Books like Catherine the Great by Dixon, Simon

Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World traces the rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, showing how its conquests and governance reshaped trade, technology and law across Eurasia.

A narrative biography of Catherine II, the German-born Empress who reshaped Russia through Enlightenment ideals, political acumen, and personal ambition.

A compact biography of Shaka Zulu, tracing his rise from a young boy to a powerful ruler who reshaped southern Africa amid slave‑trade tensions and expanding European influence.

Jeremy Paxman explores the history and roles of kings and queens, examining how Britain's royal family has functioned and evolved from the past to the present.

The definitive biography of Queen Elizabeth revealing the real woman behind the public figure.

Examines all aspects of Catherine the Great's life and career, focusing on her role as mother, lover, and ruler during her reign as Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. The first authoritative, popular biography of one of the most colorful characters in modern history, Catherin the Great provides a vivid portrait of Catherin as a mother, a lover, and, above all, an extremely savvy ruler. Concentrating on her long reign (1762-96), John T. Alexander examines all aspects of Catherine's life and career: the brilliant political strategies by which she earned the acceptance of a nationalistic elite; her expansive foreign policy; the domestic reforms she used to revamp the Russian military, political structure, and economy; and, of course, her infamous love life. The result of twenty years' research by one of America's leading narrative historians of modern Russia, this truly impressive work offers a much-needed, balanced reappraisal of one of history's most scandal-ridden figures.

A scholarly biography of Catherine the Great, empress of Russia from 1729 to 1796.