In this detailed biography of Napoleon, Polish historian Adam Zamoyski gives us a balanced view of his character: not a hero, but not a villain, either. Zamoyski focuses on Napoleon's formative years and personal life, not so much on the battles, although that is covered as well.
March is Women's History Month. Celebrate by reading books on women who changed the world. This display includes books about women across time and both famous and not-well-known.
Mark Dery's "Born to be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey" provides a detailed look at the life and works of author/illustrator Edward Gorey.
Elephant Company by Vicki Constantine Croke is a biography of "Elephant Bill" James Howard Williams and the hundreds of elephants he worked with in Burma in the first half of the last century.
Historian Catherine Fletcher tells the fascinating story of Alessandro de' Medici, the first Duke of Florence and arguably the first person of African descent to rule a European state.
26 Songs in 30 Days: Woody Guthrie's Columbia River Songs and the Planned Promised Land in the Pacific Northwest provides a history of folksinger/songwriter Woody Guthrie's month-long position with the Bonneville Power Administration creating songs about the Columbia River, Grand Coulee Dam and other topics related to the electrification of the Pacific Northwest.
Ariel by André Maurois is a fictionalized biography of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, focusing on his romance with his second wife, Mary Shelley, who became the author of Frankenstein.