanted list....

In this landmark biography of Winston Churchill based on extensive new material, the true genius of the man, statesman, and leader can finally be fully understood - by the best-selling, award-winning author of Napoleon and The Storm of War....

Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, turns his hand to a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power....

"El hombre en busca de sentido" es el estremecedor relato en el que Viktor Frankl nos narra su experiencia en los campos de concentración...

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time. Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic", The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time....

J. Robert Oppenheimer, an iconic figure of the 20th century, was a brilliant physicist who led efforts to build an atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress....

This instant New York Times bestselling “dynamic detective story” (The New York Times) reveals the hidden history Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.

In this powerful, epic biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life-journey of John Adams....

Based on a “that can’t actually be true” story, Dead Outlaw is the darkly hilarious and wildly inventive new musical about Elmer McCurdy, an early 20th-century outlaw who became a traveling corpse and accidental celebrity. After a botched train robbery and an untimely death, Elmer’s body embarks on a decades-long postmortem adventure—through carnivals, roadside attractions, wax museums, and even a Hollywood film set. Dead Outlaw dives into the absurdity of fame, the inevitability of failure, and the meaning—or utter meaninglessness—of legacy.

When a DNA test blows apart her father’s hidden identity many years after his death, Deb finds she has a sister, Barbara, and an entirely new family she never knew. As the sisters work to unravel more of their father’s secrets, they find his connection to a dark chapter of British-Canadian history. Will the sisters finally get to the bottom of their father’s past? Or are some secrets meant to stay buried forever?

In The Hemlock Cup, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes brings to vivid life one of the most influential thinkers the world has ever known: Socrates of Athens. A maverick philosopher who philosophised in squares and public arenas rather than the courts of kings, Socrates left his indelible mark on the entirety of Western civilisation - yet the life of the man himself is shrouded in mystery.

In a life of towering achievement and unprecedented disgrace, Richard Nixon remains one of the most compelling and confounding figures in American history. He was the visionary statesman who opened relations with China and negotiated landmark arms treaties with the Soviet Union, fundamentally reordering the landscape of the Cold War. Yet he was also the architect of his own downfall, the only president to resign from office in the face of certain impeachment and criminal prosecution. This biography traces Nixon’s journey from the citrus groves of Southern California, where a pious Quaker ...

In a dozen brilliant and bloody years, a young man from the mountainous kingdom of Macedonia shattered the old world and forged a new one in his own image. Alexander the Great led his army across deserts and mountains to topple the greatest empire ever known, becoming a legend in his own lifetime. This is the epic story of how the prince of a rugged kingdom became the undisputed master of Asia before his thirty-third birthday. This book chronicles his entire journey, from the fractious Macedonian court under his formidable father, Philip II, to his audacious crossing into Asia to challenge ...

The dramatic untold story of Eugénie de Montijo, the woman who created haute couture, fought for women’s rights, opened France’s schools to girls and ruled the country as its last empress, yet today remains almost unknown.

The Horn’s First Master is the gripping true story of a man who took on the deadliest sea on Earth. In 1834, Croatian-born Captain Pietro Giacomo Leva steered an Austro-Hungarian brigantine through the world’s most feared waters and into legend. With towering waves, freezing winds, and brutal conditions, Cape Horn was the ultimate test of skill, courage, and command. Leva passed that test — and carved his name into the history of both his island and his empire. Blending vivid maritime history with sharp-eyed narrative, The Horn’s First Master charts Austria’s unlikely bid for ...

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world's best-known Hasidic groups, is driven by the belief that we are on the verge of the messianic age. The man most recognized for the movement's success is the seventh and last Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), believed by many of his followers to be the Messiah.

This dramatic narrative illustrates the lifestyle and philosophy of Diogenes of Sinope, the prominent Greek Cynic philosopher, who lived roughly from 404 to 323 BCE. Diogenes was known for his humor, ascetic lifestyle, radical critiques of social conventions, and the famous anecdote of searching with staff and lantern for an honest man. Statues of Diogenes reveal a robust man, usually in the company of dogs. His philosophy reveals itself in his meeting with Alexander, the Great, and his arguments with Plato. Fleeing Athens, captured by pirates, sold as a slave, Diogenes lived his later ...

Unravel the Evolution of Gender Roles in Italian Families As a sociologist, you understand the profound impact that family dynamics have on society. Yet, the intricate evolution of gender roles within Italian families, from the Middle Ages to today, remains a complex puzzle. Are you seeking a comprehensive analysis that delves into these transformations and their societal implications? Discover how traditional gender roles have shaped and been reshaped by historical events, cultural shifts, and social movements in Italy. Gain insights into the historical foundations of Italian family ...

In Artists, Siblings, Visionaries, acclaimed biographer Judith Mackrell turns her attention to British brother and sister artists Gwen and Augustus John. In many ways they were polar opposites. But as this vivid and insightful account of their lives shows, they were also remarkably alike, sharing a striving for escape, a commitment to their work and a profound if sometimes exasperating kinship throughout the course of their adult lives.

Few figures in history have captured the imagination like Alexander the Great. A military genius, visionary ruler, and cultural bridge between East and West, his conquests reshaped the ancient world. But what was the true extent of his ambition? How did his empire-building efforts leave an enduring mark on civilizations? And what can we learn today from his triumphs—and his failures?

Benjamin Franklin was the oldest of the founding fathers—he was indeed a whole generation ahead of George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—and yet he was the most forward-looking of the group and the most modern of the founders. The Greatest American shows just how much of an impact Benjamin Franklin had on American politics and daily life.

The Declaration of Independence identified two core principles—independence and equality—that defined the American Revolution and the nation forged in 1776. Jefferson believed that each new generation of Americans would have to look to the "experience of the present" rather than the "wisdom" of the past to interpret and apply these principles in new and progressive ways.

Das Besondere an dieser Biografie Benjamin Franklins ist, dass er diese selber geschrieben hat. Dieser Umstand mag den einen oder anderen vorschnellen Kritiker dazu verleiten, den vorliegenden Text als geschönt oder nicht literarisch einzustufen, allerdings ist erstaunlicherweise genau das Gegenteil der Fall. Eine wunderbare Persönlichkeit und Sachlichkeit ist in Franklins Schreibstil gepaart mit einer weit überdurchschnittlichen Eleganz in Wortwahl und Ausdruck.

The years of the Great Depression were a glorious time for women’s amateur golf in America, and Marion Miley was one of the most dominant players of that era. A Kentucky State Amateur Champion at the age of seventeen and a three-time member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team, she won over 80 regional and national tournaments, the exploits of her remarkable career well-documented in newspapers of the time. Marion follows her remarkable life, growing up as the daughter of a prominent club maker and teaching professional in the North East, Florida, and the Mid-West, following her amazing trajectory...

You’ve heard of the Vietnam War. You’ve seen the footage—chopper blades thundering over rice paddies, soldiers knee-deep in jungle mud, names etched into a black granite wall in Washington, D.C. But there’s another war you haven’t heard about. One that was never televised. One that was never supposed to exist. This is the story of the shadow war. It was fought in silence, deep in the jungles of Laos and Cambodia—countries where American troops were officially forbidden to set foot.

What do a barefoot philosopher, a lightning-obsessed inventor, a deaf composer, and a girl with a telescope have in common? They thought differently—and the world was never the same. The Thinkers is a vibrant, funny, deeply human tribute to 30 of history’s greatest minds. From Tesla to Turing, from Marie Curie to Mozart, this is not a textbook. It’s a celebration. Each chapter sounds like a conversation with a legend—told with warmth, humor, and zero big words your sister couldn’t understand. This is for the curious. The inspired. The weirdos. The ones still asking “why?"

All Indian Army soldiers are brave, but Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, AC, VrC, SM stood out as one of the bravest. At five feet three, he stood mighty tall. He is a legendary figure in India's military history.

In the jungles of Vietnam, a secret war raged in silence. No uniforms. No front lines. Just names on a list—and orders to make them disappear. Shadow Warriors exposes the dark truths behind Operation Phoenix, the CIA-backed program that targeted the Viet Cong political infrastructure through assassination, psychological warfare, and covert intelligence operations. What began as a counterinsurgency initiative soon became a machine of fear—eliminating thousands, many without trial or evidence.

Benjamin Franklin was more than just a Founding Father of the United States—he was a visionary, a scientist, a diplomat, and an intellectual giant whose legacy continues to shape the world today. In The Architect of a Nation: Unveiling the Legacy of Benjamin Franklin, Arley Ballenger provides a comprehensive and captivating biography of this extraordinary figure, exploring how Franklin's ideas, inventions, and diplomacy helped forge the United States into the nation it is today.

Corporal Andy Reid was an ordinary soldier, serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. But his life changed for ever on Tuesday 13 October 2009, when he was blown up by a Taliban improved explosive device (IED). Evacuated to the UK, it was touch-and-go whether he would survive. He had lost both legs and his right arm, while the index finger of his left hand was almost completely removed. Yet survive he did and less than a month after being blown up, he was reunited with his patrol back in Warminster.

Una provetta di gas radioattivo lanciata in una fontana, un'intuizione improvvisa davanti a un semaforo londinese, la scoperta - quasi per caso - che l'atomo può spaccarsi. Sembrano episodi scollegati. E invece sono le prime scosse di un terremoto che cambierà il mondo: l'esplosione della bomba atomica. Tra le tessere del domino allineate in attesa di innescare la serie di eventi che condurranno a Hiroshima e Nagasaki, tre figure spiccano su tutte. Enrico Fermi, mente pragmatica e geniale, che porterà la scienza italiana nel cuore del Progetto Manhattan.

Am 2. November 1971 hatte der 16-jährige Ronald eine Nahbegegnung mit einem UFO in dem kleinen Ort Delphos in Kansas in den USA, welches einen leuchtenden Ring auf dem Erdboden hinterließ. Der Ring blieb für lange Zeit sichtbar. Alles zu dem Fall gibt es in diesem Hörspiel zu hören.

After I'd got him out of harm's way, I dived back in yet again and swam out past the surf-break, out to where the other two lads were floundering. Then, one at a time, I took them back onto the rocks – all done against the raging rip and wild surf. By then an hour or so had passed. Still, severe cuts, bruises and abrasions aside, I'd successfully saved the lives of the four young people who, in all probability, would've otherwise drowned.