By Robert Hutchinson

FROM THE PROLOGUE: “Early on the morning of Saturday, 10 June 1540, Thomas Howard, Third Duke of Norfolk, summoned Sir Anthony Wingfield, the Captain of the King's Guard, to the Parliament House at Westminster. He ordered him to arrest Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's all powerful Chief Minister, after dinner - then normally served around noon - later that day. The captain was astonished by the instruction, but Norfolk told him bluntly: 'You need not be surprised. The king orders it."

NY. St. Martn’s Press. 2007. 376p. USED BOOK. MAY CONTAIN MARK-UP

By Ian Mortimer

FROM THE INTRODUCTION: “On 19 October 1330, at dusk, two dozen men gathered in the centre of Nottingham. They were mostly in their twenties, and all on horsback, ready to ride out of the town. But unlike merchants or pilgrims assem- bling to set out together, these men were silent and unsmiling. Beneath their riding cloaks they were all heavily armed. The reason for their gathering lay within the fortress which overlooked the town. Somewhere within those walls, high on the massive outcrop, was Roger Mortimer, the earl of March, who kept the young king, Edward III, within his power and ruled in his place.”

London. Published by Jonathan Cape. 2006. 571p. USED BOOK. MAY CONTAIN MARK-UP

By Malcolm Thomson

From Winston Churchill's speech made in the House of Commons on June 4th, 1940: “Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen, or may fall, into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail, we shal go on ot the end, we shal fight in France, we shallfight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and strength in the air, we shall defend our island whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island, or a large part of it, were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the Old.”

London. Odhams Press. 1945. 324p. USED BOOK. MAY CONTAIN MARK-UP.

By Robin Bunce and Paul Field

 Darcus Howe: a Political Biography examines the struggle for racial justice in Britain, through the lens of one of Britain’s most prominent and controversial black journalists and campaigners. Born in Trinidad during the dying days of British colonialism, Howe became an uncompromising champion of racial justice. The book examines how Howe’s unique political outlook was inspired by the example of his friend and mentor C.L.R. James, and forged in the heat of the American civil rights movement, as well as Trinidad’s Black Power Revolution. The book sheds new light on Howe’s leading role in the defining struggles in Britain against institutional racism in the police, the courts and the media. It focuses on his part as a defendant in the trial of the Mangrove Nine, the high point of Black Power in Britain; his role in conceiving and organizing the Black People’s Day of Action, the largest ever demonstration by the black community in Britain; and his later work as one of a prominent journalist and political commentator.

London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. 305p.

By Harry King . As told to and edited by Bill Chambliss

FROM THE INTRODUCTION: “From approximately 1910 until 1960 Harry King lived a life of crime. For the better part ofthose years he was a professional thief specializing in safe-cracking. This is his story. Through it we are provided a glimpse into a life style, a philosophy and a pattern of living that is ordinarily obscured from our vision. By coming to grips with Harry's life we learn a great deal more about America, Law, Order and Being.”

NY. Harper & Row. 1972. 186p. USED BOOK. MAY CONTAIN MARK-UP

By Murray Gell-Mann

From the Preface: “…The book is divided into four parts. At the beginningof the first part, I describe some personal experiences that led me to write it. Taking long walks in tropical forests, studying birds, and planning nature conservation activities, I became excited by the idea of sharing with readers my growing awareness of the links between the fundamental laws of physics and the world we see around us. All my life I have loved exploring the realm of living things, but my professional life has been devoted mostly to research on the fundamental laws. These laws underlie all of science (in a sense that is discussed in this book) but often seem far removed from most experience, including a great deal of experience in the other sciences. Reflecting on questions of simplicity and complexity, we perceive connections that help to link together all the phenomena of nature, from the simplest to the most complex…”

London. Little, Brown and Company. 1994. 386p. CONTAINS MARK-UP

By John Morgan

"The Life and Adventures of William Buckley" is a memoir by John Morgan, first published in 1852. The book tells the story of William Buckley, a convict who escaped from a penal colony in Australia in 1803 and lived among the indigenous Wathaurong people for over thirty years.

The memoir follows Buckley's journey as he navigates the rugged Australian landscape, surviving harsh conditions and encounters with hostile indigenous groups. It also explores the complex relationships between the British colonizers and the indigenous people of Australia, highlighting the violence and exploitation that characterized their interactions.

Throughout the book, Morgan portrays Buckley as a sympathetic and resilient figure, whose experiences shed light on the harsh realities of life in colonial Australia. He also provides insights into the cultural practices and beliefs of the Wathaurong people, offering a rare glimpse into their way of life before the arrival of European settlers.

"The Life and Adventures of William Buckley" is a fascinating and important historical document that provides valuable insights into the early years of European colonization in Australia. It is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of adaptation, as well as a reminder of the ongoing struggles for justice and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Canberra, Caliban Books,. 1852. 249p.

By Li Cunxin

In a compelling memori of life in Maoist China, the acclaimed dancer describes how he was swept from his poverty-stricken family in rural China to study ballet with the Peking Dance Academy, his rise to success in the world of Chinese ballet, his dramatic defection at age eighteen in the United States, and his new life in the West.

Raised in a desperately poor village during the height of China's Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin's childhood revolved around the commune, his family and Chairman Mao's Little Red Book.

Until, that is, Madame Mao's cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world.

When a trip to Texas as part of a rare cultural exchange opened his eyes to life and love beyond China's borders, he defected to the United States in an extraordinary and dramatic tale of Cold War intrigue.

Told in his own distinctive voice, this is Li's inspirational story of how he came to be Mao's last dancer, and one of the world's greatest ballet dancers.

Australia. Penguin Random House. 2005. 522p.

By Charles Darwin. Edited By Francis Darwin.

From the editor: In preparing this volume, which is practically an abbre­viation of the Life and Letters (1887), my aim has been to retain as far as possible the personal parts of those volumes. To render this feasible, large numbers of the more purely scientific letters are omitted, or represented by the citation of a few sentences. In certain periods of my father’s life the scientific and the personal elements run a parallel course, rising and falling together in their degree of inter­est. Thus the writing of the Origin of Species, and its publication, appeal equally to the reader who follows my father’s career from interest in the man, and to the natural­ist who desires to know something of this turning point in the history of Biology. This part of the story has there­fore been told with nearly the full amount of available detail.

NY. Dover Publications. 1892. 408p.

By Albert Holland Rhodes.

A Strange Tale Taken from the Notes and Memoirs of Hadlock Jones by his friend, Dr. Lawrence L. Langdon. “In 1883 a party of three English adventurers penetrated into the heart of Maori land. They tell of a splendid race of dark men ruled by a young white chief.”

Holland Publishing (1912) 72 pages.

By Hans Kurella.

A Modern Man of Science.. Translated from the German by M. Eden Paul. “Entirely new, however, is the attempt here made to demonstrate how high is the position of Lombroso’s brilliance may justly be said to have occupied in a epoch of positive study of the world, of mankind and society.”

New York, Reman Co. (1910) 199 pages.