AUTHORS NOTE: Dedicated to the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great, this book presents one of the most elusive and controversial rulers of the 18th century, subjected to myriad glories and legends, and whose personality requires a few more centuries to duke it out what kind of combat or person he was. Since German unification under the Great Elector, Frederick II has been unfairly seen as the root of militarist Germany that dominated Europe during the First and Second World Wars. Most biographies focus heavily on the rehabilitation of his reputation that was already overshadowed by Napoleon Bonaparte. But the consistency of his character makes it plain that Frederick II was a military genius, who could lead troops from the front in the thick of the battles, losing horses under him, loosing Generals, and still fearlessly moving forward with bullet wholes through his collar. Frederick II was a self-styled philosopher, a classed "monarch-enluminator," whose domestic reforms and expansions made Prussia an iron kingdom, doubling its holdings. He was Voltaires pen-pal. He admired Voltaire, argued with him, and brain-stormed him. This book also describes the King's passion of poetry, his correspondence with Voltaire, treatment of military and diplomatic causes, warfare, state-society nexus, and ardent sense for art and music. He had composed 121 flute sonatas, 4 concertos, areas, a symphony, and an overture. He wrote the treatise "Anti-Machiavel." He sketched and designed his resort Sanssouci in Potsdam, the grand palace and parks, the opulent equivalents to the Chateau de Versailles, and the European prototype of todays Epcot. Seen as a despot and nobleman at the same time, Frederick was a fascinating character for his rivals. In all complexities of that extraordinary spirit, one thing at least is certain; that spirit, whether it was admirable to some, or odious to others, was moved by a terrific force.

In 1343 a seventeen-year-old girl named Johanna (1326-1382) ascended the Neapolitan throne, becoming the ruling monarch of one of medieval Europe's most important polities. For nearly forty years, she held her throne and the avid attention of her contemporaries. Their varied responses to her reign created a reputation that made Johanna the most notorious woman in Europe during her lifetime. In From She-Wolf to Martyr, Elizabeth Casteen examines Johanna's evolving, problematic reputation and uses it as a lens through which to analyze often-contradictory late-medieval conceptions of rulership, authority, and femininity.When Johanna inherited the Neapolitan throne from her grandfather, many questioned both her right to and her suitability for her throne. After the murder of her first husband, Johanna quickly became infamous as a she-wolf-a violent, predatory, sexually licentious woman. Yet, she also eventually gained fame as a wise, pious, and able queen. Contemporaries-including Francesco Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Birgitta of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena-were fascinated by Johanna. Drawing on a wide range of textual and visual sources, Casteen reconstructs the fourteenth-century conversation about Johanna and tracks the role she played in her time's cultural imaginary. She argues that despite Johanna's modern reputation for indolence and incompetence, she crafted a new model of female sovereignty that many of her contemporaries accepted and even lauded.

This is my memoir. I am an Indian born American. While telling my stories in the first person, I strayed into the worlds of history, social customs and middle class life in India of my time.

Alexandre Dumas ( born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 - 5 December 1870) was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure. Translated into nearly 100 languages, these have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne were originally published as serials. His novels have been adapted since the early twentieth century for nearly 200 films. Dumas' last novel, The Knight of Sainte-Hermine, unfinished at his death, was completed by a scholar and published in 2005, becoming a bestseller. It was published in English in 2008 as The Last Cavalier. -wikipedia

This extensive book review - written by an expert on the murder of Princess Diana - exposes Alan Power as a fraudster. Over 200 separate errors are shown, but with Power's propensity for repetition there are actually well over 500. The most disturbing factor is the nature of the errors - the 180 page review reveals that Power has deliberately duped his readers. There are many instances of Power fraudulently altering sworn witness evidence to fit with his pre-determined false scenario of what occurred. Alan Power Exposed shows that Power's book is a minefield of deceptive writing, manipulation of evidence, misinformation and misrepresentation of the facts. In the end it becomes impossible for the reader of The Princess Diana Conspiracy to discern what is fact and what is fiction or fantasy. At one point Power writes: "Rest assured, my perception is not given to exaggeration or fancy but is based on the facts" - but unfortunately the truth is quite the opposite. Power's claims of carrying out a ten year investigation and scrutinising the inquest evidence are shown to be false. Questions are raised over the book's authorship - there is evidence indicating the probability that there was more than one writer. The review also addresses the incredible "coincidence" in the timing of Power's publication - it was published within days of the Scotland Yard announcement that it was scoping new information on the crash, an allegation by Soldier N that the SAS were involved. Alan Power Exposed includes an analysis dealing with the reasons why there are so many critical errors in The Princess Diana Conspiracy - it is not an accident. The review raises the very real possibility that Power's book may in the future be used by the Establishment to deal a strategic blow against the entire Princess Diana conspiracy movement. This is an incisive review written by John Morgan, who has authored nine investigative books on the assassination of Princess Diana. He is viewed by many as the world's leading expert on the circumstances around the 1997 crash in Paris' Alma Tunnel. This is a must read for anyone who has read - or intends to read - Alan Power's book, The Princess Diana Conspiracy: The Evidence of Murder.

This accessible, immensely readable biography of Elizabeth I by Jacob Abbott is part of the 'Makers of History' series, and is the best single-volume introduction to the life and times of the Virgin Queen.

A riveting saga of deceit, scandal, sex, greed and power

I've traveled all over the world. I've stayed in the best hotels and eaten in the best restaurants. But that isn't me. I'm a simple man. I have simple tastes and I live in a simple house.

But people who knew of my past life still want to know . . . what's it like? What's it like to work for the richest family on earth, the Royal Family of Brunei?

"Well they have money and they spend it," I answer them. I tire of the subject. I know once they get a taste of the story, the questions will keep coming.

"No," they answer. "That's not what I mean. What's it like to travel with the Royal Family? What are they like?"

How can I answer that?

What are they like? They are one of the last true monarchies here on earth. They still rule with a word and with a wave of their hand, no different than they did centuries ago. I worked for a true monarchy, which could have been taken straight out of the movie, "The King and I."

There is not enough time in a day or even a week to tell them all there is to tell.

Yet this story is true. It is no movie nor is it a fairy tale.

I lived it.

For a simple man like me who lives in a simple house, to become a slave of the highest order and to have lived in their world is still surreal.

I see you interrupting me, "A slave you say. There are no longer any slaves."

I scoff at you. I was indeed a slave. What do you call a person who has no life other than what the prince or princess gives them as their daily morsel. What do you call a man who does not sleep but maybe three hours a night waiting by the phone for orders or instructions for twelve years on end? Shall I tell those who ask that the work almost killed me several times over? Shall I tell them that I was indeed a slave who lost his wife because of years of neglecting her and who did not get to see his own children grow up?

Shall I tell them of the deceit, lies, and backstabbing which were the normal part of my everyday existence. Shall I tell them that maybe only one out of ten thousand men could have done my job because of the miracles that they expected me to perform?

No slaves indeed

Welcome to my life.