Postcards of Political Icons: Leaders of the Twentieth Century
By (Author) Andrew Roberts
Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
11th March 2009
United Kingdom
Hardback
112
Width 170mm, Height 126mm, Spine 16mm
305g
Opening in the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II and continuing to the eve of the second Gulf War, Postcards of Political Icons tells the story of the twentieth century through images of its most recognizable leaders. The politicians who presided over the demise of colonialism, led the communist revolution, and fought two world wars are presented on these postcards in sometimes unusualand often surprisingly personalmoments. Charles de Gaulle gazes impetuously, hands on hips, as he puffs on a cigarette; Yasser Arafat wrestles with chopsticks; while Benito Mussolini, known for his public performances, strikes a defiant pose.
Reproducing many unusual and little-seen images, Postcards of Political Icons offers a fascinating glimpse at the iconography of political powerand the reality of the people behind it.
Andrew Roberts is a historian and biographer who has published books on Waterloo, Hitler and Churchill, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Halifax and the history of English-speaking peoples since 1900 amongst many others. He is an expert on military history and has won many awards for his writing.