Hunderttausende Besucher sind es, die Jahr für Jahr in den Londoner Buckingham Palace und nach Windsor Castle strömen, angezogen von dem Bild einer ungewöhnlichen Frau: Königin Elizabeth II., die seit mehr als einem halben Jahrhundert eine bemerkenswerte Rolle im Weltgeschehen spielt. Die Konturen dieses Bildes sind vor allem jenen Fotografen zu verdanken, die während der vergangenen acht Jahrzehnte die Porträts der Queen schufen – von der gerade ein paar Monate alten Prinzessin über die Zeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs, ihre Verlobung und Hochzeit, ihre Thronbesteigung und Krönung bis zu den großen Staatsreisen und signifikanten Momenten der letzten Jahre. Seit ihrer Geburt 1926 wurde sie von den berühmtesten Fotografen ihrer Zeit aufgenommen, darunter Cecil Beaton, Karsh, Lord Snowdon, Lichfield, Jane Bown, Anthony Crickmay und Rankin. Das Ergebnis ist ein faszinierend genauer Blick auf die Königin als Symbol und als Mensch, als Monarchin und als Frau. Philip Ziegler, gefeierter britischer Biograf, erzählt klug und gewandt die Lebensgeschichte der Königin. Selten gezeigte Dokumentarfotos begleiten seine Texte, die sowohl alltägliche königliche Pflichten als auch weltpolitische Ereignisse ins Blickfeld rücken.
Philip Ziegler Bücher
Philip Ziegler ist ein britischer Biograf und Historiker, dessen anfängliche Absichten, Romane zu schreiben, sich zu einer bedeutenden Karriere in der Biografik entwickelten. Seine Werke befassen sich oft mit sorgfältigen Porträts und historischen Ereignissen, die die Vergangenheit für zeitgenössische Leser lebendig werden lassen. Ziegler ist bekannt für seinen präzisen Stil und seine scharfe Einsicht, was ihn zu einer respektierten Persönlichkeit in der Geschichtsschreibung macht. Sein Ansatz bietet eine fesselnde Erzählung, die die Essenz seiner Subjekte einfängt.






King Edward VIII
- 672 Seiten
- 24 Lesestunden
The authorised life story of the king who gave up his throne for love, by one of our most distinguished biographers.
Omdurman
- 240 Seiten
- 9 Lesestunden
The death of General Gordon in Khartoum at the hand of the Dervishes is one of the most celebrated events in the history of the 19th century. Equally dramatic, but perhaps less well-known, is the extraordinary battle 14 years later in which Kitchener avenged the murder of Gordon at Omdurman. schovat popis
This is the story of London at war - or, perhaps, of Londoners at war, for Philip Ziegler, known best as a biographer, is above all fascinated by the people who found their lives so suddenly and violently transformed: the querulous, tiresome yet strangely gallant housewife from West Hampstead;
Soldiers
- 368 Seiten
- 13 Lesestunden
Rich in narrative and anecdote this poignant and important book has at its heart short biographies of Chelsea Pensioners whose lives span the twentieth century and who have seen action from Passchendale to Anzio, from the Malayan emergency to the Mau Mau uprising, from Aden to Indonesia.
A photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, from her first official photograph as a baby in 1926 to her greeting President Obama at Buckingham Palace in 2009. It captures the Queen in a variety of poses, from formal photographs as a working monarch, to intimate portraits relaxing with her family at Balmoral and Windsor.
Olivier
- 461 Seiten
- 17 Lesestunden
"Hollywood superstar; Oscar-winning director; greatest stage actor of the twentieth century. The era abounded in great actors - Gielgud, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O'Toole - but none could challenge Laurence Olivier's range and power. By the 1940s he had achieved international stardom. His affair with Vivien Leigh led to a marriage as glamorous and as tragic as any in Hollywood history. He was as accomplished a director as he was a leading man: his three Shakespearian adaptations are among the most memorable ever filmed. And yet, at the height of his fame, he accepted what was no more than an administrator's wage to become the founding Director of the National Theatre. In 2013 the theatre celebrates its fiftieth anniversary; without Olivier's leadership it would never have achieved the status that it enjoys today. Off-stage, Olivier was the most extravagant of characters: generous, yet almost insanely jealous of those few contemporaries whom he deemed to be his rivals; charming but with a ferocious temper. With access to more than fifty hours of candid, unpublished interviews, Philip Ziegler ensures that Olivier's true character - at its most undisguised - shines through as never before."--Publisher's description
Providing a social history of London's experiences of war from 1939 to 1945, this book describes the Phoney War, the blackouts, the first evacuations and the horrors of the Blitz, followed in the last days of the war by the terror of the doodlebugs. Through it all, a spirit of defiance united all sections of London society, and the book, based on published sources as well as interviews, letters and diaries, presents a record of a population under siege.
Edward Heath
- 576 Seiten
- 21 Lesestunden
The magisterial official life of Britain's complex and misunderstood former prime minister, which offers a fundamental reassessment of his reputation.
George VI (Penguin Monarchs)
- 112 Seiten
- 4 Lesestunden
Written by Philip Ziegler, one of Britain's most celebrated biographers, George VI is part of the Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers in a collectible format If Ethelred was notoriously 'Unready' and Alfred 'Great', King George VI should bear the title of 'George the Dutiful'. Throughout his life, George dedicated himself to the pursuit of what he thought he ought to be doing rather than what he wanted to do. Inarticulate and loathing any sort of public appearances, he accepted that it was his destiny to figure conspicuously in the public eye, gritted his teeth, battled his crippling stammer and got on with it. He was not born to be king, but he made an admirable one, and was the figurehead of the nation at the time of its greatest trial, the Second World War. This is a brilliant, touching and sometimes funny book about this reluctant public figure, and the private man. Philip Ziegler is the author of the authorised biographies of Mountbatten, Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. His other books include The Duchess of Dino, William IV, The Black Death and most recently Olivier. Initially a diplomat, he worked for many years in book publishing before becoming a full-time writer.

