To Befriend An Emperor by Betsy Balcombe
Young Elizabeth Balcombe, or Betsy to friends and family, found life on the remote island of St Helena intolerably dull. Most fourteen-year-olds would. Her father had been posted to that unforgiving station in the Atlantic and, being a family man, he took his family with him. Life was bleak in Balcombe's bungalow on the fringe of James Town. But then, in October 1815, the situation was transformed by the arrival of an unusual visitor. Napoleon Bonaparte, one-time master of Europe, now prisoner and exile, stepped ashore. The Balcombes, like all the islanders, were amazed. And even more so when Napoleon, taking a fancy to their bungalow (the Briars) moved in with them. Betsy, overcoming her surprise at sharing her home with an emperor, delighted in his company and the two became firm friends. Miss Betsy Balcombe made the most of her time with the world's most famous prisoner, keenly observing all around her, noting down conversations, recording moods. The result is a unique set of memoirs which records in astonishing detail an almost unbelievable story. That of how a precocious teenager and an emperor talked, argued, played, confided and teased their way through grim years of exile on the barren rock of St Helena.This attractive, illustrated edition brings this remarkable story back to life.
David Markham is a journalist with more than 50 years experience. He has reported on the affairs of Bradford City for newspapers and agencies for 35 years and has followed the club's affairs for much longer. He reported the club's rise from the bottom to the Premier League in 1999 and back down again eight years later and has seen more than 2,000 Bradford matches over a 60-year period. He covered City for the Bradford Telegraph & Argus for more than 25 years and has been the Valley Parade Press Association correspondent for 25 years. Since his retirement from the Bradford T&A in 2001, he has continued to report City's home matches on a freelance basis. This is his fourth Bradford City book.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781905043033 |
| ISBN 10 | 1905043031 |
| Title | To Befriend An Emperor |
| Author | Betsy Balcombe |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Ravenhall Books |
| Year published | 2005-03-17 |
| Number of pages | 192 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |