The unearthing of lively, telling anecdotes is the special province of Christopher Hibbert, who delights in forcing readers, in the most entertaining way, to reassess all their notions about some of the world's most intriguing historical figures. His biography of Victoria is no exception. We learn in these pages that not only was she the formidable, demanding, capricious Queen of popular imagination, but she was also often shy and vulnerable, prone...

"Christopher Hibbert recounts the events of Nelson's life, from the morning when the diminutive midshipman stood nervously on the dockyard at Chatham, wondering how to get aboard his ship and enter the strange world of the Navy, until the long afternoon when, as Admiral, he lay dying." "Hibbert brilliantly illuminates Nelson's personality, his personal and political friendships, his relationship with Sir William Hamilton, and his passionate love affair...

Text and lavish photographs present the artistic treasures of Ch'in Shih Huang-ti, first Chinese emperor, and his successors.