Best of
Historical-Fiction

1970

The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower: A Biography of C. S. Forester's Famous Naval Hero


C. Northcote Parkinson - 1970
    Forester, but how many know the true Hornblower—the man who rose from Midshipman to Admiral of the British Fleet? Using Hornblower family papers discovered in the 1970s, C. Northcote Parkinson has set the record straight in this authoritative biography.

QB VII


Leon Uris - 1970
    In his book The Holocaust—born of the terrible revelation that the Jadwiga Concentration Camp was the site of his family’s extermination—Cady shook the consciousness of the human race. He also named eminent surgeon Sir Adam Kelno as one of Jadwiga’s most sadistic inmate/doctors. Kelno has denied this and brought furious charges. Now unfolds Leon Uris’s riveting courtroom drama—one of the great fictional trials of the century.

Legacy: Arthurian Saga


Mary Stewart - 1970
    It has reached millions of readers. Now, the mysterious sorcerer of Arthurian Mythology, has found new life. The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment and The Wicked Day now stand united in Book one of the Legacy series -- the finest work of Mary Stewart's distinguished career.In all of literature there has never been a more compelling look into this mysterious figure. Merlin, is most known as the keeper of King Arthur. In this Legacy series, we discover the true history of one of the most enigmatic figures in history. We'll follow Merlin as he discovers the secrets to the mystical arts and becomes the biggest name in folklore.

The Crystal Cave


Mary Stewart - 1970
    This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight. Against a background of invasion and imprisonment, wars and conquest, Merlin emerges into manhood, and accepts his dramatic role in the New Beginning - the coming of King Arthur.

Great Lion of God


Taylor Caldwell - 1970
    Saul Tarshish, or, as the Romans called him, Paul of Tarsus, the intellectual Pharisee, lawyer, theologian & ,finally the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Bomber


Len Deighton - 1970
    There are no victors, no vanquished. There are simply those who remain alive, and those who die.Bomber follows the progress of an Allied air raid through a period of twenty-four hours in the summer of 1943. It portrays all the participants in a terrifying drama, both in the air and on the ground, in Britain and in Germany.In its documentary style, it is unique. In its emotional power it is overwhelming.Len Deighton has been equally acclaimed as a novelist and as an historian. In Bomber he has combined both talents to produce a masterpiece.

Eagle in the Snow: A Novel of General Maximus and Rome's Last Stand


Wallace Breem - 1970
    Bravery, loyalty, experience, and success lead to Maximus' appointment as "General of the West" by the Roman emperor, the ambition of a lifetime. But with the title comes a caveat: Maximus needs to muster and command a single legion to defend the perilous Rhine frontier. On the opposite side of the Rhine River, tribal nations are uniting; hundreds of thousands mass in preparation for the conquest of Gaul, and from there, a sweep down into Rome itself. Only a wide river and a wily general keep them in check. With discipline, deception, persuasion, and surprise, Maximus holds the line against an increasingly desperate and innumerable foe. Friends, allies, and even enemies urge Maximus to proclaim himself emperor. He refuses, bound by an oath of duty, honor, and sacrifice to Rome, a city he has never seen. But then circumstance intervenes. Now, Maximus will accept the purple robe of emperor, if his scrappy legion can deliver this last crucial victory against insurmountable odds. The very fate of Rome hangs in the balance. Combining the brilliantly realized battle action of Gates of Fire and the masterful characterization of Mary Renault's The Last of the Wine, Eagle in the Snow is nothing less than the novel of the fall of the Roman empire.

Daddy Was a Number Runner


Louise Meriwether - 1970
    While 12-year-old Francie Coffin’s world and family threaten to fall apart, this remarkable young heroine must call upon her own wit and endurance to survive amidst the treacheries of racism and sexism, poverty and violence.

The Greatest Enemy


Douglas Reeman - 1970
    Now she is working out her last commission in the Gulf of Thailand. To Lieutenant-Commander Standish, the frigate seems to mark the end of his hopes of a career in the Navy. Then a new captain arrives, a man driven by an old-fashioned, almost obsessive patriotism. And under his stubborn leadership Standish and the crew discover a long-forgotten unity of purpose...

God Is an Englishman


R.F. Delderfield - 1970
    His struggle to succeed and his conquest of Henrietta, the spirited daughter of a rich manufacturer, drive a richly woven tale that takes the reader from the dusty plains of India to the teeming slums of nineteenth-century London, from the chaos of the great industrial cities to the age of the peaceful certainties of the English countryside. Filled with epic scenes and memorable characters, God is an Englishman triumphs in its portrayal of human strength and weakness, and in its revelations of the power of love.

Calico Palace


Gwen Bristow - 1970
    These were the people who went up to the hills and came back staggering under the weight of the treasure they carried, and who began transforming San Francisco from a shantytown into one of the most brilliant cities in the world. This novel tells the unforgettable story of how these people walked into one of the most spectacular adventures in the world’s history. They saw the first samples of gold brought to the quartermaster, who said they were flakes of yellow mica. They were there when the first people who saw the gold were laughed at and called “crackbrains.” And they laid the foundation of the golden empire before the first forty-niners got there. Some of them could not meet the demands of this strange new world; others grew stronger and shared the greatness of the country they had helped build. Calico Palace is their story brought to vivid life.

The Homecoming


Earl Hamner Jr. - 1970
    While his seven brothers and sisters and his mother keep vigil the older son, Clay-boy, goes in search of his father. But on his journey through the snowbound Virginia hills, the boy experiences a series of hazardous, touching and hilarious adventures.His life is endangered by an enraged deer, the family's honor is threatened by a well-meaning outsider, and unexpected help is provided by the fearsome county sheriff. An encounter with the neighborhood Negro community church teaches Clay-boy a lesson in race relations and, while taking refuge from a snowstorm, he is overwhelmed by the intoxicating hospitality of two elderly genteel lady bootleggers.Finally, at midnight, when all hope for him has been abandoned, Clay Spencer provides a surprising climax to the story, and in a single moment illuminates the triumph of the human spirit. Rich with life that rings true, filled with nostalgia, laughter and tears, The Homecoming is a warm and wonderful classic of American literature.

Twice Freed


Patricia St. John - 1970
    Eirene is a rich merchant's daughter. Onesimus longs to gain his freedom and Eirene's love. However, he doesn't realize where true freedom lies. He wants nothing to do with Jesus Christ. His master, Philemon, may follow the teachings of the Christ and his apostle Paul... but Onesimus has other plans.

The Courtney Entry (Ira Penaluna #3)


Max Hennessy - 1970
    A huge cash prize awaits anyone who can make the perilous transatlantic flight between Paris and New York, as well as global notoriety.Though many have died attempting it, among those who are still ready to face the hazards of the long-distance flight is Ira Penaluna, a hard-bitten war veteran, along with his daughter and navigator, Alix.He discovers that the Courtney plane he is to fly requires drastic design modification. However, the news that another challenger, a young man named Lindbergh, is on the point of departure forces Ira and Alix to take off in appalling conditions. Can he win, or even survive this journey? A triumphant finale to the trilogy, anchored by thrilling action and historical knowledge, perfect for fans of Wilbur Smith, W. E. Johns and Alistair MacLean.

Dear and Glorious Physician / Great Lion of God


Taylor Caldwell - 1970
    Navy Bindings with gilt lettering and gilt decorations and ribbon markers.2 Vol Set

Works of Elizabeth Gaskell


Elizabeth Gaskell - 1970
    Few of Gaskell's contemporaries were willing to consign her exclusively to the ranks of 'lady novelists', and late Victorian memoirists and critics measured her achievements against those of Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot. The Pickering & Chatto edition of "The Works of Elizabeth Gaskell" is the first comprehensive critical edition of Gaskell's work to be published. It brings together, for the first time, her journalism, some of which has never been republished, her extensive shorter fiction, which was published in various collections during her lifetime, her early personal writing, including a diary written between 1835 and 1838 when she was a young mother, her five full-length novels and "The Life of Charlotte Bronte". The edition is fully reset. Copy texts have been carefully chosen, according to the publishing history of individual works. Textual variants are noted at the end of each volume and individual works are accompanied by a headnote detailing the circumstances of publication, together with full explanatory notes. A general introduction to the edition traces Gaskell's reputation from lifetime reviews of individual works through to late Victorian assessments of her achievement, the waning of her popularity at the end of the nineteenth century and its revival in the middle of last century. Throughout this process the role played by biographies and by the publication of her letters will be emphasised. The introduction also discusses the history of the earlier editions and collections of Gaskell's works and offers a rationale for the organisation of this definitive edition. In addition each volume contains a critical introduction to the text(s) included in the volume.

The Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad


F.N. Monjo - 1970
    Will Tommy Fuller be able to hide the runaways from a search party—or will the secret passengers be discovered and their hope for freedom destroyed?This Level 3 I Can Read book is a captivating first-person historical fiction account of the Underground Railroad, narrated by Tommy, a ten year-old Quaker boy,. With beautiful, simple prose that folds in historical facts about slavery and the Civil War, this book makes this important period of American history accessible to beginning readers. Includes an afterword from the author F.N. Monjo that explains the historical context of the Fugitive Slave Law.Supports the Common Core Learning Standards

The Child from the Sea


Elizabeth Goudge - 1970
    It is a story filled with the passions and adventure of an age of glory and squalor, nobility and depravity, courage and betrayal.

The Saracen Lamp


Ruth M. Arthur - 1970
    It begins with the marriage, in about 1300, of 15 year old Melisande, a girl of Southern France, to Sir Hugh de Hervey, six years older than herself and an English knight and landowner. Melisande takes with her to England a very special lamp, a lamp of gold and jewels, made for her by a Saracen servant in her father's household. The lamp becomes the spirit and treasure of the de Hervey household.The lamp remains at Littleperry Manor, the de Hervey estate, long after Melisande is gone and her children and her children's children are gone. It is more than two hundred years later when Alys appears, clever and vengeful Alys, who is wilfully responsible for the lamp's disappearance and with it the joy of the house.It remains for Perdita, a girl of the present, ill, temporarily crippled, and haunted by the spirit of Alys, to wonder about the past of the house, to find a solution to its problems, and even to uncover the identity of its ghost.

Isabella and Ferdinand 1-3 (Isabella and Ferdinand #1-3)


Jean Plaidy - 1970
    The tale unfolds from Isabella's early days at the licentious court of her brother, Henry IV, through her remarkable reign as Queen of Spain, to her tragic widowhood.

The Siege


Ismail Kadare - 1970
    They have refused to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire, and war is now inevitable. Soon enough dust kicked up by Turkish horses is spotted from a citadel. Brightly coloured banners, hastily constructed minarets and tens of thousands of men fill the plain below. From this moment on, the world is waiting to hear that the fortress has fallen. The Siege tells the enthralling story of the weeks and months that follow – of the exhilaration and despair of the battlefield, the constantly shifting strategies of war, and those whose lives are held in balance, from the Pasha himself to the technicians, artillerymen, astrologer, blind poet and harem of women that accompany him. Brilliantly vivid, as insightful as it is compelling, The Siege is an unforgettable account of the clash of two great civilisations. As a portrait of war, it resonates across the centuries and confirms Ismail Kadare as one of our most significant writers.

The Heirs of the Kingdom


Zoé Oldenbourg - 1970
    La Joie des Pauvres is an historical novel about Peter the Hermit's calling of a popular crusade to liberate the holy land focusing on some of the poor who hearkened to it & what happened to them.

The Player's Boy


Antonia Forest - 1970
    But in fact, he was on his way from one life and one identity to another: for having worked his passage as ship's boy in the Mary of Barrashaw and earned his keep in Lord Southampton's news, he found himself an apprentice in the company of actors known as the Lord Chamberlain's players. The playhouse was a new and absorbing world, into which Nicholas entered wholeheartedly, though still with a double load of secrets - for among the players only Will knew of his connection with Marlowe, and not even Will knew that the connection was not once of kinship but founded on sheer chance.The Player's Boy is Antonia Forest's first historical novel, but she shows herself as much at home in the 1590s as in the 1960s. The plot is as exciting, the characterization as sharp, the dialogue as entertaining as in her contemporary stories, and she also gives a fascinating picture of England and the English theatre at the end of the great Elizabethan age.

Savannah Purchase


Jane Aiken Hodge - 1970
    They were cousins, but they looked enough alike to be twins.Life and war separated them, but the years didn't dim the astonishing resemblance.Now Fate suddenly threw them together again -- two beautiful, desirable women playing out a deadly masquerade.Set against the elegance, splendor and gentility of the early 19th-century South, this is a suspenseful tale of high intrigue and dangerous deception.

Great Elephant


Alan Scholefield - 1970
    The narrator tells of his family's experience as white Christians settling in Zululand and the fortunes and misfortunes that occur from the time he was age 6 through age 16. Story is sometimes hair-raising adventure. Filled with cultural insights. Reads more like history than fiction.

Cape of Storms


John Gordon Davis - 1970
    On board is Victoria Rhodes, one of a number of nurses, and James falls hopelessly in love with her. However, other members of the crew, who range from ordinary as seamen go to very rough personalities, also lust after Victoria. Her origins become the centre of attention and an air of mystery surrounds her. Following a return to port in Cape Town drama ensues and startling facts emerge. The author depicts the brutality of both whaling and human behaviour with no holds barred and undeniable insight in this thrilling novel. It is packed with adventure, sexual frustrations, and mystery.

To Spit Against the Wind


Benjamin H. Levin - 1970
    A novel depicting the life and times of Thomas Paine, a pivotal member of the creation of the United States.

Master and Commander together with Men-of-War


Patrick O'Brian - 1970
    It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent. It contains all the action and excitement which could possibly be hoped for in a historical novel, but it also displays the qualities which have put O’Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation and ambience, of the landscape and of the sea. O’Brian’s portrayal of each of these is faultless and the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation is above all masterly.This brilliant historical novel marked the début of a writer who has grown into one of the most remarkable literary novelists now writing, the author of what Alan Judd, writing in the Sunday Times, has described as ‘the most significant extended story since Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time’.

The Last of the Vikings


Henry Treece - 1970
    The story goes that when shown, at his own request, the fatal arrow that had been taken out of him he remarked, "yes, the man who made this knew his trade". Snorri Sturluson's saga tells us quite a lot about Harald, and here, Henry Treece, creates part of Harald's early life in the form of a novel.