by Paul Johnson

A galaxy of legendary figures from the annals of Western history comes to life in this stirring sequel to Intellectuals and Creators.

In this enlightening, entertaining work, Paul Johnson continues his engaging history series, approaching the subject of heroism with stirring examples of men and women from every age, walk of life and corner of the world who have inspired and transformed not only their own cultures but the whole world as well.

Heroes includes

Samson, Judith and Deborah
Alexander and julius Caesar
Henry V and Joan of Arc
Thomas More, Lady Jane Grey, Mary Queen of Scots
Elizabeth I and Walter Ralegh
George Washington, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson
Emily Dickinson
Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee
Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle
Mae West and Marilyn Monroe
Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II

Member Reviews

 O Rare Paul Johnson!
by Dutch on July 23, 2008

This book is like performance art - not meant to be exhaustive, not requiring any original research by Johnson, just giving his unmatched intellect free rein while you sit back and marvel at the originality of his thinking. In fact Johnson is so good that this collection of idiosyncratic sketches of well known historical figures could have been dictated off-the-cuff by Johnson with minimal preparation, much the way another brilliant writer, Winston Churchill, was able to dictate his multi-volume History of the English Speaking Peoples with hardly any more than an outline to guide him. This is just plain fun to listen to and, although you may not learn anything new about the lives of Horatio Nelson or Abraham Lincoln, it is fascinating to learn what about these oft-studied characters is important to Johnson.

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