The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
UK Title: Four Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses
US release: June 3, 2014
UK release: March 27, 2014
They were the Princess Dianas of their dayperhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand DuchessesOlga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanovwere much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle.
Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it.
The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Helen Rappaport aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados.
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Forthcoming Books: 2014 Edition
- Mythica
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Defending the City of God: A Medieval Queen, the First Crusades, and the Quest for Peace in Jerusalem by Sharan Newman
US release: April 29, 2014
UK release: May 27, 2014
Jerusalem sits at the crossroads of three continents and has been continuously invaded for millennia. Yet, in the middle of one of the regions most violent eras, the Crusades, an amazing multicultural world was forming. Templar knights, Muslim peasants, Turkish caliphs, Jewish merchants, and the native Christians, along with the children of the first crusaders, blended cultures while struggling to survive in a land constantly at war. Defending the City of God explores this fascinating and forgotten world, and how a group of sisters, daughters of the King of Jerusalem, whose supporters included Grand Masters of the Templars and Armenian clerics, held together the fragile treaties, understandings, and marriages that allowed for relative peace among the many different factions. As the crusaders fought to maintain their conquests, these relationships quickly unraveled, and the religious and cultural diversity was lost as hardline factions took over. Weaving together the political intrigues and dynastic battles that transformed the Near East with an evocative portrait of medieval Jerusalem, this is an astonishing look at a forgotten side of the first Crusades.
US release: April 29, 2014
UK release: May 27, 2014
Jerusalem sits at the crossroads of three continents and has been continuously invaded for millennia. Yet, in the middle of one of the regions most violent eras, the Crusades, an amazing multicultural world was forming. Templar knights, Muslim peasants, Turkish caliphs, Jewish merchants, and the native Christians, along with the children of the first crusaders, blended cultures while struggling to survive in a land constantly at war. Defending the City of God explores this fascinating and forgotten world, and how a group of sisters, daughters of the King of Jerusalem, whose supporters included Grand Masters of the Templars and Armenian clerics, held together the fragile treaties, understandings, and marriages that allowed for relative peace among the many different factions. As the crusaders fought to maintain their conquests, these relationships quickly unraveled, and the religious and cultural diversity was lost as hardline factions took over. Weaving together the political intrigues and dynastic battles that transformed the Near East with an evocative portrait of medieval Jerusalem, this is an astonishing look at a forgotten side of the first Crusades.
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And some American non-fiction:
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott
Sep 2, 2014
No cover yet.
Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and pioneer of sizzle history (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.
Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous womena socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widowwho were spies.
After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose ONeale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.
Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy contains 39 black & photos and 3 maps.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott
Sep 2, 2014
No cover yet.
Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and pioneer of sizzle history (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War.
Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet little known aspects of the Civil War: the stories of four courageous womena socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widowwho were spies.
After shooting a Union soldier in her front hall with a pocket pistol, Belle Boyd became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds cut off her hair and assumed the identity of a man to enlist as a Union private, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The beautiful widow, Rose ONeale Greenhow, engaged in affairs with powerful Northern politicians to gather intelligence for the Confederacy, and used her young daughter to send information to Southern generals. Elizabeth Van Lew, a wealthy Richmond abolitionist, hid behind her proper Southern manners as she orchestrated a far-reaching espionage ring, right under the noses of suspicious rebel detectives.
Using a wealth of primary source material and interviews with the spies descendants, Abbott seamlessly weaves the adventures of these four heroines throughout the tumultuous years of the war. With a cast of real-life characters including Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne, General Stonewall Jackson, detective Allan Pinkerton, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and Emperor Napoleon III, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy draws you into the war as these daring women lived it.
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy contains 39 black & photos and 3 maps.
- Mythica
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- Location: Colorado
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Iron Horses: America's Race to Bring the Railroads West by Walter R. Borneman
Nov 18, 2014
No cover yet
A vivid account of the origins of the transcontinental railroad -- available for the first time in trade paperback -- by the author of the bestselling The Admirals: "Borneman is masterly at writing seamless narrative." -- Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior
After the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, the rest of the United States was up for grabs, and the race was on. The prize: a better, shorter, less snowy route through the American Southwest, linking Los Angeles to Chicago. In IRON HORSES, Borneman recounts the rivalries, contested routes, political posturing, and business dealings that unfolded as an increasing number of lines pushed their way across the country.
Borneman brings to life the legendary robber barons behind it all and also captures the herculean efforts required to construct these roads -- the laborers who did the back-breaking work, the brakemen who ran atop moving cars, the tracklayers crushed and killed by runaway trains. From backroom deals in Washington, DC, to armed robberies of trains in the wild deserts, from cattle cars to streamliners and Super Chiefs, all the great incidents and innovations of a mighty American era are made vivid in IRON HORSES.
Nov 18, 2014
No cover yet
A vivid account of the origins of the transcontinental railroad -- available for the first time in trade paperback -- by the author of the bestselling The Admirals: "Borneman is masterly at writing seamless narrative." -- Douglas Brinkley, author of The Wilderness Warrior
After the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, the rest of the United States was up for grabs, and the race was on. The prize: a better, shorter, less snowy route through the American Southwest, linking Los Angeles to Chicago. In IRON HORSES, Borneman recounts the rivalries, contested routes, political posturing, and business dealings that unfolded as an increasing number of lines pushed their way across the country.
Borneman brings to life the legendary robber barons behind it all and also captures the herculean efforts required to construct these roads -- the laborers who did the back-breaking work, the brakemen who ran atop moving cars, the tracklayers crushed and killed by runaway trains. From backroom deals in Washington, DC, to armed robberies of trains in the wild deserts, from cattle cars to streamliners and Super Chiefs, all the great incidents and innovations of a mighty American era are made vivid in IRON HORSES.
- Mythica
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- Location: Colorado
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Houses of Civil War America: The Homes of Robert E. Lee, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, and Others Who Shaped the Era by Hugh Howard (Author), Roger Straus (Photographer)
Nov 4, 2014
No cover yet.
A revealing historical and photographic tour of the homes of influential Civil War figures, including Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, Stonewall Jackson, and others.
Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and a fitting sequel to Houses of the Presidents, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA takes readers into the daily lives of the most important historical figures in the nation-defining conflict. From modest abolitionist homes to the plantations of the antebellum south. Howard and Straus bring the most intimate moments of the war to life. With insightful narrative and gorgeous photography, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA demonstrates--through these landmark homes--the nation we were and the nation we became.
Nov 4, 2014
No cover yet.
A revealing historical and photographic tour of the homes of influential Civil War figures, including Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, Stonewall Jackson, and others.
Timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and a fitting sequel to Houses of the Presidents, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA takes readers into the daily lives of the most important historical figures in the nation-defining conflict. From modest abolitionist homes to the plantations of the antebellum south. Howard and Straus bring the most intimate moments of the war to life. With insightful narrative and gorgeous photography, HOUSES OF CIVIL WAR AMERICA demonstrates--through these landmark homes--the nation we were and the nation we became.
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- Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
- Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
- Location: Temple of Isis
[quote=""annis""]What on earth were they thinking with that woman on the cover of Defending the City of God? Looks like a time-traveller from an evening out in the 1960s got dropped into the middle of medieval Jerusalem![/quote]
Yeah, I was thinking the dress looked out of place too.
Yeah, I was thinking the dress looked out of place too.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}
- Madeleine
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- Currently reading: "Mania" by L J Ross
- Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
- Location: Essex/London
[quote=""Nefret""]Yeah, I was thinking the dress looked out of place too.[/quote]
Yes, she looks like she's about to give a concert and burst into song.
Yes, she looks like she's about to give a concert and burst into song.
Last edited by Madeleine on Tue March 11th, 2014, 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross
- Madeleine
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- Currently reading: "Mania" by L J Ross
- Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
- Location: Essex/London
[quote=""Mythica""]The Miniaturist: A Novel by Jessie Burton
UK: July 3, 2014
US: August 26, 2014
Set in seventeenth century Amsterdama city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religiona masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.
There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse officeleaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.
But Nellas world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturistan elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .
Johannes gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understandand fearthe escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?
Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.
UK / US Covers
[/quote]
This just reminds me of all those episodes of CSI which featured the miniature killer
UK: July 3, 2014
US: August 26, 2014
Set in seventeenth century Amsterdama city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religiona masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.
There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse officeleaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.
But Nellas world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturistan elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .
Johannes gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understandand fearthe escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?
Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.
UK / US Covers
[/quote]
This just reminds me of all those episodes of CSI which featured the miniature killer
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross