Harriet Castor

#2

Produced in association with Correlli Barnett and Churchill College, Cambridge this book provides a fresh view of Churchill's changing attitudes and policies towards the evolving challenges of the twentieth century. It aims neither to denigrate nor engage in uncritical adulation. Studies in Statesmanship contains a series of careful assessments of different facets of Churchill's career made by a group of impartial historians mainly drawn from outside Britain. It is framed by a personal memoir from Churchill's daughter, Lady Soames and a concluding essay by Martin Gilbert, Churchill's biographer. With authors from the USA, Italy, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France and Poland, Studies in Statesmanship deals with Churchill as an energetic statesman in the arena of international politics and his concern to keep Britain independent and influential. A wide range of his interests and concerns are also examined. This book confirms Churchill's assured position as one of the most interesting political figures of the twentieth century.

#3

New York Times bestselling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma-the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel- bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England's greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. But what was she really like? In this novel, her flame-haired, lookalike cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows all too well. Elizabeth's rival for the love of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and mother to the Earl of Essex, the mercurial nobleman who challenged Elizabeth's throne, Lettice had been intertwined with Elizabeth since childhood. This is a story of two women of fierce intellect and desire, one trying to protect her country, and throne, the other trying to regain power and position for her family and each vying to convince the reader of her own private vision of the truth about Elizabeth's character. Their gripping drama is acted out at the height of the flowering of the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh, Drake-all of them swirl through these pages as they swirled through the court and on the high seas. This is a magnificent, stay-up-all-night page-turner that is George's finest and most compelling novel and one that is sure to please readers of Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, and Hilary Mantel.