Simon Sebag-Montefiore

"What did the early rulers of the Soviet Union - Stalin, Trotsky, Bukharin, Kamenev, Zinoviev, Dzerzhinsky, among others - truly think and feel about each other? Piggy Foxy and the Sword of Revolution provides a window into the soul of Bolshevism, the Bolshevik leaders, and the meaning of the revolution that no other set of materials has ever offered: the top leaders' cartoons, caricatures, and portraits of each other. Sketching on notebook pages, official letterheads, and the margins of draft documents, prominent Soviet leaders in the 1920s and 1930s amused and attacked their colleagues with drawings of one another. Nearly 200 of these informal sketches, only recently uncovered in secret Soviet files, are reproduced here. Funny, original, spontaneous, sometimes vicious or grotesque, the drawings and their accompanying notes reveal the relationships and mindsets of the Bolshevik bosses at the time of Stalin's rise to power with a blazing immediacy." "The album's editors select characteristic drawings by such prominent leaders as Nikolai Bukharin, who depicts himself as "piggy foxy," Valery Mezhlauk, and Stalin himself, whose trademark blue pencil appears in several of the drawings. A number of sketches of unknown authorship are also included. The editors identify the political issues, events, and discussions that inspired the drawings, and they provide biographical information about the people who drew and were drawn. The book opens a rare window on Stalin's inner circle, allowing us access to the powerful men who, despite living in a grim epoch, developed a special humor of their own."--BOOK JACKET

The shadowy journey from obscurity to power of the Georgian cobbler's son who became the Red Tsar--the man who, along with Hitler, remains the modern personification of evil: a merciless psychopath who was, as well, a consummate politician, the dynamic world statesman who helped create and industrialize the USSR, outplayed Churchill and Roosevelt, and defeated Hitler? Historian Montefiore tells the story of a charismatic, turbulent boy born into poverty, of doubtful parentage, scarred by his upbringing but possessed of unusual talents. Admired as a romantic poet and trained as a priest, he found his true mission as a fanatical revolutionary. A mastermind of bank robbery, protection rackets, arson, piracy and murder, he was equal parts terrorist, intellectual and brigand. The paranoid criminal underworld was Stalin's natural habitat, and murderous banditry and political gangsterism, combined with pitiless ideology, enabled Stalin to dominate the Kremlin--and create the USSR in his flawed image.--From publisher description.

Imprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis. He enrolls in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a suicide mission behind enemy lines-- and there may be a traitor among them. The only thing Benya can truly trust is his horse, Silver Socks, and that he will find no mercy in onslaught of Hitler's troops as they push East.

"It is over twenty years since beautiful, headstrong Sashenka Zeitlin slipped away from her family home to play her part in a dangerous game of conspiracy and intrigue. Now she is married to a rich and powerful man and has two children. All around her people are disappearing, although she and her family seem safe. But she is about to embark on a forbidden love affair which will have devastating consequences."--Publisher description.

In 1187, during the last years of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Knight of the Temple is drawn into the councils of the leper-king of Jerusalem as he does battle with the Sultan.

"Prince Grigory Potemkin was Catherine the Great's lover, secret husband, and partner in ruling the Russian Empire. Their affair was so tumultuous, they negotiated an arrangement that allowed them to share power while he was free to love his beautiful nieces, and Catherine, her favorites. But they never stopped loving each other. Their enduring and passionate relationship remains one of history's most remarkable love affairs.". "Potemkin shone as an outstandingly gifted statesman, winning the Crimea, founding the Black Sea Fleet, reforming the Cossacks, planning new cities like Sebastopol and Odessa, and making Russia a Near Eastern power - achievements in war and peace that emulated his hero, Peter the Great." "He embodied the strengths and weaknesses of Russia itself - volatile, ebullient, handsome, sensual, and always astonishing. His bizarre magnificence enchanted and scandalized Europe, yet he disdained his own success.". "After five years' new research in archives from Petersburg to Odessa, Sebag Montefiore shows how Potemkin and Catherine, with their younger loves, created their own "family." He blazingly brings to life Potemkin's loving partnership with Catherine and restores him to his place as a colossus of the eighteenth century. When he died, Catherine was heartbroken. She said there could never be another Potemkin."--BOOK JACKET.

The darkest parts of your brain house your darkest fears. Readers learn about the monsters that lurk in the shadows of their closet and beyond. They also discover the origin story of famous creatures like the Loch Ness Monster, and why people have searched for werewolves, dragons, and other creatures for centuries. Readers can also take a quiz to see if you could tackle the toughest monsters in the world and make it out alive.

"The history of the world told through the entertaining, horrifying, and inspiring characters that everyone should know. The giant characters of history--from Mozart to Michelangelo, Shakespeare to Einstein, Henry VIII to Pol Pot, Shaka to George Washington, Jesus Christ to Genghis Khan--lived lives of astonishing drama and adventure, debauchery and slaughter, but they also formed our world and will shape our future. In this eclectic and surprising collection of short and entertaining life stories, Simon Sebag Montefiore introduces his choice of kings, empresses, sultans and conquerors, as well as prophets, explorers, artists, actresses, courtesans and psychopaths. From the ancient times, via crusades and world wars, up to the 21st century, this accessible history introduces readers to the titans who changed the world: the characters we should all know, and the stories we should never forget"--

194 pages : 20 cm

The New York Times bestselling author lays down the laws.As a rebellion brews among the vampires of Vegas, the dissidents target three visiting Enforcers of the Nighthawk line. And only their mortal companion can save their immortal souls.

This is an inspirational book that one can go look upto in terms of motivation,inspiration and good leadership.