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"Oh, but I must hurry!" thought young Catherine very early one morning as she picked up a loaf of bread and a jug of water from the kitchen. "No one must suspect anything:" Catherine had made up her mind to run away. She wanted to become a hermit in a cave so she could pray and think about God all day long. Catherine slipped out the door and into the court-yard, then out into the cobbled street, then out beyond the city gates. Farther and farther she walked. Several hours went by. The countryside was growing wilder and stranger. "I am miles and miles away from home now;' said Catherine to herself. Suddenly, there it was! A beautiful cave! It looked like the perfect place. Catherine was overjoyed. But was Catherine really old enough to be a hermit? And wouldn't her father come looking for her to take her home? Most of all, was it really God's will for her to be a hermit? This book gives the answers. It also tells how Catherine cut off her hair, how she cared for the rude old woman, how she saved her dear father from Purgatory, and how she advised the Holy Father himself.  All in all, this is the wonderful story of how little Catherine became one of the very greatest saints in the Catholic Church.        

Neither a comprehensive 'life and times' nor a conventional biography, this is an engaging and accessible exploration of rulership and monarchial authority in eighteenth century Russia. Its purpose is to see how Catherine II of Russia conceived of her power and how it was represented to her subjects.  Simon Dixon asks essential questions about Catherin'es life and reign, and offers new and stimulating arguments about the Englightenment, the power of the monarch in early modern Europe, and the much-debated role of the "great individual" in history.

Sigrid Undset's Catherine of Siena is critically acclaimed as one of the best biographies of this famous fourteenth-century saint. Known for her historical fiction, which won her the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, Undset based this factual work on primary sources, her experiences living in Italy, and her profound understanding of the human heart. One of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century, Undset was no stranger to hagiography. Her meticulous research of medieval times, which bore such fruit in her masterpieces Kristin Lavransdatter and The Master of Hestviken, acquainted her with some of the holy men and women produced by the Age of Faith. Their exemplary lives left a deep impression upon the author, which she credited as one of her reasons for entering the Church in 1924. Catherine of Siena was a particular favorite of Undset, who also was a Third Order Dominican. An extraordinarily active, intelligent, and courageous woman, Catherine at an early age devoted herself to the love of God. The intensity of her prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor won her a reputation for holiness and wisdom, and she was called upon to make peace between warring nobles. Believing that peace in Italy could only be achieved if the pope, then living in France, returned to Rome, Catherine boldly traveled to Avignon to meet with Pope Gregory XI. With sensitivity to the zealous love that permeated the life of Saint Catherine, Undset presents a most moving and memorable portrait of one of the greatest women of all time.

Catherine of Siena (1347–1380) wrote almost four hundred epistles in her lifetime, effectively insinuating herself into the literary, political, and theological debates of her day. At the same time, as the daughter of a Sienese dyer, Catherine had no formal education, and her accomplishments were considered miracles rather than the work of her own hand. As a result, she has been largely excluded from accounts of the development of European humanism and the language and literature of Italy. Reclaiming Catherine of Siena makes the case for considering Catherine alongside literary giants such as Dante and Petrarch, as it underscores Catherine's commitment to using the vernacular to manifest Christ's message—and her own.Jane Tylus charts here the contested struggles of scholars over the centuries to situate Catherine in the history of Italian culture in early modernity. But she mainly focuses on Catherine’s works, calling attention to the interplay between orality and textuality in the letters and demonstrating why it was so important for Catherine to envision herself as a writer. Tylus argues for a reevalution of Catherine as not just a medieval saint, but one of the major figures at the birth of the Italian literary canon.   (20090618)

Catherine the Great (1729-1796) wrote over two dozen plays and operettas, but not until this edition has a complete translation of any of them been available to an English- speaking readership. Oh, These Times (1772) is a satirical attack on many vices Catherine wished to root out from her society: religious hypocrisy, superstition and slander. The main character, Mrs. Pious, is a superficially religious old woman who resembles Moliere's Tartuffe. Catherine again sets her sights on superstition in The Siberian Shaman (1786), this time by satirizing shamanism as a deceitful profession which preys on the gullible. This play was part of a group of three plays usually known as Catherine's "anti-masonic" trilogy, written as a warning against the growing influence of the freemasons. In a comprehensive introduction, Lurana Donnels O'Malley relates the plays to Catherine's status and philosophy.

Catherine Zeta Jones is...well, great as the young German-born princess who, in 1745, was wed to Peter, heir to the Russian throne, and later helped to overthrow her mentally unbalanced husband and become Russia's empress and czarina. This dazzling tale of romance, power and intrigue also stars Mel Ferrer, Hannes Jaenicke, Paul McGann, Jeanne Moreau, and Omar Sharif. 100 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; filmographies.

Catherine the Great is a colorful, true story about a young girl, who transforms herself from an obscure German Princess into Russia's most powerful regent. As Tsarina, she is influenced by Western Democratic ideas and does much to strengthen Russia's standing in Europe. She has an astute intellect and is able to survive court intrigue to retain her crown.

In 2005, Bill Zebub hired three actresses for an experimental film titled "Rape is a Circle." The story begins with two girls who hitch a ride from a stranger, and that is the only thing that it has in common with other abduction, torture, and rape movies. It became a cult phenomenon. Five years later, director Bill Zebub re-edited the film under the new title "Catherine's Pain" using as much alternate footage as possible, rewarding fans with not just a new edit, but also with never-before-seen performances. And it's just as enjoyable to first-timers (they will get the reverse effect when they watch this first and then obtain Rape Is A Circle). Over two hours of footage were packed into this Special Edition DVD, including the test-scene with different actresses, the deleted final scene with a different storyline, and out-takes and behind-the-scenes footage that were never available to anyone. It's the director's gift to the fans who made the movie a success, and it's an enticement to first-time watchers.

Product Features: Department: Women

Pages: 160, Library Binding, Morgan Reynolds Pub

Considered one of the greatest female rulers, Catherine the Great was a German princess who ruled Russia for 34 years. She introduced reforms in government that led to widespread education, advances in medical care, and improvements in the legal system. Catherine was a voracious reader, and she took many ideas from her reading. She was particularly influenced by writers of the Enlightenment that focused on natural law and science. As one of Russia’s longest rulers, she introduced arts and culture to Russia. Today’s Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one the greatest art museums in the world. Catherine the Great’s influence led to the development of Russia as a world power in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A little English, a little Russian, and a lot of heart make a birthday celebration you won't want to miss! When Sara's grandma, Catherine the Great, suddenly announces, "This year for my birthday, I want no presents! I have music in my Russian bones, and laughing in my heart. I have the day and the night, and I have all of you, " Sara is surprised. How can Grandma have a birthday party with no presents?" Her mama explains that a NO PRESENT can be anything from a kiss or a hug to a game of gin rummy -- as long as it comes from deep inside you. But what kind of NO PRESENT would be good enough for Catherine the Great? Mr. Minsky, Monica, and her dad, Mary Caruso and her baby, Mimmo, already have good ideas. But it isn't until Sara is surrounded by Grandma's bundles of Russian newspapers and books that she gets her won idea: She will teach Grandma to read and write English. This lively borscht-and-blintzes birthday celebration shows that sometimes NO PRESENTS can be the best presents of all.

"For years Frederick Busch has been at work on one of the most impressive bodies of American fiction."—Reynolds PriceHere is that rarest and most satisfying of books: a grown-up love story. Harry and Catherine have been falling in and out of love for many years. She is divorced, determinedly raising two sons, and running a small gallery in upstate New York. He is an ex-newspaperman, a wistful drifter, now assistant to a New York senator. After a long separation, Harry is assigned to find out whether a new shopping mall in Catherine's neighborhood will desecrate an historic black cemetery. Catherine is living with another man, a contractor for the mall who finds both his financial interests and his relationship with Catherine threatened by Harry. With penetrating acuity and generosity of spirit, one of our finest writers brings us what David Bradley calls "a book people will love and be proud of loving." "Unsuppressed emotion, painful honesty . . . all of it in the most lively and supple language anyone is writing today."—Rosellen Brown

One of the most colorful characters in modern history, Catherine II of Russia began her life as a minor German princess, until the childless Empress Elizabeth and Catherine's own scheming mother married her off to the Grand Duke Peter of Russia at age sixteen. By thirty-three, she had overthrown her husband in a bloodless coup and established herself as Empress of the multinational Russian Empire, the largest territorial political unit in modern history. Portrayed both as a political genius who restored to Russia the glory it had known in the days of Peter the Great and as a despotic foreign adventuress who usurped the Russian throne, murdered her rivals, and tyrannized her subjects, she was, by all accounts, an extraordinary woman. Catherine the Great, the first popular biography of the empress based on contemporary scholarship, provides a vivid portrait of Catherine as a mother, a lover, and, above all, an extremely savvy ruler. Concentrating on her long reign (1762-96), John Alexander examines all aspects of Catherine's life and career: the brilliant political strategies by which she won the acceptance of a nationalistic elite; her expansive foreign policy; the domestic reforms with which she revamped the Russian military, political structure, and economy; and, of course, her infamous love life. Beginning with an account of the dramatic palace revolt by which Catherine unseated her husband and a background chapter describing the circumstances of her early childhood and marriage, Alexander then proceeds chronologically through the thirty-four years of her reign. Presenting Catherine in more human terms than previous biographers have, Alexander includes numerous quotations from her reminiscences and notes. We learn, for instance, not only the names and number of her lovers, but her understanding of what many considered a shocking licentiousness. "The trouble is, " she wrote, "that my heart would not willingly remain one hour without love." 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.

Against the backdrop of 14th-century Europe—a time of social turmoil, outbreaks of the bubonic plague, a catastrophic war that devastated the continent, and an overall transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance—this biography offers an entry point into the life of Catherine of Siena, an oftentimes irreverent, intense, and fiery woman. Deeply researched and based on the latest sources, this history recalls Saint Catherine, as she would later be called, as a champion of peace who cajoled and, at times, begged popes, monarchs, and ordinary citizens to do her will. Describing her sheer fortitude and personal magnetism, this absorbing account details the spiritual and political beliefs of Catherine of Siena as she attempted to restore order to a fractured Italian city-state system, campaigned Pope Gregory XI in Avignon to return the papacy to Rome, and tried to resolve the Western Schism of 1378—a challenge that proved to be her ultimate test. Perfect for historians and readers of any faith or none, this compelling exploration paints a human portrait of a great mystic and spiritual teacher, who was canonized in 1461 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970.

On April 29, 2011, Prince William of Wales married Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London. The newlyweds' first royal tour took place in Canada from June 30 to July 8. People across the country rejoiced with the couple as they made their way through a land that holds special significance for the Royal Family, emphasizing and renewing the bond with Canada. This was not the Duke of Cambridge’s first trip "home to Canada, " since he accompanied his parents, Charles and Diana, in 1991 and his father and brother, Harry, in 1998. This journey included such highlights as Canada Day in Ottawa, dragon boating in Prince Edward Island, visiting homeless youth in Quebec City, street hockey in Yellowknife, and a side trip to help bolster the courage of fire-devastated citizens in Slave Lake, Alberta. The Duke and Duchess presented the vibrant, modern face of the Royal Family, and excitement followed them everywhere as they travelled across Canada.

An exotic drama in which one man's mysterious disappearance brings a dark end to three other people. What would it take to destroy an Irish girl who had survived famine and war in Ireland, and a hazardous journey across the Atlantic Ocean, to become a servant-wife on an island where God's truth and the Devil's tale are entwined as tight as the strands of a rope?This novel is based on the true story of the last woman hanged in Britain's oldest colony, the only woman in the colony to have a gruesome sentence - the ultimate desecration - carried out on her body.A novel in which truth lies suspended between fact and fiction.A haunting mystery.

Sigrid Undset's Catherine of Siena is critically acclaimed as one of the best biographies of this famous fourteenth-century saint. Known for her historical fiction, which won her the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, Undset based this factual work on primary sources, her experiences living in Italy, and her profound understanding of the human heart. One of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century, Undset was no stranger to hagiography. Her meticulous research of medieval times, which bore such fruit in her masterpieces Kristin Lavransdatter and The Master of Hestviken, acquainted her with some of the holy men and women produced by the Age of Faith. Their exemplary lives left a deep impression upon the author, which she credited as one of her reasons for entering the Church in 1924. Catherine of Siena was a particular favorite of Undset, who also was a Third Order Dominican. An extraordinarily active, intelligent, and courageous woman, Catherine at an early age devoted herself to the love of God. The intensity of her prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor won her a reputation for holiness and wisdom, and she was called upon to make peace between warring nobles. Believing that peace in Italy could only be achieved if the pope, then living in France, returned to Rome, Catherine boldly traveled to Avignon to meet with Pope Gregory XI. With sensitivity to the zealous love that permeated the life of Saint Catherine, Undset presents a most moving and memorable portrait of one of the greatest women of all time.

“I’d been carrying around the ring with me….I would not let it go. You hear a lot of  horror stories about proposing and things go horribly wrong, but it went really, really well.” --HRH, Prince William of WalesThe marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton is one of the most significant royal events of recent times. As second in line to the throne, the elder son of the much mourned Diana, Princess of Wales—whose famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring he bestowed on his future bride—William embodies the hopes and expectations of millions of people around the world. And as a “commoner” who will become a princess, Catherine brings romance and freshness to a very traditional union.Acclaimed biographer Andrew Morton, who was trusted by Diana herself to recount her true story to the outside world, has been covering Prince William since birth. Now he brings his unique insights to this portrait of the histories and characters of the bride and groom—from their family backgrounds, their childhoods, and the early days of their relationship at university, through their ups and downs as a couple in the public eye, their private engagement in Kenya, and all the glamour and drama of the wedding itself.  Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, both a chronicle and a lasting memento of a day to remember, William & Catherine brings us both the public spectacle and the private moments as only the author of Diana: Her True Story can reveal them.

In 1745 a little-known German princess named Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst married the nephew of Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Seventeen years later she overthrew her husband to become Catherine the Great, one of the most celebrated monarchs in history, turning eighteenth-century Russia into arguably the largest and most powerful state since the fall of the Roman Empire. Admired for her achievements and satirized for her personal life, she wrote the most revealing memoirs by any European ruler. She promoted radical political ideas and emphasized moderation in government. Ruthless when necessary, she charmed everyone she met, joking at private dinner parties in the Hermitage, which she had built for her own use. Determined to endear herself to the Russians, she made religious devotions in which she never believed. Intimate and revealing, Simon Dixon's new biography examines the lifelong friendships that sustained the empress throughout her personal life, and places her within the context of the royal court: its politics, its flourishing literature, and the very culture that became central to her exercise of absolute power.

The trial and conviction of Catherine Nevin for her role in the murder of her husband Tom, monopolized the attention of Ireland for weeks. The allegations of contract killers, extra-marital affairs, fraud, and involvement with Republican organizations seemed better suited to the big screen than a small town pub. Pat Flynn, who led the investigation against Catherine, describes how holes in her story were found, along with evidence of how she had been plotting for years to have her husband killed. Although Flynn led several murder investigations in his career, none had the notoriety of the Nevin case. "In his new book Flynn has written an absorbing you-are-there account of the horrifying case that will haunt you for a long time after."-Irish Voice

“I’d been carrying around the ring with me….I would not let it go. You hear a lot of  horror stories about proposing and things go horribly wrong, but it went really, really well.” --HRH, Prince William of WalesThe marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton is one of the most significant royal events of recent times. As second in line to the throne, the elder son of the much mourned Diana, Princess of Wales—whose famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring he bestowed on his future bride—William embodies the hopes and expectations of millions of people around the world. And as a “commoner” who will become a princess, Catherine brings romance and freshness to a very traditional union.Acclaimed biographer Andrew Morton, who was trusted by Diana herself to recount her true story to the outside world, has been covering Prince William since birth. Now he brings his unique insights to this portrait of the histories and characters of the bride and groom—from their family backgrounds, their childhoods, and the early days of their relationship at university, through their ups and downs as a couple in the public eye, their private engagement in Kenya, and all the glamour and drama of the wedding itself.  Lavishly illustrated with color photographs, both a chronicle and a lasting memento of a day to remember, William & Catherine brings us both the public spectacle and the private moments as only the author of Diana: Her True Story can reveal them.

On April 29, 2011, Prince William, son of His Royal Highness Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, will marry Catherine (Kate) Middleton at historic Westminster Abbey in London. This special souvenir guide celebrates the social event of the year and also tells a fairy-tale story of friendship, love, and courtship. As the prince and Catherine take their first steps in married life, the eyes of the world will be watching this couple who will one day become king and queen and who are now the image of a modern monarchy. The book covers every detail of the wedding as well as the public and private faces of the royal couple and their story so far: Prince William and Catherine’s childhood years, their achievements and interests, and the moment they met at St Andrews University almost 10 years ago.

Born a little German princess without a drop of Russian blood in her veins she came to embody Russia and as the country moved from war to war and conquest to conquest it was Catherine who became great. Those who served her throne, or her bed, were well rewarded while the serfs were condemned to ever-worsening conditions. Men were instruments of pleasure. The weak had to perish. The future belonged to men - and sometimes a man could have the outward appearance of a woman. She was proof of that. This literary tour de force paints an enthralling picture of Catherine, her seductions, her coaxings and her phenomenal devotion to politics and work, but it also brings the Russian court - with all its intrigues - brilliantly to life.

In this 2001 Madeleva lecture, Mary Catherine Hilkert reflects on the person and impact of Catherine of Siena as a means to examine the challenges facing contemporary women of faith. Known for her wisdom as well as her forthright speech, her role as counselor to the pope as well as church critic, her preaching as well as her prayer, Catherine can be a remarkable companion in hope for women today. After a look at the Madeleva Manifesto and noting that its emphasis on equality, dignity and justice echoes the ideas of Catherine, the author examines Catherine's 14th-century life and ministry. She then uses that as a mirror through which to explore "three interrelated aspects of the source and authority of the works of faithful women in every age: 1) the authority of vocation, 2) the authority of wisdom and 3) the authority of compassion." Hilkert believes that as we ponder what it means for women to speak with the authority of the Spirit, "Catherine's words and witness can offer insight and challenge." As with all the preceding volumes in this series, this book speaks to contemporary women, especially with its emphasis on women's roles and authority in the church. Persons interested in spirituality, feminism or history will be inspired by it as well.

Admired for her achievements and satirized for her personal life, Catherine the Great was one of the most celebrated monarchs in history, turning eighteenth-century Russia into arguably the largest and most powerful state since the fall of the Roman Empire. She promoted radical political ideas while emphasizing moderation in government. She could be ruthless when necessary, but she charmed everyone she met, joking at private dinner parties in the Hermitage, which she had built for her own use. Determined to endear herself to the Russians, she made religious devotions in which she never believed. Intimate and revealing, Catherine the Great examines the lifelong friendships that sustained the empress throughout her personal life and places her within the context of the royal court: its politics, its flourishing literature and the very culture that became central to her exercise of absolute power.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history.Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind and an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers and, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast and backward Russian empire. She knew or corresponded with the preeminent historical figures of her time: Voltaire, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette, and, surprisingly, the American naval hero, John Paul Jones.Reaching the throne fired by Enlightenment philosophy and determined to become the embodiment of the “benevolent despot” idealized by Montesquieu, she found herself always contending with the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. She persevered, and for thirty-four years the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution that swept across Europe. Her reputation depended entirely on the perspective of the speaker. She was praised by Voltaire as the equal of the greatest of classical philosophers; she was condemned by her enemies, mostly foreign, as “the Messalina of the north.”Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly described. These included her ambitious, perpetually scheming mother; her weak, bullying husband, Peter (who left her lying untouched beside him for nine years after their marriage); her unhappy son and heir, Paul; her beloved grandchildren; and her “favorites”—the parade of young men from whom she sought companionship and the recapture of youth as well as sex. Here, too, is the giant figure of Gregory Potemkin, her most significant lover and possible husband, with whom she shared a passionate correspondence of love and separation, followed by seventeen years of unparalleled mutual achievement.The story is superbly told. All the special qualities that Robert K. Massie brought to Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great are present here: historical accuracy, depth of understanding, felicity of style, mastery of detail, ability to shatter myth, and a rare genius for finding and expressing the human drama in extraordinary lives.History offers few stories richer in drama than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, this eternally fascinating woman is returned to life.

The story of Catherine the Great is an extraordinary one. Born Princess Sophia Augusta zu Anhalt-Zerbst, a German princess in a family of modest means, she became one of the greatest rulers of the vast Russian Empire in the eighteenth century. But this was no romantic story of a fairytale princess. Though attractive and much-courted, Catherine was above all courageous, shrewd and intelligent, qualities she needed to overcome the many heartaches and obstacles in her early life including a disastrous marriage to the rightful heir to the Russian throne, Peter III. Soon after Peter became ruler Catherine seized power and he was murdered. For more than thirty years this 'foreign' princess then ruled the growing empire with a vigor and fervor equal to that of any Russian.

Fabulous women's tall leather boot from Indigo by Clarks® dresses up or down with ease. The Indigo by Clarks® Mia Catherine is set in glossy leather embellished with gathers, and features a back zipper flanked by two full-length stretch gores for a comfortable fit at the calf. Soft leather linings and OrthoLite® footbed add luxurious comfort.

Introducing the Kate Middleton Doll. The product and packaging are designed in line with official Royal guidelines with "Wedding of the Decade" and "Kate Middleton Style" icon. This was launched in Hamley's Regent Street in London in early April. Limited edition with only 10, 000 units available. Includes a custom designed dress, shoes, ring and other accessories. Sure to be a collector's item.