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In einer Ära des politischen Umbruchs und der religiösen Konflikte stieg Queen Anne als letzte Herrscherin des Hauses Stuart auf den englischen Thron. Geboren in eine Zeit voller Intrigen und Machtkämpfe, führte sie Großbritannien durch einen der bedeutendsten Wendepunkte seiner Geschichte. Eilidh MacLeod beleuchtet das faszinierende Leben einer oft übersehenen Monarchin, deren Regierungszeit von Kriegen, Skandalen und tiefgreifenden Veränderungen geprägt war. Anne Stuart, geprägt von familiären Spannungen und gesundheitlichen Herausforderungen, entwickelte sich zu einer entschlossenen und klugen Herrscherin. Ihre enge Freundschaft mit Sarah Churchill und ihre Kämpfe gegen politische Rivalen und religiöse Zwietracht werden in diesem Werk lebendig dargestellt. Tauchen Sie ein in die Welt des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts und entdecken Sie die Geschichte einer Frau, deren Erbe bis heute spürbar ist.'Queen Anne: Eine vergessene Monarchin'enthüllt die Kämpfe und Triumphe einer Königin, die inmitten von Herausforderungen und Verrat ihren Platz in der Geschichte fand.

Barbara Villiers was a woman so beautiful, so magnetic and so sexually attractive that she captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain. Her beauty is legendary: she became the muse of artists such as Peter Lely, the inspiration of writers such as John Dryden and the lover of John Churchill, the future great military leader whom we also know as the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her greatest amorous conquest was King Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with whom she had a tempestuous and passionate relationship for the better part of a decade.But this loveliest of Stuart-era ladies had a dark side. She hurt and humiliated her husband, Roger Palmer, for decades with her unashamedly adulterous lifestyle, she plotted the ruin of her enemies, constantly gambled away vast sums of money, is remembered for the destruction of the Tudor-era Nonsuch Palace, and was known to unleash terrible rages when crossed. Crassly lampooned by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and subjected to verbal and written assaults, she was physically abused by a later, violent spouse.Barbara lived through some of the most turbulent times in British history: civil war, the Great Plague of London, which saw the deaths of around 100,000 people, the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the medieval city, and foreign conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Williamite wars, and the War of the Spanish Succession.An impoverished aristocrat who rose to become a wealthy countess and then a duchess, taking her lovers from all walks of life, Barbara laughed at the morals of her time and used her natural talents and her ruthless determination to the material benefit of herself and her numerous offspring. In great stately homes and castles such as Hampton Court Palace, her portraits are widely seen and appreciated even today. She had an insatiable appetite for life, love, riches, amusement, and power. She was simply ‘ravenous'…

The Restoration represents an exhilarating period of English history. With Charles II, the ‘Merry Monarch'restored to the throne, the country saw artistic and literary talent flourish. Charles was an enthusiastic patron of the theatre and helped breathe new life into British drama, reopening the playhouses after the gray years of closure under Puritanical rule. One of the most significant innovations in Restoration theatre was the introduction of actresses on the English stage. This exciting new history is dedicated to the life and times of two of the Restoration's most celebrated actresses: Mrs Elizabeth Barry and Mrs Anne Bracegirdle. It details their family roots, the beginnings and progression of their London stage careers, their retirement from the limelight, and their eventual demise. Their lives and work are set against the lively and often dangerous atmosphere that epitomized seventeenth-century London and its theaters, and the places where Mrs Barry and Mrs Bracegirdle lived and worked alongside their fellow players, dramatists and others of their times. There are references to the actresses'admirers and lovers within and without the world of theatre. Along with more favorable critical appraisals, there are explicit and derogatory lines, satirically written, regarding their supposed reputations. This insightful biography places Elizabeth and Anne back in the limelight, and includes transcriptions taken from contemporary works, letters, poems and wills, all adding depth and color to this fascinating subject.

Mary Ann Hunn is known to history as the disreputable actress mother of the politician George Canning, a footnote to his story. Many books have been written about George, perennially controversial, which either ignore his mother, or dismiss her with a few patronising words.But here, using her own 65,000-word memoir, and the remarkable 47-year correspondence between mother and son, supplemented by the scattered testimony of contemporaries, this new work uncovers the hidden history of a strong, passionate and intelligent woman. It's a story of hardship, humiliation and resilience; of a mother and son forced to follow widely different paths over half a century, never entirely reconciled, and yet never losing their natural affection for each other. Mary Ann's marriage to a penniless poet, her fifteen years in the theatre, her eleven pregnancies – all play into the texture of their long and intense relationship.Mary Ann read and admired Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman on publication and her own story provides a vivid illustration of those ideas. Her father, husbands, lover, father-in-law – all the men in her life, were weak, selfish, and inadequate, and yet society placed her in their power, helpless except for her own strength of character. Only George didn't quite let her down, and although she felt he did not love her enough, in the end she admitted that in her long, eventful life the balance of good predominated – ‘For George Canning is my Son'. This is the story of a woman's struggle to survive in the man's world of late Georgian England. It makes a fascinating contribution to the history of the provincial theatre and our understanding of attitudes to the stage, and shines important new light on the background and character of George Canning, one of the dominant and most intriguing political figures of the early nineteenth century. But at its heart is the story of a mother who lost her son when he was six and spent the next half century struggling to regain her place in his life.

The Complete Writings and Selected Correspondence of John Dickinson, vol. 1 inaugurates a multivolume documentary edition that will, for the first time ever, provide the complete collection of everything Dickinson published on public affairs over the course of his life. The documents include essays, articles, broadsides, resolutions, petitions, declarations, constitutions, regulations, legislation, proclamations, songs and odes. Among them are many of the seminal state papers produced by the first national congresses and conventions. Also included are correspondences between Dickinson and some of the key figures of his era. This edition should raise Dickinson to his rightful place among America's founding fathers, rivaled in reputation only by Benjamin Franklin before 1776. Dickinson was celebrated throughout the colonies, as well as in England and France, as the great American spokesman for liberty, and the documents in this edition evidence his tireless political work and unmatched corpus.

An entertaining history of mathematics as chronicled through fifty short biographies. Mathematics today is the fruit of centuries of brilliant insights by men and women whose personalities and life experiences were often as extraordinary as their mathematical achievements. This entertaining history of mathematics chronicles those achievements through fifty short biographies that bring these great thinkers to life while making their contributions understandable to readers with little math background. Among the fascinating characters profiled are Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the founder of classical physics and infinitesimal calculus—he frequently quarreled with fellow scientists and was obsessed by alchemy and arcane Bible interpretation; Sophie Germain (1776 - 1831), who studied secretly at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, using the name of a previously enrolled male student—she is remembered for her work on Fermat's Last Theorem and on elasticity theory; Emmy Noether (1882 - 1935), whom Albert Einstein described as the most important woman in the history of mathematics—she made important contributions to abstract algebra and in physics she clarified the connection between conservation laws and symmetry; and Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920), who came from humble origins in India and had almost no formal training, yet made substantial contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. The unusual behavior and life circumstances of these and many other intriguing personalities make for fascinating reading and a highly enjoyable introduction to mathematics.

Classic collection of essays on great men, with 13 illustrations. According to Wikipedia:'Representative Men is a collection of seven lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published as a book of essays in 1850. The first essay discusses the role played by'great men'in society, and the remaining six each extoll the virtues of one of six men deemed by Emerson to be great: Plato ('the Philosopher'), Emanuel Swedenborg ('the Mystic'), Michel de Montaigne ('the Skeptic'), William Shakespeare ('the Poet'), Napoleon ('the Man of the World'), and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ('the Writer'). The work was described by Matthew Arnold as'the most important work done in prose'... Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s. Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his 1836 essay, Nature. As a result of this ground breaking work he gave a speech entitled The American Scholar in 1837, which Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. considered to be America's'Intellectual Declaration of Independence'. Emerson once said'Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.'

For nearly forty years David Nairne was actively involved in the administration of Jacobite politics. A member of the exiled courts of the Stuart Kings James II and James III, he worked for and with a succession of Jacobite secretaries of state, conducting the Jacobite correspondence, deciding on Jacobite policies and negotiating with the courts of Versailles, Lunéville and Rome. Moreover, he enjoyed particularly close relations for most of the period with both of the exiled kings. Despite this, his name is not well known to most historians of the period, so this completely new and original biography will restore him to the prominent and influential position which he occupied at the time. Nairne was both an observer and a participant in the struggle of the exiled Stuart monarchs to regain their kingdoms between 1689 and the end of the 1720s. The chance survival of many of his papers has made it possible to reconstruct a full account of his life from his birth in Scotland in 1655 until his death in Paris in 1740.

In 1845 Ralph Waldo Emerson began a series of lectures and writings in which he limned six figures who embodied the principles and aspirations of a still-young American republic. Emerson offers timeless meditations on the value of individual greatness, reconnecting readers with the everyday virtues of his “Representative Men”: Plato, in whose writings are contained “the culture of nations”; Emanuel Swedenborg, a “rich discoverer” who strove to unite the scientific and spiritual planes; Michel de Montaigne, “the frankest and honestest of all writers”; William Shakespeare, who “wrote the text of modern life”; Napoleon Bonaparte, who had the “virtues and vices” of common men writ large; and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who “in conversation, in calamity…finds new materials.”

In the mid-19th century, Romantic literature was still in full bloom across the West, but some American authors began producing literature that, while still Romantic, was unique enough to be considered a different genre. This new genre, Transcendentalism, focused on the spirituality of the self and nature, not rejecting religion outright but concentrating on pragmatism and the importance of individuals as the spiritual center of the cosmos. In addition to drawing upon the Age of Enlightenment, Transcendentalist authors also utilized the philosophy of Plato, who taught that self-fulfillment through attaining knowledge should be an individual's ultimate goal. The leader of Transcendentalism and the man who ushered the movement's practices and literature was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1802-1883), one of America's most famous writers and speakers. Whereas Romantic literature typically took the form of poetry, novels and short stories, much of Emerson's writings disregarded those traditional structures and were written as essays. Emerson initiated Transcendentalism with the publishing of his essay Nature in 1836, which espoused the virtues of nature and the interconnectedness of all life in nature. With his focus on the environment and natural history, Emerson became the first major American writer whose work was not influenced in any way by European literature. But Emerson didn't just write Transcendentalist literature; he practiced what he preached. Now at the forefront of a movement, Emerson established group meetings, gave a series of lectures, and helped produce a Transcendentalist publication in the 1840s, which included his famous essay Self-Reliance. As Emerson's movement and stature grew, he befriended other authors, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau, who became his greatest protégé. Thoreau in particular took a keen interest in the idea of getting in touch with nature, writing in Walden, “Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.'American Legends: The Life of Ralph Waldo Emerson looks at the life and work of Emerson and the movement he helped lead. Along with pictures, you will learn about Ralph Waldo Emerson like you never have before, in no time at all.

According to Wikipedia:'The detailed private diary Pepys kept from 1660 until 1669 was first published in the 19th century, and is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. It provides a combination of personal revelation and eyewitness accounts of great events, such as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London.''Frances Burney was a novelist, diarist and playwright. In total, she wrote four novels, eight plays, one biography and twenty volumes of journals and letters. In addition to the critical respect she receives for her own writing, she is recognised as a literary precursor to prominent authors who came after her, including Jane Austen and William Makepeace Thackeray.'

Ernest Belfort Bax was a British socialist, philosopher, and writer. Bax combined the ideas of Karl Marx, Immanuel Kant, and others to explore the ethical implications of socialism. Bax also wrote biographies on historical figures as well as books on important historical events such as the French Revolution. This edition of Baxs Jean-Paul Marat: The Peoples Friend includes a table of contents.

This is the complete unabridged edition, originally published in 1893. According to Wikipedia:'Samuel Pepys, (23 February 1633 - 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under King James II. His influence and reforms at the Admiralty were important in the early professionalization of the Royal Navy. The detailed private diary that he kept during 1660?1669 was first published in the nineteenth century, and is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. It provides a combination of personal revelation and eyewitness accounts of great events, such as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London.'

This historical biography reveals how the famous diarist of Restoration England used his professional position to act as a sexual predator. Samuel Pepys is popularly known as the founder of the modern navy, a member of the Royal Society and, most of all, as a unique and frank diarist. Less well known is that he was a serial sexual offender by modern standards; a voyeur, a groper, and a rapist. Set against the London society of Charles II's restoration, and extensively using Pepys'own words, this book concerns his numerous extramarital affairs. It demonstrates how he used his position of power and influence to advance the careers of his subordinates—in return for the sexual favors of their wives. With his own descriptions, translated from the strange mix of languages and the seventeenth-century shorthand he used to camouflage the content, the reader witnesses in graphic detail how Pepys set about achieving his lascivious objectives – on occasion resorting to physical force where persuasion or bribery failed. Whether she be wife, daughter, mother, or humble maidservant, no woman was safe from his rapacious sexual appetite.

Winner of the Leo Gershoy AwardWinner of the Louis Gottschalk PrizeA Times Book of the WeekA Guardian Book of the Week“A wonderfully intelligent book.”—Linda Colley“A superb biography—humane, judicious and as passionately curious as Sloane himself.”—Times Literary SupplementWhen the British Museum opened its doors in 1759, it was the first free national public museum in the world. Collecting the World tells the story of the eccentric collector whose thirst for universal knowledge brought it into being.A man of insatiable curiosity and wide-ranging interests, Hans Sloane assembled a collection of antiquities, oddities, and artifacts from around the British Empire. It became the most famous cabinet of curiosities of its time. With few curbs on his passion, he established a network of agents to supply him with objects from China, India, the Caribbean, and beyond. Wampum beads, rare manuscripts, a shoe made of human skin: nothing was off limits, regardless of its human cost. The first biography of Sloane based on his complete writings, Collecting the World portrays one of the Enlightenment's most original and controversial luminaries.“Engrossing…situates Sloane within the welter of intellectual and political crosscurrents that marked his times.”—New York Times Book Review“A magnificent scholarly coup and an enthralling read… It conveys the excitement of original research as well as the thrill of tracking exotic curiosities to their source.”—Sunday Times“This book is a fitting tribute to [Sloane's] contradiction-riven life. Collecting the World is about the torment of slavery, and it's about buttered muffins and about snakes shot on boats. It teaches us about how we know, how we organize and discipline our knowledge.”—New Republic

London's many cemeteries, churches and graveyards are the last resting places of a multitude of important people from many different walks of life. Politicians, writers and military heroes rub shoulders with engineers, courtesans, artists and musicians, along with quite a few eccentric characters. Arranged geographically, this comprehensive guide describes famous graves in all the major cemeteries and churches in Greater London, including Highgate, Kensal Green, Westminster Abbey, and St Paul's Cathedral, as well as the City churches and many suburban parish churches. The book gives biographical details, information on the monuments, and is richly illustrated. As well as being an historical guide, it also serves as an indispensable reference guide for any budding tombstone tourist.

The author of these imperfect sheets cannot present them a second time to the world, before he has expressed his gratitude for the extreme candour with which they have been treated by the Monthly Reviewers. If J. N. has not availed himself of all the corrections designed for his service, it is because the able critic who proposes them has been deluded by intelligence manifestly erroneous. J. N. received each particular he has mentioned, in respect to the assistance bestowed on Hogarth while his Analysis was preparing, from Dr. Morell, a gentleman who on that subject could not easily mistake. Implicit confidence ought rather to be reposed in a literary coadjutor to the deceased, than in any consistory of females that ever'mumbled their wisdom over a gossip's bowl.'Authors rarely acquaint domestic women with the progress of their writings, or the proportion of aid they solicit from their friends. If it were needful that Dr. Morell should translate a Greek passage for Hogarth, how chanced it that our artist should want to apply what he did not previously understand? I must add, that the sentiments, published by the Reviewer concerning these Anecdotes, bear no resemblance to the opinion circulated by the cavillers with whom he appears to have had a remote connection. The parties who furnished every circumstance on which he founds his reiterated charges of error and misinformation, are not unknown. Ever since this little work was edited, the people about Mrs. Hogarth have paid their court to her by decrying it as'low, stupid, or false,'without the slightest acknowledgement for the sums of money it has conducted to The Golden Head in Leicester Fields. While the talents of the writer alone were questioned by such inadequate judges of literary merit, a defence on his part was quite unnecessary. He has waited, however, with impatience for an opportunity of making some reply to their groundless reflections on his veracity.

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

The growth and maturity of life-writing, especially in the works of Johnson and Boswell, with an incidental picture of the times.

În lucrarea sa, care a câştigat premiul Pulitzer în 1981, Robert K. Massie prezintă detaliat viaţa acestui captivant personaj istoric şi evidenţiază evenimentele cruciale care au transformat un băiat într-o legendă, inclusiv călătoriile sale incognito prin Europa, curiozitatea sa de nepotolit faţă de obiceiurile occidentale, obsesia pentru mare şi constituirea măreţei flote ruseşti, modul în care a creat o armată de neînvins şi relaţiile sale cu cei pe care i-a iubit cel mai mult: Ecaterina, iubita sa tandră, şi Menşikov, prinţul fermecător şi lipsit de scrupule care a ajuns la putere prin intermediul prieteniei cu Petru. Un loc special în carte îl ocupă relaţia dificilă a lui Petru cu fiul său Aleksei, care a fost judecat şi condamnat la moarte în 1718. Autorul nu neglijează nici viaţa politică, socială, culturală şi religioasă din Rusia pe parcursul jumătăţii secunde a secolului al XVII-lea şi primei părţi a secolului al XVIII-lea. Astfel, Massie îşi conduce cititorii în lumea rusească medievală şi premodernă schimbată iremediabil, uneori în mod violent, de reformele iniţiate de monarhul autocrat Petru cel Mare. Fie că sunt schimbări care au afectat în primul rând individul, precum obligativitatea tăierii bărbilor, sau iniţiative care au vizat consolidarea forţei statului, de exemplu, înfiinţarea marinei ruseşti şi a Sankt-Petersburgului, reorganizarea administrativă inspirată de modelul occidental, toate acestea au transformat Rusia medievală într-un stat modern. În acelaşi timp, multe dintre reformele din timpul lui Petru au avut o influenţă îndelungată asupra societăţii ruseşti. Cartea lui Massie nu oferă doar o perspectivă internă a societăţii ruseşti, ci urmăreşte şi acţiunile lui Petru în planul politicii externe, la nivel european sau chiar global. Astfel, două dintre cele cinci secţiuni ale lucrării se ocupă de relaţiile Rusiei cu celelalte state europene. Poate cel mai important conflict din timpul domniei lui Petru a fost cel împotriva Suediei. În urma Marelui Război Nordic (1700-1721), Rusia a obţinut o serie de teritorii (Estonia, Livonia şi Ingria). Totodată, deznodământul acestui lung război a însemnat şi ascensiunea Rusiei la rangul de putere continentală. Pe plan militar, însă, domnia lui Petru nu a fost scutită de eşecuri. Campania ţarului din Moldova, pornită împotriva Imperiului Otoman, s-a terminat prin înfrângerea de la Stănileşti (1711). Nu de puţine ori, autorul american îi aduce în prim-plan pe actorii politici importanţi din Europa sfârşitului secolului al XVIII-lea şi începutului secolului al XVIII-lea. Regi, comandanţi militari, nobili, toţi sunt prezentaţi cititorilor, care pot astfel înţelege mai bine acţiunile sau atitudinile lor. Ţarul Aleksei, tatăl lui Petru, Ludovic al XIV-lea, Wilhelm de Orania, Carol al XII-lea, Augustus de Saxonia, ducele de Marlborough, prinţul Eugeniu de Savoia sau feldmareşalul Rehnskiöld se numără printre figurile ilustre descrise de Massie. De regulă, atunci când analizează anumite perioade, istoricii pun accentul pe rolul proceselor şi al fenomenelor de lungă durată, lăsând cumva în umbră personalităţile excepţionale. Tocmai pentru a sugera impactul lui Petru cel Mare asupra istoriei Rusiei, în special, putem face apel la istoria contrafactuală şi să ne întrebăm: Cum ar fi arătat Rusia contemporană dacă n-ar fi existat Petru cel Mare?

Sir William Davenant (1606–1668) – Poet Laureate and Civil War hero – is one of the most influential and neglected figures in the history of British theatre. He introduced'opera', actresses, scenes and the proscenium arch to the English stage. Narrowly escaping execution for his Royalist activities during the Civil War, he revived theatrical performances in London, right under Oliver Cromwell's nose. Nobody, perhaps, did more to secure Shakespeare's reputation or to preserve the memory of the Bard. Davenant was known to boast over a glass of wine that he wrote'with the very spirit'of Shakespeare and was happy to be thought of as Shakespeare's son. By recounting the story of his eventful life backwards, through his many trials and triumphs, this biography culminates with a fresh examination of the vexed issue of Davenant's paternity. Was Sir William's mother the voluptuous and maddening'Dark Lady'of Shakespeare's Sonnets, and was he Shakespeare's'lovely boy'?

For fans of Downton Abbey comes an immersive historical epic about a lavish English manor and a dynasty of rich and powerful women who ruled the estate over three centuries of misbehavior, scandal, intrigue, and passion. Five miles from Windsor Castle, home of the royal family, sits the Cliveden estate. Overlooking the Thames, the mansion is flanked by two wings and surrounded by lavish gardens. Throughout its storied history, Cliveden has been a setting for misbehavior, intrigue, and passion—from its salacious, deadly beginnings in the seventeenth century to the 1960s Profumo Affair, the sex scandal that toppled the British government. Now, in this immersive chronicle, the manor's current mistress, Natalie Livingstone, opens the doors to this prominent house and lets the walls do the talking. Built during the reign of Charles II by the Duke of Buckingham, Cliveden attracted notoriety as a luxurious retreat in which the duke could conduct his scandalous affair with the ambitious courtesan Anna Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury. In 1668, Anna Maria's cuckolded husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, challenged Buckingham to a duel. Buckingham killed Shrewsbury and claimed Anna Maria as his prize, making her the first mistress of Cliveden. Through the centuries, other enigmatic and indomitable women would assume stewardship over the estate, including Elizabeth, Countess of Orkney and illicit lover of William III, who became one of England's wealthiest women; Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the queen that Britain was promised and then denied; Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, confidante of Queen Victoria and a glittering society hostess turned political activist; and the American-born Nancy Astor, the first female member of Parliament, who described herself as an “ardent feminist” and welcomed controversy. Though their privileges were extraordinary, in Livingstone's hands, their struggles and sacrifices are universal. Cliveden weathered renovation and restoration, world conflicts and cold wars, societal shifts and technological advances. Rich in historical and architectural detail, The Mistresses of Cliveden is a tale of sex and power, and of the exceptional women who evaded, exploited, and confronted the expectations of their times.Praise for The Mistresses of Cliveden“Theatrical festivities, political jockeying and court intrigues are deftly described with a verve and attention to domestic comforts that show the author at her best.... [Livingstone's] portraits of strenuous and assertive women who resisted subjection, sometimes deploying their sexual allure to succeed, on other occasions drawing on their husband's wealth, are astute, spirited, and empathetic.”—The Wall Street Journal “Missing Downton Abbey already? This tome promises ‘three centuries of scandal, power, and intrigue'and Natalie Livingstone definitely delivers.”—Good Housekeeping “Lively... The current chatelaine—the author herself—deserves no small credit for keeping the house's legend alive.... Any of her action-filled chapters would merit a mini-series.”—The New York Times Book Review “Though the personal tales and tidbits are fascinating, and the sensational details of these women's lives will intrigue Downton Abbey devotees, the real star of the story is Cliveden.”—Booklist “Lovers of modern English history and the scandals that infiltrated upper-crust society will find much to enjoy in this work.”—Library Journal

For more than one-fifth of his life, Benjamin Franklin lived in London. He dined with prime ministers, members of parliament, even kings, as well as with Britain's most esteemed intellectuals—including David Hume, Joseph Priestley, and Erasmus Darwin—and with more notorious individuals, such as Francis Dashwood and James Boswell. Having spent eighteen formative months in England as a young man, Franklin returned in 1757 as a colonial representative during the Seven Years'War, and left abruptly just prior to the outbreak of America's War of Independence, barely escaping his impending arrest.     In this fascinating history, George Goodwin gives a colorful account of Franklin's British years. The author offers a rich and revealing portrait of one of the most remarkable figures in U.S. history, effectively disputing the commonly held perception of Franklin as an outsider in British politics. It is an enthralling study of an American patriot who was a fiercely loyal British citizen for most of his life—until forces he had sought and failed to control finally made him a reluctant revolutionary at the age of sixty-nine. Â

How did it feel to be faced with the prospect of being branded, pressed to death or boiled alive in oil? In this classic account of the history of torture, Geoffrey Abbott guides us through some of the worst torture methods known to man, from chilli powder punishment to needles under nails, with a style both chilling and full of dark humour. Prepare to be shocked to the core with this gruesome collection of tormenting tales that span from the early days of the Normans right up to the late nineteenth century.

An enthralling, revealing portrait of the marriage of George and Martha Washington, from bestselling biographer Flora Fraser'George and Martha tells the story of a couple, a family and country with sympathy and huge skill'Sunday TelegraphGeorge and Martha Washington, of Mount Vernon, Virginia, were America's original first couple. From the 1750s, when young soldier George wooed and wedded Martha Dandridge Custis, a pretty and rich young widow, to the forging of a new nation, Flora Fraser traces the development, both personal and political, of an historic marriage.The private sphere – their love of home and country, the two children Martha brings to this union from a previous marriage, and the confidence she instilled in her beloved second spouse – forms the backdrop to an increasingly public partnership. The leading role played by Virginia in the resistance to British taxation galvanised the pair, radicalising their politics, and in 1775 George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the American'rebels'.In the eight harsh years of the American War of Independence which followed, Martha's staunch support for her husband never wavered. But the eventual victory at Yorktown in 1781 and Washington's retirement which followed were overshadowed by the death of her son, Jacky.Interweaving the progress and reversals of war - the siege of icebound Boston, the loss of New York and the crossing of the Delaware - with George and Martha's private joys and sorrows, this is a mesmerizing rendering of two formidable characters.Flora Fraser's revealing account is the first scholarly portrait of a union which owed its strength in equal measure to both parties. in a narrative enhanced by a close reading of personal, military and presidential papers, Fraser brings George and Martha Washington to life afresh: he, a man who aspired to greatness; and she, a woman who, when tested, proved an ideal spouse to commander and president alike.

A full-scale portrait of the marriage of the father and mother of our country—and of the struggle for independence that he led The Washingtons'long union begins in colonial Virginia in 1759, when George Washington woos and weds Martha Dandridge Parke Custis, a pretty, charming, and very rich young widow. The calm early years of their marriage as plantation owners at Mount Vernon and as parents to Martha's two children, Jacky and Patsy—both of whom present difficult challenges—yield to harsher times. Washington has been prominent among Virginians in opposing British government measures, and at the outbreak of fighting in 1775 he is elected commander-in-chief of the Continental army. The war sees Martha resolutely supporting her husband, sharing in the hardships at Valley Forge and other wretched winter headquarters. Essential to George's personal well-being, she is known as “Lady Washington”—a redoubtable and vastly admired figure in her own right.Flora Fraser provides us with a brilliant account of the public Washington and of the war he waged, and gives us, as well, the domestic Washingtons, whether at Mount Vernon before and during the war or in New York and Philadelphia during his presidency. Even in wartime, Martha manages to scour Philadelphia to find a doll for her newest granddaughter and keeps careful control of her Virginia inheritance. George grapples with a formidable enemy, without proper troops and often without basic supplies—his soldiers frequently lack rations, blankets, even shoes—while always fearful for his wife's welfare and safety, given the constant worry that the British might descend on Mount Vernon. Even so, a true Virginian, he manages to dance for more than three hours with Alexander Hamilton's pretty young wife at a makeshift ball.With victory and the arrival of peace in 1783, the Washingtons hope to remain at home, a hope dashed when, in 1789, George is elected our first president and Martha becomes a faultless first First Lady. During the presidency, they together negotiate the many pitfalls of establishing republican entertainment—the weekly “Congress dinner,” levées, and drawing rooms—before, finally free of official responsibilities after Washington's second term, they are at last able to retreat to their beloved Mount Vernon.This is a remarkable story of a remarkable pair as well as a gripping narrative of the birth of a nation—a major, and vastly appealing, contribution to the literature of our founding fathers... and founding mother.

Isaac Newton had an extraordinary idea. He believed the physical universe and everything in it could be described in exact detail using mathematical relationships. He formulated a law of gravity that explained why objects fall downwards, how the moon causes the tides, and why planets and comets orbit the sun. While Newton's work has been added to over the years, his basic approach remains at the heart of the scientific worldview. Yet Newton's own had little in common with that of a modern scientist. He believed the universe was created to a precise and rational design – a design that was fully understood by the earliest people. Over time this knowledge was lost, and Newton considered it his life's work to rediscover it, whether through applied mathematics or a painstaking study of the Bible and other ancient texts. In chasing his impossible goal, Newton managed to contribute more to our understanding of the universe than anyone else in history.

James VII and II is one of the least studied monarchs of Scotland, and has previously mostly been studied from an English perspective or as the muddled victim of the revolution of 1688/9 which delivered for Britain much-vaunted political emancipation. This book provides the first complete portrait of James as a Stewart prince of Scotland, as duke of Albany and King of Scots. It re-evaluates the traditional views of James as a Catholic extremist and absolutist who failed through incompetence, and challenges preconceptions based on strong views of his failings, both in popular belief and serious history. Investigating the personality and motives of the man, this biography assesses James as commander, as Christian and as king, but also as family man and Restoration libertine - a prince of his time. Painting a picture of James from cradle to grave, from childhood to resigned exile, it brings him to life within his Scottish context and as a member of the royal line of Scotland. The journey from dashing young cavalry commander to pious prince in exile appears oddly incongruous given the political and personal trials that lay between. That journey was much more of Scotland than previous studies have suggested - indeed, James was in many ways the last King of Scots.

Fanny Murray (1729-1778) was a famous Georgian beauty and courtesan, desired throughout England and often to be found pressed to a gentleman's heart in the form of a printed disc secretly tucked into their pocket-watch. She rose from life in the ‘London stews'to fame and fortune, through her career as a high-class courtesan. She was seduced and then abandoned, aged just 12, by Jack Spencer, grandson of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough (and related to the Althorp-based Spencers). Her luck turned when she caught the eye of the infamous Beau Nash, ‘King of Bath'. But it was her time in London that promoted her to national fame and notoriety. After ten years at the top, she was heavily in debt, but managed to secure an arranged marriage to a respectable man. The scandals of her past caught up with her as she was named in the national scandal surrounding Wilke's pornography case at the High Court.

James VII and II is one of the least studied monarchs of Scotland, and has previously mostly been studied from an English perspective or as the muddled victim of the revolution of 1688/9 which delivered for Britain much-vaunted political emancipation. This book provides the first complete portrait of James as a Stewart prince of Scotland, as duke of Albany and King of Scots. It re-evaluates the traditional views of James as a Catholic extremist and absolutist who failed through incompetence, and challenges preconceptions based on strong views of his failings, both in popular belief and serious history. Investigating the personality and motives of the man, this biography assesses James as commander, as Christian and as king, but also as family man and Restoration libertine - a prince of his time. Painting a picture of James from cradle to grave, from childhood to resigned exile, it brings him to life within his Scottish context and as a member of the royal line of Scotland. The journey from dashing young cavalry commander to pious prince in exile appears oddly incongruous given the political and personal trials that lay between. That journey was much more of Scotland than previous studies have suggested - indeed, James was in many ways the last King of Scots.

A prolific author and founding member of the Royal Society, John Evelyn (1620–1706) was one of the most remarkable intellectuals in late seventeenth-century English society. While his diary has long been considered second only to that of Samuel Pepys in importance, until quite recently his papers were inaccessible to scholars. The Letterbooks of John Evelyn, a 2-volume collection of more than eight hundred letters selected by Evelyn himself, constitutes an essential new resource for scholars of seventeenth-century England. The two books in this set give modern readers access to Evelyn's correspondence with scientists and scholars such as Robert Boyle and Richard Bentley, political figures including Edward Hyde and Sidney Godolphin, and his friend and fellow diarist Samuel Pepys. They also include Evelyn's accounts of major events such as the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the “Glorious Revolution” of 1688, and the founding and early history of the Royal Society.

As the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne (1665-1714) received the education thought proper for a princess, reading plays and poetry in English and French while learning dancing, singing, acting, drawing, and instrumental music. As an adult, she played the guitar and the harpsichord, danced regularly, and took a connoisseur's interest in all the arts. In this comprehensive interdisciplinary biography, James Winn tells the story of Anne's life in new breadth and detail, and in unprecedented cultural context. Winn shows how poets, painters, and musicians used the works they made for Anne to send overt and covert political messages to the queen, the court, the church, and Parliament. Their works also illustrate the pathos of Anne's personal life: the loss of her mother when she was six, her troubled relations with her father and her sister (James II and Mary II), and her own doomed efforts to produce an heir. Her eighteen pregnancies produced only one child who lived past infancy; his death at the age of eleven, mourned by poets, was a blow from which Anne never fully recovered. Her close friendship with Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, a topic of scabrous ballads and fictions, ended in bitter discord; the death of her husband in 1708 left her emotionally isolated; and the wrangling among her chief ministers hastened her death. Richly illustrated with visual and musical examples, Queen Anne draws on works by a wide array of artists-among them the composer George Frideric Handel, the poet Alexander Pope, the painter Godfrey Kneller, and the architect Christopher Wren-to shed new light on Anne's life and reign. This is the definitive biography of Queen Anne.

Fanny Murray was an incomparable Georgian beauty and the most desired courtesan of the 1750s. The daughter of an impoverished musician from Bath, she took London society by storm, not only as the most prized'purchaseable beauty'of her day, but also as a fashion icon and muse to poets, writers and artists. She counted princes, aristocrats and politicians among her friends and lovers, but relished the company of rogues, fraudsters and ne'er-do-wells. Barbara White presents evidence to suggest that Fanny Murray participated spiritedly in the sexual antics of the notorious'Monks of Medmenham', the most infamous of the Hell-fire Clubs. After she retired from prostitution, Fanny Murray reinvented herself, entering a pragmatic marriage with the Scottish actor David Ross. Surprisingly, her virtues as a devoted and faithful wife became almost proverbial. Even so, Murray could not escape her disreputable past. In 1763, a scurrilous poem dedicated to her caused a national scandal that ended in the infamous trial of the radical politician John Wilkes for obscene libel. Barbara White's portrait of Fanny Murray takes readers from the brothels of Covent Garden to sex romps at Medmenham Abbey, from refined drawing rooms in London to marital respectability in Edinburgh. This is an illuminating contribution to the scholarly understanding and popular appreciation of a complex and intriguing period of British history. Fanny Murray's triumph – against almost insuperable odds – is a remarkable story, as rich in the telling as it is enthralling.

The first full-scale biography of Robert Willis, the'founding father'of architectural history.WINNER of the Cambridge Association for Local History book award 2016 Robert Willis was the archetypal nineteenth-century polymath. Officially, as Jacksonian Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, he specialized in the study of mechanism, which he also taught at the Royal School of Mines in London. In the field of science he was an experimentalist, inventor and educational innovator. Meanwhile, in his spare time, he pursued his passion, pioneering the serious study of architectural history. Initially his work was aimed at architects - his role in providing an intellectual underpinning to the contemporary Gothic Revival was acknowledged by the award of the gold medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1862. However his main contribution was more historical. Starting with Canterbury, in 1844, over the course of his career, he investigated almost every English cathedral and developed an approach, combining documentary and archaeological research, which remains in use today. His studies culminated in the monumental Architectural History of the University of Cambridge, still the definitive account of its subject. In this fascinating and lavishly illustrated intellectual biography, drawn from extensive archival and architectural research, the author sheds new light on the interconnections between Willis's varied fields of interest and his fundamental role in the creation of a discipline. ALEXANDRINA BUCHANAN is both an architectural historian and an archivist; her introduction to archives came throughcataloguing the papers of Robert Willis at the Cambridge University Library. She is now Lecturer in Archive Studies at the University of Liverpool.

Peter the Great, whose reign saw the explosion of Russia onto the European scene, has become a legendary figure in history, as well as the subject of abiding controversy over the past two decades. Does he deserve the title'The Great'? Was he'enlightened'or'barbaric'? Were his domestic reforms planned, or introduced as a direct result of the needs of war? Peter the Great answers key questions about his territorial expansion and domestic reforms. It reflects existing controversies and allows the reader to consider the views of a range of historians - Russian, English and American. The author avoids a narrative approach in order to focus on analysing issues that students are expected to address in their essays.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Jon Meacham, “a big, grand, absorbing exploration of not just Jefferson and his role in history but also Jefferson the man, humanized as never before” (Entertainment Weekly) “Probably the best single-volume biography of Jefferson ever written.”—Gordon S. Wood A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, The Seattle Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BookPage This magnificent biography brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times, giving us Thomas Jefferson the man, the politician, and the president. A Founder whose understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes and to prevail, Jefferson was passionate about many things—women, his family, science, architecture, gardening, Monticello, Paris, and more. He strove, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America. Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished transcripts of Jefferson presidential papers, Jon Meacham shows us the personal Jefferson, a man of appetite, sensuality, and passion. He also presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all American history, a leader who found the means to endure and to win. His story resonates today not least because he led his nation through ferocious partisanship amid economic change and external threats. Jefferson also embodies an eternal drama, the struggle of the leadership of a nation to achieve greatness in a difficult and confounding world.

Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, unfolds the magnificent story of Peter the Great, crowned at the age of 10. A barbarous, volatile feudal tsar with a taste for torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; a statesman of vision and colossal significance: Peter the Great embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. Robert K. Massie delves deep into the life of this captivating historical figure, chronicling the pivotal events that shaped a boy into a legend – including his'incognito'travels in Europe, his unquenchable curiosity about Western ways, his obsession with the sea and establishment of the stupendous Russian navy, his creation of an unbeatable army, and his relationships with those he loved most: Catherine, his loving mistress, wife, and successor; and Menshikov, the charming, unscrupulous prince who rose to power through Peter's friendship. Impetuous and stubborn, generous and cruel, a man of enormous energy and complexity, Peter the Great is brought fully to life.

Against a monumental backdrop of fabulous splendour, intrigue and barbaric cruelty, unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history. This is the story of the Romanovs, from the Tsar who brought Russia from darkness into light, to one of the greatest female rulers in history, and ultimately to the death-marked royals who watched their empire crumble. PETER THE GREAT: Crowned at the age of 10, Peter embodied the greatest strengths and weaknesses of Russia while being at the very forefront of her development. CATHERINE THE GREAT: In 1762, Catherine rode out of St Petersburg at the head of an army to arrest her husband. Three months later, at the age of just 33, she became sole empress of the largest empire on earth. NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA: The story of Nicholas's political naivete, Alexandra's obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis's brave struggle with haemophilia.

This early work on James Radcliffe is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. It details the life of an English Jacobite who became a martyr during the rebellion of 1715. This is a fascinating work and is thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in English history. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The exhilarating story of how London came to be one of the most exciting and influential places on earth—from the city's colorful, witty, and well-known mayor.Once a swampland that the Romans could hardly be bothered to conquer, over the centuries London became an incomparably vibrant metropolis that has produced a steady stream of ingenious, original, and outsized figures who have shaped the world we know.Boris Johnson, the internationally beloved mayor of London, is the best possible guide to these colorful characters and the history in which they played such lively roles. Erudite and entertaining, he narrates the story of London as a kind of relay race. Beginning with the days when “a bunch of pushy Italian immigrants” created Londinium, he passes the torch on down through the famous and the infamous, the brilliant and the bizarre—from Hadrian to Samuel Johnson to Winston Churchill to the Rolling Stones—illuminating with unforgettable clarity the era each inhabited. He also pauses to shine a light on innovations that have contributed to the city's incomparable vibrancy, from the King James Bible to the flush toilet.As wildly entertaining as it is informative, this is an irresistible account of the city and people that in large part shaped the world we know.

Die schottische Familie der Stuarts ging aus dem normannischen Adelsgeschlecht der Fitzalans hervor. Walter Fitzalan bekleidete als erster seines Clans im 12. Jahrhundert das einflußreiche Amt eines königlichen Truchsessen – eines Steward, woraus sich der spätere Name des Hauses ableitet. Mit Robert II. bestieg im 14. Jahrhundert erstmals ein Stuart den schottischen Königsthron. Ihm sollten bis ins frühe 17. Jahrhundert noch acht weitere schottische Monarchen aus seiner Familie folgen, ehe die Stuarts ein schottisch-englisches Doppelkönigtum installierten und bis zum Beginn des 18. Jahrhunderts fortführen konnten. Doch war ihre Herrschaft seit dem 17. Jahrhundert von konfessionellen Gegensätzen und schweren politischen Krisen geprägt – Königin Maria Stuart und König Karl I. starben eines gewaltsamen Todes. Letztlich konnten sich die Stuarts nicht länger gegen den Widerstand des Parlaments und der englischen Aristokratie behaupten; spätere Restaurationsversuche scheiterten.

JAMES II was Britain's last Catholic king. The spectacular collapse of his regime in 1688 and the seizure of his throne by his nephew William of Orange are the best-known events of his reign. But what of his life after this? What became of him during his final exile? John Callow's groundbreaking study focuses on this hitherto neglected period of his life: the twelve years he spent attempting to recover his crown through war, diplomacy, assassination and subterfuge. This is the story of the genesis of Jacobitism; of the devotion of the fallen king's followers, who shed their blood for him at the battle of the Boyne and the massacre at Glencoe, gave up estates and riches to follow him to France, and immortalised his name in artworks, print, and song. Yet, this first ‘King Over the Water'was far more than a figurehead. A grim, inflexible warlord and a maladroit politician, he was also a man of undeniable principle, which he pursued regardless of the cost to either himself or his subjects. He was an author of considerable talent, and a monarch capable of successive reinventions. Denied his earthly kingdoms, he finally settled upon attaining a heavenly crown and was venerated by the Jacobites as a saint. This powerful, evocative and original book will appeal to anyone interested in Stuart history, politics, culture and military studies.

Ancora una volta le Scuderie Aldobrandini si dimostrano un palcoscenico versatile e capace di valorizzare le esposizioni più diverse, attraverso l'unicità preziosa e sobria degli ambienti e le suggestioni di luci e trasparenze della sua originale struttura espositiva. La Biblioteca del Cardinale. Enrico Benedetto Clemente Stuart, Duca di York a Frascati 1761-1803, è un avvenimento atteso e quanto mai doveroso che la città di Frascati, unitamente a tutta la sua comunità, è oltremodo lieta di ospitare. Dal Museo Tuscolano, centro nevralgico dell'esposizione, questo straordinario evento si snoda e si diffonde in diverse sedi della città, per accompagnarci nella scoperta dei luoghi storici della vita del Duca. Grazie all'impegno dell'Amministrazione Comunale e ai numerosi contributi di noti studiosi qui confluiti, è stato possibile realizzare un importante ed inedito primo passo verso l'approfondimento della vicenda umana del Cardinale e della sua attività in veste di Vescovo della Diocesi tuscolana. La figura di Enrico Stuart, protagonista dell'esposizione e di questo catalogo insieme alla biblioteca che volle donare alla comunità frascatana, fu per molto tempo trascurata nelle biografie ufficiali e nei saggi storici; considerato quale personaggio secondario in quel vasto e denso affresco storico incentrato sugli avvenimenti degli Stuart, gli fu sempre preferita la vicenda del fratello maggiore che tentò di restaurare la Casa Stuart sul trono d'Inghilterra e che, pur uscendone sconfitto, fu ricordato come eroe romantico. Nella possibilità di una fruibilità a più livelli, per specialisti o semplici appassionati, sta la straordinarietà di questa mostra, nella quale la nutrita documentazione si unisce a quella fascinazione estetica che solo la presenza dell'arte sa regalare. Ai curatori e alle istituzioni coinvolte va pertanto il merito di aver realizzato questo efficace connubio. Tale evento, atto unico ed inedito, vuole celebrare una personalità che fu punto di riferimento spirituale importante e costante per la nostra comunità, e che grazie ad una profonda sensibilità artistica si fece altresì promotore e fautore della crescita culturale, non solo del suo Seminario ma anche della stessa città di Frascati. (FRANCESCO PAOLO POSA, Sindaco di Frascati) Il catalogo è a cura di Marco Buonocore e Giovanna Cappelli.

JAMES II was Britain's last Catholic king. The spectacular collapse of his regime in 1688 and the seizure of his throne by his nephew William of Orange are the best-known events of his reign. But what of his life after this? What became of him during his final exile? John Callow's groundbreaking study focuses on this hitherto neglected period of his life: the twelve years he spent attempting to recover his crown through war, diplomacy, assassination and subterfuge. This is the story of the genesis of Jacobitism; of the devotion of the fallen king's followers, who shed their blood for him at the battle of the Boyne and the massacre at Glencoe, gave up estates and riches to follow him to France, and immortalised his name in artworks, print, and song. Yet, this first ‘King Over the Water'was far more than a figurehead. A grim, inflexible warlord and a maladroit politician, he was also a man of undeniable principle, which he pursued regardless of the cost to either himself or his subjects. He was an author of considerable talent, and a monarch capable of successive reinventions. Denied his earthly kingdoms, he finally settled upon attaining a heavenly crown and was venerated by the Jacobites as a saint. This powerful, evocative and original book will appeal to anyone interested in Stuart history, politics, culture and military studies.

Agnes Surriage, it turns out, was more Pygmalion than Cinderella. Her role models were the fiercely independent'codfish widows,'? wives of the early Marblehead fishermen who managed home and family seven months a year without their husbands. In Agnes's version of My Fair Lady, she had to act as her own Henry Higgins while making the often painful transformation from'girl of all works'? at the Fountain Inn to the charming and dignified Lady Agnes, wife of Sir Charles Henry Frankland. After deconstructing the legend for twenty-five years, author F. Marshall Bauer has unearthed a story of money, lust and vindication.

In this Christian Encounter Series biography, author Mitch Stokes explores the life of Isaac Newton, the man behind the atomic theory.As an inventor, astronomer, physicist, and philosopher, Isaac Newton forever changed the way we see and understand the world. At one point, he was the world's leading authority in mathematics, optics, and alchemy. And surprisingly he wrote more about faith and religion than on all of these subjects combined. But his single-minded focus on knowledge and discovery was a great detriment to his health. Newton suffered from fits of mania, insomnia, depression, a nervous breakdown, and even mercury poisoning.Yet from all of his suffering came great gain. Newton saw the scientific world not as a way to refute theology, but as a way to explain it. He believed that all of creation was mandated and set in motion by God and that it was simply waiting to be “discovered” by man. Because of his diligence in both scientific and biblical study, Newton had a tremendous impact on religious thought that is still evident today.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American philosopher and poet, known for. A staunch advocate of individualism and clear-sighted critic of societal pressures, he led the early 19th century's Transcendentalist movement and greatly influenced the later New Thought movement. Representative Men contains the following seven lectures by Emerson:Uses of Great MenPlato; or, the PhilosopherSwedenborg; or, the MysticMontaigne; or, the SkepticShakspeare; or, the PoetNapoleon; or, the Man of the WorldGoethe; or, the Writer

A fresh new look at the Enlightenment intellectual who became the most controversial of America's founding fathers Despite his being a founder of both the United States and the French Republic, the creator of the phrase'United States of America,'and the author of Common Sense, Thomas Paine is the least well known of America's founding fathers. This edifying biography by Craig Nelson traces Paine's path from his years as a London mechanic, through his emergence as the voice of revolutionary fervor on two continents, to his final days in the throes of dementia. By acquainting us as never before with this complex and combative genius, Nelson rescues a giant from obscurity-and gives us a fascinating work of history.

'A contempary anecdote not only confirms that Martha commanded respect in her own right during her lifetime, but also suggests an awkward truth later historians have preferred to ignore-that without Martha and her fortune, George might never have risen to social, military, and political prominence.Toward the end of his life, George Washington, war hero, retired president, and object of universal fame and veneration, was negotiating to purchase a plot of land in the new capital city, to be named in his honor. The seller, an aged veteran of the Revolution, was reluctant to part with the plot, even to so distinguished a purchaser. Washington persisted until the veteran's patience snapped:'You think people take every grist that comes from you as the pure grain. What would you have been if you hadn't married the Widow Custis!''-from the Introduction to Martha Washington: First Lady of LibertyFrom the glittering social life of Virginia's wealthiest plantations to the rigors of winter camps during the American Revolution, Martha Washington was a central figure in some of the most important events in American history. Her story is a saga of social conflict, forbidden love affairs, ambiguous wills, mysterious death, heartbreaking loss, and personal and political triumph. Every detail is brought to vivid life in this engaging and astonishing biography of one of the best known, least understood figures in early American life.

First edition of an eye-witness account of seventeenth-century England - the dark side of Pepys. Seven-volume set.Compiled between the years 1677 and 1691, the Entring Book is 900,000 words long, with many sensitive passages written in a secret shorthand that has only recently been decoded. This remarkable chronicle of public affairs has remained for nearly three centuries, secure but little known, in Dr Williams's Library, London. The Entring Book fits no simple definition. It is not just a political diary, nor is it only the newsletter it sometimes resembles.It's possible that it could have been the material for a history of Morrice's own times, or it may have been a letterbook, recording correspondence to an unnamed recipient. Writing in great detail, with meticulous regularity, Morrice may have been passing on all he knew to senior figures in the opposition to Charles II and James II. The Entring Book's enormous scope means it also covers publishing, plays, business, military and religious matters, foreign affairs, public opinion and London life, making it an essential resource. Through it we can trace the transformation of puritanism into Whiggery and Dissent. This seven volume set includes an introductory and an index volumeas well as a biographical encyclopedia of names.