Robert Lacey

The Queen's personal life and her involvement in political crises are given equal attention in this detailed portrait of the British royal family in the twentieth century.

Presents what life was like in the year 1000 for an Englishman. The Year 1000 is a vivid and surprising portrait of life in England a thousand years ago - a world that already knew brain surgeons and property developers and, yes, even the occasional gossip columnist. Uncovering such wonderfully unexpected details, authors Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger bring this distant world closer than it has ever been before. How did people survive without sugar? How did monks communicate if they were not allowed to speak? Why was July called "the hungry month"? The Year 1000 answers these questions and reveals such secrets as the recipe for a medieval form of Viagra and a hallucinogenic treat called "crazy bread.". In the spirit of modern investigative journalism, Lacey and Danziger interviewed the top historians and archaeologists. Research led them to an ancient and little-known document of the period, the Julius Work Calendar, a sharply observed guide that takes us back in time to a charming and very human world of kings and revelers, saints and slave laborers, lingering paganism and profound Christian faith.

"Chronicles the Ford Modeling Agency's meteoric rise to the top of the fashion and beauty business, and paints a ... portrait of the uncompromising woman at its helm in all her glittering, tyrannical brilliance. Outspoken and controversial, Ford was never afraid to offend in defense of her stringent standards. When she chose, she could deliver hauteur in the grand tradition of fashion's battle-axes, from Coco Chanel to Diana Vreeland--just ask John Casablancas or Janice Dickinson. But she was also a shrewd businesswoman with a keen eye for talent and a passion for serving her clients"--Amazon.com.

Tracing a path through the Persian Gulf War and the events of 9/11 to the oil market convulsions of today, "Inside the Kingdom" gives readers a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing world.