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Mr. Lincoln Goes to War
by William MarvelAn account of how America&’s greatest crisis began, by &“the Civil War&’s master historical detective&” (Stephen W. Sears, author of Chancellorsville). This groundbreaking book investigates the mystery of how the Civil War began, reconsidering the big question: Was it inevitable? The award-winning author of Andersonville and Lincoln&’s Autocrat vividly recreates President Abraham Lincoln&’s first year in office, from his inauguration through the rising crisis of secession and the first several months of the war. Drawing on original sources and examining previously overlooked factors, he leads the reader inexorably to the conclusion that Lincoln not only missed opportunities to avoid war but actually fanned the flames—and often acted unconstitutionally in prosecuting the war once it had begun. With a keen eye for the telling detail, on the battlefield as well as in the White House, this is revisionist history at its best, not sparing anyone, even Abraham Lincoln. &“A brilliant narrative that reveals the possibilities of the past that were squandered by historical figures who seem so unassailable and godlike to us today.&” —Peter S. Carmichael, author of The Last Generation &“The most provocative account of events in 1861 in a generation. Readers who think they understand the Civil War&’s first year and the roles played by Abraham Lincoln, Nathanial Lyon, Charles Stone, and a host of others should brace themselves for a bold new perspective.&” —A. Wilson Greene, author of Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion
Mr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait: The Story of a Photograph That Became an American Icon
by Leonard S. MarcusMr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait is a unique middle-grade depiction of America’s sixteenth president, through the story of one famous photograph, written by award-winning author Leonard S. Marcus. On February 9, 1864, Abraham Lincoln made the mile-long walk from the Executive Mansion to photographer Mathew Brady's Washington, DC, studio, to be joined there later by his ten-year-old son, Tad. With a fractious re-election campaign looming that year, America's first media-savvy president was intent on securing another portrait that cast him in a favorable light, as he prepared to make the case for himself to a nation weary of war. At least four iconic pictures were made that day. One was Lincoln in profile, the image that later found its way onto the penny; two more would be adapted for the 1928 and 2008 five-dollar bills. The fourth was a dual portrait of Lincoln and Tad. The pose, featuring Lincoln reading to his son, was a last-minute improvisation, but the image that came of it was—and remains—incomparably tender and enduringly powerful. Immediately after the president’s murder the following year, the picture of Lincoln reading to his son became a mass-produced icon—a cherished portrait of a nation’s fallen leader, a disarmingly intimate record of a care-worn father's feeling for his child, and a timeless comment on books as a binding force between generations.
Mr. Lincoln's High-tech War: How The North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War
by Roger Macbride Allen Thomas B. AllenThis history lesson for general readership walks the reader through the American Civil War by way of the technologies that allowed Abraham Lincoln and the Union forces to triumph over the Confederacy. The text, loosely laid out in the style of a 19th century newspaper, is supported by b&w primary source materials (photographs, paintings, and political cartoons), as well as contemporary illustrations. Chapters address the involvement in the war of military mass production and the Dahlgren gun, the hot-air balloon, land torpedoes (used by the South), naval technology, photography, the Spencer Repeating Rifle, and civic constructions such as bridges and railroads, among other technologies. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc. , Portland, OR (booknews. com)
Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War
by Tom WheelerThe story of how Lincoln adapted to a new medium of communication during a period of social and technological innovation.
Mr. President
by Miguel Ángel AsturiasNobel Prize–winning Guatemalan author Miguel Ángel Asturias&’s masterpiece—the original Latin American dictator novel and pioneering work of magical realism—in its first new English translation in more than half a century, featuring a foreword by Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa A Penguin ClassicIn an unnamed country, an egomaniacal dictator schemes to dispose of a political adversary and maintain his grip on power. As tyranny takes hold, everyone is forced to choose between compromise and death. Inspired by life under the regime of President Manuel Estrada Cabrera of Guatemala, where it was banned for many years, and infused with exuberant lyricism, Mayan symbolism, and Guatemalan vernacular, Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias&’s magnum opus is at once a surrealist masterpiece, a blade-sharp satire of totalitarianism, and a gripping portrait of psychological terror.
Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote
by Tina CassidyIn this &“heroic narrative&” (The Wall Street Journal), discover the inspiring and timely account of the complex relationship between leading suffragist Alice Paul and President Woodrow Wilson in her fight for women&’s equality. Woodrow Wilson lands in Washington, DC, in March of 1913, a day before he is set to take the presidential oath of office. He is surprised by the modest turnout. The crowds and reporters are blocks away from Union Station, watching a parade of eight thousand suffragists on Pennsylvania Avenue in a first-of-its-kind protest organized by a twenty-five-year-old activist named Alice Paul. The next day, The New York Times calls the procession &“one of the most impressively beautiful spectacles ever staged in this country.&” Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait? weaves together two storylines: the trajectories of Alice Paul and Woodrow Wilson, two apparent opposites. Paul&’s procession of suffragists resulted in her being granted a face-to-face meeting with President Wilson, one that would lead to many meetings and much discussion, but little progress for women. With no equality in sight and patience wearing thin, Paul organized the first group to ever picket in front of the White House lawn—night and day, through sweltering summer mornings and frigid fall nights. From solitary confinement, hunger strikes, and the psychiatric ward to ever more determined activism, Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait? reveals the courageous, near-death journey it took, spearheaded in no small part by Alice Paul&’s leadership, to grant women the right to vote in America. &“A remarkable tale&” (Kirkus Reviews) and a rousing portrait of a little-known feminist heroine, this is an eye-opening exploration of a crucial moment in American history one century before the Women&’s March.
Mr. President: How and Why the Founders Created a Chief Executive
by Ray RaphaelThe little-known story of the dramatic political maneuverings and personalities behind the creation of the office of the president, with ramifications that continue to this day. On June 1, 1787, when the Federal Convention first talked of establishing a new executive branch, James Wilson moved that "the Executive consist of a single person." To us this might sound obvious, but not so at the time. Americans had just won their independence from an autocratic monarch, and they feared that a single leader might commandeer power or oppress citizens. Should the framers even flirt with one-man rule? For the first and only time that summer, there was silence. Not one of the loquacious delegates dared speak up. Eventually Benjamin Franklin rose, then others. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Mason joined the debate, and for three months their deliberations continued. By early September the framers had made up their minds. A chief executive, the "president," would be appointed by Congress to serve for seven years. He could not be reelected, and his powers were tightly constrained. He could neither negotiate treaties nor appoint Supreme Court justices and ambassadors. The Senate would do all that. Suddenly, less than two weeks before the convention adjourned, all this changed. How? And who made it happen? Enter Gouverneur Morris, the flamboyant, peg-legged hero of this saga, who pushed through his agenda with amazing political savvy and not a little bluster and deceit. For the first time, by focusing closely on the give-and-take of the convention's dynamics, Ray Raphael reveals how politics and personalities cobbled together a lasting, but flawed, institution. Charting the presidency as it evolved during the administrations of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, Raphael shows how, given the Constitution's broad outlines, the president's powers could easily be augmented but rarely diminished. Today we see the result--an office that has become more sweeping, more powerful, and more inherently partisan than the framers ever intended. And the issues of 1787--whether the Electoral College, the president's war powers, or the extent of executive authority--continue to stir our political debates.
Mr. Putin
by Fiona Hill Clifford G. GaddyWho is Vladimir Putin? Observers have described him as a "man from nowhere"--someone without a face, substance, or soul. Russia experts Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy argue that Putin is in fact a man of many and complex identities. Drawing on a range of sources, including their own personal encounters, they describe six that are most essential: the Statist, the History Man, the Survivalist, the Outsider, the Free Marketeer, and the Case Officer. Understanding Putin's multiple dimensions is crucial for policymakers trying to decide how best to deal with Russia.Hill and Gaddy trace the identities back to formative experiences in Putin's past, including his early life in Soviet Leningrad, his KGB training and responsibilities, his years as deputy mayor in the crime and corruptionridden city of St. Petersburg, his first role in Moscow as the "operative" brought in from the outside by liberal reformers in the Kremlin to help control Russia's oligarchs, and his time at the helm of a resurgent Russian state. The authors then examine the nature of the political system Putin has built, explaining it as a logical result of these six identities.Vladimir Putin has his own idealized view of himself as CEO of "Russia, Inc." But rather than leading a transparent public corporation, he runs a closed boardroom, not answerable to its stakeholders. Now that his corporation seems to be in crisis, with political protests marking Mr. Putin's return to the presidency in 2012, will the CEO be held accountable for its failings?"For more than a dozen years--the equivalent of three American presidential terms-- Vladimir Putin has presided over the largest nation on the planet, the second most powerful nuclear arsenal, and massive natural resources. Yet there is still debate about who he really is. Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy have gone a long way in answering that question, starting with the title, which makes a crucial point: even though 'Mr. Putin' was, in his upbringing and early career, a prototype of the Soviet man, he's no longer 'Comrade Putin.' His aim is not the restoration of communism. He has made a deal with the capitalists who have thrived in Russia over the past two decades: they support him in the exercise of his political power, and he supports them in amassing their fortunes."--from the foreword by Strobe Talbott
Mr. Putin
by Fiona Hill Clifford G. GaddyVladimir Putin has his own idealized view of himself as CEO of "Russia, Inc." But rather than leading a transparent public corporation, he runs a closed boardroom, not answerable to its stakeholders. Now that his corporation seems to be in crisis, with political protests marking Mr. Putin's return to the presidency in 2012, will the CEO be held accountable for its failings? "For more than a dozen years-the equivalent of three American presidential terms- Vladimir Putin has presided over the largest nation on the planet, the second most powerful nuclear arsenal, and massive natural resources. Yet there is still debate about who he really is. Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy have gone a long way in answering that question, starting with the title, which makes a crucial point: even though 'Mr. Putin' was, in his upbringing and early career, a prototype of the Soviet man, he's no longer 'Comrade Putin.' His aim is not the restoration of communism. He has made a deal with the capitalists who have thrived in Russia over the past two decades: they support him in the exercise of his political power, and he supports them in amassing their fortunes."-from the foreword by Strobe Talbott
Mr. Putin
by Fiona Hill Clifford G. GaddyFrom the KGB to the Kremlin: a multidimensional portrait of the man at war with the West. Where do Vladimir Putin's ideas come from? How does he look at the outside world? What does he want, and how far is he willing to go?The great lesson of the outbreak of World War I in 1914 was the danger of misreading the statements, actions, and intentions of the adversary. Today, Vladimir Putin has become the greatest challenge to European security and the global world order in decades. Russia's 8,000 nuclear weapons underscore the huge risks of not understanding who Putin is. Featuring five new chapters, this new edition dispels potentially dangerous misconceptions about Putin and offers a clear-eyed look at his objectives. It presents Putin as a reflection of deeply ingrained Russian ways of thinking as well as his unique personal background and experience.Praise for the first editionIf you want to begin to understand Russia today, read this book. -Sir John Scarlett, former chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)For anyone wishing to understand Russia's evolution since the breakup of the Soviet Union and its trajectory since then, the book you hold in your hand is an essential guide.-John McLaughlin, former deputy director of U.S. Central IntelligenceOf the many biographies of Vladimir Putin that have appeared in recent years, this one is the most useful. -Foreign AffairsThis is not just another Putin biography. It is a psychological portrait. -The Financial TimesQ: Do you have time to read books? If so, which ones would you recommend? "My goodness, let's see. There's Mr. Putin, by Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy. Insightful." -Vice President Joseph Biden in Joe Biden: The Rolling Stone Interview.
Mr. Smith Goes to China: Three Scots in the Making of Britain's Global Empire
by Jessica HanserAn account of eighteenth-century global commerce as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders, “written with verve and filled with arresting details” (Tonio Andrade, author of The Gunpowder Age).This book delves into the lives of three Scottish private traders—George Smith of Bombay, George Smith of Canton, and George Smith of Madras—and uses them as lenses through which to explore the inner workings of Britain’s imperial expansion and global network of trade, revealing how an unstable credit system and a financial crisis ultimately led to greater British intervention in India and China.“This book is a history of British seafaring and imperialism, written largely from a micro-level perspective, placing the focus on individual traders rather than the East India Company as a whole. But it is not only an imperial history. It also unravels the interwoven financial, political and social relations between Britain, China and India in the eighteenth century . . . Hanser has consulted an impressively wide range of archival sources in different languages and located in various countries, from private letters to periodicals, and from official Chinese documents to East India Company reports. Her work contributes to our understanding of 18th-century British imperial history.” —Reviews in History
Mr. Smith Goes to Prison: What My Year Behind Bars Taught Me About America's Prison Crisis
by Jeff SmithA senator’s account of imprisonment that is “partly funny, partly urgent and wholly unnerving—a mashup of House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black” (New York Post).The fall from politico to prisoner isn’t necessarily long, but the landing, as Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith learned, is a hard one.In 2009, Smith pleaded guilty to a seemingly minor charge of campaign malfeasance and earned himself a year and one day in Kentucky’s FCI Manchester. Mr. Smith Goes to Prison is the fish-out-of-water story of his time in the big house; of the people he met there and the things he learned: how to escape the attentions of fellow inmate Cornbread and his friends in the Aryan Brotherhood; what constitutes a prison car and who’s allowed to ride in yours; how to bend and break the rules, whether you’re a prisoner or an officer. And throughout his sentence, the young Senator tracked the greatest crime of all: the deliberate waste of untapped human potential.Smith saw the power of millions of inmates harnessed as a source of renewable energy for America’s prison-industrial complex, a system that aims to build better criminals instead of better citizens. In Mr. Smith Goes to Prison, he traces the cracks in America’s prison walls, exposing the shortcomings of a racially-based cycle of poverty and crime that sets inmates up to fail. Speaking from inside experience, he offers practical solutions to jailbreak the nation from the financially crushing grip of its own prisons and to jumpstart the rehabilitation of the millions living behind bars.“Hilarious, insightful, and disturbing all at once.” —Daily Kos
Mr. Stanley, I Presume?: The Life and Explorations of Henry Morton Stanley
by Alan GallopFamous for having found the great missionary and explorer Dr David Livingstone on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and immortalised as the utterer of perhaps the four most often quoted words of greeting of all time - 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' - Henry Morton Stanley was himself a man who characterised the great wave of exploring fever that gripped the nineteenth century.
Mr. Texas: A novel
by Lawrence WrightAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author, a hilarious, sharply drawn send-up of local politics • A novel about a dark-horse candidate who risks his personal happiness for a career in the Texas House of Representatives • "Required reading in these politically turbulent times.&”—Susan Orlean, author of On Animals&“A rollicking satire . . ."— Paul Begala, The New York Times Book Review Sonny Lamb is an affable, if floundering, rancher with the unfortunate habit of becoming a punchline in his Texas hometown. Most recently, to everyone&’s headshaking amusement, he bought his own bull at an auction. But when a fire breaks out at a neighbor&’s farm, Sonny makes headlines in another way: not waiting for help, he bolts to the farm where his heroic actions make the evening news.Almost immediately, and seemingly out of nowhere, a handsomely dressed lobbyist from Austin arrives at his ranch door and asks if he&’d like to run for his West Texas district&’s seat in the state legislature. Though Sonny has zero experience and doesn&’t consider himself political at all, the fate of his ranch—and perhaps his marriage to the lovely &“cowgirl&” Lola—hangs in the balance. With seemingly no other choice, Sonny decides to throw his hat in the ring .As he navigates life in politics—from running a campaign to negotiating in the capitol—Sonny must learn the ropes, weighing his own ethics and environmental concerns against the pressures of veteran politicians, savvy lobbyists, and his own party. In tracing Sonny&’s attempt to balance his marriage and morality with an increasingly volatile professional life, Lawrence Wright has crafted an irresistibly funny and clever roller-coaster ride about one man&’s pursuit of goodness in the Lonestar State.
Mr. Trump's Wild Ride: The Thrills, Chills, Screams, and Occasional Blackouts of an Extraordinary Presidency
by Major GarrettMajor Garrett has been reporting on the White House for nearly two decades, covering four different presidencies for three news outlets. But if he thought that his distinguished journalistic career had prepared him for the unique challenges of covering Donald Trump, he was in for a surprise.Like many others in Washington, Garrett found himself having to unlearn many of his own settled notions about the nature and function of the presidency. He also had to separate the carnival-like noise of the Trump presidency from its underlying substance. For even in its first half, Trump’s tenure has been highly consequential.In Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride, Major Garrett provides what journalists are often said to do, but usually don’t: a true first draft of history. His goal was to sift through the mountains of distracting tweets and shrieking headlines in order to focus on the most significant moments of Trump’s young presidency, the ones that Garrett believes will have a lasting impact. The result is an authoritative, mature, and consistently entertaining account of one of the strangest eras in American political history.A consummate professional with unimpeachable integrity, remarkable storytelling skills, and a deep knowledge of his subject earned through decades of experience, Garrett brings to life the twists and turns of covering this White House and its unconventional occupant with wit, sagacity and style. Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride should place him securely in the first rank of Washington journalists.
Mr. X and the Pacific: George F. Kennan and American Policy in East Asia
by Paul J. HeerGeorge F. Kennan is well known for articulating the strategic concept of containment, which would be the centerpiece of what became the Truman Doctrine. During his influential Cold War career he was the preeminent American expert on the Soviet Union. In Mr. X and the Pacific, Paul J. Heer explores Kennan’s equally important impact on East Asia.Heer chronicles and assesses Kennan’s work in affecting U.S. policy toward East Asia. By tracing the origins, development, and bearing of Kennan’s strategic perspective on the Far East during and after his time as director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff from 1947 to 1950, Heer shows how Kennan moved from being an ardent and hawkish Cold Warrior to, by the 1960s, a prominent critic of American participation in the Vietnam War.Mr. X and the Pacific provides close examinations of Kennan’s engagement with China (both the People’s Republic and Taiwan), Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Country-by-country analysis paired with considerations of the ebb and flow of Kennan’s global strategic thinking result in a significant extension of our estimation of Kennan’s influence and a deepening of our understanding of this key figure in the early years of the Cold War. In Mr. X and the Pacific Heer offers readers a new view of Kennan, revealing his importance and the totality of his role in East Asia policy, his struggle with American foreign policy in the region, and the ways in which Kennan’s legacy still has implications for how the United States approaches the region in the twenty-first century.
Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli: A Strange Romance
by Daisy HayThe first biography to give Mary Anne Lewis her due and to examine her singular marriage to Benjamin DisraeliWhen Mary Anne Lewis met Benjamin Disraeli, she was married to Wyndham Lewis, a rich, mildly successful politician at the center of nineteenth-century British high society. The three became friends and with his deep pockets Wyndham helped Disraeli—young, ambitious, and swimming in debt—get his start in the political arena. Mary Anne even referred to him as her "Parliamentary protégé." But when Wyndham suddenly died of a heart attack, Mary Anne's friendship with Disraeli (fifteen years her junior) soon evolved into a peculiarly romantic and undoubtedly advantageous marriage: Mary Anne avoided life as a widow, while Benjamin used her financial means to stay out of prison and make a run for office. Anecdotally the Disraelis cultivated an outrageous reputation. Once asked if he had read any new novels, Benjamin reportedly replied, "When I want to read a novel, I write one." Mary Anne, on the other hand, supposedly once told Queen Victoria that she always slept with her arms around her husband's neck. "My wife is a very clever woman," Benjamin said, "but she can never remember who came first, the Greeks or the Romans." An unusual story of Victorian romance and politics, Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli moves beyond the anecdotes to reveal the interior life of one of Britain's most influential couples. Often eclipsed by Benjamin, Mary Anne had at least as much political acumen as her husband, and this dual biography shows that she was frequently his voice of reason. In the wake of British Romanticism, Daisy Hay examines the paths available to women like Mary Anne, and chronicles a relationship that is surprising, unconventional, and deeply inspiring.
Mrs Cameron's Diary
by Catherine BennettDave's mobile went - poor Cleggsy, wanting to know what the Queen was like. "Incredibly nervous," Dave said. "But Sam soon put her at her ease."'We have heard, it seems, every opinion on the rise of the coalition save one: that of the new Prime Minister's wife, Samantha. Star journalist Catherine Bennett has stepped in to give us a glimpse of Sam Cam's first year in Downing Street. What to do about Cherie's nightmare granite'n'pine kitchen? How can Dave's rationingy-austerity-depressiony vibe be harnessed for the luxury goods market? Is there a polite strategy for avoiding Miriam Clegg's bookclub?
Mrs Despard and the Suffrage Movement: Founder of The Women's Freedom League (Trailblazing Women Ser.)
by Lynne Graham-Matheson Helen Matheson-PollockThe biography of an activist who dedicated her long life to standing up for women, children, and the poor.Charlotte Despard, social reformer and suffragette, was always known as Mrs Despard, never Charlotte. Her name should be as familiar to historians as those of Emmeline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett—yet she remains overlooked.Born in 1844, she found solace in literature during a difficult childhood, identifying with Milton’s Satan and the romantic words of Shelley. She married Maximillian Despard and had the opportunity to explore the world and try her hand at a career as a novelist. When she was widowed in her early forties, her money and status allowed her to live a life of surprising freedom for a woman of her time. She used it to improve the lot of the poor—and moved to live among them in the London slums. She fought for better living and working conditions for all, supporting adult suffrage before becoming involved in the fight for votes for women. She joined Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social and Political Union and, when that organization split in 1907, co-founded the Women’s Freedom League, becoming its first, and much loved, president. She also served as editor of its newspaper, The Vote. When suffrage activities were largely suspended after the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, she returned to her Irish roots and moved to Dublin to support the fight for Irish home rule. After some women were enfranchised in 1918, she even tried running for Parliament. And though she died penniless at ninety-five—having given all her money to helping those less fortunate—her quiet legacy is felt to this day in causes supporting the rights of women and children.
Mrs Despard and the Suffrage Movement: Founder of The Women's Freedom League (Trailblazing Women Ser.)
by Lynne Graham-Matheson Helen Matheson-PollockThe biography of an activist who dedicated her long life to standing up for women, children, and the poor.Charlotte Despard, social reformer and suffragette, was always known as Mrs Despard, never Charlotte. Her name should be as familiar to historians as those of Emmeline Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett—yet she remains overlooked.Born in 1844, she found solace in literature during a difficult childhood, identifying with Milton’s Satan and the romantic words of Shelley. She married Maximillian Despard and had the opportunity to explore the world and try her hand at a career as a novelist. When she was widowed in her early forties, her money and status allowed her to live a life of surprising freedom for a woman of her time. She used it to improve the lot of the poor—and moved to live among them in the London slums. She fought for better living and working conditions for all, supporting adult suffrage before becoming involved in the fight for votes for women. She joined Emmeline Pankhurst’s Women’s Social and Political Union and, when that organization split in 1907, co-founded the Women’s Freedom League, becoming its first, and much loved, president. She also served as editor of its newspaper, The Vote. When suffrage activities were largely suspended after the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, she returned to her Irish roots and moved to Dublin to support the fight for Irish home rule. After some women were enfranchised in 1918, she even tried running for Parliament. And though she died penniless at ninety-five—having given all her money to helping those less fortunate—her quiet legacy is felt to this day in causes supporting the rights of women and children.
Mrs Guinness: The Rise and Fall of Diana Mitford, the Thirties Socialite
by Lyndsy SpenceBefore Diana Mitford's disgrace as a social pariah, she was a celebrated member of the Bright Young Things, moving at the centre of 1920s and '30s London high society. She was a muse to many: Helleu painted her, James Lees-Milne worshipped her, Evelyn Waugh dedicated a book to her and Winston Churchill nicknamed her 'Dina-mite'. As the young wife of Bryan Guinness, heir to the Guinness brewing empire, she lived a gilded life until fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley turned her head. Unpublished letters, diaries and archives bring an unknown Diana to life, creating a portrait of a beautiful woman whose charm and personality enthralled all who met her, but the discourse of her life would ultimately act as a cautionary tale. This groundbreaking biography reveals the woman behind the myth.
Mrs Pankhurst's Bodyguard: On the Trail of ‘Kitty’ Marshall and the Met Police ‘Cats’
by Emelyne Godfrey‘Beautifully told, this book brings a fascinating and compelling story to a wider public. A “must read” for those interested in women’s lives in the past.’ June Purvis, Professor (Emerita) of Women’s and Gender History, University of Portsmouth, UK‘This important and absorbing book presents a unique history of Kitty Marshall. This is first-class history and a first-rate thriller.’ Professor Clive Bloom, author of A History of Britain’s Fight for a RepublicKatherine ‘Kitty’ Marshall was destined to break with convention. Brought up in a socially active family, her inherent rebellious streak came into play in 1901, when she daringly divorced her husband and joined the newly founded Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), campaigning for women’s suffrage.In 1904, she married solicitor Arthur Willoughby Marshall and the couple soon became a powerhouse team in the movement: Arthur defending the suffragettes in court while Kitty, trained in jujitsu and a member of the WSPU’s elite team ‘the Bodyguard’, helped her close friend Mrs Pankhurst evade the clutches of the authorities under the infamous Cat and Mouse Act. All the while, Kitty was under the watchful eye of the Metropolitan Police, and in particular Detective Inspector Ralph Kitchener, who frequently encountered the Marshalls in his work trailing the suffragette ‘mice’.Following events as they unfolded on both sides, Mrs Pankhurst’s Bodyguard is a gripping account of Kitty and Arthur’s incredible work and their fight for political equality.
Mrs. Abraham Lincoln: A Study of Her Personality and Her Influence on Lincoln
by W. A. EvansFirst published in 1932, this was the first thoroughly researched biography of Mary Lincoln ever written, and it remains the most balanced and complete work on this controversial First Lady. Author W. A. Evans challenges the disparaging views of Mary Lincoln that were generally accepted at the time, offering a comprehensive and informed look at a woman whose physical and mental health problems have often been misconstrued or overlooked by other biographers. Evans conducted extensive research, interviewing Mrs. Lincoln's family members, seeking advice and assistance from numerous Lincoln scholars and historians, scouring thousands of pages of contemporary newspapers and primary resources, reviewing correspondence Mary wrote during her stay at Bellevue Place sanitarium, and consulting with several medical experts. The result of all this research is an objective and detailed portrait of Mrs. Lincoln and her influence on her husband that still has a great deal of historical value for readers today. A new foreword by Jason Emerson, author of The Madness of Mary Lincoln, provides biographical information on Evans and background on the origins of the book and its reception and influence. Finally back in print, this classic biography is essential reading for all with an interest in the Lincoln family.
Mrs. Goose Goes to Washington
by Hart SeelyCan anything be poetic in the politicking of Washington, D. C. ? Is there poetry in the morning's headlines and in tonight's news tickers? Or, as Seely paraphrases Dr. Seuss, Do W's troubles trouble you, too? America's pundit poet laureate, the man who channeled the poetry of Donald Rumsfeld and Phil Rizzuto, now offers the perfect metaphor for the inside-the-beltway bubble: it's a nursery. Using the beneficent spirit of Mother Goose, he has fashioned hilarious nursery rhymes hidden amid the photo ops and filibustering. "John Kerry backed Iraq, John Kerry took it back," making him "a very airy, wary hara-kiri. " Bill Bennett, "independent, Kept a hidden secret muse. He would clutch his lucky pendant, Praying,'Papa needs new shoes!'"As for Iraq, "When you lose, you lose, and when you win, you win, and when you can't tell win from lose, best stop the war you're in. " No one is safe from Seely's wicked muse: Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, virtually every news anchor, and a good portion of the Hollywood elite are skewered unforgettably by Seely's Mother Goosequills in this irreverent and hilarious collection.
Mrs. Ike: Memories and Reflections on the Life of Mamie Eisenhower
by Susan EisenhowerSusan Eisenhower looks back on the life of her grandmother in a tribute that coincides with the centenary of Mamie Eisenhower's birth. In this compelling biography of an army captain's wife who becomes First Lady, she paints the portrait of an independent, headstrong woman who was passionately engaged in a lifelong relationship with a man who was her utter opposite. Although their fifty-three-year marriage was ultimately marked by public triumph and private contentedness, their lives together were not always easy. On army posts all over America, in Panama and the Philippines, in Paris and Washington, Mamie Eisenhower struggled to find her way in a military system that took dedication and self-sacrifice for granted--just as she worked to keep her marriage on an even keel after the death of their first child, during debilitating illnesses, and in the midst of painful isolation when her husband was absorbed by work or committed to the battlefield. Yet as her granddaughter knew well, she radiated optimism, though people rarely recognized the discipline and fortitude behind her cheerfulness and her apparently effortless courtesy.