Showing results for "James" in Politics & Activism

A BBC History magazine, Esquire, Historia magazine and Waterstones History Book of the Year 'James comes alive in full flamboyance … Russell expertly weaves the bedchamber gossip into the tapestry of a tumultuous reign' SUNDAY TIMES 'Brings the backbiting and power struggles of the Jacobean...

WINNER OF THE 2026 ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES, HISTORY TODAY AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY MAGAZINE James VI & I, who died 400 years ago, was one of Britain’s most consequential and interesting monarchs, not least in creating...

Artist. Public intellectual. Political activist. James Baldwin was all of these and more. Raised in the slums of Depression-era Harlem in New York City, Baldwin would become an author and activist of international renown—one whose legacy has continued long beyond his death in 1987. Who was James Baldwin? How did he become the master of multiple literary genres and a champion for some of the era’s most notable political and social causes? And how is his influence still being felt today?

A charming account of the life of enigmatic Queen Mary, wife of King George V, and a magnetic portrait of a vanished age 'Gloriously indiscreet . . . the best royal book ever' - Harry Mount, Financial Times When James Pope-Hennessy began his work on Queen Mary's official biography, it opened the...

In this brilliant biography T. J. Stiles offers a new understanding of the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Although he has often been portrayed as a Robin Hood of the old west, in this ground-breaking work Stiles places James within the context of the bloody conflicts of the Civil War to reveal a...

The terror and purges of Stalin's Russia in the 1930s discouraged Soviet officials from leaving documentary records, let alone keeping personal diaries. A remarkable exception is the unique diary assiduously kept by Ivan Maisky, the Soviet ambassador to London between 1932 and 1943. This selection from Maisky's diary grippingly documents Britain's drift to war during the 1930s, appeasement in the Munich era, negotiations leading to the signature of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact....

The best one-volume biography of Madison’s life, Ketcham’s biography not only traces Madison’s career, it gives listeners a sense of the man. As Madison said of his early years in Virginia under the study of Donald Robertson, who introduced him to thinkers like Montaigne and Montesquieu, "all that I have been in life I owe largely to that man." It also captures a side of Madison that is less rarely on display.

On February 18, 1965, an overflowing crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin, the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement, and William F. Buckley Jr., a fierce critic of the movement and America's most influential conservative intellectual. The topic was "the American dream is at the expense of the American Negro", and no one who has seen the debate can soon forget it. Nicholas Buccola's The Fire Is upon Us is the first book to tell the full story of the event.

James I of England and VI of Scotland was the first king to rule both countries. He was faced with division between his realms and caught between the religious wars of the Reformation. Spending most of his reign at odds with the religious and parliamentary powers around him, James did little to unite his people. Unable to take a firm stand on critical issues, he spent his life avoiding them.

In the three decades since April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death in Memphis, scores of books and articles have questioned whether James Earl Ray, King's killer, acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy. Now, based on explosive new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence, best-selling author Gerald Posner finally resolves the simple truth of the last great political murder mystery of the 1960s, definitively proving that Ray acted alone.

He was the only sitting member of the House of Representatives elected President to date, but he served only about half a year in the office. He was the second president in less than 20 years felled by an assassin’s bullet. Yet James A. Garfield, a man little known outside his own party before his “dark-horse” nomination by the Republican Party in 1880, was significant in a number of ways. Garfield’s short term marked the first entrance of a “reformist” strain into the presidency that sought to root out corruption and political favoritism in government.

From two of America's most revered political journalists comes the definitive biography of legendary White House chief of staff and secretary of state James A. Baker III: the man who ran Washington when Washington ran the world. For a quarter-century, from the end of Watergate to the aftermath...

The extraordinary life of James Monroe: soldier, senator, diplomat, and the last Founding Father to hold the presidency, a man who helped transform thirteen colonies into a vibrant and mighty republic. “A first-rate account of a remarkable life.” —Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author...

In the first major biography of Baldwin in more than a decade, Bill V. Mullen celebrates the personal and political life of the great African American writer who changed the face of Western politics and culture. As a lifelong anti-imperialist, Black queer advocate, and feminist, Baldwin (1924-1987) was a passionate chronicler of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the US war against Vietnam, Palestinian liberation struggle, and the rise of LGBTQ rights.

The first in-depth look at the marine hero who has become one of the most beloved and admired men in America today: Secretary of Defense James Mattis. A devout student of history and erudite reader revered by rank and file soldiers, officers, academics, politicians, and ordinary citizens...

James Madison: A Biography inspects the life of the fourth president of the United States. This short yet complete biography by author Steven Wallace studies Madison’s 85 years of life from his birth in 1751 to his death in 1836. This biography includes many of James Madison’s ideas and accomplishments. James Madison has long captured the imagination and interest of the American people with both his personal and political history, and this biography showcases the most interesting facts of his life. 

James Monroe: A Biography examines the life of the fifth president of the United States. James Monroe promoted growth at a time when the advancement of the young United States had slowed down. This brief but thorough biography by author Steven Wallace covers Monroe’s life - from his birth into a wealthy family until his death. This biography also discusses Monroe’s feud with Thomas Jefferson, his battle alongside George Washington, and his many other friendships with well-known historical figures.

An incisive account of the tumultuous relationship between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison and of the origins of our wealthy yet highly unequal nation In the history of American politics there are few stories as enigmatic as that of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison's bitterly personal...

Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the truth about Joseph P. Kennedy's shockingly controversial tenure as Ambassador to Great Britain on the eve of World War II. On February 18, 1938, Joseph P. Kennedy was sworn in as US Ambassador to the Court of St. James. To say his appointment to the...

Including his time as mayor of South Bend and the countless ups and downs he faced, Who Is Pete Buttigieg? gives an enlightening and insightful introduction to the two-term mayor and US veteran now running for the presidency. With references to his childhood and college years, this biography also includes a detailed breakdown of Buttigeig’s policies and promises, from gun control and his fight for LGTBQ equality to his views on education reform, health care, and more.