The paintings and engravings of William Hogarth, the subject of this biography, have always been popular, but outside art history little is known about his life in 18th-century London, where he moved in the worlds of theatre, literature, journalism and politics.

This biography reinterprets the great man's life and poetry. MacCarthy casts a fresh eye on Byron's childhood in Scotland, his embattled relations with his mother and his series of relationships with adolescent boys.

Sex, intrigue and adultery in the world of high politics and huge wealth in late eighteenth-century England.

A dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots by a leading historian.

The new life of this legendary French queen by bestselling historian Antonia Fraser.

A classic reissue of Richard Holmes's brilliant book on Samuel Johnson's friendship with the poet Richard Savage, which won the James Tait Black Prize for Biography.