Robert Browning is one of the most truly popular poets since Shakespeare, Far from being the easy optimist, the romantic lover who eloped with Elizabeth Barrett, he lived in a solitary, often frightening inner world. In this vivid and sympathetic biography, Donald Thomas illuminates a man preoccupied by a bizarre sense of the " skull beneath the skin" Trade Paperback, 334pp with Index.

Robert Browning - A Life within Life

DONALD THOMAS

Biographies & Memoirs

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

James Thomas Brudenall, Seventh Earl of Cardigan, was probably the most hated and adulated man of his time. Dragoon, hussar, huntsman, landholder, adulterer and duellist, he waited for almost sixty years for his moment of glory. When it came it took place in an obscure Crimean valley and lasted only twenty minutes - but the Charge of the Light Brigade was one of the defining moments of history, and as its leader Cardigan instantly became a national hero. Yet the Balaclava incident was merely one of several peaks in Cardigan's career, which included the most remarkable proceedings for divorce, criminal conversation, and criminal libel; one of the greatest court-martial scandals of the century; a very public and un-Victorian love affair with a woman less than half his age; and a number of 'matters of honour', one of which earned him the distinction of being the only Victorian peer to be tried by the House of Lords. Donald Thomas has scoured not only family papers but every significant newspaper of the times. Here he weaves it all together to give not only an astonishing biography, but also a gripping portrayal of the Crimean War and of 19th Century military society.

Cardigan

Cassell Military

A biography of the eighteenth century English author draws on little-known papers and unpublished correspondence to reveal the complex and involved life of the writer scorned for the indecency of his works

Henry Fielding a Life

st.martins press

Following the success of The Secret Cases of Sherlock Holmes, a new group of unpublished tales of real-life crime is presented by Dr. Watson from the documents in the famous tin-box. Relating Holmess part in real-life crimes of the day, Donald Thomas brings the Great Detective to life once again in six narratives displaying Holmes at his most determined, inventive and downright devious.

Sherlock Holmes and the Running Noose

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Macmillan

James Thomas Brudenell, Seventh Earl of Cardigan (1797-1868), dragoon, hussar, huntsman, landholder, husband, adulterer, sometime Member of Parliament, duelist, probably the most hated and adulated aristocrat of his time, waited for almost sixty years for his moment of glory (or disaster, as his enemies and most historians would insist). When it came, it took place in an obscure Crimean valley, lasted twenty minutes, and was dubbed The Charge of the Light Brigade. . .in recreating the event and its complex prelude, Donald Thomas gives us a view of the Crimean War which will startle even those who thought they knew it all.

Cardigan: A Life of Lord Cardigan of Balaclava

History

Europe

Viking Adult

Dust jacket art by Peter Goodfellow. A story of what could have been if the outcome would have been different at the Battle of Quebec in 1759.

Prince Charlie's Bluff

The Viking Press

The activities of the underworld, extending into a civilian black market and the armed forces, are one of the great untold stories of the Second World War. The profits of civilian racketeering dwarfed the rewards of smash-and-grab or safebreaking, though these continued apace. Professional gangs raided government offices for ration books and underground presses counterfeited petrol and clothing coupons in tens of thousands. The scale of theft in the army was also colossal, with whole consignments of cigarettes, razor-blades and NAAFI stores disappearing. Donald Thomas draws on extensive archive material to tell the extraordinary tale of these less-heroic Britons. The facts he uncovers are often so preposterous that in a novel they would seem unbelievable.

An Underworld at War : Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War

True Crime

John Murray

'A thorough, clear and entertaining analysis of post-war criminality'  (Marcel Berlins, The Times )'Fascinating . . . A serious, well-written book . . . Admirably clear-eyed' (Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 20050918)'Crime, like the poor, is always with us. Donald Thomas's skill in this book is to put it into its historical context' (Ray Connolly, Daily Mail 20051028)'An intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and highly readable social history. Or, should one say, anti-social history?' (Evening Standard 20051017)'A rewarding and utterly necessary read.' (Clive Aslet, Country Life 20051027)'This is not just another essay in the true crime genre. Thomas has written a very decent piece of 20th century british history . . . well-written, solidly-researched' (Sunday Herald 20050925)'This is a serious . . . social history ... Compelling stories ... This is fresher and more challenging than fiction' (The Herald 20050910)'For all those readers who enjoy well-researched true crime and narrative-led social history, the latest Donald Thomas is a must for their bookshelves.' (Gilda O'Neill, author of OUR STREET 20050427)

Villains' Paradise: Britain's Underworld from the Spivs to the Krays

John Murray Publishers, Ltd.

The Blitz of 1940 may have made a nation of heroes, but in the shadows the shelter gangs and looters prowled. The activities of the underworld, extending into a civilian black market and the armed forces, are one of the great untold stories of the Second World War. The profits of civilian racketeering dwarfed the rewards of smash-and-grab or safebreaking, though these continued apace. Professional gangs raided government offices for ration books and underground presses counterfeited petrol and clothing coupons in tens of thousands. The scale of theft in the army was also colossal, with whole consignments of cigarettes, razor-blades and NAAFI stores disappearing. Donald Thomas draws on extensive archive material to tell the extraordinary tale of these less-heroic Britons. The facts he uncovers are often so preposterous that in a novel they would seem unbelievable.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Here, through the eyes of its inhabitants, Donald Thomas portrays the nineteenth-century underworld - one of 'night houses' and cigar divans, of street people and entertainers. The underworld was sheltered by an underclass, united with it in a hatred of the police. In its rookeries and padding-kens, gin shops and taverns, hard by the fashionable West End, thrived thieves and beggars, cheats, forgers and pickpockets, preying on rich and poor alike. Thackery wrote that the wonders of the Victorian underworld 'have been lying by your door and mine ever since we had a door of our own. We had but to go a hundred yards off and see it for ourselves, but we never did.' Her Donald Thomas pushes open that door to reveal a world at once both strange and strangely familiar.

The Victorian Underworld

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by DONALD THOMAS. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by DONALD THOMAS

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by DONALD THOMAS. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Robert Browning - A Life within Life

Cardigan

Henry Fielding a Life

Sherlock Holmes and the Running Noose

Cardigan: A Life of Lord Cardigan of Balaclava

Prince Charlie's Bluff

An Underworld at War : Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War

Villains' Paradise: Britain's Underworld from the Spivs to the Krays

An Underworld at War : Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War

The Victorian Underworld