|9780822966777|Unfinished Revolution|Václav Havel (1936–2011), the famous Czech dissident, intellectual, and playwright, was there when half a million people came to Wenceslas Square to demand an end to Communism in 1989. Many came to hear him call for a free Czechoslovakia, for democratic elections, and for a return to Europe. The demonstrators roared when he spoke. “Havel to the castle,” they chanted— meaning Havel for president. And a few weeks later, Havel became a most unusual president. He was sometimes misunderstood and not always popular, but by the time of his death in 2011, the world recognized Havel as one of…

|9780822952107|Jeffersonian Financier and Diplomat|Raymond Walters, Jr. presents the definitive biography of Albert Gallatin (1761-1849), recounting sixty years that the Swiss-born diplomat served his adopted country as a congressional leader, Secretary of the Treasury, financier, and ambassador. Gallatin was a founder of the House Committee on Finance (later the Ways and Means Committee), a member of the new Democratic-Republican Party, and an active politician who opposed the Federalist Party and its programs, while also helping to bring about the election of Thomas Jefferson.| Raymond Walters| Regional| Biography & Autobiography / General Biography & Autobiography / Political History / United States /…

|9780822983880| Famous as an actor with the King’s Company in London during the Restoration, Cardell Goodman epitomized one of the most colorful ages in English history. Goodman was admitted to St. John’s College, Cambridge at age 13, and, upon graduation, became an actor in the King’s Company. To supplement his meager acting income, he took up highway robbery and was captured then pardoned by King Charles. About 1684, he became the lover of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, former mistress of King Charles, and spent the next ten years living in luxury as her Master of the Horse, occasionally accepting acting…