New Releases by Paul Johnson

The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery is the last resting place of 6,012 American soldiers who died fighting in a small portion of Northern France during the First World War. The impressive cemetery is divided into four plots marked A to D. However, few visitors are aware that across the road, behind the immaculate façade of the superintendent’s office, unmarked and completely surrounded by impassable shrubbery, is Plot E, a semi-secret fifth plot that contains the bodies of ninety-four American soldiers. These were men who were executed for crimes committed in the European Theater of Operations during and just after the Second World War. Originally, the men whose death sentences were carried out were buried near the sites of their executions in locations as far afield as England, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Algeria. A number of the men were executed in the grounds of Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset – the majority of whom were hanged in the execution block, with two being shot by a firing squad in the prison yard. The executioner at most of the hangings was Thomas William Pierrepoint, assisted mainly by his more-famous nephew Albert Pierrepoint. Then, in 1949, under a veil of secrecy, the ‘plot of shame’, as it has become known, was established in France. The site does not exist on maps of the cemetery and it is not mentioned on the American Battle Monuments Commission’s website. Visits to Plot E are not encouraged. Indeed, public access is difficult because the area is concealed, surrounded by bushes, and is closed to visitors. No US flag is permitted to fly over the plot and the graves themselves have no names, just small, simple stones the size of index cards that are differentiated only by reference numbers. Even underground the dishonored are set apart, with each body being positioned with its back to the main cemetery. In The Plot of Shame, the historian Paul Johnson uncovers the history of Plot E and the terrible stories of wartime crime linked to it.

THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''Gripping and horrifying... witty and brilliant. Buy it'' The Times ''A treasure trove of killer facts'' Guardian ''Read it, absorb it, and understand how the country works'' Laura Kuenssberg Paul Johnson and the enormously respected Institute for Fiscal Studies aim to hold Government to account - without which politicians will get away with their half-truths, elisions and dubious claims. This is a forensic examination - by the man best placed to do so - of the way the state raises and spends £1 trillion of our money every year. To follow the money. To provide an explanation, of where that money comes from and where it goes to, how that has changed and how it needs to change. ''This book is the antidote to naivety that our political class needs. Anyone, in fact, who has strong views about how society should be run would benefit from reading it, because every political ambition costs money and as Johnson writes, "someone has to pay for all this"... The story he tells may leave you reeling... Johnson''s buoyant yet acerbic style will keep you engaged. The sobering realities he lays out are peppered with entertaining asides'' Book of the Week, Sunday Times

While the news media, politicians, both political parties and conspiracy theory groups are destabilizing America, we often lose sight of how we unwittingly contribute to the hysteria as individuals. In the process, we lose our ability to find optimism, opportunities and meaning. Fortunately, it is still possible to learn from history and to regain one''s agency, self-empowerment and life purpose. In Addictive Ideologies, Dr. Emily Bashah, a clinical psychologist, and Paul Johnson, entrepreneur and former mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, offer a word of caution. Their belief-that today''s world of runaway identity politics, nationalism and cancel culture is setting the stage for a loss of individual agency and liberty-keenly shows why we can''t take democracy and civility for granted. Dr. Bashah tells the harrowing story of the persecution of Jews in Iraq by Saddam Hussein and the Ba''ath Party through her family''s own personal experiences. Building on Dr. Bashah''s powerful historical context, Paul Johnson uses his own mayoral experiences to chart a path for the future that can avoid similar atrocities. This book draws upon an understanding of societal divisions and clinical and social psychology to show the real power we have to promote constructive change. By merging insights from two widely disparate worldviews, Dr. Bashah and Paul Johnson show that genocide isn''t the result of just a few bad men, and tyranny isn''t only caused by one charismatic leader. Both require hundreds of thousands of people to ignore reality, and it''s our responsibility as Americans to stay vigilant so that we can protect our families and loved ones against the myriad dangers of addictive ideology.

Windsor Park Boys Reminisce is a nostalgic collection of stories based on the lives of Henry and Larry as they reminisce about fun times growing up with the Windsor Park Boys during the fifties, sixties, and seventies. Get to know Henry and Larry and the Windsor Park Boys through their comical coming-of-age stories—from grade school to dating girls and all the antics in between.

Start building fast and robust applications with the power of Rust by your side About This Book Get started with the language to build scalable and high performance applications This book will help C#/C++ developers gain better performance and memory management Discover the power of Rust when developing concurrent applications for large and scalable software Who This Book Is For The book is for absolute beginners to Rust, who want to build high performance, concurrent applications for their projects. It is suitable for developers who have a basic knowledge of programming and developers who are using the C#/C++ language to write their applications. No knowledge of Rust is expected. What You Will Learn Set up Rust for Windows, Linux, and OS X Write effective code using Rust Expand your Rust applications using libraries Interface existing non-Rust libraries with your Rust applications Use the standard library within your applications Understand memory management within Rust and speed efficiency when passing variables Create more complex data types Study concurrency in Rust with multi-threaded applications and sync threading techniques to improve the performance of an application problem In Detail Rust is a highly concurrent and high performance language that focuses on safety and speed, memory management, and writing clean code. It also guarantees thread safety, and its aim is to improve the performance of existing applications. Its potential is shown by the fact that it has been backed by Mozilla to solve the critical problem of concurrency. Learning Rust will teach you to build concurrent, fast, and robust applications. From learning the basic syntax to writing complex functions, this book will is your one stop guide to get up to speed with the fundamentals of Rust programming. We will cover the essentials of the language, including variables, procedures, output, compiling, installing, and memory handling. You will learn how to write object-oriented code, work with generics, conduct pattern matching, and build macros. You will get to know how to communicate with users and other services, as well as getting to grips with generics, scoping, and more advanced conditions. You will also discover how to extend the compilation unit in Rust. By the end of this book, you will be able to create a complex application in Rust to move forward with. Style and approach This comprehensive book will focus on the Rust syntax, functions, data types, and conducting pattern matching for programmers. It is divided into three parts and each part of the book has an objective to enable the readers to create their own applications at an appropriate level, ultimately towards creating complex applications.

Learn the overlooked skill that is essential to Wall Street success Pitch the Perfect Investment combines investment analysis with persuasion and sales to teach you the "soft skill" so crucial to success in the financial markets. Written by the leading authorities in investment pitching, this book shows you how to develop and exploit the essential, career-advancing skill of pitching value-creating ideas to win over clients and investors. You''ll gain world-class insight into search strategy, data collection and research, securities analysis, and risk assessment and management to help you uncover the perfect opportunity; you''ll then strengthen your critical thinking skills and draw on psychology, argumentation, and informal logic to craft the perfect pitch to showcase your perfect idea. The ability to effectively pitch an investment is essential to securing a job on Wall Street, where it immediately becomes a fundamental part of day-to-day business. This book gives you in-depth training along with access to complete online ancillaries and case studies so you can master the little skill that makes a big difference. It doesn''t matter how great your investment ideas are if you can''t convince anyone to actually invest. Ideas must come to fruition to be truly great, and this book gives you the tools and understanding you need to get it done. Persuade potential investors, clients, executives, and employers Source, analyze, value, and pitch your ideas for stocks and acquisitions Get hired, make money, expand your company, and win business Craft the perfect investment into the perfect pitch Money managers, analysts, bankers, executives, salespeople, students, and individual investors alike stand to gain massively by employing the techniques discussed here. If you''re serious about success and ready to start moving up, Pitch the Perfect Investment shows you how to make it happen.

Since its inception, the European Convention on Human Rights has been a beacon of hope to gay men and lesbians in Europe. Going to Strasbourg: An Oral History of Sexual Orientation Discrimination and the European Convention on Human Rights provides a comprehensive account of how individuals in the United Kingdom have utilized the Convention, by way of making applications to its organs in Strasbourg in order to challenge sexual orientation discrimination. Combining an exhaustive analysis of Strasbourg case law with nineteen unique oral histories of applicants, legal professionals, and campaigners, this book is the definitive history of the role that ''going to Strasbourg'' has played in eradicating discrimination and establishing legal equality on the grounds of sexual orientation in the UK.

Edgar Cayce, widely acclaimed clairvoyant and forerunner of the holistic health movement, is revealed here as a pivotal figure in the transition from the esoteric and metaphysical movements of the late nineteenth century to the New Age movement.This book describes and evaluates his psychic "readings," more than 14,000 trance discourses that address medical, theological, historical, and psychological concerns raised by thousands of inquirers. The author evaluates evidence for and against Cayce''s reliability in the subject areas emphasized by the readings. Cayce''s medical and psychological advice is shown to be well ahead of his time in many respects, and his spiritual teachings are appraised as a reconciliation of Protestant mysticism with New Thought and Theosophy. Although the medical readings provide intriguing evidence for Cayce''s ESP, his clairvoyant time travel illustrates the fallibility of information derived through hypnotic trance. The author contends that the contents of the readings reflect the knowledge and interests of their recipients as much as Cayce''s personal opinions and beliefs. This is the first book to focus solely on appraising the entire body of the Cayce readings from a scholarly perspective.

“Most satisfying . . . A highly accessible initial foray into an astonishing, and inexhaustible, subject.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer Mozart’s music has enthralled listeners for centuries. In this brilliant biography, acclaimed historian Paul Johnson draws upon his expert knowledge of the era and Mozart’s own private letters to conjure Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life and times in rich detail. Johnson charts Mozart’s life from age three through to his later years—when he penned The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Along the way, Johnson challenges some of the popular myths that cloud Mozart’s image: his allegedly tempestuous personal relationships and supposedly bitter rivalry with Salieri, as well as the notion that he was desperately impoverished when he died. The result—a bold, invigorating portrait of one of the most popular and influential composers of all time—is a welcome addition to Johnson’s extraordinary body of work and makes a perfect gift for classical music lovers and fans of biographies.

Why did the Suez War ever come to pass? Why did Eden, against public opinion and without sufficient military capability, decide to invade Egypt? When Gamal Abdel Nasser decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, Britain and France reacted dramatically, beginning a chain of events that ultimately led to war. But why did Nasser nationalize the canal in the first place? And what part did the United States of America play in sparking the conflict that resulted in war? Paul Johnson skilfully and clearly explains the roots of the war, the many different political factors involved, the resultant invasion and its repercussions. First published in 1957, The Suez War walks us through a conflict that many historians feel should never have taken place, and one that Johnson argues has exposed ''[t]he real weakness of Britain – never again can we play our unique and honourable role as keeper of the world''s conscience.''

Acclaimed historian Paul Johnson’s lively, succinct biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower explores how his legacy endures today In the rousing style he’s famous for, celebrated biographer Paul Johnson offers a fascinating portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, focusing particularly on his years as a five-star general and his time as the thirty-fourth President of the United States. Johnson chronicles President Eisenhower''s modest childhood in Kansas, his college years at West Point, and his rapid ascent through the military ranks, culminating in his appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. Beginning when Eisenhower assumed the presidency from Harry Truman in 1952, Johnson paints a rich portrait of his two consecutive terms, exploring his volatile relationship with then-Vice President Richard Nixon, his abhorrence of isolationism, and his position on the Cold War, McCarthyism, and the Civil Rights Movement. Johnson notes that when Eisenhower left the White House at age 70, reluctantly passing the torch to President-elect John F. Kennedy, he feared for the country’s future and prophetically warned of the looming military-industrial complex. Many elements of Eisenhower’s presidency speak to American politics today, including his ability to balance the budget and skill in managing an oppositional Congress. This brief yet comprehensive study will appeal to biography lovers as well as to enthusiasts of presidential history and military history alike.

Law, Religion and Homosexuality is the first book-length study of how religion has shaped, and continues to shape, legislation that regulates the lives of gay men and lesbians . Through a systematic examination of how religious discourse influences the making of law – in the form of official interventions made by faith communities and organizations, as well as by expressions of faith by individual legislators – the authors argue that religion continues to be central to both enabling and restricting the development of sexual orientation equality. Whilst some claim that faith has been marginalized in the legislative processes of contemporary western societies, Johnson and Vanderbeck show the significant impact of religion in a number of substantive legal areas relating to sexual orientation including: same-sex sexual relations, family life, civil partnership and same-sex marriage, equality in employment and the provision of goods and services, hate speech regulation, and education. Law, Religion and Homosexuality demonstrates the dynamic interplay between law and religion in respect of homosexuality and will be of considerable interest to a wide audience of academics, policy makers and stakeholders.

A leading historian examines his faith in God, in the light of the historical evidence and his own personal experiences.

A rich and varied collection of essays. Pugnacious and savage, eloquent and unpredictable, Paul Johnson sets out to entertain and to inform and to shake the complacency of his readers. These essays selected from the best of his weekly pieces in The Spectator over the last five years, range widely. All his essays are liberally peppered with his astonishing knowledge of the highways and byways of the last thousand years of English history.

Paul Johnson recalls, with warmth and affection, his childhood in the Potteries - and a unique industrial landscape that has now gone for ever Paul Johnson, the celebrated historian, grew up in Tunstall, one of the six towns around Stoke-on-Trent that made up `the Potteries''. From an early age he was fascinated by the strange beauty of its volcanic landscape of fiery furnaces belching out heat and smoke. As a child he often accompanied his father - headmaster of the local art school and desperate to find jobs for his students, for this was the Hungry Thirties - to the individual pottery firms and their coal-fired ovens. His adored mother and father are at the heart of this story and his older sisters who, as much as his parents, brought him up. Children made their own amusements to an extent unimaginable today, and his life was extraordinarily free and unsupervised. No door was locked - `Poverty was everywhere but so were the Ten Commandments.'' The book ends in 1938 as the 11-year-old author queues at the town-hall for a gas mask.

A “riveting” (The Wall Street Journal) biography of one of the most influential and controversial scientists in Western history Acclaimed historian and biographer Paul Johnson turns his keen eye on Charles Darwin, the towering figure whose work continues to spur scientific debate. With his publication of On the Origin of Species, Darwin forever changed our concept of the world. While Johnson praises Darwin’s extraordinary skills as a natural scientist and his monumental achievements, he does not sidestep Darwin’s tragic failures as an anthropologist. Johnson argues that by applying his theory of natural selection to humans, Darwin provided a platform for the burgeoning eugenics movement. Lay readers and academics alike will enjoy this concise and unflinching exploration of Charles Darwin, a genius whose discoveries—even the flawed ones—add significant dimension to our understanding of his mind, the era in which he lived, and his everlasting impact on our world.

New Pop-Up Paper Projects is an inspirational book for everyone who wants to learn and share the magic of pop-up paper engineering. Illustrated throughout with colour diagrams and photographs, this book guides you through basic techniques and foundation skills, offers advice on classroom planning and health and safety and shows you how to ensure that learners of all ages can develop and progress their skills. Guiding you through 90-, 180- and 360-degree engineering, this book presents step-by-step instructions and ideas for over 200 cross-curricular themes, from cityscapes to magical creatures. Aiming to challenge and inspire, Paul Johnson uses over 150 paper-engineering techniques, including: storybooks pop-ups without folds zigzag pop-ups pulleys, wheels and levers asymmetrical pop-ups intricate toy theatres diagonal pop-ups with movables. This book, brimming with pop-up techniques and how to teach them, is for everyone – from the self-styled ‘visually illiterate’ to the art graduate, from parents keeping creativity alive at home to classroom teachers planning an engaging curriculum for their class of 30 plus pupils.

This book is about the increasing significance of DNA profiling for crime investigation in modern society. It focuses on developments in the UK as the world-leader in the development and application of forensic DNA technology and in the construction of DNA databases as an essential element in the successful use of DNA for forensic purposes. The book uses data collected during the course of Wellcome Trust funded research into police uses of the UK National DNA Database (NDNAD) to describe the relationship between scientific knowledge and police investigations. It is illustrated throughout by reference to some of the major UK criminal cases in which DNA evidence has been presented and contested.

“Spectacular . . . A delight to read.” —The Wall Street Journal From bestselling biographer and historian Paul Johnson, a brilliant portrait of Socrates, the founding father of philosophy In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of Socrates, who is often hailed as the most important thinker of all time. Johnson provides a compelling picture of Athens in the fifth century BCE, and of the people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates''s mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.

First published in 1976, Paul Johnson’s exceptional study of Christianity has been loved and widely hailed for its intensive research, writing, and magnitude—“a tour de force, one of the most ambitious surveys of the history of Christianity ever attempted and perhaps the most radical” (New York Review of Books). In a highly readable companion to books on faith and history, the scholar and author Johnson has illuminated the Christian world and its fascinating history in a way that no other has. Johnson takes off in the year AD 49 with his namesake the apostle Paul. Thus beginning an ambitious quest to paint the centuries since the founding of a little-known ‘Jesus Sect’, A History of Christianity explores to a great degree the evolution of the Western world. With an unbiased and overall optimistic tone, Johnson traces the fantastic scope of the consequent sects of Christianity and the people who followed them. Information drawn from extensive and varied sources from around the world makes this history as credible as it is reliable. Invaluable understanding of the framework of modern Christianity—and its trials and tribulations throughout history—has never before been contained in such a captivating work.

A leading historian and bestselling author re-creates the growth, decline, and legacy of 3,000 Years of Egyptian civilization with an authoritative text splendidly illustrated with 150 illustrations in full color. Ancient Egypt, with its legacy of pyramids, pharaohs and sphinxes, is a land of power and mystery to the modern world. In The Civilization of Ancient Egypt Paul Johnson explores the growth and decline of a culture that survived for 3,000 years and maintained a purity of style that rivals all others. Johnson''s study looks in detail at the state, religion, culture and geographical setting and how they combined in this unusually enduring civilization. From the beginning of Egyptian culture to the rediscovery of the pharaohs, the book covers the totalitarian theocracy, the empire of the Nile, the structure of dynastic Egypt, the dynastic way of death, hieroglyphs, the anatomy of perspective art and, finally, the decline and fall of the pharaohs, Johnson seeks, through an exciting combination of images and analysis, to discover the causes behind the collapse of this, great civilization while celebrating the extra-ordinary legacy it has left behind. Paul Johnson on Ancient Egypt and the Egyptians "Egypt was not only the first state, it was the first country.... The durability of the state which thus evolved was ensured by the overwhelming simplicity and power of its central institution, the theocratic monarchy." "The Egyptians did not share the Babylonian passion for astrology, but they used the stars as one of many guides to behavior. No Egyptian believed in a free exercise of will in important decisions: he always looked for an omen or a prophecy or an oracle." "The development of hieroglyphics mirrors and epitomizes the history of Egyptian civilization. . . . No one outside Egypt understood it and even within Egypt it was the exclusive working tool of the ruling and priestly classes. The great mass of Egyptians were condemned to illiteracy by the complexities (and also the beauties) of the Egyptian written language." "The affection the Egyptians were not. ashamed to display towards their children was related to the high status women enjoyed in Egyptian society." "If we can understand Egyptian art we can go a long way towards grasping the very spirit and outlook on life, of this gifted people, so remote in time. The dynamic of their civilization seems to have been a passionate love of order (maat to them), by which they sought to give to human activities and creations the same regularity as their landscape, their great river, their sun-cycle and their immutable seasons."

A unique cookbook and guide to healthful, eco-friendly seafood Few people know more about fish than Paul Johnson, whose Monterey Fish Market in San Francisco supplies seafood to some of the nation''s most celebrated chefs, from Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Michael Mina to Todd English, Daniel Boulud, and Alain Ducasse. In Fish Forever, Johnson offers a cookbook for anyone who loves fish, but worries about overfishing, contaminants like mercury, and other serious health and ecological issues. Fish Forever reveals which species of fish you should and shouldn''t eat, based on how endangered, contaminated, and tasty they are. Plus, Johnson includes amazing recipes from around the world that take advantage of those most abundant and delicious types of fish. Provides in-depth guidance on 70 fish species along with 96 international recipes that highlight the outstanding culinary qualities of the fish used Includes more than 60 beautiful color photographs, as well as plenty of cooking tips and helpful sidebars Winner of the coveted IACP Cookbook of the Year award Fish Forever is a must-have kitchen resource for seafood lovers—and Earth lovers—everywhere.

First published in 1983, The California Seafood Cookbook has sold 128,000 copies—and counting! This beautiful encyclopedic guide to seafood cooking is complete with 150 recipes emphasizing simplicity, fresh ingredients, and ethnic and regional tastes, as well as an innovative approach to the infinite possibilities of this popular cuisine. The seventy-five species portraits and the illustrated techniques will prove useful to cooks and seafood lovers. Fully half of the featured species are found in Gulf, Pacific, and Atlantic waters, and each recipe suggests appropriate alternative fish and shellfish from other regions. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

DescriptionChoose Life tells of a journey of personal growth and development, set against the realities of a stressful modern lifestyle. It shows the search for meaning and fulfilment in life, and takes a refreshingly honest and holistic approach to living the life that you want to live - one that is easily accessible, and very different from the usual ''ten easy steps to fulfilment'' or promises of ''enlightenment in 30 days''. Over 260 pages. About the AuthorPaul Johnson was born in the north-east of England in 1970, and raised in South Yorkshire, where he lives with his wife and three children. He has spent the last fifteen years studying martial arts and their accompanying philosophies, and believes that we can all find a lasting sense of peace and fulfilment. Paul''s interests include walking the dog, eating curry, and practical self defence, though preferably not all at the same time. Choose Life is his first book.

“It is Johnson’s gift that he can make his subjects human and fallible enough that we would…recognize them instantly, while also illuminating what made them heroes.” —Washington Post Book World on Heroes “Johnson is a clear, intelligent, forceful writer, and nothing if not thorough.” —Wall Street Journal Paul Johnson, the acclaimed author of Creators, Heroes, and the New York Times bestseller Intellectuals, returns with a captivating collection of biographical portraits of the Western world’s greatest wits and humorists. With chapters dedicated to history’s sharpest tongues and most piercing pens, including Benjamin Franklin, Toulouse-Lautrec, G.K. Chesterton, Damon Runyan, W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, and many more, Johnson’s Humorists is an exciting compendium of our most enduring comical and satirical innovators.

From the “most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America” (Wall Street Journal), an elegant, concise, and revealing portrait of Winston Churchill In Churchill, eminent historian Paul Johnson offers a lively, succinct exploration of one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history. Winston Churchill''s hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Johnson’s analysis casts new light on his extraordinary life and times. Johnson illuminates the various phases of Churchill''s career—from his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold War—and shows how Churchill''s immense adaptability and innate pugnacity made him a formidable leader for the better part of a century. Johnson''s narration of Churchill''s many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man''s humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before, and is sure to appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike.

From the bestselling author and acclaimed historian, a powerful portrayal of the life of Jesus Is Jesus relevant to us today? Few figures have had such an influu00adence on history as Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings have inspired discussion, arguments, even war, and yet few have ever held forth as movingly on the need for peace, forgiveness, and mercy. Paul Johnson''s brilliant reading offers readers a lively biography of the man who inspired one of the world''s great religions and whose lesu00adsons still guide us in current times. Johnson''s magisterial and revered book A History of Christianity is a masterpiece of historical writing on religion; and in his new book he returns to focus on a central figure in one of the world''s dominant religions. Johnson''s intelligent and converu00adsational style, as well as his ability to distill complex subjects into succinct, highly readable works, make this book the ideal match of a major historian with a major subject. The result is an accessible biography and an insightful analysis of how Jesus is important in the present era.

Corporate capitalism was invented in nineteenth-century Britain; most of the market institutions that we take for granted today - limited companies, shares, stock markets, accountants, financial newspapers - were Victorian creations. So were the moral codes, the behavioural assumptions, the rules of thumb and the unspoken agreements that made this market structure work. This innovative study provides the first integrated analysis of the origin of these formative capitalist institutions, and reveals why they were conceived and how they were constructed. It explores the moral, economic and legal assumptions that supported this formal institutional structure, and which continue to shape the corporate economy of today. Tracing the institutional growth of the corporate economy in Victorian Britain and demonstrating that many of the perceived problems of modern capitalism - financial fraud, reckless speculation, excessive remuneration - have clear historical precedents, this is a major contribution to the economic history of modern Britain.

"Johnson revels in all the wicked things these great thinkers have done...great fun to read." — New York Times Book Review A fascinating portrait of the minds that have shaped the modern world. In an intriguing series of case studies, Rousseau, Shelley, Marx, Ibsen, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, Brecht, Sartre, Edmund Wilson, Victor Gollancz, Lillian Hellman, Cyril Connolly, Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Kenneth Tynan, and Noam Chomsky, among others, are revealed as intellectuals both brilliant and contradictory, magnetic and dangerous.

By far the most important figure in the history of the United States, George Washington liberated the thirteen colonies from the superior forces of the British Empire against all military odds, and presided over the production and ratification of a constitution that (suitably amended) has lasted for more than two hundred years. Yet today Washington remains a distant figure to many Americans—a failing that acclaimed author Paul Johnson sets out to rectify with this brilliantly vivid, sharply etched portrait of the great hero as a young warrior, masterly commander in chief, patient lawmaker, and exceptionally wise president.