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John Hancock: First to Sign, First to Invest in America's Independence
by Willard Sterne RandallA compelling, intimate portrait of John Hancock, going beyond the flamboyant signature to reveal the pivotal role that he had in the American RevolutionA contemporary of Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and the Marquis de Lafayette, Hancock had a list of contacts that read like a who&’s who of the American Revolution. But shockingly little has been written about Hancock himself. John Hancock tells the story of a man who deserves far more credit for his contribution to the American Revolution than he previously received—and award-winning scholar Willard Sterne Randall is determined to give him his due at last.Born into relatively modest means, Hancock was sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt as a child. The couple raised him as their own and prepared him to take over the family company. A remarkably successful businessman, Hancock got involved in politics in the mid-1760s. He quickly rose in the ranks, eventually serving as the president of the Continental Congress and the first governor of Massachusetts. John Hancock details all of the major moments in the Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to the battles of Lexington and Concord to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Hancock&’s actions fundamentally altered each of these events—and ultimately the course of the United States—in ways never taught in the history books. Randall also dives into lesser-known parts of Hancock&’s life with nuance and compassion, including his education and controversial work with Harvard; his long courtship and complicated marriage to Dorothy Quincy; and his close relationship and eventual bitter rivalry with Samuel Adams.John Hancock enjoyed great popularity in Massachusetts during the Revolution, but he left behind few personal writings, making it hard to tell his story. Through extensive research, Randall aims to restore Hancock to his rightful place, celebrated for his achievements as one of our Founding Fathers at last.
John Hartford, Pilot of a Steam Powered Aereo-Plain
by Andrew VaughanIn 1971, John Hartford turned his back on a thriving Hollywood career and returned to his bluegrass roots to make one the finest albums of the decade. Circumstance and fate brought him a set of wonderfully skilled musicians that played with fire and passion and in such harmony that the sum of the musical parts was always going to be beyond anything Hartford could have imagined. Not only was Aereo-Plain a remarkable record in its own right, filled with great songs and astounding musicianship, but it stretched the boundaries of bluegrass and opened the doors to a new genre of country and folk music, newgrass. Of course, as with most pioneering albums, Aereo- Plain was a commercial disaster, but now more than forty years later it remains one of the most influential records in acoustic music history. The long hair and beard John Hartford revealed on the album's cover signaled his rejection of the clean cut TV performer who had become internationally known both for his classic song "Gentle on My Mind," and regular TV appearances alongside the Smothers Brothers and Glen Campbell. About the Author Andrew Vaughan is respected Nashville-based writer and an authority on country music. As a music critic, his work has appeared in Billboard, Music Week, Mojo, Q, the London Times, the Guardian, Folk Roots, and many other magazines. He was founding editor of Country Music International magazine and a regular guest on BBC Radio, BBC TV and VH1 as an expert on country music and country rock. In 1999, Andrew moved from London to Nashville, where he quickly became one of the best-connected writers on the music scene. He is the author of several books including Shania: Feel Like a Woman (Andre Deutsch) and The Eagles: An American Band (Sterling Books). He has been a record industry consultant and editorial director for the American Music Channel since 2002.
John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth-Century Italy
by William CaferroWinner, 2008 Otto Gründler Book Prize, The Medieval InstituteWinner, 2008 Otto Gründler Book Prize, The Medieval InstituteNotorious for his cleverness and daring, John Hawkwood was the most feared mercenary in early Renaissance Italy. Born in England, Hawkwood began his career in France during the Hundred Years' War and crossed into Italy with the famed White Company in 1361. From that time until his death in 1394, Hawkwood fought throughout the peninsula as a captain of armies in times of war and as a commander of marauding bands during times of peace. He achieved international fame, and city-states constantly tried to outbid each other for his services, for which he received money, land, and, in the case of Florence, citizenship—a most unusual honor for an Englishman. When Hawkwood died, the Florentines buried him with great ceremony in their cathedral, an honor denied their greatest poet, Dante. William Caferro's ambitious account of Hawkwood is both a biography and a study of warfare and statecraft. Caferro has mined more than twenty archives in Britain and Italy, creating an authoritative portrait of Hawkwood as an extraordinary military leader, if not always an admirable human being.
John Henry
by Julius LesterJohn Henry is stronger than ten men, and can dig through a mountain faster than a steam drill. Julius Lester's folksy retelling of a popular African-American folk ballad has warmth, tall tale humor, and boundless energy. <P><P>Jerry Pinkney illustrates the story with "rich colors borrowed from the rocks and the earth, so beautiful that they summon their own share of smiles and tears" (Booklist).<P> <p><B>Caldecott Honors Book</B>
John Henry: An American Legend
by Ezra Jack KeatsThe larger-than-life character of John Henry and his incredible strength provide readers with a special introduction to the fantasy element of legend. The rewards of hard physical labor are also described in this exciting adventure of man vs. machine.
John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders
by Edison H. ThomasThis lively Civil War biography presents an unbiased chronicle of the controversial Confederate General who led the 2nd cavalry in Morgan&’s Raid. Whether one thinks of him as a dashing cavalier or shameless horse thief, it is impossible not to regard John Hunt Morgan as a fascinating Civil War figure. Morgan led his men into the most dangerous adventures by convincing them that the honor of the South was at stake; yet he did not always heed his own sense of honor when temptations of easy theft drew the Raiders from military objectives to wanton pillage. In John Hunt Morgan and his Raiders, Edison H. Thomas gives us a balanced view of these controversial men and their raids, including rare insight into their disruption of rail communications. In a fast-paced narrative he follows the cavalry unit from the evening they set out to join the Confederate forces to the morning of Morgan's death in Greeneville, Tennessee. Basil Duke, St. Leger Grenfell, Lightning Ellsworth, and the beautiful Martha Ready all receive their due, as does the truly remarkable story of the Raiders' newspaper.
John Huston
by Axel MadsenThe first major biography of the famous and controversial director John Huston, whose thirty-seven films--including The Maltese Falcon, Key Largo, and The African Queen--are considered classics and garnered him fifteen Academy Award nominations and two wins.
John Ilhan: A Crazy Life
by Stephen Dabkowski Annie ReidJohn Ilhan: A Crazy Life tells the fascinating story of John Ilhan -- a working-class immigrant who overcame incredible odds to become one of the richest men in Australia. Founder of phenomenally successful mobile telephone company Crazy John's, Ilhan tragically passed away in 2007 at the age of forty-two. As told through the eyes of his family, friends and colleagues, this poignant biography reveals new insights into the man behind Crazy John's, the wife and four children he left behind and his David and Goliath battle with Telstra. Ilhan's inspirational journey shows how self-belief, passion and a never-say-die attitude can see you achieve your dreams. "When you share your life with a true achiever it's hard to fully comprehend the impact they can have on the broader community. Unfortunately for my family, I learned about that impact the day John passed away. " -Patricia Ilhan, co-founder, Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation "When John passed away we lost a truly wonderful person who was a giant at everything he did and a truly free spirit. The amazing thing was he'd only just started to make his mark on the wider community. " -Brendan Fleiter, Chief Executive Officer, Crazy John's ". . . he was a migrant from Turkey who grew up in Broadmeadows and rose to a very senior position in our community. To my mind John lived until he was 100; he just did it in forty-two years. " -Eddie McGuire, President, Collingwood Football Club
John J. Robinette: An Appreciation
by George D. FinlaysonJohn J. Robinette, Canada’s greatest trial lawyer, was admired and respected by the bench and his fellow lawyers alike. A quiet, unassuming man outside the courtroom, he was a consummate performer when appearing before a judge and jury. Robinette became a household name as the defender of Evelyn Dick, who was charged with killing her husband and infant son in Hamilton in 1946, and of Steven Suchan, a member of the infamous Boyd Gang. He was Canada’s pre-eminent lawyer from the 1930s to the 1980s, showing unparalleled versatility and virtuosity whether acting as counsel in criminal, civil, or constitutional cases, at both the trial and appeal levels. This is the story of a great man, of the maturing of the legal profession in Canada, and of Canada in the twentieth century.
John Jacob Astor: Business and Finance in the Early Republic (Great Lakes Books Series)
by John Denis HaegerJohn Jacob Astor was the best-known and most important American businessman for more than a half-century. His career encompassed the country's formative economic years from the precarious days following the American Revolution to the emergence of an urban-centered manufacturing economy in the late 1840s. Change was the dominant motif of the period, and Astor either exemplified the varied economic, social, and political changes in his business career or he directly affected the course of events. In this biography of John Jacob Astor, John Denis Haeger uses Astor's life and his career as a merchant, fur trader, and land speculator as vehicles for examining several important themes and issues in American economic and urban development between 1790 and 1860. Haeger addresses, in fascinating detail, the complexity of Astor's business endeavors, his extensive connections with the country's dominant political figures, and the "modern" business strategies and managerial techniques that he used to build his business empire. Astor was clearly not a business revolutionary who radically altered an existing system. He was, however, an entrepreneur who exerted a profound change on an industry. He fascinated his contemporaries precisely because he so mirrored his age and its changing business and economic patterns. He grasped the greater size and complexity of an emerging commercial economy in post-Revolutionary America and adopted strategies and structures that transformed the fur and China trades. His investment in city real estate, stocks, bonds, and even a western city made him part of America's evolution into an urbanindustrial society. For his era, John Astor's career was remarkable for its modernity, vision, and reflection of American economic and political values. More than just a personal biography, John Jacob Astor combines economic theories with a fascinating narrative that demonstrates, like no other book has, Astor's impact on the early republic.
John James Audubon: The Making of an American
by Richard RhodesAn award-winning author who has frequently explored science and American history offers the first major new biography in many years of ornithologist/artist John James Audubon (1785-1851). Rhodes traces Audubon's arrival in America from France, his (for a time) commuter marriage, and career culminating in his magnum opus The Birds of America. He presents a well-rounded portrait of the Audubon Society's namesake and the U. S. of the early frontier period. Illustrations include color plates of Audubon's celebrated watercolors of North American birds. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
John Jay: Founding Father
by Walter StahrFrom the New York Times–bestselling author of Seward and Stanton comes the definitive biography of John Jay: &“Wonderful&” (Walter Isaacson, New York Times–bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci). John Jay is central to the early history of the American Republic. Drawing on substantial new material, renowned biographer Walter Stahr has written a full and highly readable portrait of both the public and private man—one of the most prominent figures of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. &“The greatest founders—such as Washington and Jefferson—have kept even the greatest of the second tier of the nation&’s founding generation in the shadows. But now John Jay, arguably the most important of this second group, has found an admiring, skilled student in Stahr . . . Since the last biography of Jay appeared 60 years ago, a mountain of new knowledge about the early nation has piled up, and Stahr uses it all with confidence and critical detachment. Jay had a remarkable career. He was president of the Continental Congress, secretary of foreign affairs, a negotiator of the treaty that won the United States its independence in 1783, one of three authors of The Federalist Papers, first chief justice of the Supreme Court and governor of his native New York . . . [Stahr] places Jay once again in the company of America&’s greatest statesmen, where he unquestionably belongs.&” —Publishers Weekly &“Even-handed . . . Riveting on the matter of negotiating tactics, as practiced by Adams, Jay and Franklin.&” —The Economist &“Stahr has not only given us a meticulous study of the life of John Jay, but one very much in the spirit of the man . . . Thorough, fair, consistently intelligent, and presented with the most scrupulous accuracy. Let us hope that this book helps to retrieve Jay from the relative obscurity to which he has been unfairly consigned.&” —Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton
John Jennings: Conversations (Conversations with Comic Artists Series)
by Donna-Lyn WashingtonJohn Jennings (b. 1970) is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Damian Duffy on the New York Times bestseller and Eisner Award–winning graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred. However, Jennings is also a graphic designer and comic book scholar who, throughout his career, has conducted several interviews that shed light on the importance of Black Speculative narratives. The most enlightening of his interviews are brought together in John Jennings: Conversations.As a collective these interviews explore folklore, systemic racism, his Mississippi roots, and the phrase Jennings cocreated, the Ethnogothic. Jennings discusses the necessity for black heroes, not just for the sake of diversity, but for inclusiveness, touching on the conventions he has cofounded, such as the Schomburg Center’s Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem. He addresses the struggle to be financially compensated for work, and he speaks at length about how being a professor informs his craft where he continues to examine black stereotypes in popular culture with courses of his own design. As a group the interviews in John Jennings: Conversations give a picture of a black man forging a way where comic books have afforded him a means to carve out an important space for people of color.
John Keats
by John Keats Elizabeth CookThis authoritative edition was originally published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together a unique combination of Keats's poetry and prose - all the major poems, complemented by a generous selection of Keats's letters - togive the essence of his work and thinking. In his tragically short life Keats wrote an astonishing number of superb poems; his stature as one of the foremost poets of the Romantic movement remains unassailable. This volume contains all the poetry published during his lifetime, including Endymion in its entirety, the Odes, 'Lamia', and bothversions of 'Hyperion'. The poetry is presented in chronological sequence, illustrating the staggering speed with which Keats's work matured. Further insight into his creative process is given by reproducing, in their original form, a number of poems that were published posthumously. Keats's letters are admired almost as much as his poetry and were described by T. S. Eliot as 'certainly the most notable and most important ever written by any English poet'. They provide the best biographical detail available and shed invaluable light on Keats's poems.
John Keats: A New Life
by Nicholas RoeThis landmark biography of celebrated Romantic poet John Keats explodes entrenched conceptions of him as a delicate, overly sensitive, tragic figure. Instead, Nicholas Roe reveals the real flesh-and-blood poet: a passionate man driven by ambition but prey to doubt, suspicion, and jealousy; sure of his vocation while bitterly resentful of the obstacles that blighted his career; devoured by sexual desire and frustration; and in thrall to alcohol and opium. Through unparalleled original research, Roe arrives at a fascinating reassessment of Keats's entire life, from his early years at Keats's Livery Stables through his harrowing battle with tuberculosis and death at age 25. Zeroing in on crucial turning points, Roe finds in the locations of Keats's poems new keys to the nature of his imaginative quest. Roe is the first biographer to provide a full and fresh account of Keats's childhood in the City of London and how it shaped the would-be poet. The mysterious early death of Keats's father, his mother's too-swift remarriage, living in the shadow of the notorious madhouse Bedlam—all these affected Keats far more than has been previously understood. The author also sheds light on Keats's doomed passion for Fanny Brawne, his circle of brilliant friends, hitherto unknown City relatives, and much more. Filled with revelations and daring to ask new questions, this book now stands as the definitive volume on one of the most beloved poets of the English language.
John Keats: Poetry, Life & Landscapes
by Suzie Grogan“This is a celebratory meld of memoir, biography and travelogue, intensely personal and all the better for it.” —Eleanor Fitzsimons, author of Wilde’s WomenJohn Keats is one of Britain’s best-known and most-loved poets. Despite dying in Rome in 1821, at the age of just twenty-five, his poems continue to inspire generations who reinterpret and reinvent the ways in which we consume his work.Apart from his long association with Hampstead, North London, he has not previously been known as a poet of ‘place’ in the way we associate Wordsworth with the Lake District, for example, and for many years readers considered Keats’s work remote from political and social context. Yet Keats was acutely aware of and influenced by his surroundings: Hampstead; Guy’s Hospital in London where he trained as a doctor; Teignmouth where he nursed his brother Tom; a walking tour of the Lake District and Scotland; the Isle of Wight; the area around Chichester and in Winchester, where his last great ode, “To Autumn,” was composed.Suzie Grogan takes the reader on a journey through Keats’s life and landscapes, introducing us to his best and most influential work. Utilizing primary sources such as Keats’s letters to friends and family and the very latest biographical and academic work, it offers an accessible way to see Keats through the lens of the places he visited and aims to spark a lasting interest in the real Keats—the poet and the man.“Warm and worthwhile observations on how places as varied as the Lake District and the Isle of Wight shaped Keats’s verse.” —Camden New Journal
John Kennedy: A Political Profile
by James MacGregor BurnsThe authorized biography of John F. Kennedy offers a fresh and candid look at what shaped the man America came to love and admire, just as he was on the cusp of the presidency Historian, political scientist, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author James MacGregor Burns wrote Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox, the first volume of his highly acclaimed biography of FDR, in 1956. Two years later, Burns ran for a seat in Congress and became close friends with John F. Kennedy, who was also campaigning throughout the state for reelection to the Senate. After Burns lost his election, he decided to write a biography of JFK. Without any restrictions, Kennedy granted his friend complete access to files, family records, and personal correspondence. The two men spoke at great length in Washington, DC, and at the Kennedy family compound on Cape Cod, and afterwards, Kennedy asked his relatives, friends, and political colleagues to talk openly with Burns as well. The result is a frank, incisive, and compelling portrait of Kennedy from his youth to his service in World War II and his time in Congress. While many political biographies—especially those of presidential candidates—intend to depict a certain persona, Burns would not allow anything other than his own perception to influence him. And so, John Kennedy concludes questioning whether JFK would make &“a commitment not only of mind, but of heart&” to the great challenges that lay ahead. (Burns would later admit that his subject did bring both bravery and wisdom to his presidency.) First published just as Kennedy was coming into the national spotlight, this biography gives a straightforward and exciting portrayal of one of the twentieth century&’s most important figures.
John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics
by Richard ParkerThe life and times of America's celebrated economist, assessing his lessons-and warnings-for us today.John Kenneth Galbraith's books—among them The Affluent Society and American Capitalism—are famous for good reason. Written by a scholar renowned for energetic political engagement and irrepressible wit, they are models of provocative good sense that warn prophetically of the dangers of deregulated markets, war in Asia, corporate greed, and stock-market bubbles. Galbraith's work has also deeply-and controversially-influenced his own profession, and in Richard Parker's hands his biography becomes a vital reinterpretation of American economics and public policy.Born and raised on a small Canadian farm, Galbraith began teaching at Harvard during the Depression. He was FDR's "price czar" during the war and then a senior editor of Fortune before returning to Harvard and to fame as a bestselling writer. Parker shows how, from his early championing of Keynes to his acerbic analysis of America's "private wealth and public squalor," Galbraith regularly challenged prevailing theories and policies. And his account of Galbraith's remarkable friendship with John F. Kennedy, whom he served as a close advisor while ambassador to India, is especially relevant for its analysis of the intense, dynamic debates that economists and politicians can have over how America should manage its wealth and power. This masterful chronicle gives color, depth, and meaning to the record of an extraordinary life.
John Knox
by Jane DawsonJane Dawson has written the definitive life of John Knox, a leader of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century Scotland. Based in large part on previously unavailable sources, including the recently discovered papers of Knox's close friend and colleague Christopher Goodman, Dawson's biography challenges the traditionally held stereotype of this founder of the Presbyterian denomination as a strident and misogynist religious reformer whose influence rarely extended beyond Scotland. She maintains instead that John Knox relied heavily on the support of his "godly sisters" and conferred as well as argued with Mary, Queen of Scots. He was a proud member of the European community of Reformed Churches and deeply involved in the religious Reformations within England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and the Holy Roman Empire. Casting a surprising new light on the public and private personas of a highly complex, difficult, and hugely compelling individual, Dawson's fascinating study offers a vivid, fully rounded portrait of this renowned Scottish preacher and prophet who had a seismic impact on religion and society.
John Knox
by Rosalind K. MarshallA bestselling biography of one of the Reformations&’ central characters from the author of Mary Queen of Scots: Truth or Lies. Following John Knox&’s career in Scotland, England, France, Switzerland, and Germany, Rosalind K. Marshall explains in straightforward terms the issues and beliefs which concerned the theologian so deeply. She also focuses on his relationship with the opposite sex, discussing the notorious First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, his dealings with Mary, Queen of Scots, and the patient, revealing letters he wrote his mother-in-law. This book untangles truth from mythology in the life of this strange, complex, and determined man and constructs a balanced picture of sixteenth-century Scotland that places Knox clearly within the context of change and reformation which was sweeping the whole of Europe. The result is a richer and more complex portrayal of both Scotland and Knox than any hitherto available, and the first modern paperback of one of the most famous of all Scottish figures. Praise for John Knox and the books of Rosalind K. Marshall &“A rare gift to the reading public.&” —International Review of Scottish Studies &“An admirable new biography . . . a remarkable study, illuminating both a character and an age.&” —Antonia Fraser, award-winning author of Cromwell, on Mary of Guise &“Dr Marshall . . . uses exactly the right mixture of flowing, readable narrative . . . to breathe life into the historical dust.&” —Jack Firth on Bonnie Prince Charlie
John Knox for Armchair Theologians
by Suzanne McdonaldThis volume in the popular Armchair series presents a short and reader-friendly introduction to the tumultuous life and theology of the fiery reformer John Knox. As leader of the Scottish Reformation, Knox notably came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Queen Mary. He was also an outspoken advocate for education and care for the poor, and is widely regarded as the founder of the Church of Scotland. Each chapter includes a description of Knox's activities as well as a discussion of key texts that introduce Knox's theological convictions. Expertly written by Suzanne McDonald, and featuring witty illustrations from Ron Hill, this book offers an intriguing introduction to the life and work of this major theological figure.
John Lasseter (Contemporary Film Directors)
by Richard NeupertCelebrated as Pixar's "Chief Creative Officer," John Lasseter is a revolutionary figure in animation history and one of today's most important filmmakers. Lasseter films from Luxo Jr. to Toy Story and Cars 2 highlighted his gift for creating emotionally engaging characters. At the same time, they helped launch computer animation as a viable commercial medium and serve as blueprints for the genre's still-expanding commercial and artistic development. Richard Neupert explores Lasseter's signature aesthetic and storytelling strategies and details how he became the architect of Pixar's studio style. Neupert contends that Lasseter's accomplishments emerged from a unique blend of technical skill and artistic vision, as well as a passion for working with collaborators. In addition, Neupert traces the director's career arc from the time Lasseter joined Pixar in 1984. As Neupert shows, Lasseter's ability to keep a foot in both animation and CGI allowed him to thrive in an unconventional corporate culture that valued creative interaction between colleagues. The ideas that emerged built an animation studio that updated and refined classical Hollywood storytelling practices--and changed commercial animation forever.
John Laurens and the American Revolution
by Gregory D. MasseyAn &“excellent biography&” of General Washington&’s aide-de-camp, a daring soldier who advocated freeing slaves who served in the Continental Army (Journal of Military History). Winning a reputation for reckless bravery in a succession of major battles and sieges, John Laurens distinguished himself as one of the most zealous, self-sacrificing participants in the American Revolution. A native of South Carolina and son of Henry Laurens, president of the Continental Congress, John devoted his life to securing American independence. In this comprehensive biography, Gregory D. Massey recounts the young Laurens&’s wartime record —a riveting tale in its own right —and finds that even more remarkable than his military escapades were his revolutionary ideas concerning the rights of African Americans. Massey relates Laurens&’s desperation to fight for his country once revolution had begun. A law student in England, he joined the war effort in 1777, leaving behind his English wife and an unborn child he would never see. Massey tells of the young officer&’s devoted service as General George Washington&’s aide-de-camp, interaction with prominent military and political figures, and conspicuous military efforts at Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Newport, Charleston, Savannah, and Yorktown. Massey also recounts Laurens&’s survival of four battle wounds and six months as a prisoner of war, his controversial diplomatic mission to France, and his close friendship with Alexander Hamilton. Laurens&’s death in a minor battle in August 1782 was a tragic loss for the new state and nation. Unlike other prominent southerners, Laurens believed blacks shared a similar nature with whites, and he formulated a plan to free slaves in return for their service in the Continental Army. Massey explores the personal, social, and cultural factors that prompted Laurens to diverge so radically from his peers and to raise vital questions about the role African Americans would play in the new republic. &“Insightful and balanced . . . an intriguing account, not only of the Laurens family in particular but, equally important, of the extraordinarily complex relationships generated by the colonial breach with the Mother Country.&” —North Carolina Historical Review
John Law: A Scottish Adventurer of the Eighteenth Century
by James BuchanAt the summit of his power, John Law was the most famous man in Europe. Born in Scotland in 1671, he was convicted of murder in London and, after his escape from prison, fled Scotland for the mainland when Union with England brought with it a warrant for his arrest. On the continent he lurched from one money-making scheme to the next - selling insurance against losing lottery tickets in Holland, advising the Duke of Savoy - amassing a fortune of some £80,000.But for his next trick he had grander ambitions. When Louis XIV died, leaving a thoroughly bankrupt France to his five-year-old heir, Law gained the ear of the Regent, Philippe D'Orleans. In the years that followed, Law's financial wizardry transformed the fortunes of France, enriching speculators and investors across the continent, and he was made Controller-General of Finances, effectively becoming the French Prime Minister. But the fall from grace that was to follow was every bit as spectacular as his meteoric rise.John Law, by a biographer of Adam Smith and the author of Frozen Desire and Capital of the Mind, dramatises the life of one of the most inventive financiers in history, a man who was born before his time and in whose day the word millionaire came to be coined.
John Law: A Scottish Adventurer of the Eighteenth Century
by James BuchanAt the summit of his power, John Law was the most famous man in Europe. Born in Scotland in 1671, he was convicted of murder in London and, after his escape from prison, fled Scotland for the mainland when Union with England brought with it a warrant for his arrest. On the continent he lurched from one money-making scheme to the next - selling insurance against losing lottery tickets in Holland, advising the Duke of Savoy - amassing a fortune of some £80,000.But for his next trick he had grander ambitions. When Louis XIV died, leaving a thoroughly bankrupt France to his five-year-old heir, Law gained the ear of the Regent, Philippe D'Orleans. In the years that followed, Law's financial wizardry transformed the fortunes of France, enriching speculators and investors across the continent, and he was made Controller-General of Finances, effectively becoming the French Prime Minister. But the fall from grace that was to follow was every bit as spectacular as his meteoric rise.John Law, by a biographer of Adam Smith and the author of Frozen Desire and Capital of the Mind, dramatises the life of one of the most inventive financiers in history, a man who was born before his time and in whose day the word millionaire came to be coined.