The Principal of the Matter: the place, Yazoo City, Mississippi; one of the issues, the court-ordered desegregation of the public schools; the antagonists, the school officials. When the civil rights movement intensified in the South, circa 1954, white political leaders who believed in and practiced the ideology of "white supremacy" worked in concert to reverse the direction integration was heading in America. In 1970, some sixteen years out from the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, we were still trying to get bigots to obey the law of the land. In a letter dated August 13, 1971, then U.S. Senator Walter F. Mondale (later Vice President Mondale) wrote: Dear Mr. Ward: I have received your recent letter describing the explosive situation in Yazoo City. I certainly share your concern that unless the discriminatory treatment of black students in the Yazoo City school system is eliminated, the opening of school in September may be a most serious occasion. I have referred your concern to the Justice Department and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare requesting their investigation and corrective action. In The Principal of the Matter, Eugene "Harry" Ward unfurls the calculated practices of de jure and de facto segregation, separation of the races that was supposedly equal under the "law" and "as a matter of fact."

Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us is a groundbreaking series of books which introduces you to the powerful stories of South African women who have all made their mark and cleared a path for women and girls. These books recognise, acknowledge and honour our heroines and elders from the past and the present. South African women are silent no more on the roles that we have played in advancing our lives as artists, storytellers, writers, politicians and educationists. The title 'Imbokodo' was been chosen as it is a Zulu word that means "rock" and is often used in the saying 'Wathint' Abafazi, Wathint' Imbokodo!', which means "You Strike a Women, You Strike a Rock!" These books were made possible with the support of Biblionef and funding from the National Arts Council. In 10 Extraordinary Leaders, Activists & Protesters you will read about women who fought against colonialism and oppression. Here are the stories of women heroes through history, whose stories are connected because of a shared passion for equality and justice.

In 1908 at the age of two, Henry Pu Yi ascended to become the last emperor of the centuries-old Manchu dynasty. After revolutionaries forced Pu Yi to abdicate in 1911, the young emperor lived for thirteen years in Peking's Forbidden City, but with none of the power his birth afforded him. The remainder of Pu Yi's life was lived out in a topsy-turvy fashion: fleeing from a Chinese warlord, becoming head of a Japanese puppet state, being confined to a Russian prison in Siberia, and enduring taxing labor. "The Last Manchu" is a unique, enthralling record of China's most turbulent, dramatic years.

This book is a translation of the Ruzhany Memorial (Yizkor) Book that was published in 1957 in Hebrew and Yiddish; it is based upon the memoirs of former Jewish residents of the town who had left before the war. Ruzhany, called Rozana in Polish and Ruzhnoy in Yiddish, is now a small town in Belarus. It was part of Russia at the time of World War I and Poland afterwards for a short period, and then the Soviet Union. In 1939, the Jewish population was at its peak 3,500, comprising 78% of the town's population. In November 1942, every Jewish resident was murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Founded in the mid-1500s, Jews were welcomed by the private owner, the Grand Chancellor, Duke Leu Sapeiha. He valued Jewish settlers who would create a variety of businesses that would produce profits and generate collectable taxes. They opened schools, built many small synagogues, and the Great Synagogue in the main square. In addition they established many social institutions. The market town thrived. Starting in the early 1900s, many young Jews immigrated to the United States so that the young men could avoid prolonged conscription into the Czar's army.

A view of the Napoleonic epoch by the Imperial Guard's historian
The French author of this interesting book, Emile Marco de Sainte-Hilaire was a well known writer of novels and anecdotal history during the early nineteenth century. There can be no doubt that his writings on the age of Napoleon are of value to students of the period, even though the authenticity of his words have been called into question. Sainte-Hilaire was born in 1796 in Versailles, so he lived through the Napoleonic age and knew enough about it personally and through his connections with its most significant personalities to add credibility, if not irrefutable provenance, to writings that are fascinating as insights into the activities of the emperor-and those closest to him-in domestic and military life. There can be no doubt that Sainte-Hilaire's most significant work was his history of the Imperial Guard of the Napoleonic period first published in 1847. What makes this Leonaur edition of the Sainte-Hilaire perspective of the Napoleonic epoch unique is the inclusion of many of the uniform line drawings from his outstanding Imperial Guard history which have been employed here to illuminate the text.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

To borrow a hackneyed phrase, Nigeria has had a chequered political history before and since independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960. Two sets of actors - the civilian politicians and the military politicians - have been on the national political stage since January 15, 1966. General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida was one of them. In his eight years in power as president, or perhaps more correctly as military president, he affected the course of Nigeria's events, for better or for worse, in a way that few, if any, before him did. It is not possible to tell Nigeria's story without Babangida's part in it. The book is the story of IBB, the little orphan from Minna, Niger State and his meticulous rise to the top of his profession and the leadership of his country. Perhaps, more importantly, it is the story of Nigeria, its post-independence politics and power, told from the perspective of the actions and decisions of one of the main actors on the country's political stage. The events that shaped the Babangida era did not begin on August 27, 1985, the day he staged a palace coup against General Muhammadu Buhari. They began long before that. This book is the definitive story of the military, politics and power in Nigeria. ______________________________ Dan Agbese holds degrees in mass communications and journalism from the University of Lagos and Columbia University, New York, respectively. He is a former editor of The Nigeria Standard, the New Nigerian as well as former general manager of Radio Benue. Agbese was one of the founders of the trail-blazing weekly newsmagazine in Nigeria, Newswatch. He was until April 2010 the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Nigeria their Nigeria, Fellow Nigerians, The Reporter's Companion, Style: A Guide to Good Writing and The Columnist's Companion: The Art and Craft of Column Writing. Agbese is also a highly-regarded newspaper columnist.

One of the most eccentric and accomplished politicians in all of American history, John Randolph (1773--1833) led a life marked by controversy. The long-serving Virginia congressman and architect of southern conservatism grabbed headlines with his prescient comments, public brawls, and clashes with every president from John Adams to Andrew Jackson. The first biography of Randolph in nearly a century, John Randolph of Roanoke provides a full account of the powerful Virginia planter's hard-charging life and his impact on the formation of conservative politics.

The Randolph lineage loomed large in early America, and Randolph of Roanoke emerged as one of the most visible -- and certainly the most bombastic -- among his clan. A colorful orator with aristocratic manners, he entertained the House of Representatives (and newspaper readers across the country) with three-hour-long speeches on subjects of political import, drawing from classical references for his analogies, and famously pausing to gain "courage" from a tumbler at his side. Adept at satire and uncensored in his verbal attacks against colleagues, he invited challenges to duel from those he offended; in 1826, he and the then--secretary of state Henry Clay exchanged gunfire on the banks of the Potomac.

A small-government Jeffersonian in political tastes, Randolph first entered Congress in 1799. As chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee he memorably turned on President Jefferson, once and for all, in 1805, believing his fellow Virginian to have compromised his republican values. As a result, Randolph led the "Old Republicans," a faction that sought to restrict the role of the federal government.

In this rich biography, David Johnson draws upon an impressive array of primary sources -- Randolph's letters, speeches, and writings -- previously unavailable to scholars. John Randolph of Roanoke tells the story of a young nation and the unique philosophy of a southern lawmaker who defended America's agrarian tradition and reveled in his own controversy.

Every time Mark W. Merritt puts on the uniform of a US Naval Officer, he is reminded of how thankful he is to be an American. He began compiling his memories in 2008 while serving in Iraq, just after celebrating his fiftieth birthday in a combat zone. In his memoir, he offers a collection of lessons learned from his years in intelligence-through twenty-nine countries, frost bite, two hip replacements, cancer, three wars, five combat zones, eight marathons, multiple parachute jumps, three college degrees, and two black belts. He has been an author, high school hall-of-famer and collegiate NCAA athlete, mountain climber and kayaker, husband, son, brother, warrior, scholar, and gentleman. As a special operations intelligence officer, Merritt has always pushed to do more, but now he can step back and take in what he has accomplished. He has failed many times, but he has succeeded often, as well. Happiness no longer seems like an unobtainable goal. They Rest Not at Night offers both Merritt's personal life history with all its variety and an exploration of his intelligence experience, sharing his own commentary on the wisdom he has gained the hard way.

"Shoot" hollered Willie B. "Where" I screamed. "Shoot, Shoot." Screamed Willie B. Again. I clicked my rifle from safe to full auto and let it rip in the direction of the tracers from the other two guys. I fired one complete magazine. I had no idea what was happening. I changed magazines. I buried my face in the dirt attempting to make myself invisible. I was terrified. I lie there cowering by hiding my face in the dirt. I had no idea what to do. "Shoot" screamed Willie B. again . My rifle had a bi-pod attached to the front of it as it was a select fire. (Semi or full auto). I extended the bi-pod and again ripped off full auto rounds. My hands and fingers were moving too slow. It was as if I was moving in slow motion. I couldn't make my hands move any faster. I kept shooting like the other two . At what, I had no idea. My heart was pumping ninety miles an hour. I heard firing erupt from the NDP then stop. A piece of hot brass hit me in the neck and went down my fatigue shirt burning the hell out of me. I kept firing and trying to shake the hot brass out of my shirt at the same time. I had fired six magazines before I noticed the other two had stopped firing. I errently touched the barrel of my rifle and got a burn that bubbled up the skin. We all lie still. My mouth was so dry, I couldn't swallow. I was shaking badly and couldn't catch my breath. Again, I buried my face in the dirt in a futile attempt to escape. I didn't like any of this. This wasn't at all like playing soldier in the back yard as a kid.

Propelled by forces beyond her control...forced to accept the unacceptable, Maddalena searches for the secret to survival with an indomitable courage that inspires all who read her story. Her journey from a tiny picturesque village in the Italian Apennine Mountains, to the storm and stress of the Chicago slums in the 1930's is a true story told through the eyes of Angelina, her daughter. The reader is filled with compassion and admiration for Maddalena as she fiercely battles poverty and abuse and at her determination to not only feed & clothe her nine children, but also to educate and protect them in a gang-ridden neighborhood.

"From the sunshine of the beautiful Italian beaches to the harshness of the Italian mountain winters, the author gives a vivid description of life in the Old Country and contrasts it to the vastly different experience the immigrants' had in America. She draws a heartfelt, colorful picture of Maddalena, who meets formidable challenges with unconditional love and reveals the true meaning of 'family'."

JoAnn Marie Wood O'Connor, Author of "Remembering A Collection of Daddy's Favorite Songs and Poetry"

"The portrayal of Maddalena, from her earliest girlhood in Italy to her struggle in the tenements of Chicago, will touch the heart of the reader. Her courage in spite of all odds is truly inspirational. The book, with its vivid characterizations, evokes the lives of the Italian immigrants in Chicago's Near West Side in the l930's. Poignant and powerful."

Judith Patterson Author of the forthcoming "Kaleidoscopic Fragments of a Wandering Heart"

"The story of Maddalena touched my heart deeply because it shows how the choice to love is powerful enough to overcome a life of hardship and poverty most of us can't imagine. I feel Maddalena's invincible summer alive in me and all women everywhere."

Linda Jean McNabb Author of "One Again, A True Story of a Different Kind of Forgiveness"

"Angela's command of the English language and her storytelling ability create the life-story of her mother with lyrical vitality. One wonders how any person could have survived the continuous assaults Maddalena endured. Her story brings new life to the womens' movement."

Harold L. Doerr Author of "A Square of Daffodils, Capitalism, And Why Children Don't Learn"

With Colonial troops in South Africa
Many of the small wars of the Victorian era were fought in places where British colonists were attempting to build new lives in proximity to indigenous peoples. This led to hostilities and although regular troops were usually engaged they were often supplemented by locally raised forces. These could be native troops officered by Europeans or bodies of European 'irregular' soldiers. These forces were mixed blessings. They often included local settlers, farmers, traders or hunters who knew their enemy and his language and the terrain over which the campaign would be fought; they were usually expert marksmen and horsemen who were able to live off the country. These units also attracted soldiers of fortune and the sweepings of society who-whilst indisputably tough 'customers'-were notoriously difficult to command. The colony at the tip of southern Africa had been a place of confrontation and conflict since it was established. There had been numerous wars against the so called Kaffir tribes and in 1879 the British Empire determined to neutralise the most significant martial tribe of the region-the Zulus. All those interested in the period are aware of the consequences of that decision. The author of this book has left us a vital account of his time fighting in South Africa with one of these colourful colonial units and his book is, of course, absolutely essential.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

I am a retired professional engineer. I am seventy-seven years old. My first attempt at literary work was translating a Hungarian novel by Wass Albert to English three years ago. It gave me a helpful literary structure and encouraged me to write my own novel, Find a Place to Call Home.

The twenty-four-hour news cycle brings the issues facing America to the forefront every single day. Author Blair Stevens sees parallels between many of these issues and his own life experiences. He offers his unique take on them in "I Made My Choice-Have You?"

A husband, father, and businessman, Stevens discusses several of the most pressing concerns facing Americans today. He explains how working in Mexico City as part of his job shapes his observations on illegal immigration and reveals some possible solutions that America can take to stem the tide.

When Stevens' unwed daughter became pregnant, another hot-button issue-abortion-landed right on Stevens' front doorstep. With warmth and honesty, he shares how the family navigated his daughter's decision to keep the baby and opens up about his views on the right to life. In addition, Stevens discusses other important topics including drug abuse, teen suicide, education, and racism, all within the prism of his experiences.

Down-to-earth and engaging, "I Made My Choice-Have You?" seeks to help you look at today's current events in a different light.