A Double Life

Philip Sidney

'A work of great scholarship and fluency, filled with an affection for the subject An excellent biography. ' Peter Ackroyd, The Times

Courtier, poet, soldier, diplomat - Philip Sidney was one of the most promising young men of his age. Son of Elizabeth I's deputy in Ireland, nephew and heir to her favourite, Leicester, he was tipped for high office - and even to inherit the throne. But Sidney soon found himself caught up in the intricate politics of Elizabeth's court and forced to become as Machiavellian as everyone around him if he was to achieve his ambitions. Against a backdrop of Elizabethan intrigue and the battle between Protestant and Catholic for predominance in Europe, Alan Stewart tells the riveting story of Philip Sidney's struggle to suceed. Seeing that his continental allies had a greater sense of his importance that his English contamporaries, Philip turned his attention to Europe. He was made a French baron at seventeen, corresponded with leading foreign scholars, considered marriage proposals from two princesses and, at the time of his tragically early death, was being openly spoken of as the next ruler of the Netherlands.

A Life of James VI & I

The Cradle King

The Scottish King James VI took over the English throne from Elizabeth I in March 1603: this is a major biography of a fascinating and misunderstood monarch by a rising star in the academic world.

Stewart includes plenty of fascinating detail on every aspect of this controversial king's reign...And Stewart's scholarship is impeccable

A sensitive, even tender, account of the formation of James's personality in the violence and savagery of Reformation Scotland

Alan Stewart is the author of the acclaimed biographies Philip Sidney: A Double Life and Hostage to Fortune: The Troubled Life of Francis Bacon (with Lisa Jardine). He is Reader in Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck, University of London, and Associate Director of the AHRB Centre for Editing Lives and Letters. He lives in London.

As the son of Mary Queen of Scots, born into her 'bloody nest', James had the most precarious of childhoods.  Even before his birth, his life was threatened: it was rumoured that his father, Henry, had tried to make the pregnant Mary miscarry by forcing her to witness the assassination of her supposed lover, David Riccio.  By the time James was one year old, Henry was murdered, possibly with the connivance of Mary; Mary was in exile in England; and James was King of Scotland.  By the age of five, he had experienced three different regents as the ancient dynasties of Scotland battled for power and made him a virtual prisoner in Stirling Castle.  In fact, James did not set foot outside the confines of Stirling until he was eleven, when he took control of his country.  But even with power in his hands, he would never feel safe.  For the rest of his life, he would be caught up in bitter struggles between the warring political and religious factions who sought control over his mind and body. Yet James believed passionately in the divine right of kings, as many of his writings testify.  He became a seasoned political operator, carefully avoiding controversy, even when his mother Mary was sent to the executioner by Elizabeth I.  His caution and politicking won him the English throne on Elizabeth's death in 1603 and he rapidly set about trying to achieve his most ardent ambition:  the Union of the two kingdoms. Alan Stewart's impeccably researched new biography makes brilliant use of original sources to bring to life the conversations and the controversies of the Jacobean age.  From James's 'inadvised' relationships with a series of favourites and Gentlemen of the Bedchamber to his conflicts with a Parliament which refused to fit its legislation to the Monarch's will, Stewart lucidly untangles the intricacies of James's life.  In doing so, he uncovers the extent to which Charles I's downfall was caused by the cracks that appeared in the monarchy during his father's reign.

Beat irritable bowel syndrome with the medically proven Women's Nutritional Advisory Service programme

No More IBS!

Maryon Stewart established the Natural Health Advisory Service which helps men and women with health problems all over the world. She is well-known in the UK as a pioneer in the field of non drug medicine and is well-established as a leading health writer. 
 
Dr Alan Stewart is a member of the Royal College of Physicians, is a specialist in nutritional medicine and a medical advisor to the Natural Health Advisory Service.

Does IBS disrupt your life? Try this proven plan today and take control! 
 
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a condition that can be painful as well as debilitating. Yet it needn't be this way. This scientifically proven and highly effective approach to beating IBS will change your life in just ten weeks. Maryon Stewart, founder of The Women's Nutritional Advisory Service (WNAS), and Dr Alan Stewart, established medical advisor, have been treating IBS patients for years with great success. This comprehensive, practical and straightforward guide to overcoming IBS explains what it is, the symptoms and how you can control it by following a step-by-step diet. 
 
Includes: 
 
An eight-stage dietary programme to identify problems 
Easy suggestions for relaxation and exercise 
Medical and nutritional treatments for IBS 
Recipe suggestions and real-life case studies

Alan Stewart

Computers have been in daily use at work for nearly half a century. Each new generation of the technology – mainframes, mini-computers, Cs and the Internet – has brought a demand for a fresh set of skills, but there are never enough people to fill the ever-growing number of posts in the IT sector. This guarantees that there is stiff competition among employers for the best technicians, which means that salaries can be very high. 
 
The overall picture might be rosy, but if you want an honest evaluation of the different areas and jobs on offer, you need this book. Have you got the intellectual stamina to be a security analyst? What qualities and skills are employers looking for in their technical authors and operations managers? And how can you freelance successfully as a programmer or consultant? Based on interviews with people at all levels of the industry, this informed, no-nonsense guide points you to the right job – and shows you how to get it. 
 
Whether you want to be the next Bill Gates or would be quite happy in a secure job with a blue-chip company, your IT career starts here.

Alan Stewart

Books by Alan Stewart

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