Historical

For fans of Vanderbilt and The Last Castle, a riveting biography of the reclusive heiress who became a fairy godmother to twentieth-century artists while intently guarding her own secrets. "A journey through the bedrooms and drawing rooms of the twentieth-century art world where luminaries...

Explore how ten visionary leaders forged history through impossible choices, political strategy, and raw resilience. Perfect for an inspiring commute or a reflective weekend listen, this immersive biographical journey dismantles the myth of the solitary hero. Instead, it exposes the high-stakes...

The late, legendary performer and activist’s candid reflections on American race relations and social movements, based on previously unpublished conversations with the award-winning historian Harry Belafonte was more than a bestselling folk singer and Hollywood’s first Black matinée idol...

Bloomsbury presents Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King, read by Mark Meadows. From the acclaimed author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Leonardo and the Last Supper, the riveting story of how Michelangelo, against all odds, created the masterpiece that has ever since adorned the ceiling...

Bloomsbury presents Mad Enchantment by Ross King, read by Mark Meadows Claude Monet’s water lily paintings are among the most iconic and beloved works of art of the past century. Yet these entrancing images were created at a time of terrible private turmoil and sadness for the artist. The...

Violet Jessop's life is an inspiring story of survival. Born in 1887 in Argentina, the eldest child of Irish immigrants, at the age of 21 she became the breadwinner for her widowed mother and five siblings when she commenced a career as a stewardess and nurse on some of the most famous ocean...

George Washington and the Creation of the American Republic debunks the portrayal of George Washington in what is described by historians as the “Critical Years” (1781–1789), a time when he was deeply involved in land speculation, western expansion, scientific farming, canal building...

From the horrors of slavery to the battlefields of the Civil War, Lucy Higgs Nichols has become a symbol of resilience and a trailblazer for justice and equality. There are only two known images of Lucy Higgs Nichols, a Civil War nurse who escaped enslavement to join the Indiana 23rd Regiment...

On March 16, 1621, Samoset, a sagamore of the Wawenock, cemented his place in history. He was the first Indigenous person to make contact with the colonists at Plymouth Plantation, startling them when he emerged from the forest and welcomed them in English. The extraordinary thing about...

Using historical documents and translated by Régine Pernoud, Joan of Arc seeks to answer the questions asked by Joan's contemporaries as well as us: Who was she? Whence came she? What had been her life and exploits? First published in the United States in 1966 by Stein and Day, this book...

A wildly funny and meticulously researched re-examination of the life of explorer Matthew Flinders, as Shaun Micallef charts the chaos, comedy and contradictions behind the founding of Australia. Who was Matthew Flinders? A pioneer who gave Australia its name but chose to name nothing after...

A riveting, first-hand portrait of one of America’s greatest freedom fighters. In this vivid narrative, Sarah H. Bradford gathers Harriet Tubman’s own stories—of brutal childhood in Maryland, a near‑fatal head injury, her daring escape, and the nineteen missions that earned her the name...

So many of our country’s heroes from the past remain unsung. Murarirao Ghorpade is one such. He was a valiant warrior, an articulate statesman and a descendant of the Maratha clan, committed to Hindavi Swaraj.Murarirao independently built a strong and highly efficient military force. He...

“I often wondered how Kandaya felt as we closed in on him. We had the helicopters, the radios, the firepower. But he had stealth on his side.” Angus Shaw was there when Rhodesia slid into war. Born in the country he would later fight for, Shaw records, first as a civilian newspaper...

The Adventures of Betsey Buck, An American Life, 1783-1819 presents a narrative richly detailing the life of Betsey Buck and her family during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The narrative encompasses aspects of women’s daily life, social customs, economic activities, and significant...