True Historical

The remarkable life of history’s first foreign-born samurai and his astonishing journey from Northeast Africa to the heights of Japanese society.

A scandalously talented stage performer, a practiced seductress of both men and women, and the flamboyant author of some of the greatest works of 20th-century literature, Colette was our first true superstar. Now, in Judith Thurman's Secrets of the Flesh, Colette at last has a biography worthy of her dazzling reputation.

The leafy Avenue de Foch, one of the most exclusive residential streets in Nazi-occupied France, was Paris' hotbed of daring spies, murderous secret police, amoral informers, and Vichy collaborators. So when American physician Sumner Jackson, who lived with his wife and young son, Phillip, at Number 11, found himself drawn into the Liberation network of the French resistance, he knew the stakes were impossibly high.

Powerful, epic, and compelling, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen shines light on a nearly forgotten figure in history. Cathy Williams was born and lived a slave - until the Union army comes and destroys the only world she’s known. Separated from her family, she makes the impossible decision - to fight in the army disguised as a man with the Buffalo Soldiers. With courage and wit, Cathy must not only fight for her survival and freedom in the ultimate man’s world, but never give up on her mission to find her family, and the man she loves.

Christchurch, New Zealand. September 2010. A city sleeps. In the early hours of the morning came the noise of a freight train and a ferocious shaking the likes of which this South Island city had never before experienced. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake came without warning or prejudice and transformed a city forever, setting off a string of devastating events that were to have a lifelong impact on all who experienced them. This is a personal account of the lasting effects of that day and the effects of all the earthquakes that were to follow. This is the story of how the fury of Mother Nature ...

This is the incredible true story of the greatest spy you’ve never heard of - as told to the author by the woman herself. At the outbreak of World War Two, Nancy Wake’s glamorous life in the South of France seemed far removed from the fighting. But when her husband was called up for military service, Nancy felt she had just as much of a duty to fight for freedom. By 1943, her fearless undercover work even in the face of personal tragedy had earned her a place on the Gestapo’s "most wanted" list.

An absorbing account of the conspiracy to kill King James I by his handsome lover, the duke of Buckingham, a historical crime that has remained hidden for 400 years....

Scotland, 1812: rugged Highlander Graeme's loyalty to his clan means that their enemies are his own - even when that includes his neighbor, the Duke of Lattimer. It's a fight he doesn't relish, but when Graeme's reckless younger brothers foolishly kidnap Lattimer's younger sister, all bets are off. Lady Marjorie Forrester may be aligned with the enemy, but capturing her puts Graeme squarely in the middle of a war.

In 1314 Philip IV, King of France, suspects the theft of the True Cross of Christ, the most sacred relic in all Christendom, is part of a secret plot to usurp his throne. Now Philip IV must turn to the one man who has more reason for revenge against the king than anyone on earth. Sir Jean-Marc de Montpellier, the last Templar knight, who escaped being burned at the stake when the king of France terminated the Order of Knights Templar, returns to France after a seven year exile to aid the very man who once sought his death. Now on his return to France there are others who seek the knight’s...

Joey "Crazy Joe" Gallo and his President Street mob waged a deadly Mafia civil war with the Colombo crime family, and in particular, Carmine "the Snake" Persico. And on that fateful night of April 7, 1972, in a Little Italy restaurant, Gallo was assassinated...by Carmine "Sonny" DiBiasi. This is the true story of who really whacked "Crazy Joe" Gallo on that fateful night of April 7, 1972.

During the height of the blizzard of 1978, the tanker Global Hope floundered on the shoals off the Massachusetts coast. The Coast Guard dispatched a patrol boat, but was soon in as much trouble as the tanker. Then pilot boat captain Frank Quirk, hearing of the Coast Guard's troubles on his radio, decided to act.

S.T.E.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Children need to learn S.T.E.M. because these subjects help them understand the world around them. S.T.E.M. teaches kids to solve problems, think critically, and be creative. These skills are useful in school, everyday life, and future jobs. Learning S.T.E.M. also prepares children for careers in fields that are growing, like medicine, computer science, and engineering. By studying S.T.E.M., kids can make a big difference in the world when they grow up!

Here are the stories of the great gangs that once terrorized New York City, from the Bowery Boys and the Dead Rabbits to the Gophers and the Eastmans—here are the infamous gangsters, from the days of the murderous Five Points Gangs to the later underworld mobs led by Mose the Bowery Boy, Monk Eastman, Paul Kelly, Kid Dropper, Dopey Benny, Gyp the Blood, and Owney Madden, and such feminine underworld luminaries as Gallus Mag and Sadie the Goat.

It’s 1942, and London remains under constant threat of enemy attack as the second world war rages on. In the Bethnal Green neighborhood, Nellie Morris counts every day lucky that she emerges from the underground shelters unharmed, her loving family still surrounding her. Three years into the war, she’s grateful to hold onto remnants of normalcy—her job as assisting the mayor and nights spent at the local pub with her best friend. But after a chance encounter with Ray, an American airman stationed nearby, Nellie becomes enchanted with the idea of a broader world.

Unknown Empire begins with a barefoot Ethiopian army defeating thousands of European soldiers in 1896. As the only African nation to never be conquered, they defeated Mussolini during WWII. With the West dying but Africa booming, Ethiopia faces population control leaders such as Bill Gates and the U.N. in an epic confrontation for the future of civilization. In all these confrontations, the ark of the covenant plays a central role for Ethiopians who believe that they have held the world's most famous object since before the time of Christ.

Jon Meacham, in American Lion, has delivered the definitive human portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American presidency and America itself. Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency.

In 1941, with London burning in the Blitz, a group of hedonistic English nobles partied shamelessly in Kenya. Far removed from falling bombs, the wealthy elites of "Happy Valley" indulged in morphine, alcohol, and unrestricted sex, often with their friends' spouses. But the party turned sinister in the early hours of a January morning for Josslyn Hay, Lord Erroll, who had been enjoying the favors of the beautiful young wife of a middle-aged neighbor. Hay was found dead, a bullet in his brain.

He's a master of disguises...but he can't mask true love. Spymaster Harry Harmon's new assignment is to spy on enemies at a country house party. To do that, he'll require a courtesan: learned, truthful, and beautiful.... Poor, sensible, smart Simone Ryland has come to Mrs. Burton's bawdy house in search of work. But instead, she finds Harmon in need of her special skills.

Walter Scott has three passions: Scotland, poetry, and Mina Stuart. Though she is young and they are from different stations in society, Walter is certain their love is meant to be. For years, he has courted her through love letters. She is the sunshine of his soul. Though Mina shares Walter's love of literature and passionate temperament, it's hard for her to know if she truly loves him or if she has only been dazzled by his flattery. When she meets the handsome and charming William Forbes, her heart is challenged. Who will she choose?

Roman history, from the very foundation of the city, is replete with people and stories that shock our modern sensibilities. Evil Roman Emperors puts the worst of Rome's rulers in one place and offers a review of their lives and a historical context for what made them into what they became.