Die-Cast Figures

With Lawrence in Arabia: Lost Treasures

First published in 1925, Lowell Thomas' absorbing account of the legendary military figure, Colonel T.E. Lawrence, was the inspiration for the film Lawrence of Arabia.

Robert E. Lee's Civil War

This provocative, carefully researched look at the crucial moments of the Civil War reads with previously found only in dramatic novels such as The Killer Angels.Through Bevin Alexander's powerful descriptions and analyses of bloody battles, heroic charges, and desperate retreats, he paints a controversial picture of the South's most revered military figure -- Robert E. Lee. While Lee gets full credit as an inspiring leader and an effective defensive tactician, Alexander demonstrates how Lee's strategic blunders decimated the Army of Northern Virginia and ultimately lost the Civil War.

The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima

This incisive biography begins with the spectacularly tragic last day of the militant Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima (1925-1970), perhaps best known for his monumental four-book masterpiece The Sea of Fertility. The narrative then goes back into his life and work to try to make sense of why Japan's most famous artist kidnapped a leading military figure, attempted to incite the Japanese army to overthrow the government, and then committed suicide. This book's republication marks the thirtieth anniversary of Mishima's death on November 25, 1970, a day the Japanese people are still trying to come to terms with.

Franklin Pierce - Young Hickory of the Granite Hills (Biography)

Franklin Pierce - Young Hickory of the Granite Hills is the biography of Franklin Pierce, an American politician and the fourteenth President of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. To date, Franklin Pierce is the only president from the State of New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a doughface (a Northerner with Southern sympathies) who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Later, Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general. The most controversial event of Pierce''s presidency was the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which repealed the Missouri Compromise and reopened the question of slavery in the West. Franklin Pierce - Young Hickory of the Granite Hills is highly recommended for those interested in reading more about this popular military figure and American President.

My Life

Translated for the first time into English from Garibaldi''s original manuscripts, these memoirs provide an authentic reading of the life and times of one of the most remarkable figures in history. The life of Giuseppe Garibaldi--distinguished by superhuman courage, personal tragedy, and tireless struggle in the name of freedom--has remained a source of fascination for generations. In this engrossing first-person narrative, Garibaldi charts his extraordinary adventures, from his early seafaring exploits and his flight to South America, to his return to Italy as a conquering general. Now in its first English translation, My Life reveals all of Garibaldi''s strength of character, his visionary outlook, and his unfailing idealism. Adventurer, reformer, military figure, and novelist, Giuseppe Garibaldi was a hero of the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification.

Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms

Winfield Scott (1786-1866) was arguably the premier soldier of his era. More than any other, he was responsible for the professionalization of the U.S. Army during his long career (1807-61). He served as general in the War of 1812, commander of the U.S. forces in the final campaign of the war with Mexico, and general in chief at the beginning of the Civil War. Scott was known for his boldness and courage during the War of 1812 and wisdom and caution in his direction of the Mexico campaign. Author Allan Peskin's research in the National Archives unearthed records from the War Department that support his portrayal of General Scott as a forward-looking managerial officer who accurately foresaw the coming of dramatic changes in technology and business principles for the military. Peskin also examines Scott's role in the political arena during the 1850s and his unsuccessful bid for the presidency as the nominee of the Whig party. Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms is a balanced and thorough biography of this long-neglected military figure. Scholars and military historians will welcome its significant contributions to the literature.

Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was an outstanding military figure and the savior of the Union during the Civil War, as well as the 18th President of the United States from 1869-77. He was an author of unusual ability and his Memoirs are widely regarded as one of the great books written in the English language. He was also a complex individual with uncommon virtues.Born in 1822, Grant was the son of an Ohio tanner. He went to West Point rather against his will and graduated in the middle of his class. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Grant was appointed by the governor to command an unruly volunteer regiment, quickly rising to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers. In February 1862, he took Fort Henry and attacked Fort Donelson. When the Confederate commander asked for terms, Grant replied, No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. The Confederates surrendered, and President Lincoln promoted Grant to major general of volunteers. At Shiloh in April, Grant fought one of the bloodiest battles in the West and came out less well. Lincoln fended off demands for his removal by saying, I can't spare this man -- he fights. For his next major objective, Grant then maneuvered and fought skillfully to win Vicksburg, the key city on the Mississippi, cutting the Confederacy in two. Then he broke the Confederate hold on Chattanooga.Lincoln appointed him General-in-Chief in March 1864. Grant directed Sherman to drive through the South while he himself, with the Army of the Potomac, pinned down General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Finally, on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Lee surrendered. Grant wrote out magnanimous terms of surrender thatwouldprevent treason trials.As President, Grant presided over the Government much as he had run the Army. Indeed he brought part of his Army staff to the White House. After retiring from the Presidency, Grant became a partner in a financial firm, which went bankrupt. Abo

A Revolution Remembered: The Memoirs and Selected Correspondence of Juan N. Seguin

Scion of one of San Antonio's leading early families, Juan Nepomuceno Seguin grew up in a Texas beset by violence and destruction. During the 1820s he matured in a household that welcomed Stephen F. Austin, and like many prominent Tejanos, the young Seguin came to see Anglo-Americans as a boon to the development of his beloved homeland. With the eruption of rebellion in Texas in October 1835, he volunteered for service in the Texas army and was involved in some of the most memorable events in the War of Independence, from the siege of Bexar to the Runaway Scrape and the battle of San Jacinto.As the most prominent Tejano military figure during the war, and an important political figure thereafter, Seguin made enemies among the newly arriving Anglo-Americans unaware of the contributions of numerous Tejanos to the Texas cause. His opposition to land-grabbers in the San Antonio area and the machinations of political enemies while serving as mayor of San Antonio forced him to seek safety in Mexico, where he was impressed into military service. Among his controversial actions during his six-year exile were involvement in Gen. Adrian Woll's occupation of San Antonio in September 1842 and command of a Mexican cavalry company during the Mexican War.After his return to Texas in 1848, he became involved in San Antonio politics and was a founding member of the Bexar County Democratic Party. He served as an election precinct chairman and as Wilson County judge during Reconstruction before finally retiring in 1870 to Nuevo Laredo, where two of his sons had set up residence. He died in the Mexican border town in 1890.Jesus F. de la Teja has written the most extensive biographical study yetdone on this controversial Tejano, who deserves a place among the more familiar names in the litany of the illustrious patriots of the Texas Revolution. Here is a wealth of information for serious historians but, even more, a readable and informative account for any person interested in early Texas history. This reprint edition of the out-of-print classic contains a new introduction.