Paraguay plays a very small role in the modern world, but for part of the nineteenth century it was a significant regional force. Between 1800 and 1865 it changed from an imperial backwater into a dynamic, dictator-led, financially sound nation. Then came the terrible War of the Triple Alliance, and by 1870 Paraguay had virtually been destroyed.John Hoyt Williams re-creates the era’s people, places, and events in rich detail and a vigorous style, but this is much more than a mere narrative. His archival research in Paraguay and several other countries enables him to offer new facts and interpretations, correct a number of misapprehensions, and explode a few myths.He also provides the clearest, most objective portraits available of the three extraordinary men who ruled Paraguay during this time: Dr. JosÉ Gaspar de Francia, “El Supremo”; Carlos Antonio LÓpez, “the Corpulent Despot”; and LÓpez’s flamboyant son Francisco Solano LÓpez. Discussions of social, economic, and cultural conditions round out a masterly account of a remarkable historical period.

From Simon & Schuster, Sam Houston is John William's vivid, exciting biography of one of the giants of nineteenth-century America.Sam Houston was one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. During his life, he held an astonishing range of positions: governor of two states (Tennessee and Texas), congressman (Tennessee), senator (Texas), and president of the Republic of Texas during its independence.

Paraguay plays a very small role in the modern world, but for part of the nineteenth century it was a significant regional force. Between 1800 and 1865 it changed from an imperial backwater into a dynamic, dictator-led, financially sound nation. Then came the terrible War of the Triple Alliance, and by 1870 Paraguay had virtually been destroyed.John Hoyt Williams re-creates the era’s people, places, and events in rich detail and a vigorous style, but this is much more than a mere narrative. His archival research in Paraguay and several other countries enables him to offer new facts and interpretations, correct a number of misapprehensions, and explode a few myths.He also provides the clearest, most objective portraits available of the three extraordinary men who ruled Paraguay during this time: Dr. JosÉ Gaspar de Francia, “El Supremo”; Carlos Antonio LÓpez, “the Corpulent Despot”; and LÓpez’s flamboyant son Francisco Solano LÓpez. Discussions of social, economic, and cultural conditions round out a masterly account of a remarkable historical period.

From Simon & Schuster, Sam Houston is John William's vivid, exciting biography of one of the giants of nineteenth-century America.Sam Houston was one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. During his life, he held an astonishing range of positions: governor of two states (Tennessee and Texas), congressman (Tennessee), senator (Texas), and president of the Republic of Texas during its independence.