Dreamer, looter, pyromaniac, fantasist, Edward Daniel Clarke brought back from Egypt the single most important find in the history of Egyptology – the Rosetta Stone.
Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony, was an artistic polymath who helped re-shape elite culture in the Enlightenment age.
The Bordeaux-born teacher and scholar, Decimus Magnus Ausonius, exemplified broad-mindedness. His life offers us a glimpse into the last days of the Roman Empire and the value of toleration in a polarised society.
All but forgotten, Sid Cara played a pioneering role in French and Algerian politics and left behind a troubled legacy.
Socialite and literary pioneer – Anna de Noailles was a bright star in the firmament of the Parisian Belle Époque.
At a time of moral and political crisis, the medieval poet pioneered a daring and emotive vernacular style which inspired generations of Italian literature.
Stalin’s lieutenant oversaw communism in Mongolia, becoming – like his mentor – a ruthless cult-leader.
An artist and occultist at the turn of the century, Moina Mathers’ life is a celebration of female power and radical self-expression.
The violinist-composer who mixed the sacred and profane in his fantastical music is a lost genius of the 17th century.
The first female Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University was a trailblazer for women’s achievement in a nascent meritocratic society.
Unfairly maligned in her lifetime, Aspasia of Miletus, wife of Pericles and friend to philosophers, was a remarkable woman in her own right.
The Genevan-born French financier was a political visionary, fomenting radical reform whilst battling the forces of globalisation, capitalism and extremism.
As chairman of JP Morgan and of the US Council on Foreign Relations, Leffingwell epitomised the public-service ethos of America’s mid-century elite.
Early champion of the grotesque style, Tobias Smollett’s life was as raucous as his literary creations.
The tragedy of Mary of Burgundy, snubbed heiress to one of Europe’s great dynasties, echoes down the ages.
The German-born Jewish emigré found riches as a clever banker in inter-war Amsterdam. He was soon to find a higher purpose for his accounting skills: the fight against fascism in Europe.
The American-educated diplomat and historian sought Chinese national revival on cosmopolitan lines, but Mao’s revolution led to exile as mainland China was closed off to the world.
Critical of capitalism and of social liberalism, Lasch interrogated America’s national character during an era of profound change – and his prescient ideas are even more relevant today.
The former Navy SEAL and WWE champion won Minnesota’s governorship in 1999 on an anti-elite ticket. His transition from showbiz to politics was a precursor of the age of Trump – but ’the Body’ was no ordinary populist.
The lost folk singer Mimi Fariña’s career shows the story of the ‘greatest decade’ of the 20th century in a new light.
In his contrarian pamphlets and sketches, Guareschi earned his reputation as an uncompromising critic of Italy’s post-war decadence.
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