Books by Tim Blanning
Augustus The Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
by Tim Blanning
đ Winner of the 2025 Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography
“Augustus the Strongâand I think, if you took the exact translation, he was known as âAugustus the Physically Strong,â which implied that brain power didnât have much to do with itâwas a man who fought first and thought second. He was a bit of a rascal and a warmonger, and a notable fornicator and adulterer who shocked many of his contemporaries. In terms of power politics, he was the Elector of Saxony who forced his way into becoming elected King of Poland, which was an absolute disaster for Poland and for him.” Read more...
The Best Historical Biography: The 2025 Elizabeth Longford Prize
Roy Foster, Historian
Interviews where books by Tim Blanning were recommended
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1
King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East
by Scott Anderson -
2
The First King of England: Ăthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom
by David Woodman -
3
The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century
by Tim Weiner -
4
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
by Selena Wisnom -
5
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb
by Garrett Graff -
6
The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life
by Sophia Rosenfeld
New History Books
New History Books
It’s a golden age for historical writing, as well-researched and sometimes quite specialist books by historians are written in an engaging style for a broad audience. History books out in recent months range from ancient Assyria to the CIA in the 21st century.
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1
All His Spies: The Secret World of Robert Cecil
by Stephen Alford -
2
Augustus The Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
by Tim Blanning -
3
The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV
by Helen Castor -
4
Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King
by Dan Jones -
5
The Rebel's Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon
by Adam Shatz
The Best Historical Biography: The 2025 Elizabeth Longford Prize, recommended by Roy Foster
The Best Historical Biography: The 2025 Elizabeth Longford Prize, recommended by Roy Foster
A good historical biography should help us redefine and rethink what makes a person historically significant, says Roy Foster, chair of the judging panel of the Elizabeth Longford Prize. He talks us through the brilliant books that made the 2025 shortlist, including the lives of various monarchs who left their mark on European history, a portrait of an early modern spymaster, and a biography of Frantz Fanon, the anti-colonial writer.
