Non-Fiction Books
Going right back to Judas Escariot and his betrayal of Christ, this book gives a background of the world's most famous snitches and the different ways of conveying their information under the veil of secrecy.
Writing poetry is more popular than ever and there has never been a greater opportunity to find an outlet for your work. Poetry Writers' Yearbook gives detailed listings of publishing companies, events and competitions where your voice can be heard. It provides comprehensive information and advice on funding, self-publishing and how you can survive and thrive as a poet. This edition includes a foreword by Don Paterson and contributions from established poets George Szirtes, Andrew Motion, Colette Bryce and Carol Ann Duffy. New articles cover topics such as 'A Small Publisher's View', 'How to Publish a Poetry Pamphlet', 'Poetry Slams' and 'Publishing on the Internet'. Packed with useful contacts and advice, the Poetry Writers' Yearbook brings poets and audiences together in a reliable and authoritative reference source.
'Killers in Cold Blood' looks at the dark side of the criminal mind. These are the men and women who commit heinous acts with a gruesome disregard for human life.
A child's introduction to the smelly, hideous, scary delights of living in London (or indeed any other major western city) in Georgain times.
In the years following the drudgery of the First World War, Art Deco came to represent the refreshing, energetic and optimistic outlook of the machine age. Bold Geometric patterns and streamlined, aerodynamic shapes dominated the worlds of produce=t and graphic design, architecture as well as the fine arts of sculpture and painting. This collection of 80 Masterworks by artists and designers such as Tamara de Lempicka, Clarice Cliff and Frank Lloyd Wright will inspire those familiar with the subject and enthusiastic newcomers alike.
This treasure trove of writings includes contemporary accounts of piratical deeds from ancient Rome to the 19th century Asia. There are portraits of torious pirates such as Irish pirate queen Grace O'Malley and the infamous Caribbean buccaneer Blackbeard.
From the earliest peoples - through the rise and fall of some of the greatest empires, internal conflicts and world wars, religions and customs - to the great technological achievements of modern times, TIME LINE: HISTORY OF THE WORLD is the essential guide to all the key events, peoples and cultures that have helped to shape the world today. This fascinating reference guide offers a diverse range of information from all regions of the world and is divided into two sections - Chronicles of World History and Modern History.
The first Britons did very little to impose upon or alter the landscape they inhabited, and the gods they worshipped were those of nature itself. From as early as 5000 BC, farm tools, stone axes, pottery and antler combs were in commonuse by a nomadic community who lived entirely off the land and disposed of their dead using a burial rite known as ‘corpse exposure’, which means simply leaving a body in the open air to be devoured by animals and birds.It goes without saying that much has changed in Britain throughout the centuries, from the building of Stonehenge for ritual or astronomical purposes in 2500 bc, to the industrial revolution and the invention of the power loom byJames Kay in 1733. Timeline of Britain charts the rich history of our green and pleasant land, from its birth in prehistory to the present day. Follow the lives and careers of British folk heroes from King Arthur and the Warrior-Queen Boudicca, to William Wallace, Robin of Sherwood, John Lennon and Sid Vicious. Read about the introduction of tea-drinking to British society in the mid 17th century and the first UK based tea clippers, the most famous of which was the Cutty Sark – named after the revealing dress worn by the ship’s figurehead. Timeline of Britain will reconnect the reader with our collective past, inspire minds of all ages, and remind a few of us what it actually means to be a Brit.Prehistory and the Romans; The Norman Invasion; The Late Middle Ages; Reformation and Restoration; Indusial Revolution; The 20th Centuy to the present day
This dictionary brings together a colourful collection of colloquialisms from Down Under, including humorous rhyming slang, inventive insults and comical curses. Celebrating a distinctive and often irreverent language, Australian Slang is a ripper of a read that will delight visitors from OS, as well as true-blue Aussie blokes and sheilas. Read this book to discover the meaning behind perplexing Australian discourses such as this G'day mate! How've ya been, you old bastard? Take a butchers at that galah playing aerial ping-pong on the telly. He's about as useful as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking competition. The drongo'll get the spear if he doesn't pull his socks up.
Every neighbourhood has one ... a notorious "murder house" which was once the scene of a brutal and bloody crime. If the walls of number 25 Cromwell Street had ears, what horrifying acts would they have overheard during the occupancy of serial killers Fred and Rose West? Brutal torture sessions and grisly murders were a regular occurrence. Even after the evidence has been removed and the perpetrators imprisoned or executed, an aura of horror, fear and disgust can linger on for decades. Houses of Death provides an incredible insight into ordinary homes and institutional buildings that have played host to extraordinary events. It explores the infamous buildings, the murderers and victims who called them â homeâ , as well as the bizarre and bloody events that took place behind their closed doors. Contents including: Countess Erzsebet Bathory,Castle Csejthe; Eastern State Penitentiary; The Bender family log cabin; Sing Sing; Lizzie Borden, 92 Second Street, Fall River; H H Holmes, The Murder Castle, Chicago; Newgate Prison; Lemp Mansion, St Louis; Bangkwang Prison, Thailand; Collingwood Manor Massacre; Washington State Penitentiary; John Christie, 10 Rillington Place; Ed Gein, Geinâ s Farm, Plainfield, Wisconsin; Holloway Prison; Alcatraz; The Manson Family, 10050 Cielo Drive, Los Angeles; Jonestown; Fred and Rose West, 25 Cromwell Street; Jeffrey Dahmer, 213 Oxford Apartments; Gary Heidnik, 3520 North Marshall Street; Ian Huntley, 5 College Close, Soham.
The story of monarchy in Europe is a long and extremely bloody one, fraught with appalling violence, scandal and controversy. The position of monarch was once one of absolute power granted by God. Royalty was considered closer to divinity than to the masses. Today this notion is generally frowned upon, and the royal families of Europe spend all their time trying to convey a sense that their members are ?just like us?. Compare the lives of Charles I of Spain, Henry VIII and Queen Victoria and learn about Elizabeth I?s role in defending England against the Spanish Armada. Discover the truth about King George III, was he truly mad or was he being poisoned? How did Marie Antoinette, a 14-year-old from Vienna become the Queen of France? This book answers all these questions and many more as it charts the major events in the monarchy of Europe from the very beginnings to the present day. Contents: Charlemagne to Medieval Kingdoms Renaissance Monarchs Rise of Empire Rebellion and Revolution The Struggle to Survive
It takes charisma and inspiration to lead any group of people. Leaders who Changed the World explores the lives and careers of such extraordinary individuals as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Some have slogged and suffered in order to change the world for the better, while others, like Adolf Hitler or Osama Bin Laden have only succeeded in damaging humanity. Throughout history there have only been a handful of people capable of supreme leadership. What lessons can be learned from their triumphs and failures? Read the words and actions of some astonishing leaders and learn exactly how they changed the world. Leaders include Plato, Buddha, Alexander, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, Boudicca, Attila the Hun, Muhammad, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, Genghis Khan, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Horatio Nelson, Napoleon Bonaparte, Duke of Wellington, Queen Victoria, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Martin Luther King, Mao Zedong, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama.
Book by Gordon Kerr
It’s human nature to want to know about the lives of famous figures, but it’s also human nature to want to know about their deaths, especially the unusual and sometimes sordid details. In smart prose with a light touch, Goners reveals the last days, hours, and moments of 50 notable and notorious figures in history such as Alexander the Great, John Belushi, Billy the Kid, Joan Crawford, Princess Diana, Charles Dickens, Cary Grant, Ernesto Che Guevara, Harry Houdini, Bruce Lee, Marie Antoinette, Pablo Picasso, Tupac Shakur, and Andy Warhol. You’d have to read 50 biographies to get all the in-depth information that author Gordon Kerr has compiled under one cover. Read straight through or just dipped into, Goners is a compelling and curious ride.
From the coronation of Charlemagne in 800 to the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, an accessible history of the people, ideas, institutions, and events that have shaped Europe during the last 1,200 years This fascinating history for beginners provides a coherent map of the jumbled history of Europe and the European idea that has led up to this point. A continent of countless disparate peoples, races, and nations, governed by different ideas, philosophies, religions, and attitudes, Europe nonetheless has a common thread of history running through it, stitching the lands and peoples of its past and present into one fabric and held together by the continent’s great institutions: the Church of Rome, the Holy Roman Empire, the European Union, individual monarchies, trade organizations, and social movements. However, people have always harbored aspirations to make this vast territory one. The Romans came close and a few centuries later, the foundations for a great European state were laid with the creation of the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon overreached himself in attempting to create a European-wide Empire—as did Adolf Hitler. Now, Europe is as close as it ever has been to being one entity, yet Europeans still cling to national independence.
Everyone knows we're a nation obsessed with runners-up and near-missers, that we find failure heroic and success boring, if not downright rude. In this hilarious, fact-packed and up-to-date compendium, vintage losers such as Ethelred 'the Unready' and Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards jostle with newcomers on the failure scene like Sir Fred Goodwin, who blithely steered RBS into the distinctly unwelcoming arms of the British tax-payer. Alongside these stellar losers are many lesser-known gems of national inadequacy, such as the actor Robert Coates, who was so bad that in 1816 several audience members injured themselves laughing -- during a performance of Rowe's death-filled tragedy The Fair Penitent. Great British Losers is a book for the twisted patriot that lurks inside us all. It'll make you laugh, and perhaps even cry -- at least with rage. In the end, it may even make you proud to be British. Well, kind of...
Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. From the breathtaking countryside of Tuscany and the majestic monuments of Rome to the ancient beauty of Venice's floating buildings, the stunning appeal of Italy tempts the hearts of even the most entrenched armchair traveller. This beautiful new book, part of Flame Tree's immensely successful "Secrets" series, covers all of the major cities and regions, but also reveals the gorgeous alleys and churches, the little farmhouses, the tiny shops and picturesque villages that create the impression of ageless grace. The glorious panoramic photography is accompanied by evocative text.
Mapping the Trail of a Crime is packed with gripping cases, fascinating forensic science and intriguing photographs. Follow the experts as they solve some of the world's most chilling crimes, using the latest science of geographic profiling. Why do some serial killers kill only in their own homes or only in the homes of their victims? Why do some kidnappers and rapists travel far and wide to commit their crimes while others stick close to home? This fully illustrated collection of true crime stories explores a range of well-known criminal cases from a fascinating perspective. It explores the chilling and audacious crimes of infamous serial killers, rapists, and child molesters, implementing the latest geographic profiling methods used by forensic experts. (Geographic profiling is a technique that analyzes the locations of a connected series of crimes and has proven to help investigators determine patterns and anticipate where future crimes may occur or where evidence from past crimes may be found.) Each case explores the criminal's pattern of behavior, gives an overview of the significant incidents of the crime, provides a timeline of how the crime progressed, and includes a map that charts the geography of each case. Exploring the most notorious cases of our day in this unique way provides a novel perspective and gripping narrative. You'll learn how observing such geographic patterns helped investigators catch the most infamous of criminals. The cases include: Deadly visitors Richard Trenton, also known as "The Vampire of Sacramento," killed people in their homes between 1977 and 1978. Richard Ramirez, also known as, "The Night Stalker," murdered people in their homes in Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1984 and 1985. Home and Away Jeffrey Dahmer killed and cannibalized 17 people between 1977 and 1978. Arthur Gary Bishop, child killer and molester, lured young boys to his apartment in Salt Lake City from 1979 to 1983. Transports of Death David Berkowitz, also known as The Son of Sam, killed people in their cars from 1976 to 1977. Aileen Wuornos killed seven men, all of whom had picked her up as she was hitchhiking between 1989 and 1990. Nomads Ted Bundy killed women throughout Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado from 1974 to 1978. Robert Black, serial killer, child molester, and rapist, abducted and killed young girls across the UK from 1982 to 1986. In a Lonely Place Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian mass murderer and rapist, abducted and killed children in the woods from 1978 to 1990. Robert Pickton, serial killer of approximately 26 women, killed mainly prostitutes and drug users and buried them on his farm between 1997 and 2001.
She spent 18 days in the witness box describing the horrors she had witnessed. There was a time when she had been completely under his evil spell. Now, however, across the courtroom, Charles Manson, her former lover, drew his finger across his throat in a slitting gesture. But her voice remained strong and her responses cool. Exorcizing the demons from inside her head. Linda Kasabian was spilling the beans. This book reveals the truth about Linda Kasabian and her part in the Manson family's killings along with the inside stories of the exploits of many other femmes fatales throughout history. Contents – Yoshiko Kawashima, Mata Hari, Cheryl Hanin, Katrina Leung, Linda Kasabian, Shi Pei-Pu, Sister Ping, Tokyo Rose
20 April 1999, Columbine High School, Colorado, USA. Lunchtime. Enter Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold armed with shotguns. Pumping bullets into two classmates they left one dead and the other fighting for his life. They went on the rampage through the school leaving in their wake a trail of bloody death and destruction. In the aftermath fifteen were dead, including the killers, and twenty-four were seriously injured. It is hard to understand why two 17-year-olds carried out this atrocious attack, but sadly, this urge to kill, whether meticulously planned or frighteningly spontaneous, cannot be predicted or prevented. On 5 November 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan was sitting at a desk at Fort Hood military base, just outside Killeen, Texas, awaiting a routine medical test. After a few uneventful seconds had passed, Hasan leapt out of his chair, produced two handguns and sprayed bullets around the room, killing thirteen people and injuring thirty. This attack lasted just ten minutes. SPREE KILLERS examines the events surrounding some of the world's most shocking mass killings; from the loner school kid with a shotgun to postal workers that made one too many deliveries.
German First World War airman Gunther Pluschow's evasion of captivity took him to China, Japan and the USA. He was captured in Gibraltar, but managed to escape to become a fugitive again. Read Pluschow's amazing story and many more in Fugitives from Justice a book that explores the realities of life on the run. Contents: John Stonehouse, Flecien Kabuga, Henry 'Box' Brown, Harriet Tubman, Butch Cassidy, 'Black Jack' Ketchum, Billy the Kid, Winston Churchill, Gunther Pluschow, Colditz Castle, Andre Devigny, The Wooden Horse, Dieter Dengler, The Island Farm Escape
On the morning of 16 March, 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro and five bodyguards made their way slowly through the rush hour traffic in Rome. Suddenly Red Brigade gunmen opened fire on the convoy killing the five man protection squad. They calmly bundled Moro into a getaway car and vanished into the streets of Rome. Read about Aldo Moro's horrific capture in Hostages and Hijackers along with the harrowing stories of many more real-life abductions ... and their gruesome outcomes. Contents: The Dawson's Field Hijackings, The October Crisis of 1970, The Munich Olympic Hostage Crisis, Patty Hearst, Tiede Herrema, The Dutch Train Hostage Crisis 1975, The Hijacking of Air France 139, Aldo Moro, The Iranian Embassy Siege, The Iranian Hostage Crisis 1979-81, William Buckley, Terry Anderson, Terry Waite, Air France Flight 93, Ingrid Betancourt, The Nord-Ost Theater Siege, The Beslan Hostage Crisis, Margaret Hassan, Kenneth Bigley, Alan Johnston
It was Thursday, 15 June, 2006 and Holly Sheldon and her mother were marvelling at the splendour of Lake Titicaca. The expanse of blue water of the highest lake in the world was truly spectacular. They didn't know it at the time, but the bus back to La Paz would take them on a one-stop journey to hell. Read about Holly's gruesome ordeal at the hands of Bolivian bandits in Kidnapped! along with many other real-life horror stories of abduction, hostages and hijacking. Contents: Charles Ross, Edward Cudahy Jr, The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping, Frank Sinatra Jr, Barbara Mackle, The D.B.Cooper Hijacking, The Chowchilla Bus Hijacking, The Miracle of Cokeville, Gladbeck Hostage Crisis, Holly Sheldon, Shannon Matthews
Josef Mengele, the Angel of Death, was a man who selected those to be sent to the gas chambers of Auschwitz with a nod of the head. When WWII ended, the Nazis had many sympathizers around the globe. Entire networks were created to help some of the world's most evil killers flee justice. Read about Mengele's astonishing escape to freedom and many other remarkable stories in Notorious Fugitives. Contents: John Gerard, Mary Queen of Scots, Jack Sheppard, Johnny Ramensky, Alfie Hinds, George Blake, Ronald Biggs, Lord Lucan, Osama Bin Laden, Eric Rudolph, Ramzi Yousef, Alois Brunner, Josef Mengele, Radovan Karadic
The world was stunned by the news that Josef Fritzl had been holding his daughter prisoner for 24 years in the basement of his house in Austria. Elisabeth Fritzl had given birth to seven children and had been raped thousands of times by her father. Read about Elizabeth's horrific ordeal in Insane Body Snatchers along with many other real-life stories of kidnapping, torture and sexual abuse. Contents: Leon Bearden: Continental Flight 54, Colleen Stan, Gary Heidnik, Elisabeth Fritzl, The Alta View Hospital Incident, Stephanie Slater, David Koresh, Marc Dutroux, Natascha Kampusch, Joseph Palczynski, Elizabeth Smart, The West Nickel Mines Amish School Shooting, The Johnson Space Center Shooting, Lisa Nowak
John Dillinger, bank robber and serial prison escapee spent many years on the run. The death toll created by his gang was such that there was little chance that Dillinger would die peacefully. The law finally caught up with him in Chicago in 1934 and Dillinger died in a hail of bullets. Read John Dillinger's incredible story and many more in Fugitives on the Run. Contents: Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, James 'Whitey' Bulger, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano, Matteo Messina Denaro, Casanova, Frank Abnagale Jr, Robert Vesco, James Earl Ray, Billy Hayes, D.B. Cooper, David McMillan, Heather Tallchief, The Texas 7, Joaquin Guzman Loera, Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, Carl Panzram, Charles Starkweather, Ted Bundy, Andrew Cunanan, O.J.Simpson
On 1 September 2004, a group of terrorists disguised as repairmen infiltrated a school in Beslan, Russia. Using concealed weapons they took 1100 children and adults hostage. The world looked on aghast as the siege played out on live TV. Hostages tells the incredible and often harrowing stories surrounding real-life events such as the Munich massacre of 1972, the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 and the bloody siege of the Davidian Ranch, Waco, Texas in 1993. Packed full of drama, action and heartbreak Hostages promises to be utterly captivating. Contents: Political Pawns including Aldo Moro, The Iranian Embassy Siege, Terry Waite, Alan Johnston A Question of Insanity including Gary Heidnik, Elizabeth Fritzl, Stephanie Slater, David Kouresh, Mark Dutroux Financial Gain including The Lindbergh Baby, Frank Sinatra Junior, Barbara Mackle, Shannon Matthews
This volume features the popular works of Claude Monet, one of the most famous artists in the world, from his first inklings as an impressionist to his later flirtations with Abstract Expressionism. With an introduction to the life and art of this experimental artist, the book showcases his key works in all their glory.
Mary Queen of Scots was unique. She had legitimate claims to the thrones of England, Ireland, Scotland and France. She became Queen of Scotland when she was just 6 days old. As a devout Catholic in a religiously divided country she was major threat to the Queen Elizabeth I of England. This book investigates Mary's treason and Elizabeth's equally horrific revenge along with many other back-stabbing plots, double-crossing betrayals and evil conspiracies of ancient and medieval times. Contents includes Lucifer, Delilah, Judas, Brutus, Salome, Socrates, Sir Roger Mortimer, Wat Tyler, Jack Cade, Edward Plantagenet, Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Thomas More, Sir Francis Walsingham, Earl of Essex, Guy Fawkes, Charles I.
The city of Perth in Western Australia was the kind of place where people rarely bothered to lock their doors; they were friendly and always ready to lend a helping hand to neighbours. That all changed when Eric Edgar Cooke launched his one-man crime wave, a spree of senseless killing that shocked Perth, changing the city and its inhabitants forever. Read the horrific account of Cooke's killings as well as the stories of many other Australian serial killers – doing it because they had the urge and ... because they enjoyed it too much to stop. Contents: Eric Edgar Cooke, William the Mutilator Macdonald, Paul Charles Denyer, Ivan Milat, The Snowtown Murderers, John Wayne Glover, Peter Dupas, Catherine and David Birnie
World Serial Killers investigates the fiendish crimes of butchers like Fritz Haarman selling human meat on the streets of Hanover, Germany, Edinburgh body-snatchers Burke and Hare and Alberto De Salvo, the notorious Boston Strangler. Read the accounts of deranged real-life monsters such as Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Jack the Ripper as well as the stories of many other serial killers from around the world. Contents: Europe - Burke and Hare, Jack the Ripper, Henri Landru, Fritz Haarmann, Marcel Petiot, Peter Kürten, Peter Manuel, Joachim Kroll, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Fred and Rosemary West, Harold Shipman. North America – H.H.Holmes, Albert Fish, The Lonely Hearts Killers,The Boston Strangler, Charles Manson, Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, The Hillside Stranglers, Clifford Olson, Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, Tommy Lynn Sells, Cary Stayner. South America – Pedro Alonso López, Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos, Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, Juana Barraza. Australia – Eric Edgar Cooke, William the Mutilator Macdonald, Paul Charles Denyer, Ivan Milat, The Snowtown Murderers, John Wayne Glover, Peter Dupas, Catherine and David Birnie.
Serial killers are real-life monsters existing on the very edge of society and preying on its weakest members. This book investigates American serial killers and their fiendish crimes such as H.H.Holmes America's first serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas the one-eyed drifter who was also the most prolific of all American serial killers, and the Colombian-born serial killer Pedro Alonso López who stalked and killed little girls across South America. And many more – evil violent men murdering for thrills in America ... unable to stop themselves. Contents: North America: Herman Mudgett aka H.H.Holmes, Albert Fish, The Lonely Hearts Killers,The Boston Strangler, Charles Manson, Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy, Son of Sam, The Hillside Stranglers, Clifford Olson, Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, Tommy Lynn Sells, Cary Stayner. South America: Pedro Alonso López, Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos, Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, Juana Barraza
2 November 2002, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise announcement that an unknown intelligence officer, George Koval, was to be made a Hero of the Russian Federation. But what had Koval done to deserve the highest award in the land? No one had ever heard of him! The reality is that Putin's acclaim was directed at one the most pivotal spies of the 20th century. This book reveals George Koval's amazing espionage along with the exploits of many other modern day traitors and spies Contents includes Benedict Arnold, John Wilkes Booth, Aaron Burr, Zebulon Pike, Vidkun Quisling, Aldrich Ames, Lord Haw Haw, Alger Hiss, Douglas Devananda, Cambridge Five, Emad Salem, George Koval, John Dean
Joe Colucci didn't feel much when Sammy Gravano put the gun to the back of Colucci's head and pulled the trigger. Neither did Gravano. He saw a flash as Colucci's head jerked and blood poured out. Colucci was well and truly dead. It was 1970 and Gravano had carried out the first of nineteen Mafia hits he would be involved in. Read how Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano dismantled the infamous Gambino Family along with the inside stories of the exploits of many other Mafia hood winkers, double-dealers and two-timers. Contents : Edward J O'Hare, Antonio Giuffré, Abe 'Kid Twist' Reles, Jesse Stoneking, Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano
Some serial killers have taken on an almost mythical identity in the eyes of the public. Jack the Ripper in particular has gathered almost superhuman qualities since his killing spree more than 100 years ago in the Whitechapel district of Victorian London. We still do not know for sure who Jack the Ripper was, but there are at least 27 suspects. The mystery of his identity has meant that his reputation has grown to epic proportions achieving the kind of legendary status that many of his successors longed for, but never realized. This book investigates Jack the Ripper alongside the many other serial killers who murdered for thrills in Europe ... and just couldn't stop. Contents: Burke and Hare, Jack the Ripper, Henri Landru, Fritz Haarmann, Marcel Petiot, Peter Kürten, Peter Manuel, Joachim Kroll, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Fred and Rosemary West, Harold Shipman
It was 2.15 p.m. on 11 February 1990 when Nelson Mandela emerged. Half a million people had waited for hours in the hot sun, but millions more had waited 27 years for the great man's release. It was not just his long imprisonment and dramatic release that made Madela such a potent symbol, but his policy of peaceful reconciliation and multiracial democracy, leading to the eventual defeat of apartheid Read the fascinating account of Mandela's long struggle for freedom along with the words and deeds of many other great leaders who changed the course of history during the last 100 years forever. Leaders include Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, Emmeline Pankhurst, Gold Meir, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro, Lech Walesa, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Indira Gandhi, Eva Peron, Lenin, Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King, Ho Chi Minh, Mao Zedong, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Osama bin Laden, Barack Obama.
He had the mind of a genius and the body of a giant. At 6 feet 8 inches tall he was abnormally tall for his time. But he did not possess the stature that would be expected of a man of his size. His head, hands and feet were small, and he suffered from facial tics and epilepsy. Nonetheless this odd-looking, disabled man became one of the Russian Empire's greatest ever leaders Read the fascinating account of Peter the Great's life along with the words and deed of many other great leaders who changed the course of world history forever. Leaders include Nzinga Mbande, Cardinal Richelieu, Oliver Cromwell, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Voltaire, George Washington, Maximilien Robespierre, Shaka Zulu.
It was an astonishing sight. An army of huge elephants marching over the Alps into northern Italy. It took a very special commander to cajole his men into this extraordinary feat. Hannibal was such a man, one of the greatest military leaders the world has ever seen. Read the account of the Hannibal's journey over the Alps along with the words and deeds of many other supreme leaders and individuals who changed the course of the ancient world forever. Leaders include Plato, Buddha, Pericles, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, Boudicca, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor Hadrian, Attila the Hun, Hatshepsut.
His pyramid of 20,000 beheaded human skulls stood outside Aleppo. Erected as message to those who dared oppose his rule. In Damascus, he herded thousands into the Mosque and set it on fire. He ordered 70,000 executions in Tikrit and 90,000 in Baghdad. He was Tamerlane, ferocious all-conquering despot of western and central Asia and founder of the Timurid Empire. Read the account of Tamerlane's horrific reign of terror in Asia along with the words and deeds of many other supreme leaders and individuals who changed the course of the medieval world forever. Leaders include Muhammad, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, Genghis Khan, Robert the Bruce, Tamerlane, Joan of Arc, Isabella I, Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Drake, Mary Queen of Scots.
The Napoleonic Era produced many great men. Men who were some of the most potent leaders the world has ever seen. They fought great and important battles that determined not just the future of their own countries, but the very future of the world. Among the greatest of these was Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington whose victories against the French in the Iberian peninsula prefaced his ultimate defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. Read the fascinating account of the Duke of Wellington's life along with the words and deeds of many other great leaders who changed the course of 19th century history forever. Leaders include Thomas Jefferson, Horatio Nelson, Duke of Wellington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Simon Bolivar, Queen Victoria, Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Guiseppe Garibaldi, Abraham Lincoln, Karl Marx, Otto von Bismarck, Chief Sitting Bull, Lil'uokalani, Queen of Hawaii, Crazy Horse.
A comprehensive introduction to the sprawling history of this enormous continent, from the dawn of human time in prehistoric Africa right through to Arab Spring Beginning with the origins of the human race and the development of stone age technology, this history of the cradle of civilization moves through ancient and medieval times, the significance of the Arab presence, the Muslim states, and the trans-Saharan trade. It continues with the rise and fall of nation states and kingdoms prior to the arrival of Europeans, Ghana, the Kingdoms of the Forest and Savanna, Yoruba, Oyo, Benin, Asante, Luba, Lunda, Lozil, and many others, on to the beginning of the slave trade, and the European conquest and colonization of sub-Saharan Africa, the "Scramble for Africa." Finally moving onto the often bitter struggles for independence from that period of colonization and exploitation, it concludes with an assessment of Africa in the 21st century.
After an account of the Art Deco style, its fashion designers and artists, and the lifestyle and look of the 'flappers', 'sporty girls' and 'silver screen goddesses' who wore the clothes, Gordon Kerr presents a gallery of over 100 of the movement's best illustrations. The reproductions are of fashion plates and other artworks by artists including Georges Lepape, Georges Barbier, Charles Martin, Tamara de Lempicka and, of course, Erte (Romain de Tirtoff).