Bøger af John Hardman

It's 2036. Two national sporting teams are about to do battle in what many are calling the series of the century. An act of terror, the involvement of international criminal organisations and the relationships between players of opposing teams will test the future of the sport worldwide until a covert group acting outside the traditional boundaries of law enforcement become involved.

The Adventures of Cur-tis is a children's story set in the Australian bush. It follows a group of animals and birds as they share many adventures and tells of their cleverness and courage

More Than A Game - Part 1 - Behind The Ashes Synopsis It is 2035. The most anticipated Ashes cricket series between England and Australia is to begin in ten days time. The Australian squad arrives in London and is immediately the victim of a seemingly random bomb blast at the team's hotel. An Aussie team member is killed and the captain, Andrew Harcourt, is slightly injured. The current England captain Kim Fairbanks, the first woman to play test cricket, and who has almost single-handedly dragged the British team from the depths of despair back to the top of the world rankings, and Harcourt, meet for the first time a few days after the bombing. Fairbanks' popularity is such that the crowds flock to every game in unprecedented numbers, and Harcourt's determination keeps the series at fever pitch. As the series goes ahead a relationship between the two captains develops in secret. Kim is a divorcee with two young children and Andrew has been separated from his wife for some time. The Harcourt's have a seven year old son. The British policeman investigating the incident at the hotel, Detective Inspector Shaw and a former French Secret Service agent, Yves Baschante, now a member of a covert international organization that specializes in such cases, discover that the man behind the attack is Erik Kahn, a notorious Pakistani bookmaker - a man with a lot of money riding on the result of the series. They also discover that three members of the Australian touring party are in some way involved with Kahn. Shaw and Baschante, along with Kim's father, Alistair Richards, a former S.A.S major, pursue Kahn and his cronies across Asia and set up a sting operation to take them into custody and bring them back to England - outside of the normal legal system. The result of the Ashes series comes down to the final match at Lords and on the morning of the final day with the match up for grabs, a London newspaper exposes the 'Kim and Drew' affair. The pair have to deal with their own emotions while still doing their job, captaining their countries to victory. Kahn, his financial empire in ruins when he learns the result of the series, is finally caught and brought to justice, as are the three Australians.

The Bush Adventure - Synopsis Part one - The Rescue One morning Aan-dew, a small bush potoroo, hears a desperate sound coming from some distance away. Overcoming his fear of the dangers his grandmother has always warned him about, he sets off to find out what - or who - is in trouble. He finds a baby creature about to be attacked by a vicious crow. Able to frighten the crow off temporarily, Aan-dew tries to help the infant. As evening approaches he digs out a shelter under a rock for them both where they spend a terrifying night together. The next morning, a pair of rabbit sisters who are friends of Aan-dew's, find him and with the help of some other friendly animals, devise a plan to take the baby to safety. The rabbits have an amazing knowledge of languages and soon decide that the infant is a fledgling magpie. The rabbit sisters are also able to help when the baby's mother eventually finds them. The problem is how to move the infant Nai-nee to safety, as she cannot fly and the adult birds are unable to carry her to their nest. The next two days are filled with more excitement and much late night story telling in their makeshift shelter, until the decision is finally made to take the infant to the relative safety of Aan-dew's home on the far side of the hill. Part two - The Storm As plans are laid to return Nai-nee to her mother's nest, there are further adventures including more threats and attacks by the crows, narrow escapes from a fox, a frightening experience with tall two legged creatures carrying sticks, and the arrival of several other rabbit and potoroo family members and friends. Then a terrifying storm breaks, bringing a night of fear and devastation. At the height of the storm, the potoroos and the infant bird are in danger of drowning in their flooding home until they receive timely assistance from the adult magpies. After their recovery from the storm, plans are made to help Nai-nee return to her family. Aan-dew's cousin, a small female tree kangaroo named Gem-ma, is enlisted and is happy to attempt the climb with the infant in her pouch. Part Three - The Climb The animals and birds train for many days, with every animal and magpie allocated a different task to ensure that the final attempt goes smoothly. The magpie family promises to protect Gem-ma from any other marauding birds. The following days and nights are filled with hard work, more adventures and some outrageous night-time story telling until the big day arrives. Unfortunately, the friends do not know that the crows, who have been watching their progress, have enlisted the help of a flock of butcherbirds to attack Gem-ma during the climb. When she is knocked from her position and snared in some branches, Aan-dew, without thinking, overcomes his fear of heights and dashes up the tree to help. The cowardly crows refuse to help the butcherbirds and eventually the magpies, with Aan-dew's help, overcome the odds.

Louis XVI of France, who was guillotined in 1793 during the Revolution and Reign of Terror, is commonly portrayed in fiction and film either as a weak and stupid despot in the thrall of his beautiful, shallow wife, Marie Antoinette, or as a cruel and treasonous tyrant. Historian John Hardman disputes both these versions in a fascinating new biography of the ill-fated monarch. Based in part on new scholarship that has emerged over the past two decades, Hardman's illuminating study describes a ruler possessing sharp insight, uncommon political acumen, andA a talent for foreign policy, yet one whose great misfortune was to be caught in the violent center of a major turning point in history. Hardman's dramatic reassessment of the reign of Louis XVI sheds a bold new light on the man, his actions, his world, and his policies, including the king's support of America's War of Independence, the intricate workings of his court, the disastrous Diamond Necklace Affair, and Louis's famous dash to Varennes.

A major new biography of Antoine Barnave--the politician and writer who advocated for a constitutional monarchy in revolutionary France

An unconventional treatment of Robespierre, this volume deals with his brief - one year to the day - period in government. It focuses on Robespierre at his desk rather than at the rostrum.

Provides an account of Louis XVI's reign. This book divides his story into three periods: the first 12 years of Louis' reign reveals the secret workings of absolute monarchy; the second covers the period 1787-89; and the third, from 1789-93, focuses on the King's attitude toward the Revolution.

Ideal for students and scholars of modern history, Louis XVI is an important reconsideration of key aspect of the French and a lively introduction to this willfully enigmatic man.