Camp David: Spectacle of Retreat documents an academic research project on contemporary geopolitics and architecture conducted at Tyler School of Art, Temple University. During the advanced research studio with Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss, the final year students at Tyler's Architecture program, explored the myth of Camp David as a known US presidential retreat and speculated on its alternative futures as a retirement facility retreat for a selected number of dictators from the world.

The first-ever insider account of Camp David, the president's private retreat, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of its inception. Never before have the gates of Camp David been opened to the public. Intensely private and completely secluded, the president's personal campground is situated deep in the woods, up miles of unmarked roads that are practically invisible to the untrained eye. Now, for the first time, we are allowed to travel along the mountain route and directly into the fascinating and intimate complex of rustic residential cabins, wildlife trails, and athletic courses that make up the presidential family room. For seventy-five years, Camp David has served as the president's private retreat. A home away from the hustle and bustle of Washington, this historic site is the ideal place for the First Family to relax, unwind, and, perhaps most important, escape from the incessant gaze of the media and the public. It has hosted decades of family gatherings for thirteen presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama, including holiday celebrations, reunions, and even a wedding. But more than just a weekend getaway, Camp David has also been the site of private meetings and high-level summits with foreign leaders to foster diplomacy. Former Camp David commander Rear Admiral Michael Giorgione, CEC, USN (Ret.), takes us deep into this enigmatic and revered sanctuary. Combining fascinating first-person anecdotes of the presidents and their families with storied history and interviews with commanders both past and present, he reveals the intimate connection felt by the First Families with this historic retreat.

This study is a revision of my doctoral dissertation written at the University of Virginia. As a student of the American presidency I became interested in how presidential leadership is defined, analyzed and assessed. Students of the presidency spend a great deal of time studying leadership theory and debating the merits of different measures of leadership "success." These students draw inspiration for their ideas from noted presidency scholars such as Edward S. Corwin, Clinton Rossiter, and Richard Neustadt.

In September 1978, William Quandt, a member of the White House National Security Council staff, spent thirteen momentous days at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, where three world leaders were holding secret negotiations. When U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin emerged on September 17, they announced a monumental accomplishment: the first peace agreement between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors. Praised by some for laying the foundations for peace between Egypt and Israel, the accords have also been criticized for failing to achieve a comprehensive settlement, including a resolution of the Palestinian question. But supporters and critics alike recognize the importance of what happened at Camp David, and both groups acknowledge the vital role played by the United States in reaching an agreement. There are few eyewitness accounts of the Camp David negotiations. Of the three leaders present, only Jimmy Carter wrote specifically of the talks in Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President (1982). Neither Sadat nor Begin ever wrote about Camp David. Quandt's book is not only an eyewitness account but a scholar's reconstruction of the event, with insights into the people, politics, and policies. His Camp David has provided a comprehensive and lasting guide to the difficult negotiations surrounding the talks, including the fraught scenario leading up to the meetings at the presidential retreat and the accord that would lead to Sadat and Begin jointly receiving the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. Praise for Camp David: Peacemaking and Politics "The most authoritative account of a major historic event, written with scrupulous scholarship by a key behind-the-scenes participant." —Zbigniew Brzezinski, Adviser to the President for National Security Affairs, 1977–81 "An excellent piece of work... will represent a major contribution to the acade

Britain's Got Talent is BACK . . . so it's time to get serious with Britain's favourite funny man. Famous comedian and actor, funniest judge on Britain's Got Talent, high-achieving sportsman and BESTSELLING AUTHOR of The World's Worst Children series, David Walliams is a man of many talents . . . Launched to fame with the record-breaking Little Britain, his characters - Lou, Florence, Emily, amongst others - became embedded in our shared popular culture. You couldn't enter a playground for a long while without hearing "eh, eh, eh" or "computer says no". And Walliams is a mystery. Often described as a bundle of contradictions, he is disarming and enigmatic, playing up his campness one minute and hinting about his depression the next. To read Camp David is to be truly shocked, as well as tickled pink: David Walliams bares his soul like never before and reveals a fascinating and complex mind. This searingly honest autobiography is a true roller-coaster ride of emotions, as this nation's sweetheart unlocks closely guarded secrets that until now have remained hidden in his past. 'Will surprise, entertain, and allow fans and newcomers to enter the comic's uniquely brilliant world' GQ Magazine 'Raucously funny and superbly written' Heat 'Hilarious' Telegraph 'A great read. My only criticism is it ended too soon' The Sun 'A fascinating read' Star Magazine 'Brilliantly written' Express 'Fascinating stuff' Closer 'Uproariously great' Guardian

Former SEAL and Delta force operator Dewey Andreas owes his life to Kohl Meir and his team of Israeli commandos. So when Meir shows him a photo of what appears to be a nuclear device with the words 'Goodbye Tel Aviv' written in Farsi on the side Andreas realizes that repaying his debt to Meir, his team and to Israel is going to take more than a simple 'thank you'. Meir and Andreas devise a high risk, high stakes plan using leaked information from officials inside Iran and dissidents from groups outside the country to try to find and hijack the device before it is deployed. But from their very first move, they catch the attention of the brilliant and brutally tough Abu Paria, the Iranian intelligence chief, who takes Meir hostage. Andreas must face off against an opponent with equal cunning, skill, and determination while the one man who might be able to help is chained to the wall of an Iranian prison. Can Andreas prevent the nuclear bomb obliterating Israel's largest city and thereby avoid a world catastrophe . . . ? An action-packed thriller from internationally bestselling author, Ben Coes, The Last Refuge is an explosive addition to the Dewey Andreas series.

“The former Treasury Secretary has shared his story in a memoir that is both an engrossing personal narrative and a thoughtful reflection on leadership” (Henry Kissinger, author of On China). In a life that has spanned nearly nine decades and has taken him around the world and back, W. Michael Blumenthal has borne witness to the world’s convulsions and transformations during the twentieth century. Born in Germany between the two world wars, Blumenthal narrowly escaped the Nazi horror, when, in 1939, he and his family fled to Shanghai’s chaotic Jewish ghetto, where they spent the entirety of the WWII. From these fraught and humble beginnings, Blumenthal would emerge a major leader in American business and politics. In the second half of the century, Blumenthal headed two major American corporations—Bendix and Burroughs (later Unisys); served as a US trade ambassador in the State Department and the White House, advising John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson; and served under Jimmy Carter as the secretary of the treasury. After his retirement from business and politics, he began an entirely new chapter in his career when he conceived and served as the director of Europe’s largest Jewish museum—the Jewish Museum of Berlin. An essential autobiography by one of America’s great political figures, From Exile to Washington is an engaging chronicle of the twentieth century’s greatest upheavals, and a tribute to a lifetime of courage, leadership, and decisiveness. “Blumenthal’s astute understanding of history allows him to ably demonstrate the significance of good leadership.” —Kirkus Reviews “An astounding life, splendidly recorded.” —Fritz Stern, author of Five Germanys I Have Known

Samuel Sutton Jr. grew up poor in Kinston, North Carolina. His childhood home had no central heat or hot water. He and his family walked seven miles roundtrip to church every Sunday because they didn't have a car. To help out, Sam picked tobacco during his summer vacations, starting at age ten. But Sam was to rise far in life from these humble beginnings. Joining the Navy in 1979, he embarked on a thirty-year military career, serving first as a sailor, then as an enlisted aide to the nation's top admirals and generals, and finally as a personal valet to presidents Bill Clinton, G. W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He worked a backbreaking schedule, juggling multiple tasks in a position that made him a virtual member of the First Family, an eyewitness to their public and private lives. Born to Serve is also a cautionary tale about the complex dynamics of race and politics at the highest levels of the military and government. From his first day as valet, Sam's close proximity to the president made him a target for those who craved access to the most powerful man in the world. That competitive pressure would prematurely end Sam's career as valet, but he went on to write a new chapter in his life by adopting a child out of the foster care system, guiding him in overcoming a difficult past, and raising him into a fine young man. Told with candor and warmth, this is the story of a man who overcame significant adversity to serve his country with tireless faith and dedication. "Who knew that a native son of Kinston, North Carolina would come to know kings, queens and presidents? Who knew that service in the Navy would become high-level service to the Nation? We knew, because in Samuel Sutton Jr. we saw the unmistakable mark of a Man of Principle." - Admiral & Mrs. J. Paul Reason, Washington, DC

This political biography sheds new light on the vital role played by the Israeli Prime Minister in establishing peaceful relations with Egypt. Focusing on the character and personality of Menachem Begin, Gerald Steinberg and Ziv Rubinovitz offer a new look into the peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt in the 1970s. Begin’s role as a peace negotiator has often been marginalized, but this sympathetic and critical portrait restores him to the center of the diplomatic process. Beginning with the events of 1967, Steinberg and Rubinovitz look at Begin’s statements on foreign policy, including relations with Egypt, and his role as Prime Minister and chief signer of the Israel-Egypt peace treaty. While Begin did not leave personal memoirs or diaries of the peace process, Steinberg and Rubinovitz have tapped into newly released Israeli archives and information housed at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and the Begin Heritage Center. The analysis illuminates the complexities that Menachem Begin faced in navigating between ideology and political realism in the negotiations towards a peace treaty that remains a unique diplomatic achievement.