It has not been my intention to write a definitive study of appeasement. Such a work would have to include the French variety, Stalin's appeasement of Hitler between 1939 and 1941, or the appeasement of Japan in 1938 and 1939. I chose the British case for a number of reasons. The opportunity of a comparative model was a challenge, British appeasement was well known, and the structure of the British government remained rather the same in the intervening period between Waterloo and Dunkirk. I admit that Amiens and Munich represent the most dramatic episodes in the story of appeasement, but then the British struggles against Bonaparte and Hitler were of epic proportions. It was of course unnecessary "to prove" appeasement at Munich, but very few historians had looked at the treaty of Amiens in this way. Much of my research effort was therefore devoted to examining the published material of the earlier period. While I have used some original Addington documents, this work is not primarily an inquiry into unpublished sources but a rein terpretation of well known events that were made public long ago. The flood of publications and revelations of the 1930's continues unabated. I have tried to use the latest studies, especially those that have benefited from the thirty year rule. My debts of gratitude extend over a long period since two stints as chairman of the department have delayed this book by at least four years.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon The last king of America, George III, has been ridiculed as a complete disaster who frittered away the colonies and went mad in his old age. The truth is much more nuanced and fascinating--and will completely change the way readers and historians view his reign and legacy. Most Americans dismiss George III as a buffoon--a heartless and terrible monarch with few, if any, redeeming qualities. The best-known modern interpretation of him is Jonathan Groff's preening, spitting, and pompous take in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway masterpiece. But this deeply unflattering characterization is rooted in the prejudiced and brilliantly persuasive opinions of eighteenth-century revolutionaries like Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, who needed to make the king appear evil in order to achieve their own political aims. After combing through hundreds of thousands of pages of never-before-published correspondence, award-winning historian Andrew Roberts has uncovered the truth: George III was in fact a wise, humane, and even enlightened monarch who was beset by talented enemies, debilitating mental illness, incompetent ministers, and disastrous luck. In The Last King of America, Roberts paints a deft and nuanced portrait of the much-maligned monarch and outlines his accomplishments, which have been almost universally forgotten. Two hundred and forty-five years after the end of George III's American rule, it is time for Americans to look back on their last king with greater understanding: to see him as he was and to come to terms with the last time they were ruled by a monarch.

The Biographical Dictionary of British Prime Ministers is a wide-ranging, comprehensive guide to the political lives of Britain's prime ministers from Sir Robert Walpole to Tony Blair. Written by some of the leading authorities on British politics this authoritative dictionary provides essential information about each premiership, including facts and analytical debate. Each entry has been written to the same formula and contains: * brief biographical information outlining career history and significant dates and events * a brief summary of the significance and peculiarities of a particular prime minister followed by a more descriptive and interpretative account of his or her political life and impact on British politics * references and further reading. The Biographical Dictionary of British Prime Ministers addresses many of the key themes to understanding the role and impact of particular prime ministers such as: the political context; party management and reform; intra-party intellectual debate; and where relevant the evolution of the office of prime minister.