Most Popular Books by Richard Aldous

Aldous re-examines the iconic friendship and uneasy alliance between President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher--the couple who ended the Cold War.

The first major biography of preeminent historian and intellectual Arthur Schlesinger Jr., a defining figure in Kennedy’s White House. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917–2007), known today as the architect of John F. Kennedy’s presidential legacy, blazed an extraordinary path from Harvard University to wartime London to the West Wing. The son of a pioneering historian—and a two-time Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner in his own right—Schlesinger redefined the art of presidential biography. A Thousand Days, his best-selling and immensely influential record of the Kennedy administration, cemented Schlesinger’s place as one of the nation’s greatest political image makers and a key figure of the American intellectual elite—a peer and contemporary of Reinhold Niebuhr, Isaiah Berlin, and Adlai Stevenson. The first major biography of this defining figure in Kennedy’s Camelot, Schlesinger: The Imperial Historian presents a dramatic life and career set against the backdrop of the American Century. Biographer Richard Aldous draws on oral history, rarely seen archival documents, and the official Schlesinger papers to craft a portrait of the incandescently brilliant and controversial historian who framed America’s ascent to global empire.

This brilliant account of the dramatic confrontation between the two "mighty opposites" of the Victorian age highlights political giants William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.

In this authorised biography of one of the most remarkable Irishmen of the twentieth century, Richard Aldous is independent in his judgements and frank in his examination of his subject''s shortcomings and eccentricities. But most of all, he writes with verve and pace. Tony Ryan was born in a railwayman''s cottage and rose to enormous success, overseeing the spectacular making of two business fortunes and the dramatic loss of one. After an early spell in Aer Lingus, he set up an airline leasing company, Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), which had its headquarters in Shannon and quickly became the largest such enterprise in the world. Ryan was a hard taskmaster and the company reflected his ferocious work ethic. Yet, despite a stellar board of directors, a botched and poorly timed Initial Public Offering in the 1990s saw GPA crash and burn. Ryan lost almost everything. All that remained was a little airline running massive deficits. Ryan set about turning Ryanair around, putting in one of his assistants, Michael O''Leary, to help knock it into shape. The rest is history. Ryan remade his fortune, lived lavishly and elegantly, was a generous patron of the arts, and in every respect larger than life. His spirit is one that Ireland needs more than ever today. As the nation strives for its own recovery, it can find inspiration in the story of how one of its most famous sons rose and fell, and then rose again. Not one to stand still or lament mistakes, Tony Ryan''s determination never to give up is the real lesson of this story. He was in so many ways Ireland''s Aviator.

The Great Irish Speeches audio pack offers genuine historical recordings from the last 70 years of the most stirring and memorable speeches that have shaped Irish history. The CD is accompanied by an illustrated book, containing the transcripts of these and over 30 other momentous orations from throughout history. Each speech is preceded by an introduction, which places the address in context and underlines its historical significance, as well as an iconic photograph of the speaker. Presented chronologically, the book and CD together provide tremendous insight into Irish and world history. Includes the following speeches: • Éamon de Valera ''That Ireland which we dreamed of.'' • Éamon de Valera ''The abuse of a people who have done him no wrong.'' • John F. Kennedy ''Ireland''s hour has come.'' • Jack Lynch ''The Irish government can no longer stand by.'' • Liam Cosgrave ''Mongrel foxes.'' • Charles J. Haughey ''We are living away beyond our means.'' • Joe Connolly ''People of Galway - we love you.'' • John Hume ''Sit down and negotiate our future with us.'' • Mary Robinson ''Come dance with me in Ireland.'' • Máire Geoghegan-Quinn ''A necessary development of human rights.'' • Séamus Heaney ''The achievement of Irish poets.'' • David Trimble ''A cold house for Catholics.'' • Joe Higgins ''Ansbacher Man.'' • Gerry Adams ''Now there is an alternative.'' • Ian Paisley ''A Northern Ireland in which all can live together in peace.'' • Bertie Ahern ''This is what Ireland can give to the world.''

"The first prime minister to master the sound bites and photo opportunities of the television age, Macmillan had a penchant for the dramatic and flamboyant. During the Second World War, he had been dazzled by the summits between Churchill and Roosevelt - ''the emperor of the east and the emperor of the west''. Macmillan now set out to walk in their footsteps with President Eisenhower as latter-day emperor. This book follows Macmillan on his Churchillian quest, from the theatrical Moscow ''voyage of discovery'', via the U-2 crisis, to the acrimony of the 1960 Paris summit."--Jacket.

Great Irish Documents presents the most momentous and stirring documents in the history of Ireland. From St Patrick''s confession, via the harrowing reports of the Famine Relief Commission, the dramatic Proclamation of the Republic and the controversial 1921 Anglo-Irish treaty, to the road to peace and the Good Friday agreement, here is a unique overview of over 1500 years of Irish history.The transcript of each document is preceded by an introduction, written by Professor Richard Aldous, that places the text in its historical context and explains its significance, as well as by iconic images of the documents and their creators. Presented chronologically, this anthology provides a remarkable insight into the story of Ireland.

C. Douglas Dillon – heir to a vast investment banking fortune, and one of the richest men in America during his political career – was a Republican who served in a Democratic administration and became one of the greatest modern treasury secretaries. He believed in bipartisanship and public duty, a sensibility that has all but faded from the current political climate. With exclusive access to the family’s archive, in The Dillon Era Richard Aldous sets fresh eyes on a well-documented period in recent American history, unfolding a deeply influential but somewhat overlooked political career. In 1953 President Eisenhower appointed Dillon as ambassador to Paris, and he promoted him to second in command in the State Department in 1958. Tapped by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson for treasury secretary to reassure Wall Street that the nation’s finances were in safe hands, Dillon would become one of President Kennedy’s closest advisors, and perhaps the only cabinet member who was a personal friend. His impact on the Kennedy and Johnson administrations was immense, not least in delivering the most comprehensive income tax cuts the nation had ever seen. Overseas he worked to sustain political cooperation as the Bretton Woods system threatened to unravel. By the time he left office in 1965, the Washington Post recognized Dillon as “by far the best Secretary of the Treasury of the postwar period,” and European Economic Community president Walter Hallstein hailed a new “Dillon era.” Dillon advocated for evolution and reform over radicalism, and he placed the national interest above party interest. The Dillon Era throws new light on the postwar period, identifying Dillon as a pivotal figure in American policymaking during these crucial years of the Cold War.

"England''s most famous maestro was Sir Malcolm Sargent, the nation''s ''ambassador with a baton'' and friend to royalty. Sargent was despised by the musical establishment for his populism and showmanship. Yet ordinary music-lovers had been devoted to him, not the least for his heroics during the Blitz." "Tunes of Glory is as much an exploration of celebrity and the English psyche as the story of one man. It is the defining work on an extraordinary life drawn from the author''s exclusive and unlimited access to Sargent''s private letters, photographs and diaries."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this frank and revealing autobiography, Bertie Ahern gives his account of a remarkable political life and the personal story that accompanies it. He shows the cost to his family of a life played out in the public eye and, for the first time, discloses what really happened in his final weeks in power.