Kirjahaku

Derek Parker unravels a tale of duplicity, treachery and betrayal set in the most romantic period of Italian history, when children were married off for gain and society condoned the murder of adulterous wives. It has intrigued everyone who has heard of it for over 300 years. In 1697, a teenage girl named Pompilia tried to escape from her abusive husband, Count Guido Franceschini, with the help of a man called Guiseppe Caponsacchi. Arrested for adultery and put on trial, Pompilia was found guilty and sent to a nunnery. She was later allowed to return to her parents' home in Rome, where she gave birth to a son. During the night of the 3 January 1698, her elderly parents, Pietro Camparini and his wife Violante, were stabbed to death, their heads almost hacked from their bodies. Pompilia was also attacked, dying the next day from 20 stab wounds inflicted by the same five men. The men were arrested that evening. Seven weeks later, they were all convicted of one of the most notable and controversial crimes of the century and led to their executions by the Brotherhood of Death. After her death, the Franceschini continued to claim her dowry, while others tried to clear Pompilia's name. But was Pompilia saint or sinner? Had her parents set up a match for their child-bride, knowing that she was illegitimate? Who was the father of her son? Was her murder justified (17th-century Italy condoned the killing of adulterous wives)?

When Nell Gwyn, an actress on the London stage, first became familiar with the king, she was no better than a prostitute. Yet from the moment Charles II summoned her, there was never any suggestion that she granted her sexual favours to anyone but him; unlike some of his other lovers, she was as loyal to him as the Queen. On his deathbed Charles prayed neither for his Church nor his people, but asked that "Nelly might not starve". Nell Gywn's name is one of those few familiar to us all, yet what can we really know of this sensuous woman - the sensation of restoration England - who captured the heart of the king? This biography sets Nell Gywn's life against the backdrop of London during the Restoration and the ups and downs of theatrical life in the 17th century. Drawing on letters and contemporary accounts, and with dramatic portayals of the main characters, Derek Parker's book provides us with a vivid insight into the character of a woman who rose from nothing to be loved by a king.

Biography of Cellini

The dramatic life of a key Enlightenment figure, and France's greatest philosopher: Francois Marie Arouet (pen name Voltaire).

Francois Marie Arouet (pen name Voltaire) was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris. His humorous verses made him a favourite in society circles. His satirical wit got him in trouble and he was exiled from France on several occasions, imprisoned twice in the Bastille, and beaten by chevalier de Rohan-Chabot's men after making a public remark.

Mary Eleanor Bowes, ancestor of the Queen, was brought up at the luxurious estate of Gibside in County Durham. Known as the heiress of 'all the wealth of the North', it was perhaps inevitable that she became prey to fortune hunters. In 1767 John Lyon, 9th Earl of Strathmore, married her. The marriage lasted nine years, but it was not a happy one.

In 1800, while the coast of Australia had finally been charted, the vast interior of the continent, and routes across its deserts and mountains from north to south and east to west lay all undiscovered. By 1874, its lands had been all but won. Derek Parker's new and exciting book gathers together the stories of those intrepid explorers who, often against great odds, on journeys of months or even years, beat starvation, inadequate information and mapping, disease and loss, to forge a route which would enable the country's development. From early explorers, who were generally escaped convicts, to the son of a Lincolnshire surgeon who coined the name 'Australia'; from explorers Major Mitchell, who slaughtered aborigines, to Sir George Grey, who learnt their language, recorded their culture and came to love and understand them; and from the greatest overland expedition in Australian history in 1844 to continued failed attempts to find a mythical 'inland sea', this is a fascinating read. Illustrated by portraits, contemporary sketches and documents, and maps, this is a collection of tales of courage and determination despite overwhelming odds.

In 1800, while the coast of Australia had finally been charted, the vast interior of the continent, and routes across its deserts and mountains from north to south and east to west lay all undiscovered. By 1874, its lands had been all but won. Derek Parker's new and exciting book gathers together the stories of those intrepid explorers who, often against great odds, on journeys of months or even years, beat starvation, inadequate information and mapping, disease and loss, to forge a route which would enable the country's development. Illustrated by portraits, contemporary sketches and documents, and maps, this is a collection of tales of courage and determination despite overwhelming odds.

The Discovery of Australias Interior.