Biography / Historical Figures

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002. First Thus. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs. ArtNews said of this book: "Likely to be the Whistler biography for some time to come. . . a generally absorbing, readable, and informative book." From Whistler's childhood in Tsarist Russia to his military training at West Point, then on to a Bohemian lifestyle in Paris during the 1850's and a controversial career in Victorian London as a painter and printmaker, he himself continually cultivated the myth that has long clouded his artistic achievement and misguided his biographers. Now, in a probing revisionist account, the authors seek out theprivate man and uncover the serious artist beyond Whistler's fabulously crafted public persona as a witty, irascible dandy endlessly feuding witht he art establishment or anyone else who stood in his way. Exploring his friendships with painters like Courbet, Fantin-Latour, Rossetti, Millais, Manet, Monet, and Degas as well as poets and aesthetes such as Baudelaire, Swinburne, Oscar Wilde, and Mallarme, the authors illuminate in full Whistler's pivotal role in bridging the prolific and immensely different art worlds of London and Paris in the 19th century. 544 pages including notes and an index; 20 pages of photographs, six in full color. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Ware, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1999. No Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs and Drawings. Corelli Barnett, an outstanding military historian, seeks to bring to life, through this volume, the heroic figure behind the age of Blenheim. The emphasis of the narrative lies throughout on the character and personality of John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, rather than on the general historical events of his life. The course of Marlborough's war leadership is narrated with clarity, color, pace, and immediacy, rendering his talents and achievement explicable in terms of the military art of his time. He emerges as the greatest soldier of his age, and in the forefront of commanders of all time. Originally published in 1974, this edition is fully illustrated in black & white. 288 pages including a bibliography and index. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1953. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. This is the definitive modern biography of Lucrezia Borgia as well as one of the most illuminating studies ever written about the violent personalities of the High Renaissance. Lucrezia is chiefly remembered, and unfairly so, for her villainy; but she has finally had full justice done to her rich and fascinating personality. She comes to us now as a passionate and womanly figure moving somewhat uncertainly through the pageantry of the Papal court and through the intrigues, ambitions, and political chicanery which swirled about her. Lucrezia had little in common with the myth which pictures her merely as a raven-haired poisoner. The DJ has small tears at the corners and a 1" tear at the spine top, as well as some chips. The bottom spine is chipped. The ffep are missing, starts with the half title page. Rescued from a hospital library that was closing, has usual stamps. The binding is worn through on the two bottom corners and the flap at the spine is turned in. Covered in blue cloth with a few spots, 343 pages including index. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 1975. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. Photographs. This is a well-written biography of Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice. It begins as they have a farewell dinner before leaving the Presidential manner for good. Photographs generously scattered throughout the biography. The cover is blue with a lighter blue at the spine. The spine is quite attractive with lettering in silver and the title behind a deep blue block. There is one light spot on the cover, where one might put their thumb, and the bottom rear corner is lightly worn. The vertical and bottom horizontal page edges have a few spots on them. The rear inside board also has a spot. 335 pages with index; a list of illustrations appears in the front. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Oxford, United Kingdom: Clio Press, Ltd., 1994. No Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. The work of J. Craig Annan (1864-1946) all but disappeared after his death, strangly so, considering his reputation and the important international role he played in the fight for the recognition of photography as an art in its own right. Annan, a son of the photographer Thomas Annan, became a leading member of the Linked Ring. He exhibited widely in both Europe and America. In 1901, he organized a huger international exhibition of Pictorial Photography in Glasgow. His superb photogravures often capture fleeting moments and imbue them with a quiet resonance. They were beautifully published in both Die Kunst in der Photographie and Camera Work, and several are reproduced in this book. 192 pages including an index and bibliography. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Switzerland: Edition Stemmle, 1997. No Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Fernandez, Benedict J.. As early as 1968 Benedict J. Fernandez documented the confrontation between highly vocal minorities and the "quiet majority." A number of photographs from that time have been reproduced in this book. Here was a new phenomenon, even for late-1960s America: The confrontation with minorities who saw it as a part of their constitutional right to free speech that the public would also listen to their views. Many of his photographs contributed significantly to public awareness about this form of opposition. Without a doubt, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the most important figure in the life of the young Fernandez. He took every opportunity to be near the great leader, and thus it is not surprising at all that these photographs are the most impressive, warm-hearted and tender pictures to be found in his entire photographic work. He seeks the individual image, avoiding the anonymous voyeurism of the classical "street photographer". 135 pages including a short biography. The jacket is lightly scuffed around the edges. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Penguin USA, 2002. First Softcover American Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Believed by her followers to have been the second incarnation of Christ, Ann Lee may be one of the most extraordinary and mysterious women in the history of Western culture. From humble origins in Manchester, England, she became the visionary religious leader of the Shakers - a small religious cult characterized by wild shaking, impassioned singing and dancing, speaking in tongues, and a belief that the end of the world was near. When she died in America at age 48, having brought her faithful to a new land on the eve of the American Revolution, she left behind a religious movement that was to have thousands of followers and become one of our most important and successful utopian communities. 388 pages including an index. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Very Good. The cover has a photograph of Clover and Henry Adams with some friends. The pages are stamped on the bottom with the Simon & Schuster logo (looks like a man about to throw a shot put). Inside the front and back covers are family trees of the Adamses, the Hoopers and Sturgises. 381 pages including and index and several pages of photographs. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Atlantic Monthly Pr, 2000. First American Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. The Literary Review (London) said of this book: "One doesn't have to be a missionary, a Congregationalist, or even a Christian to admire their spirit. . . . Everything seems to have caught their imagination. And everything about their trip seems to have caught Hiney's imagination, too. There aren't many books in which the author's fascination and affection for his subject shine through as clearly as in this one." In 1821 the London Missionary Society (LMS) deputized George Bennet and Daniel Tyerman to travel the world, to visit its stations and report on their progress. This is the extraordinary account of this expedition in which they reported chiefs surfing, perpetual warfare and sudden surges and retreats of Christianity in the South Sea islands. Traveling the world, their last stop was the slave hub of Madagascar, where Tyerman died of exhuastion and Bennet had to excape the besieged mission house during the outbreak of tribal war in order to leave the country, finally returning home in 1829. 366 pages including notes, a bibliography, and index. Also includes 8 pages of photographs and drawings of their missionary stops, and one drawn map near the end. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1940. Near Fine/No Jacket. Binding has only one spot on the back.The lettering is gilded but somewhat faded. The page tops are dyed the same color as the book, a sort of dark blue. This biography of Andrew Jackson follows him from his childhood, to marriage, through wars. He also had numerous wards for which he paid for college. There are numerous paintings, drawings and photographs included. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A.: St Martins Press, 2002. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. Using material newly obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Fred Jerome weaves information from Einstein's almost two-thousand-page FBI file with the history of the period to create a spy-story-like narrative that also explores Einstein's political dimension. From the moment Albert Einstein arrived in the United States in 1933, until his death in 1955, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, assisted by several other federal agencies, began feverishly collecting "derogatory information: in an effort to undermine the renowned physicist's influence and destroy his reputation. This book tells the story in depth of that anti-Einstein campaign, explains why and how the campaign originated, and provides the first detailed picture of Einstein's little-known political activism. 358 pages including an appendix, notes, sources, and an index. Additionally, sixteen pages of black & white photographs are included. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Popular Library, 1960. First Softcover Edition. Soft Cover. Good/No Jacket. Mr. Kennedy exposed himself and his family to terrible danger for three years . . . an example of courage that calls for more imitation if we are to delay our surrender to the mob." - New York Times. A crusading lawyer's (Kennedy) personal story of a dramatic struggle with the ruthless enemies of clean unions and honest management. This is a report on the work of the Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field, highlighting some of the typical problems and abuses that were discovered. It is based on the record of the investigations conducted by the Committee's professional staff, the sworn testimony taken before the Committee, and the oficial reports of the Committee to the United States Senate. 320 pages including an index and appendix. There are a few creases on the cover and minor wear at the corners. The spine is creased, pages yellowed. The page edges are all green, but at the bottom it's a bit splotchy. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Pantheon Books, 2002. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/No Jacket. Ruth Paine, interviewed for this book, lived in Irving, Texas and met the Oswalds at a party. She went because she heard that some individuals who spoke Russian would be there, and she was interested in the language. So began her friendship with the Oswalds. Marina Oswald stayed with her for a time as her husband, Lee, went to New Orleans to look for work. They corresponded while the Oswalds were in Louisiana, and some of the letters are quoted in this book. After the Oswalds returned from New Orleans, they stayed with Mrs. Paine; she heard of an opening at the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee gained a position. He didn't work there long before using the location to assassinate President Kennedy. The rest is history. 209 pages, black binding. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988. Hard Bound, Cloth. Fine/Near Fine. Golda Meir was born in Russia in 1898, and emigrated to America with her family when she was three. Raised in Milwaukee's Jewish community, she was headstrong even as a young girl, constantly fighting with her mother and challenging her teachers. At fifteen she ran away to be with her sister in Denver."History has created the myth that Golda was tough, purely pragmatic. David Ben-Gurion had called her 'the only man in my cabinet.' She had steel when it was wanted, but beneath the steel was poetry, music, romance." The love affairs she had, revealed here for the first time, were with men of power, pioneering giants of her time. The corners of the jacket are lightly crinkled, as is the spine bottom. 422 pages with notes, bibliography, index, and 24 pages of photographs. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: Harry N Abrams Inc, 1998. Hard Cover. New/New. New, still in publisher's plastic. This volume contains extensive text and photographs about the last Tsar of Russia and his family. 408 pages with 639 color plates. Folio - over 12" - 15" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Schocken Books, 2005. Stated First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs. After her father died, Sharona Muir learned by chance that he had invented Israel's first rocket. Amazed by this discovery, Muir traveled to Israel to meet her father's colleagues, a group of idealists - many of them refugees from Europe - who had been summoned by David Ben-Gurion to create weapons for a new nation. With the equivalent of $3,000, these young scientists set up shop in a rooftop shed in Tel Aviv, working day and night, falling asleep at their desks while still holding pencils. Through the memories they share, Muir comes to know the brilliant, impassioned, and creative young Itzhak Bentov, her father. She weaves her own memories of him into their stories. As the truths she seeks emerge, Muir elegantly evokes the hubbub of Jerusalem streets, the uncommon lives of her hosts, and the land and skyskapes of the Negev. The result - a story of invention and self-invention, of Israel's founding generation, and of a deep, abiding love between father and daughter - is an incandescent memoir. 275 pages including notes and 8 pages of photographs. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York, New York, U.S.A.: Feminist Press, 1996. First Soft Cover Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs. From Booklist (starred review): "Historians. . . reasessing the role of the NAACP in the U.S. civil rights struggle. . .and lovers of history and biography will be glad these Depression-era reminiscences of the Euramerican woman most deeply involved with the NAACP with its 1909 formation until her death in 1951 have been rescued from the archives of the Baltimore Afro-American, where they appeared in 1932-33." 166 pages. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2004. Unknown. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs and Maps. On May 8, 1944, the B17 climbed and joined other bombers in the cloudy skies over England. It had been a smooth takeoff. Thomas L. Thomas adjusted his navigator's seat in the plane's nose section and glanced out toward the clouds that quickly enveloped the ground beneath the plane. In one sense, he felt somewhat sheltered when the plane joined other planes, 25,000 feet above the English Channel. He imagined that the layer of clouds hid the Flying Fortresses from the flak of enemy fire. However, he knew it was a false sense of security. This is the story of Thomas's experiences in WWII, including his time as a prisoner of war, his arrival at Nuremberg and, finally, his journey home and subsequent life. 204 pages including photographs and a bibliography. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.: Twenty-First Century Books, 2006. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs. This is a book for teens and young adults based on an A&E history program about Mao Zedong. Mao was one of the most powerful people in the world during his lifetime. Yet when he was born in 1893, China was still ruled by the Qing dynasty. Many people longed for a new China, however, and Mao led the way. He came to power in 1949, when China became a Communist nation. As China's ruler, Mao controlled all aspects of Chinese life. The Chinese people were required to study his writings, and pictures of Mao adorned buildings and walls throughout the country. This in-depth profile follows Mao from his country-boy roots through the Cultural Revolution and renwed relations with the United States. Whitney Stewart skillfully elucidates the life of the man who transformed China. 112 pages including a pronunciation guide, list of sources, bibliography, a section on further reading and websites, and an index. Well-illustrated with black & white photographs. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

United Kingdom: Sutton Pub Ltd, 2000. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Photographs and Drawings. The Inca civilization of Peru was one of the greatest of the ancient civilizations of the Americas. Famous for their massive temples and fortresses built from huge blocks of stone and decorated with sheets of pure gold, the Incas also developed a system of government, capable of holding a vast area of territory together, and an extensive system of roads, connecting administrative centers, which acted as a means of colonization. In the 1530s the Spanish, led by the conquistador Pizarro, arrived in Peru. In their search for gold, they devastated the Inca culture, destroying its treasures, killings its leaders and bringing to an end the infrastructure of its empire. By the 1570s native American control in Peru had been completely lost and the civilization was no more. With Pizarro came one Mansio Serra de Leguizamon, who became the last of the Spanish conquistadors to die. This book tells his amazing story. He died at the age of 78, leaving a unique and famous apology for the conquest in his will. This book takes that remarkable document as its starting point, weaving a fascinating, sometimes disturbing tale of the vicious subjugation of the Inca civilization. 206 pages, including the will, his testimonial of past service addressed to King Phillip II, Inca testimonies, glossary and place names, notes, and an index. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Doubleday & Company, 1970. Hard Cover, Pictoral Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. The life of Antoine Lavoisier, for whom the first guillotine was named. The red and black binding has slight edge wear and a white scratch across the front near the top. 206 pages including an index, no marks or tears. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)

Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A.: Univ Pr of Kentucky, 1983. No Edition. Soft Cover. New/No Jacket. Photographs and Charts. The story of Free Frank is not only a testament to human courage and resourcefulness but affords new insights into the American frontier. Born a slave in the South Carolina piedmont in 1777, Frank died a free man in 1854 in a town he had founded in western Illinois. His accomplishments, creditable for any frontiersman, were for a black man extraordinary. When his owner moved to Tennessee, he was left in charge of the Kentucky farm. During the War of 1812, he set up his own saltpeter works, an enterprise he maintained until he left Kentucky. With his wife and four children, all free, Frank left in 1830 to settle on a new frontier in Pike County, Illinois. He purchased a farm and later platted and successfully promoted the town of New Philadelphia. His story suggests a great deal about business activity and legal practices, as well as racial conditions, on the frontier. 223 pages, including an index, bibliographic notes, and end notes. Some photographs and charts. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. more information

Offered by Nan's Book Shop (United States)