Alan Axelrod

In an engrossing anecdotal format, historian and bestselling author Alan Axelrod turns to the dark side of audacious decision-making, and explores history's most tragic errors, the people who made them, and why they happened. While Axelrod looks at the hopelessly dumb and the overtly evil, the main focus is on smart people who had the best of intentions, but whose plans went disastrously wrong. The 35 compelling stories include the sailing of the...

The typical military history presents a chronicle of battles and wars and the commanders and troops who fought them. This book takes a different approach. It presents battles and wars and people aplenty, but they are not its ultimate subjects. This book is about the turning points that not only make military history dynamic but crucial to the story of humanity and civilization. This book is about the decisions, acts, innovations, errors, ideas, successes,...

In brief, compelling, and inspiring vignettes, bestselling author and historian Alan Axelrod pinpoints and investigates the make-or-break event in the lives and careers of some of history's most significant figures. Axelrod explores the fascinating question of why the people who made history made their choices, and conveys the resonance of those choices today. The forty-six profiles range from ancient times to the present day and include: • Cleopatra's...

Based on the findings in recently released archive papers and letters, as well as extensive library and historical resources, Alan Axelrod offers a compelling profile of the remarkable leadership discipline of a general often called a "military CEO." In fascinating detail, Axelrod reveals that Ike was more than a great military leader; he was also a great executive who couldand didwrite a reassuring letter to the mother of a solider one moment and...

A fully illustrated, insightful portrait of this historic time of dramatic economic growth marked by glamorous haves and struggling have-nots. The Gilded Age-the name coined by Mark Twain to refer to the period of rapid economic growth in America between the 1870s and 1900-offers some intriguing parallels to our own time. Bestselling author and historian Alan Axelrod tackles this subject in a fresh way, exploring this intense era in its various dimensions,...

A surprising and sweeping history that reveals the fur trade to be the driving force behind conquest, colonization, and revolution in early America Combining the epic saga of Hampton Sides's Blood and Thunder with the natural history of Mark Kurlansky's Cod, popular historian Alan Axelrod reveals the astonishingly vital role a small animal-the beaver-played in the creation of our nation. The author masterfully relays a story often neglected by conventional...

Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and compelling prose to the life, strategy and legacy of the general Bradley who remains the model for all commanders today as the man who revolutionized the National Guard, shaped the US army's focus on the individual soldier, and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services--a cornerstone of modern U.S. military doctrine. Dubbed by the World War II press as "The GI General" because...

Fought during 1916, the Battle of the Somme was conceived by the French and British as a great offensive to be waged against Germany even as France poured incredible numbers of men into the slaughterhouse that was the desperate defense of Verdun. The French general-in-chief, Joseph "Papa" Joffre, was especially anxious to go on the offensive. For the French high command cherished the belief, born in the era of Napoleon, that the success of French...

Thanks to Julius Caesar, "crossing the Rubicon" has become a synonym for bold decision-making when the risks are great-but the rewards can be greater. Now, historian and bestselling author Alan Axelrod analyzes the Roman emperor as a business leader, using an engaging, conversational style to explore six inspirational principles that constitute his guiding tenets. From this, Axelrod draws 92 lessons that modern business and other organizational leaders...

The riveting, untold story of George Creel and the Committee on Public Information - the first and only propaganda initiative sanctioned by the U.S. government. When the people of the United States were reluctant to enter World War I, maverick journalist George Creel created a committee at President Woodrow Wilson's request to sway the tide of public opinion. The Committee on Public Information monopolized every medium and avenue of communication...