Laurence Bergreen Ordine dei libri (cronologico)

From the acclaimed biographer of explorers comes a unique exploration of Jules Verne, the novelist whose imagination sparked a transformation in modern society and technology, influencing figures from J.R.R. Tolkien to Jeff Bezos. His stories inspired literary giants and real-world expeditions, compelling undersea explorers, aviation pioneers, and astronauts to seek the unknown. Verne is one of the most widely translated authors, second only to Agatha Christie and Shakespeare, with his legacy evident in Jeff Bezos’s rocket factory, which features a replica of a spaceship from one of his novels. Considered the “father of science fiction,” Verne is an icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. His novels, including classics like *Around the World in 80 Days* and *Journey to the Center of the Earth*, not only entertained but also predicted innovations that became everyday realities. Brimming with intellect, science, adventure, and paradoxes, his work imagined a world beyond the limits of the possible, inspiring future generations to achieve the unthinkable. From biographer Laurence Bergreen, this account of Verne is engaging, vibrant, and richly researched, highlighting a visionary who profoundly shaped our modern world.

Francis Drake, Elżbieta I i burzliwe początki brytyjskiego imperium. Laurence Bergreen, uznany biograf takich odkrywców, jak Magellan, Kolumb i Marco Polo, przedstawia w tej barwnej opowieści niezwykłe życie i przygody sir Francisa Drake'a, którego kunszt żeglarski zmienił bieg dziejów za panowania Elżbiety I. Potajemnie wysłany przez nią w rejs dookoła świata, a później wezwany do ocalenia Anglii przed hiszpańską Wielką Armadą, zdobył renomę, rabując statki na morzach całego świata. W ojczyźnie uważany był za skrzyżowanie niedościgłego odkrywcy z bohaterem w typie Robin Hooda, choć wcześniej także handlował niewolnikami. Oczarował młodą królową Anglii, dla której urzeczywistnił to, co wydawało się niemożliwe. Znacząco przyczynił się do powstania imperium brytyjskiego. Przez całą karierę, będąc narzędziem imperialnych ambicji Elżbiety, gromadził własny majątek. A jako wiceadmirał uosabiał przemianę Anglii w Wielką Brytanię. Stosunki między Drakiem a Elżbietą, które stanowią brakujące ogniwo w zrozumieniu powstania imperium brytyjskiego, nie zostały dotąd w pełni opisane. W poszukiwaniu imperium z werwą wypełnia tę lukę.

For Elizabeth, Drake made the impossible real, serving as a crucial and brilliantly adaptable instrument of her ambitions to transform England from a third-rate island kingdom into a global imperial power.In 1580, sailing on Elizabeth's covert orders, Drake became the first captain to circumnavigate the earth successfully.

Il 6 settembre 1522 dalle coste dell'Andalusia avvistarono una nave carica di spezie, ridotta ormai quasi a un relitto, di cui non si avevano notizie da tempo. Il capitano e gli ufficiali erano morti, l'equipaggio decimato. La Victoria venne trainata verso il porto di Siviglia, da cui era partita tre anni prima per compiere una delle più straordinarie imprese di tutti i tempi: la prima circumnavigazione della Terra. La spedizione guidata da Magellano avrebbe cambiato per sempre la concezione occidentale della cosmologia e della geografia. In questo libro l'autore fa rivivere le sensazioni e le emozioni di quei coraggiosi navigatori, il loro senso dell'avventura e le sofferenze che subirono per portare a termine il loro viaggio.

Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a trading route to China, and his unexpected landfall in the Americas, is a watershed event in world history. Yet Columbus made three more voyages within the span of only a decade, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity. These later voyages were even more adventurous, violent, and ambiguous, but they revealed Columbus's uncanny sense of the sea, his mingled brilliance and delusion, and his superb navigational skills. In all these exploits, he almost never lost a sailor. By their conclusion, however, Columbus was broken in body and spirit. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, the latter voyages illustrate the tragic costs, political, moral, and economic. In this book, the author re-creates each of these adventures as well as the historical background of Columbus's celebrated, controversial career

The extraordinary life of one of the great travellers of world history

Ferdinand Magellan's daring circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century was a three-year odyssey filled with sex, violence, and amazing adventure. Now in Over the Edge of the World, biographer and journalist Laurence Bergreen entwines a variety of candid, firsthand accounts, bringing to life this groundbreaking and majestic tale of discovery that changed both the way explorers would henceforth navigate the oceans and history itself.

Rich in detail and anecdote, this biography plunges into a world of violence, greed, and corruption. It unfolds like a Philip Marlowe detective novel, beautifully written and evocative of the roaring twenties, immersing readers in the era's sleaze and chaos. Al Capone, once a poor farm boy from an immigrant slum, built a vast bootlegging and racketeering empire that stretched from New York to the West. His flashy and ruthless persona became enshrined in myth, but this meticulously researched work strips away the legend to reveal the man behind the facade. It explores an era defined by greed and the relentless pursuit of pleasure, with Capone as its emblematic figure. This captivating examination of American society and culture uncovers the roots of a crime-fueled landscape, illustrating the transformation of the American dream into a nightmare. The fresh assessment of this grim chapter in U.S. history is both engaging and accessible. This revisionist biography dismantles long-held myths, presenting a compelling narrative filled with larger-than-life personalities and a vivid portrayal of the social history of the time.