William IV

William IV

Author: John Van Der Kiste

Publisher: Pen and Sword History

Published: 2022-10-20

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1399098586

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Born in 1765, third son of King George III and Queen Charlotte, Prince William, Duke of Clarence, initially had little expectation of succeeding to the British throne. A brief career in the navy, followed by several years of semi-obscurity and a liaison with the actress Dorothea Jordan that gave them a family of ten children, came to an end with the ‘royal race for the crown’, requiring him and several of his other similarly unmarried brothers to find wives and ensure the royal succession after the unexpected death of their only legitimate niece Charlotte, daughter of the Prince Regent. William’s wife, Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, failed to produce any children who survived infancy, but despite their great difference in ages she succeeded in taming his previously uncouth manners. By the time he ascended the throne in 1830, the formerly outspoken prince had proved himself fitted to be a conscientious and astute if occasionally eccentric sovereign who successfully weathered the storms engendered by the passage of the Great Reform Bill. Between them, King William and Queen Adelaide helped to restore the popularity of a somewhat tarnished crown and lay the foundations for a modern monarchy under the auspices of their niece who succeeded them as Queen Victoria. This book portrays the life and character of ‘Good King Billy’, one of Britain’s most endearing sovereigns. An affable character of straightforward honesty and common sense, an occasionally tactless, blundering character with an instinctive dislike of pomp and ceremony but with the common touch, he was arguably the most human, down-to-earth of the Hanoverians.


William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

Author: Ari Berk

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 17

ISBN-13: 0763647942

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Describes Shakespeare's experiences in London and his retirement to the country in a fictional account that includes excerpts from his works.


William IV (Penguin Monarchs)

William IV (Penguin Monarchs)

Author: Roger Knight

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2015-08-27

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 0141977213

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William IV, the 'Sailor King', reigned for just seven years. Rash and impetuous as a young man, he was sent to join the navy by his father, George III, to bring him to order, but he was overpromoted at an early age and saw his years of active service marked by a series of calamities. He was also notorious for his mounting debts and his long relationship with the actress Mrs Jordan, with whom he had ten children. Yet, as Roger Knight, one of Britain's foremost naval historians, shows in this concise and perceptive biography, William's bluff, unpolished sailor's manner made him popular with the people. Inheriting the throne amid strikes, riots and the push for parliamentary reform, he helped see the country through the great constitutional crisis of the era. Despite his many flaws, he was perhaps a better king than sailor, leaving the monarchy in a healthier state than when he found it, and enabling the smooth succession of his niece, Victoria.


Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs

Literary Outlaw: The Life and Times of William S. Burroughs

Author: Ted Morgan

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2012-07-31

Total Pages: 753

ISBN-13: 0393342603

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“Almost indecently readable . . . captures [Burroughs’s] destructive energy, his ferocious pessimism, and the renegade brilliance of his style.”—Vogue With a new preface as well as a final chapter on William S. Burroughs’s last years, the acclaimed Literary Outlaw is the only existing full biography of an extraordinary figure. Anarchist, heroin addict, alcoholic, and brilliant writer, Burroughs was the patron saint of the Beats. His avant-garde masterpiece Naked Lunch shook up the literary world with its graphic descriptions of drug abuse and illicit sex—and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on obscenity. Burroughs continued to revolutionize literature with novels like The Soft Machine and to shock with the events in his life, such as the accidental shooting of his wife, which haunted him until his death. Ted Morgan captures the man, his work, and his friends—Allen Ginsberg and Paul Bowles among them—in this riveting story of an iconoclast.


William Pitt the Younger: A Biography

William Pitt the Younger: A Biography

Author: William Hague

Publisher: HarperCollins UK

Published: 2012-05-31

Total Pages: 708

ISBN-13: 0007480938

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The award-winning biography of William Pitt the Younger by William Hague, the youngest leader of the Tory Party since Pitt himself.


Hero for Humanity

Hero for Humanity

Author: Kevin Charles Belmonte

Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13:

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Journey through the life and times of William Wilberforce, a leader whose influence on modern culture is unparalleled. You'll discover how he devoted his life to abolishing slavery in Britain amidst the turmoil of war and impacted the lives of millions across the globe.