Other books that might interest you

• 

  Sejanus - Regent of Rome

  John S. McHugh

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The Praetorian Prefect’s “dramatic rise and fall still serves as a morality tale through the centuries, and it is one that McHugh tells well” (Beating Tsundoku). The figure of Sejanus has fascinated from ancient to more modern times. Sejanus, the emperor Tiberius’ infamous Praetorian Prefect, is synonymous with overreaching ambition, murder, conspiracy and betrayal. According to the traditional storyline, this man craved the imperial throne for himself and sought it by isolating the naive emperor in his island pleasure palace on Capri while using his control over the Praetorian Guard, coupled with his immense power and influence in Rome, to purge the capital of potential opponents. His victims supposedly included the emperor’s son, Drusus, poisoned by his own wife who had been seduced by Sejanus. The emperor, forewarned of Sejanus’ ambition, struck first. The Prefect was arrested in the Senate, strangled and his corpse cast down the Gemonian Stairs. Study of Sejanus has generally been overshadowed by focus on Tiberius. John McHugh makes a fresh appraisal of the sources to offer the first full-length study in English to focus on this highly influential figure and his development of the Praetorian Prefecture.

  Show book

• 

  The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

  Charles Darwin

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  This edition of Darwin’s life story restores previously censored passages on religion and the scientist’s opinions of his contemporaries. Darwin wrote his autobiography in 1876, at the age of sixty-seven, hoping it would prove interesting to his children and grandchildren. Preparing the book for a wider audience, his family initially sought to protect his legacy by removing passages they found too personal or controversial.   This restored edition, which appeared one hundred years after the publication of On the Origin of Species, was edited by Darwin’s own granddaughter Nora Barlow, who wished to share the text as it originally existed in her family’s archives.   Shedding light on the women in Darwin’s life and his evolving views on religion, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin delves deep into his brilliant yet shy and reclusive personality, from his childhood love of nature to the reception of his groundbreaking theories on evolution. It also includes previously unpublished notes and letters on family matters, as well as Darwin’s dispute with Samuel Butler.

  Show book

• 

  Bush War Operator - Memoirs of...

  A. J. Balaam

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “The finest account I’ve read on the Selous Scouts . . . Andy Balaam tells it like it was—the fear, the terror, the adrenaline highs of combat in the bush.” —Chris Cocks, bestselling author of Fireforce 
   
  From the searing heat of the Zambezi Valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani Mountains in Rhodesia, from the bars in Port St Johns in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, this is the story of one man’s fight against terror, and his conscience. 
   
  Anyone living in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 1970s would have had a father, husband, brother or son called up in the defense of the war-torn, landlocked little country. A few of these brave men would have been members of the elite and secretive unit that struck terror into the hearts of the ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas infiltrating the country at that time—the Selous Scouts. These men were highly trained and disciplined, with skills to rival the SAS, Navy Seals and the US Marines, although their dress and appearance were wildly unconventional: civilian clothing with blackened, hairy faces to resemble the very people they were fighting against. 
   
  Twice decorated—with the Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM) and the Military Forces’ Commendation (MFC)—Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts, for a period spanning twelve years. This is his honest and insightful account of his time as a pseudo operator. His story is brutally truthful, frightening, sometimes humorous and often sad.

  Show book

• 

  Mediterranean Dictators - The...

  Kelly Mass

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  These dictators all lived in Southern European countries. Meet the evil despots called: 
  Benito Mussolini: Ironically, when we think of fascism, we often look at someone as brutal and influential as Adolf Hitler, but the word “fascism” originated from Italian. The ideology that was carried out in the vicious Spanish War right before World War 2, and was embraced by Nazi Germany, was actually pushed and more or less invented by the Italians during a critical time in history when many changes were made, and when fear and uncertainty were all in the air. Mussolini was efficient and influential. He was a fearless leader not to be trifled with. Let’s take a look at what he did and why. 
  Torquemada: The Spanish inquisition was nasty in the 15th century. I am glad we don’t live in those times anymore. We have our own problems to deal with here. But back then, in some countries, primarily the Catholic-dominated ones in Europe, being called a heretic, a witch, or a sinner meant business. It could mean the end of your life. And often, you had nothing to defend yourself with. There weren’t enough fancy lawyers to stand up to the Catholic Church. And so, it is with a tragic view on the past that we see countless innocent victims being accused of something they never did, with no bad intentions or rebellious behavior, and nonetheless being executed in brutal manners. 
  Francisco Pizarro: Conquistadores (or Conquistadors) were the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who invaded parts of the world that hadn’t been discovered by the Europeans before the 16th century. Some of these conquerors behaved fairly nice and respectful towards the local population in South America, Asia, Africa, and Central America. Others were incentivized by greed, lust, and dominance, which caused them to pillage, steal, and enslave the indigenous people they encountered. Many of their leaders were notorious for their brutality.

  Show book

• 

  Fatal Mountaineer - The...

  Robert Roper

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  “Vivid characterization, gripping accounts of extreme mountaineering . . . [and] cultural historical and philosophical reflection. . . . a rich tapestry.” —San Francisco Chronicle 
   
  Robert Roper’s Fatal Mountaineer is a riveting look at Willi Unsoeld and the epic climbs that defined him—a classic narrative blending action with ethics, fame with tragedy, a man’s ambition with a father’s anguish. 
   
  In 1963, Willi Unsoeld became an international hero for his conquest of the West Ridge of Everest. A charismatic professor of philosophy, Unsoeld was one of the greatest climbers of the twentieth century, a man whose raw physical power and casual fearlessness inspired a generation of adventurers. 
   
  In 1976, during an expedition to Nanda Devi, the tallest peak in India, Unsoeld’s philosophy of spiritual growth through mortal risk was tragically tested. The outcome of that expedition continues to fuel one of the most fascinating debates in mountaineering history. 
   
  “A provocative look at a still-legendary climber.” —Publishers Weekly 
   
  “[A] cautionary tale of how pursuit of a mountain at any cost and in any weather can have deadly consequences.” —Lynn Arave, Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT) 
   
  “The book’s greatest accomplishment is in the light it sheds on the shadows of mountain climbing and the impossible ideals of a hero.” —Mark Larabee, The Oregonian

  Show book

• 

  A Narrative of the Life of Mrs...

  James E. Seaver

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Mrs. Mary Jemison was taken by the Indians, in the year 1755, when only about twelve years of age, and has continued to reside amongst them to the present time. Containing an account of the murder of her father and his family; her sufferings; her marriage to two Indians; her troubles with her children; barbarities of the Indians in the French and Revolutionary Wars; the life of her last husband, and many historical facts never before published. (Summary by James Seaver)

  Show book