Political Biographies

The #1 New York Times bestseller from David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize — the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly — Wilbur and Orville Wright. On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two brothers — bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio — changed history. But...

“Kirstin Downey’s lively, substantive and—dare I say—inspiring new biography of Perkins . . . not only illuminates Perkins’ career but also deepens the known contradictions of Roosevelt’s character.” —Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air One of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s closest friends and the first female secretary of labour, Perkins capitalised on the president’s political savvy and popularity to enact most of...

After George H. W. Bush lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton in 1992, John Robert Greene’s verdict on the 41st president of the United States was that he “brought no discredit to the office” and “was both patient and prudent. . . mak [ing] few mistakes.” In the years since the release of Greene’s profile of the senior Bush,...

In December 1975, Charleston voters elected a young attorney and former state lawmaker as the city's new mayor. The rest is history. Joseph Patrick Riley Jr., just 32 at the time, promised to make Charleston an inclusive city, heal the lingering wounds of the civil rights movement, stem the rising crime rate, and open more public parks for all residents....

"A respected Special Forces combat veteran of the top-secret MACV-SOG, Dale Hanson draws upon his first-hand knowledge to write with an intensity only possible by a warrior who equally knows how to wield a pen. Well written and thoroughly engaging, it's an excellent read." -Maj. John Plaster, Ret., Special Forces, SOG warrior and author "I have read many books written...

New York Times bestseller Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with Kings and Sex with Presidents, returns with another work of popular feminist history, exploring the history of misogyny against women with power, from Cleopatra to Kamala Harris. Imagine Donald Trump as a woman, called Donna. Would Donna Trump have been viewed as blunt, honest, and refreshing? Would she have won...

Is Spain really still tied - culturally, politically, and emotionally - to the dictator Francisco Franco? What was (and is) his place in the public imaginary? What remains today of the man and his legacy? This book examines the public image of Franco and the social construction(s) of his public biography over four different periods: the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939),...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER One of the most distinctive and funny politicians, Senator John Kennedy (the one from Louisiana)—hailed by Politico as "America's most quotable Senator"—offers his perceptive (and hilarious) takes on the ridiculousness of political life in this scathingly witty takedown of Washington and its elite denizens. How to Test Negative for Stupid offers the Senator's tongue-in-cheek guidebook...

The rise of Donald Trump may have shocked Americans, but it should not have surprised them. His anti-democratic movement is the culmination of a decades-long breakdown of U.S. institutions. The same blindness to U.S. decline—particularly the loss of economic stability for the majority of the population and opportunity-hoarding by the few—is reflected in an unwillingness to accept that authoritarianism can...

Presiding in the White House longer than any other first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt championed the downtrodden as she traveled the globe, yet she was a maze of contradictions—an idealist who carried on a moneymaking career that depended on her position and a conventional-appearing wife and mother who found emotional succor from intense relationships outside her family. This book cuts through...

The inspiration for the Netflix series Death by Lightning – now streaming! • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The extraordinary account of James Garfield's rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from the bestselling author of The River of Doubt. "Crisp, concise and revealing history.... A fresh narrative that plumbs some...

In 1828 Bridget Miranda Evoy escaped famine-stricken Ireland with her children for a better life in America. But the relief she desperately sought was elusive. Within two years, she was a widow and was left raising her five children after the untimely death of her husband. Finding herself in dire straits in “The Gateway to the West”, Bridget's Gambit tells...

"...a near-unbelievable story of deadly missions carried out by small Green Beret-led teams operating deep in enemy territory against all but impossible odds." -Michael P Buckland, Special Forces SOG warrior "These were extremely dangerous, top secret operations, which tested Hanson's mettle; the Christian values of his youth...shone brightly. Read this book and you'll agree with the Green Berets who knew...

A deep look at the impact of Christian scripture on Bartolomé de las Casas, one of the first and strongest critics against Spanish colonialism of the New World and for Indigenous rights. Theologian, activist, reformer, political philosopher, historian and anthropologist Bartolomé de las Casas, OP (1484-1566) was a polarising figure in his own time and continues to provoke debate today....

A mesmerizing firsthand account of the warping of American reality over the past decade as Donald Trump has risen to dominance—from a participatory witness who got so far inside the distortion field that it swallowed her whole.Olivia Nuzzi spent a third of her life observing those in power. She became a reporter in 2014, when the political landscape began to...

For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, former Vice President Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history. Your Secret Service code name is Pioneer.You are the first woman in history to be elected vice president of the United States.On July 21, 2024, your running mate, Joe...

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Financial Times Book of the Year Economist Book of the Year ‘A political epic’ – Guardian ‘This is the book Trump fears most.’ – Axios Few journalists have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few better understand the polarising 45th president or his motivations. In this astonishing, illuminating book, Haberman...

Booker T. Washington's famous 1901 memoir, Up from Slavery, charts Washington's rise from an enslaved child with a passion for learning to the nation's most prominent Black educator and first president of Tuskegee University. A tireless advocate for Black economic independence, Washington attempted to balance his public acceptance of segregation with behind-the-scenes lobbying against voter disenfranchisement and financing anti-Jim Crow...

In a powerful work of memoir, history, and biography, Jane Messer retraces the tragic and hopeful steps of her Jewish German grandmother, Bella. From pre-war Berlin to Tel Aviv to Melbourne, Messer follows Bella's journey and tries to understand her choices, including why she abandoned her son Michael in England before the war. Along the way, she speaks with historians...

A commanding biography of one of Australia's greatest and most visionary prime ministers by an acclaimed political journalist and author. There has been no one like Gough Whitlam in public life - a charismatic, inspirational and visionary leader who ushered in a reform revolution to modernise Australia, which endures to this day. But Whitlam's immense self-belief, relentless determination, misjudgements and...

Award-winning Army Strategist and top West Point professor ML (Matt) Cavanaugh shares the lessons from his 25-year military career that enabled him to turn pain to power, scars to strength, and become great by doing good. Inspired by a near-death combat experience, Cavanaugh transformed himself from failure to fit with an act of radical generosity. He donated a kidney to...

This is the incredible untold story of four women who helped win World War II by generating a wave of black propaganda. Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in...

The Starmer Project is a forensic and revealing account of Keir Starmer's rise to the top of British politics. Oliver Eagleton paints a fascinating picture of a human-rights barrister turned chief prosecutor and his handling of a number of cases involving the police and security services. He traces Starmer's political alliances and his leading role in Labour's Brexit agony. When...

When a twenty-year-old Ukrainian arrived in London as a candidate for the position of secret agent in Britain's Secret Intelligence Bureau, the chiefs of what would one day become MI5 were wise to hire him, as he would become Britain's greatest spy, a man known by several names.His ingenuity and his mastery of the trade, and his audacity and coolness...

Propaganda Girls is the incredible untold story of four women who helped win World War II by generating a wave of black propaganda. Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living...

The definitive biography of perhaps the most respected political figure in the world - updated to include her final months in office. Matthew Qvortrup's insightful biography of Angela Merkel is essential reading for anyone interested in current affairs, the fate of Europe, or simply the story of a truly remarkable woman. Updated to within a month from when Merkel steps...

A call for a restoration of professionalism in American government, as illustrated by the life of President George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush is often regarded as the most well-prepared president ever to occupy the Oval Office. Though raised in a world of privilege, Bush was grounded in the belief that character and achievement were essential to serve...

'One of the shrewdest political commentators we have' Andrew Marr Was Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past—Labour's vote-losing 1980s and the dominance of Margaret Thatcher? Was the party's move to the right under Blair necessary in order for them to win, or could they, after 18 years of Tory rule, have afforded...

Meet the woman behind the politician Offers a remarkable new view of a remarkable and still under-appreciated leader - Simon Jenkins Since stepping down in 1990, Margaret Thatcher has become a cardboard cut-out hate figure or an iconic defender of freedom, depending on your politics. In The Incidental Feminist: Friend, foe, femme fatale: The truth about Thatcher, Tina Gaudoin investigates...

A legendary editor's survey of the twentieth-century novel and how it shaped the form for years to come. For more than two decades, Edwin Frank has introduced readers to forgotten or overlooked texts as director of the acclaimed publisher New York Review Books. In Stranger Than Fiction, he offers a legendary editor's survey of the key works that defined the...

The charismatic Fulvia amassed a degree of military and political power that was unprecedented for a woman in Ancient Rome. Married three times to men who moved in powerful circles, including Marc Antony, Fulvia was not content to play the usual background role that was expected of a wife. Instead, she challenged the Roman patriarchy and sought to increase her...

In the presidential elections of 1980, 1984, and 1988, the three Democratic nominees won an average of about 10 per cent of the Electoral College vote—a smaller share than any party in any three consecutive presidential elections in US history. In the next seven elections, Democrats won the popular vote in all but one (2004), a feat not achieved by...

The heroic accounts of Australian Army Nursing Sisters Margaret Anderson and Vera Torney who survived the perilous evacuation of Singapore in 1942. The nursing profession is one historically filled with everyday heroes; men and women engaged in challenging work that can often prove the difference between life and death. Nursing Sisters Margaret Anderson and Vera Torney of the 2/13th Australian...

A Financial Times Best Book of the Year The definitive biography of Zhou Enlai, the first premier and preeminent diplomat of the People's Republic of China, who protected his country against the excesses of his boss—Chairman Mao. Zhou Enlai spent twenty-seven years as premier of the People's Republic of China and ten as its foreign minister. He was also its...

A personal account by a war historian and adoptee who discovers his biological father was a famous Marine combat photographer in Vietnam. Robert K. Brigham has had a substantial career as a historian of the Vietnam War, contributing to nine books, a documentary, public history projects, and more. While many historians have felt compelled to write about subjects close to...

The instant New York Times bestseller from the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story—her husband's: JFK: Public, Private, Secret. In this definitive portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—one of America's most consequential and enigmatic presidents—J. Randy Taraborrelli delivers a deeply researched and authoritative biography. More than the...

A powerful story of resilience, leadership, and staying true to yourself. Annastacia Palaszczuk made history when she became the first woman to win the premiership of Queensland from opposition. She made history again when she became the first female premier in the nation to secure three consecutive terms. But her journey to the top was anything but easy. She defied...

What really makes the British royal family tick? It's a question that royal watchers have pondered for as long as there has been a royal family. And the answer?Well, surprisingly, it's not the royal family's devotion to duty, it's not their wealth or their status, it's not even their popularity (or notoriety!). No, what really makes the royal family tick...

A stunning new story of Queen Victoria's secret love for her servant John Brown, by the acclaimed historian Fern Riddell. 'Weep with me for we all have lost the best, the truest heart that ever beat!' From the moment John Brown arrived as a servant to Queen Victoria's household, he became known across the land as her loyal companion, her...

Who works for the government and why does their work matter? An urgent and absorbing journey into a hidden world from an all-star team of writers and storytellers The government is a vast, complex system that citizens pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss, and celebrate. It's also our shared resource for addressing the biggest problems of society. And it's...

From the author of the “insightful and well-crafted” (The Wall Street Journal) Kennedy and King comes a heart-wrenching and sensitive examination of the tragic loss of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s premature son, Patrick, and how their shared grief brought them closer together in the months leading up to his assassination. In April 1963, the White...

Nobel Prize-winning author Patrick Modiano's masterpiece- a moving memoir, a portrait of war-torn Europe and a hunt for one missing girl. WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE Missing, a young girl, Dora Bruder, age 15. One winter night in 1941, a Jewish girl runs away from her Paris boarding school. Stumbling across her disappearance listed in an old newspaper,...

'What a wonderful book!  The storytelling, the research, the deep love of her subject -- this must be the climax of Rappaport's long and illustrious career' Lucy Worsley   To Queen Victoria she was Aunt Julie; to Catherine the Great she was Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna, granddaughter-in-law. This is the story of Princess Juliane-Henriette-Ulrike of Saxe-Coburg, the Rebel Romanov.  Born in 1781...

A gripping, definitive account of one man's battle to reckon with the horror of the Holocaust, by Jack Fairweather, the bestselling, Costa prize-winning author of The Volunteer (over 100k TCM) 'FIVE STARS ... Magnificent' Telegraph 'Compulsively readable' Financial Times 'Gripping and timely' The Times 'Crackingly told' Philippe Sands 'A kind of masterclass' Sebastian Junger THE NEW BOOK FROM THE BESTSELLING,...

Was Robert Menzies out of step with the swinging 1960s, or did he shape the profound changes that it wrought?Menzies led Australia for over half the decade, finally retiring in 1966 as our oldest prime minister. His reputation for stability and continuity appears opposed to everything we commonly associate with the 1960s. Yet he governed during a dynamic period marked...

A heart-breaking account of life during war from one of Ukraine's most acclaimed young writers 'We were so happy and didn't know it...' A thirty-three-year-old writer lives in a quiet European suburb with his wife and his dog. His parents have bought an apartment nearby. On weekends they go out for brunch, cook and see friends. Life is good; it...

Acclaimed historian Alan Atkinson author of the award-winning Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm pieces together the life of Penelope Lucas and the pivotal role she played in building the Macarthur empire. While she is known as the family governess, Atkinson reveals that Penelope was primarily an accountant whose bookkeeping work made an important difference to the Macarthurs'...

An immersive reconstruction of the life of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, from the author of The Lion House A ground-breaking, present-tense reconstruction of the life and world of one of the most consequential figures in world history, Suleyman the Magnificent, from the author of The Lion House Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman...

The extraordinary story of the nineteenth-century French-Italian aristocrat Marquis de Mor s, the first populist and openly antisemitic leader in the Western world, and his ominous legacy In nineteenth-century France, the first fascist was born. Decades before Mussolini, the Marquis de Mor s became the first populist and openly antisemitic leader in the Western world. A key figure behind the...

The story of a federal minister's remarkable reunion with his birth parents. The story of a federal minister's remarkable reunion with his birth parents. Robert Tickner had always known he was adopted, but had rarely felt much curiosity about his origins. Born in 1951, he had a happy childhood - raised by his loving adoptive parents, Bert and Gwen Tickner,...

A legendary editor's reckoning with the twentieth-century novel and the urgent messages it sends. For more than two decades, Edwin Frank has introduced readers to forgotten or overlooked texts as director of the acclaimed publisher New York Review Books. In Stranger than Fiction, he offers a legendary editor's survey of the key works that defined the twentieth-century novel. Starting with...

An unforgettable memoir of life in a family like no other, and their extraordinary, eccentric part in half a century of espionage . . . As a boy, Alistair Wood lived within the walls of an MI6 training camp. After all, he was family. His mother was one of a handful of women to have operated behind the lines in...

The moving life and legacy of Rome's great emperor philosopher.This book guides us through the fascinating life and writings of Marcus Aurelius, Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor. Philosopher William O. Stephens explores Marcus's reluctant rise to power, his marriage, and his efforts to mould his son into a just successor. He examines Marcus's Stoic tenets as he describes the struggles...

A memoir chronicling the early personal and political life of the current Prime Minster of Italy. "I have heardtoo many people talk about me and my ideas not to realize how different my life and I actually are from the way we are portrayed. So, I decided to open up, to show who I am, what I believe in, and...

Two old friends end up on opposite sides of the English Civil War, in this widely acclaimed history At the Inns of Court, the intellectual, literary, and social heart of early 17th century London, many pivotal friendships were forged- few closer than that of Bulstrode Whitelocke and Edward (Ned) Hyde. Both young men were lively characters, industrious, well-connected, principled and...

Cigar smoking, gender-nonconforming, bisexual, polyamorous—and the intellectual equal of any man—George Sand was the beating heart of the Paris literary scene. Award-winning Fiona Sampson MBE reassesses this uniquely modern figure. Born Aurore Dupin in 1804, by the time she was thirty, she was internationally renowned as George Sand, her novels out-selling Victor Hugo in the English language. Soon, the legend...

A major new biography of Edith Tudor Hart, the photographer and Soviet agent who recruited Kim Philby A Woman Named Edith delves into the life of Edith Tudor Hart, a figure who has long evaded biographers. As a Jewish-Austrian exile in 1930s London, she was a talented professional photographer, anti-fascist activist, and Soviet secret agent. Daria Santini provides the first...

A new translation of Lady Nijo's diary—one of classical Japan's greatest literary works. Lady Nijo's A Tale Unasked (Towazugatari) is the last, and arguably the finest, among classical Japanese literature's famous 'women's diaries'. Thought to have been completed around 1307, when the author was in her late forties, the first two thirds of this autobiographical work document in rich and...

An evenhanded reimagining of the Greek conqueror's life. This book offers a fresh perspective on the reign of Alexander the Great. It re-examines Alexander's military victories and personality, while also exploring the impact of his campaigns on the people he conquered. Alexander's story, Stephen Harrison argues, is one that includes the vital roles that other figures played in historical events....

"To me, hard times are like hide-and-seek: where is the solution, where is the hope? We can never give up looking for these things because they are just waiting to be found." Gidon Lev, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor, has lived an extraordinary life. At the age of six, he was imprisoned in the concentration camp of Theresienstadt. Liberated when he...

Coming Up Short by Robert Reich is a #1 New York Times Bestseller. This thought-provoking, principled, clear-eyed chronicle explores the culture, politics, and economic choices that have positioned America where it is today. With irresponsible economic bullies and corporations wielding immense wealth and lobbying power at the top, demagogues on the rise, and increasing inequality fuelling anger and hatred across...

The life story of the Judean queen Berenice, descendant of Herod the Great, who became a player on the stage of Roman conquest and politics. Berenice (born ca. 28) was the most notorious Jewish woman in the Roman Empire of her time. Multiple marriages, rumours of incestuous relations with her brother (Agrippa II of the Herodian dynasty), and her scandalous...

From California Governor Gavin Newsom (and a possible contender in the race for Democratic candidate in the 2028 Presidential election) comes an intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics. California Governor Gavin Newsom's intimate and poignant account of identity, belonging, and the defining moments that inspired a life in politics...

In April of 1846, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves, intent on a better future, set out west from Illinois with her new husband, her parents, and eight siblings. Seven months later, after joining a party of emigrants led by George Donner, they reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains as the first heavy snows of the season closed the pass ahead of them. In...

168 Condemned Allied Airmen...A Nazi firing squad...Three days to execution...The two men lock eyes...and in the mind-numbing battle of wills that follows, a 20-man firing squad stands ready to shoot...an RNZAF Squadron Leader stares down a Nazi officer who is about to decide his fate. Finally the command comes..."Ground arms!"Standing tall, the natural-born leader has again confronted the brutal SS...

You've heard about the tantrums, the seething, the storming out of court, yes. But what about E. Jean's side of the story? What about the flight suits, the bottle of green Chartreuse, and the bob? Not My Type puts you in a better seat than the jury box. You will hear Alina Habba, Esq., "Trump's most beautiful attorney," asking E....

In this memoir, Fidel Castro describes his historic political partnership and personal friendship with Che Guevara, a relationship that changed the course of Cuban politics and world history. "For me, it has been hard to accept the idea that Che is dead. I have dreamed of him often, that I spoke with him, that he was alive." In this uncharacteristically...

On the thirtieth anniversary of John Howard coming to power, a searing analysis of the untouchable prime minister: how the ‘great economic manager’ sold our future.John Howard is often revered as one of the great Australian prime ministers (1996–2007): economically prudent, politically astute, ‘relaxed and comfortable’ with Australia’s identity, venerated by the Liberal Party and grudgingly admired by the left.  Why...

The extraordinary true story of courage under fire and survival during one of the deadliest wartime attacks on Australia - the sinking of the hospital ship, the Centaur - and the bravery of its heroes Few disasters have touched Australia as profoundly as the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur - one of the deadliest wartime attacks on the nation,...

Judged by contemporaries to be a 'perfidious rogue', Sir George Downing rose to prominence during the English Civil War as Oliver Cromwell's chief of military intelligence. In the Interregnum, he proved himself a double-dealer who bribed and blackmailed his way to diplomatic success across Europe, pioneering the practice of judicial kidnapping and starting two major wars in the process, before...

Robin Seager traces the life of Tiberius from his birth in Rome in 42 BC during the death throes of the Republic, through his military career and reign as Emperor, to his death in AD 37. Tiberius' complex character is the key to understanding his reign. Challenging the common ancient view of Tiberius as a consummate hypocrite, Seager portrays him...

In 1959, Australians thrilled to every move made by a new criminal underdog, a Ned Kelly for the rock'n'roll era. Kevin John Simmonds was a charismatic crook whose brazen crime spree had scored him a lengthy prison sentence. But as he was led from court, he boasted, 'They'll never hold me.' Two months later, Simmo made good on his promise,...

Matriarch of the criminal underworld ... or the Robin Hood of inner Sydney? The legend of Kate Leigh, Sydney's famed brothel madam, sly grog seller, and drug dealer, has loomed large in TV's Underbelly and every other account of Sydney's criminal history from the 1920s to the 1960s. However, she has never had a biography of her own. Despite having...

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'A great, thrusting codpiece of a book. It is big, bombastic and richly brocaded... A jewel in its own right' The Times 'Evokes the painter and his world as vividly as a Holbein masterpiece. Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is a must for lovers of Tudor history' — Tracy Borman 'Full...

The long-awaited new book by the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Five, the feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of music hall women. The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller The new page-turning, feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr...

The verdict is guilty. On 20 May 2014, former New South Wales police officers Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara murdered student Jamie Gao in cold blood. Both have been found guilty of murder and possession of 2.78 kilograms of methamphetamine, and sentenced to life imprisonment. But this wasn't Rogerson's first trial or conviction. Once one of the most highly decorated...

Cicero was a prodigious letter writer, and happily, a splendid treasury of his letters has come down to us: collected and in part published not long after his death, over 800 of them were rediscovered by Petrarch and other humanists in the fourteenth century. Among classical texts, this correspondence is unparalleled; nowhere else do we get such an intimate look...

Jack Ruby changed history with one bold, violent action: killing accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV two days after the 22 November 1963, murder of President John F. Kennedy. But who was Jack Ruby, and how did he come to be in that spot on that day? As we approach the sixtieth anniversaries of the murders of...

Jack Ruby changed history with one bold, violent action: killing accused presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV two days after the 22nd November 1963 murder of President John F. Kennedy. But who was Jack Ruby—and how did he come to be in that spot on that day? As we approach the sixtieth anniversaries of the murders of Kennedy...

A vast archive of documents, unread since the sixteenth century, revises the portrait of Philip II, Spain’s best-known king. "A superbly informed narrative of Philip II’s long career as Europe’s most powerful king."—Henry Kamen, Little Reviews "This authoritative, intelligently revisionist biography must stand now as the primary reference."—Iain Finlayson, The Times Philip II (1527-1598) is not only the most famous...