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Rather than reaffirm George III's reputation as Mad King George, Hibbert portrays him as not only a competent ruler during most of his reign, but also as a patron of the arts and sciences, as a man of wit and intelligence, indeed, as a man who greatly enhanced the reputation of the British monarchy until he was finally stricken by a rare hereditary disease.
The Grand tour is a lively and entertaining account of the origins and history of the tour, the experiences of those rich, adventurous young travellers who embarked upon it, of the Europe of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as seen through their eyes-- its customs and people, as well as its art and architecture. The Grand Tour is extensively illustrated with pictures researched from museums and collections throughout the world.
Horatio Nelson was a national hero who secured a century of maritime supremacy for his country and became the focus of British identity and aspiration. Generous and brave, sometimes vain and occasionally weak, he is still the butt of half-admiring jokes: bawdy when his name is coupled with that of Emma Hamilton; respectful in relation to his great naval achievements.
This colorful history of a powerful family brings the world they lived in—the glittering Rome of the Italian Renaissance—to life. The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame—Lucrezia Borgia, his daughter, whose husband was famously murdered by her brother, and that brother, Cesare, who inspired Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince. Notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder, the dynasty’s dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society forms a gripping tale. From the author of The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici and other acclaimed works, The Borgias and Their Enemies is “a fascinating read” (Library Journal).
This book is as captivating as the city itself. Hibbert's gift is weaving political, social and art history into an elegantly readable and marvellously lively whole. The author's book on Florence will also be at once a history and a guide book and will be enhanced by splendid photographs and illustrations and line drawings which will describe all teh buildings and treasures of the city.
This is a portrait of Victoria as the formidable, demanding, capricious queen of popular imagination, which also shows her as often shy and vulnerable, prone to giggling fits and crying jags.
This single volume study of Wellington's life and times is based on modern research. Wellington achieved fame as a soldier fighting the Mahratta in India. His later brilliant generalship fighting the French in Spain was rewarded by a dukedom and a grant from the house of Commons which would today be worth some u8 million. After his defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo he embarked on his second career as a politician. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the army for life, became Prime Minister in 1827 and a byword for High Toryism while presiding over the emancipation of Roman Catholics and the formation of the country's first police force. Unhappily married, he had several mistresses and many intimate friendships with women."
Hibbert tries to show by reference to history of punishments, to the reactions of those who suffered them or have been threatened by them, and to the endeavors of those who have concerned themselves with the criminal and the prevention of crime, that cruelty punishment has an inevitable tendency to produce cruelty in people.
"Unmatched for scope and of peerless authority, The London Encyclopaedia distils the heritage of Europe's greatest city. Arranged alphabetically, nearly 6,000 entries explore every monument, building, street, park and suburb of importance, as well as events, institutions and themes relevant to the city's past glory and present vigour." "Here, rich in detail, alive with wit and well served by two indexes, is everything anyone could possibly want to know about London. For the third edition of this well-established book, the text has been extensively revised and updated, taking London into the twenty-first century. Contemporary images have been added to the more than 500 period prints, drawings and photographs, while new entries cover a host of current icons and reflect the capital's cosmopolitan and multi-cultural dimensions. Mosques and temples challenge the ubiquitous churches, and the glazed geometry of corporate power is saluted. Everything of relevance to the history, culture, commerce and government of the capital is documented. From the very first settlements through to the skyline of today, The London Encyclopaedia comprehends all that is London."--BOOK JACKET.