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Books > Biography > Historical, political & military
On 15 April 1989, ninety-six spectators lost their lives at
Sheffield's Hillsborough Stadium as they gathered for an FA Cup
semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The
events of that spring afternoon sparked a controversy that
continues to reverberate through British football and policing to
this day.Norman Bettison, a Chief Inspector in the South Yorkshire
Police at the time of the Hillsborough disaster, witnessed the
tragedy as a spectator at the match. Since then, he has found
himself one of the focal points of outrage over the actions of the
police. Comments he made in the wake of the Hillsborough
Independent Panel in 2012 stoked further criticism in the press and
in Parliament and, in October 2012, he resigned from his job as
Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.This personal account
describes how the Hillsborough disaster unfolded, provides an
insight into what was happening at South Yorkshire Police
headquarters in the aftermath, and gives an objective and
compassionate account of the bereaved families' long struggle for
justice, all the while charting the author's journey from innocent
bystander to a symbol of a perceived criminal conspiracy.
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Haley Bennett, Tom
Sturridge, and Sam Riley!
"Narrative history that fizzes with life and feeling.” — Benjamin
Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire's Vinegar
The New York Times bestselling biography of the visionary young woman
who built a champagne empire, became a legend, and showed the world how
to live with style
Veuve Clicquot champagne epitomizes glamour, style, and luxury. In The
Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life—for the first time—the
fascinating woman behind the iconic yellow label: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot
Ponsardin, who, after her husband's death, defied convention by
assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured
together. Steering the company through dizzying political and financial
reversals, she became one of the world's first great businesswomen and
one of the richest women of her time.
As much a fascinating journey through the process of making this
temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered woman, The
Widow Clicquot is the captivating true story of a legend and a
visionary.
______________________________ THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER FROM THE
45th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 'I like thinking big. I always
have. To me it's very simple: If you're going to be thinking
anyway, you might as well think big.' - Donald J. Trump Here is
Trump in action - how he runs his business and how he runs his life
- as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and
friends, clashes with enemies, and changes the face of the New York
City skyline. But even a maverick plays by the rules, and Trump has
formulated eleven guidelines for success. He isolates the common
elements in his greatest deals; he shatters myths; he names names,
spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker's art. And
throughout, Trump talks - really talks - about how he does it.
Trump: The Art of the Deal is an unguarded look at the mind of a
brilliant entrepreneur and an unprecedented education in the
practice of deal-making. It's the most streetwise business book
there is - and the ultimate read for anyone interested in making
money and achieving success, and knowing the man behind the
spotlight.
The definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger
space shuttle disaster based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new
archival research – this is riveting history that reads like a thriller.
On the morning of 28 January 1986, just seventy-three seconds into
flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic
Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions around the world
witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included schoolteacher
Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger
disaster is a defining moment in twentieth century history – one that
forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic
view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened – and why – has
never been told.
Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, original
reporting, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge
of Space follows a handful of central protagonists – including each of
the seven members of the doomed crew – through the years leading up to
the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the
investigation that followed. It’s a compelling tale of optimism and
ingenuity shattered by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the
interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubristic ‘go fever’; and
of an investigation driven by heroic leakers and whistle-blowers
determined to bring the truth to light.
With astonishing clarity and narrative verve, Adam Higginbotham reveals
the history of the shuttle program, the lives of men and women whose
stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the
designers, engineers and test pilots who struggled against the odds to
get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human
drama, fascinating science and shocking political infighting,
Challenger brings to life a turning point in our history. The result is
an even more complex and extraordinary story than any of us remembered
– or thought possible.
Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of
the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light
on the human experience - classics which will endure for
generations to come. Few books have had such an impact as Wild
Swans: a popular bestseller which has sold more than 13 million
copies and a critically acclaimed history of China; a tragic tale
of nightmarish cruelty and an uplifting story of bravery and
survival. Through the story of three generations of women in her
own family - the grandmother given to the warlord as a concubine,
the Communist mother and the daughter herself - Jung Chang reveals
the epic history of China's twentieth century. Breathtaking in its
scope, unforgettable in its descriptions, this is a masterpiece
which is extraordinary in every way.
Aubrey Jones was born in Merthyr Tydfil the oldest son of a miner
father and a teacher mother. He was educated at the local Cyfarthfa
Castle school from where he won a scholarship to the London School
of Economics. He left the LSE with a first class honours degree, as
well as the Gladstone memorial prize and a Gerstenberg award for
postgraduate studies. Shortly after leaving the LSE he joined the
Times, departing his desk in Berlin just days before the outbreak
of the Second World War. On return to London he served in the War
Office and army intelligence, finally seeing theatre in North
Africa and Italy. At the end of the war he returned to the Times
but soon tired of journalism and took a post as assistant to the
director of the British Iron and Steel Federation, eventually
becoming its director. He was first elected to Parliament as an
unlikely member of the Conservative party in 1950 and appointed
first, Minister for Fuel and Power and then Minister of Supply
under successive Conservative Prime Ministers. But Macmillan's
re-election in 1959 saw him return to the back-benches and
reinvigorate his industrial experience. From that time he was
convinced that the UK should join the European Community, as it
then was. He also took a strong position in support of
technological development, believing the country would benefit from
a Government policy encouraging closer cooperation between military
and civil technology. When Harold Wilson won the 1964 election for
Labour he and George Brown, surprisingly, picked Aubrey Jones to
become chairman of the newly formed National Board for Prices and
Incomes. He was selected for the role from a dozen names as the
only candidate acceptable to both the TUC and the CBI. The decision
to take the job saw him give up his Conservative seat and face a
wider rejection by the Conservative party. George Brown told him
there'd be a peerage at the end of his chairmanship of the NBPI but
that was never Aubrey Jones' goal. Instead he returned to industry,
taking up various directorships in the UK and he later spent time
abroad, first consulting on reforming the civil service for the
military Government of Nigeria and then acting in various
consultancy roles for the Government of the Shah of Iran until just
before the revolution in that country. Upon his return to the UK
Aubrey Jones sought to return to the House of Commons. He fought
and lost the 1983 General Election in the Birmingham constituency
of Sutton Coldfield for the Liberal Alliance. He later joined the
Social Democrats and eventually the Liberal party. He firmly
believed there was a role for the State in civil society, more so
than the politics of the Conservative party would allow. He also
passionately believed that, with the Empire gone, the UK needed to
be part of a much larger entity to make its voice heard in the
world. That entity was, for Aubrey Jones, the European Community
and the Liberal Party was the only political party of the day,
which was firmly committed to membership of the Community.
Unfortunately Aubrey Jones ended his memoirs when he departed from
Iran but his views on Europe come across strongly in the selection
of notes and letters he wrote subsequently. It's fair to say he
would be deeply frustrated by the result of the 2016 EU referendum
and the ensuing debacle about the manner and terms of the final
withdrawal from the European Union.
A dedicated career soldier and excellent division and corps
commander, Dominique Vandamme was a thorn in the side of
practically every officer he served. Outspoken to a fault, he even
criticized Napoleon, whom he never forgave for not appointing him
marshal. His military prowess so impressed the emperor, however,
that he returned Vandamme to command time and again.In this first
book-length study of Vandamme in English, John G. Gallaher traces
the career of one of Napoleon's most successful midrank officers.
He describes Vandamme's rise from a provincial youth with neither
fortune nor influence to an officer of the highest rank in the
French army. Gallaher thus offers a rare look at a Napoleonic
general who served for twenty-five years during the wars of the
French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire. This was a time when a
general could lose his head if he lost a battle. Despite Vandamme's
contentious nature, Gallaher shows, Napoleon needed his skills as a
commander, and Vandamme needed Napoleon to further his career.
Gallaher draws on a wealth of archival sources in France - notably
the Vandamme Papers in Lille - to draw a full portrait of the
general. He also reveals new information on such military events as
the Silesian campaign of 1807 and the disaster at Kulm in 1813.
Gallaher presents Vandamme in the context of the Napoleonic command
system, revealing how he related to both subordinates and
superiors. Napoleon's Enfant Terrible depicts an officer who was
his own worst enemy but who was instrumental in winning an empire.
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