CANR
WORK TITLE: The Stalin Affair
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.gilesmilton.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME: LRC June 2021
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born January 15, 1966, in Buckinghamshire, England; married Alexandra Milton (an artist and illustrator); children: three daughters.
EDUCATION:Attended University of Bristol.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Freelance journalist and author. Writer and narrator of Ministry of Secrets podcast.
MEMBER:Royal Historical Society.
WRITINGS
Contributor to magazines and newspapers, especially in the area of travel.
Nathaniel’s Nutmeg and Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare were optioned for television.
SIDELIGHTS
Giles Milton is a freelance journalist who often contributes travel articles to newspapers in England and other countries. His nonfiction books are about travel and adventure, as well, but here he journeys back in time to write popular histories on little-known topics and people from the past. In some of these works, he picks out a particular person from history to illustrate a larger issue. For example, his book Nathaniel’s Nutmeg; or, The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History focuses on English captain Nathaniel Courthope’s perilous adventures in the Pacific to illustrate the spice wars between the British and Dutch fleets; White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and Islam’s One Million White Slaves draws on the autobiography of Pellow to draw attention to an often-forgotten period of history when Europeans were being enslaved by Sultan Moulay Ismail of Morocco. Sometimes criticized for emphasizing adventure and gore over hard research and for having an overly Anglophilic perspective, Milton has also been praised for writing interesting, illuminating chapters of history.
Milton’s first book, The Riddle and the Knight: In Search of Sir John Mandeville, which was published in the United States in 2002 as The Riddle and the Knight: In Search of Sir John Mandeville, the World’s Greatest Traveler, is one that is on shaky historical ground. Many historians, in fact, believe that there was no such person as John Mandeville, a man who is the supposed author of a book chronicling his travels through the Middle East and Asia during the fourteenth century, a voyage that rivals that of Marco Polo. Others have speculated that there was, indeed, a Mandeville, but that he exaggerated his travels immensely and took his descriptions of Asia from other writers.
Nicholas Howe, writing in the New Republic, stated that “his existence as a fourteenth-century Englishman seems far more likely to be brilliantly realized fiction than soberly attested fact.” Milton himself traveled to the Middle East to research his subject, apparently finding some evidence that Mandeville was real but not being able to confirm his Asian travels. In the end, Milton concludes that the Travels Mandeville wrote is a valuable work anyway, whether or not he actually made the whole journey. Howe noted flaws in the work for lapses in facts and failure to cite sources, adding: “The real reason to regret Milton’s tiresome quest to prove Mandeville’s existence is that it gets in the way of what might have been a lively and perceptive travel book of its own.” New York Times writer Geoffrey Moorhouse also noted Milton’s failure to recognize that Mandeville may have been fictitious but nevertheless added: “The result is an engaging hodgepodge of a book, even if it takes us no closer to Mandeville than we were before.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor duly noted that “Milton has invented a unique form of travel-writing, investigating the world as it existed in the yearnings and imagination of long-ago Europeans.”
The title character of Milton’s next book, Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, was most definitely real, and the book received higher praise from reviewers. Here, the author tells how Captain Nathaniel Courthope held the tiny island of Run in the South Pacific for two years. Run was valuable because it had nutmeg farms; this crop was worth as much as gold in Europe at the time. The Dutch had control of most of the nutmeg islands at the time (people thought the crop could not be grown elsewhere), but when Courthope died, the Dutch seized Run. The reason for the title Milton chose is that afterward, during negotiations, the English formally gave Run to the Dutch but received the island of Manhattan in exchange, which turned out to be far more valuable.
Several reviewers enjoyed the way Milton brings his story to life. For example, in Time International, reviewer Helen Gibson wrote: “Using original diaries, journals, letters and obscure Dutch chronicles, Milton spins a fascinating tale of swashbuckling adventure, courage and cruelty, as nations and entrepreneurs fought for a piece of the nutmeg action.” Although Journeys writer Roy Ellen pointed out that Nathaniel’s Nutmeg has a distinct “Anglocentric bias,” overemphasizes adventure, and lacks sympathy for other cultures, a Publishers Weekly contributor concluded that the “book tells an absorbing story of perilous voyages, greed and political machinations in the Age of Exploration.”
The same complaint about Milton’s favoring his English countrymen can be seen in criticism of Big Chief Elizabeth: The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America. Telling the story of the Roanoke and Jamestown colonies, Milton speculates that the famous disappearance of the Roanoke settlers happened because the English colonists moved their settlement several miles away, only to be put to death twenty years later by Chief Powhatan. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that “Milton argues persuasively” for this theory. Milton then explores the story of Jamestown, Captain John Smith, and Pocahontas.
In a scathing review of Big Chief Elizabeth for the New Republic, Alan Taylor lambasted Milton for painting the Indians as savages who attacked colonists without provocation and for using “highly partisan and often incomplete sources.” He added that “Milton’s superficial understanding of Indian culture proves especially distorting in his recounting of the fabled story of Pocahontas rescuing Captain John Smith from an execution ordered by her father Powhatan in 1607.” Taylor explained that scholars now believe that Smith was not being executed but that he was subjected to an Algonquian ritual in which he was forced to recognize Powhatan as his chief. Other reviewers were less critical, however, believing, as New York Times contributor Janet Maslin did, that the work is “an entertaining, richly informative look at the past.”
Readers who have encountered the novel Shogun by James Clavell will find much familiar in Milton’s next book, Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan. The central figure here, William Adams, is the same man who was the basis of Clavell’s hero. Adams was an English seaman who survived a dangerous journey to Japan in the hopes of establishing trade for his country, as the Dutch had. Here, he comes into the good graces of the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu because of his ability to learn the language and culture so well and assimilate into it. Milton helps Ieyasu learn about Europeans, and Ieyasu comes to respect Adams so much that he is made a samurai.
“Milton does a masterful job of conveying the wonder with which each culture beholds the other,” commented a Kirkus Reviews contributor, while New York Times reviewer Susan Chira described Samurai William as “a vivid, scrupulously researched biography.”
Milton’s next book, White Gold, is the story of one man’s kidnapping by Barbary corsairs and enslavement at the hands of the cruel Moroccan sultan Moulay Ismail. Milton based his book on Thomas Pellow’s own accounts, supplementing it with other research materials. Some reviewers, however, felt that the author took too much of what Pellow wrote at face value, as well as inflating the figures for white enslavement in northern Africa. Milton “accepts the wildly exaggerated figure of one million European slaves in North Africa,” wrote Frank McLynn in the New Statesman, “when the most careful scholarship has established that British captives in the Barbary states in the whole of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries cannot have exceeded 20,000.” Pellow’s exploits seem similarly doubtful in some aspects. Given Sultan Ismail’s penchant for executing people at the drop of a hat, for example, it is unlikely that Pellow ever would have defied him the way he does on several occasions in Pellow’s account, noted McLynn, who also criticized the author for sensationalizing the tale. On the other hand, Philip Hensher wrote in a Spectator review that, “as Milton points out, there are quite a number of other accounts which give the same picture of the sultan’s excesses, and perhaps Pellow deserves to be given some credit.”
Whether or not Pellow was a totally reliable witness, reviewers lauded Milton for reminding readers of a part of slave history that many overlook. In Geographical, for example, Mick Herron called White Gold “an interesting light cast on a dark corner of history,” and Library Journal contributor Robert C. Jones similarly concluded that the work “is a thorough and well-researched presentation of a lesser-known chapter in the history of slavery.”
His fifth work of nonfiction, Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of Islam’s City of Tolerance, chronicles the Turkish invasion of Smyrna—a wealthy, cosmopolitan city on Turkey’s Aegean coast now known as Izmir. Milton uses reports from eyewitnesses, as well as diary entries and letters, some published for the very first time, to recount “one of the great atrocities of the early 20th century,” as Christopher J. Walker put it in his review of the book for the Weekly Standard.
The prosperous port city of Smyrna was home to a variety of ethnic and religious groups. While the city’s population was largely Greek, there was a substantial Armenian, Jewish, Turkish, European, and American presence in the city. Smyrna was known as Islam’s city of tolerance, and these groups lived together in harmony until September 9, 1922, when Turkish troops invaded the city—a result of Turkey’s intense three-year war with Greece. In addition to going over the events that led up to this day, Milton describes in detail how Turkish troops entered Smyrna and raped, tortured, and killed a large portion of the city’s residents while twenty-one American and European warships sat in the harbor and did nothing to help defend the population under attack.
Camden Alexander, in a review on the website Curled Up with a Good Book, observed that Paradise Lost “is graphic in its honest and grotesque portrayal of battle,” concluding that “history lovers will love this book.” According to Michael Awasoga-Samuel, who reviewed the book for the website Readings, Paradise Lost “brilliantly captures the sense of foreboding, and highlights the lack of protection awarded to the innocents of Smyrna.” The book is “a timely reminder of the appalling cost of expansionist political ambitions; it tells a fascinating story with clarity and insight,” observed a contributor to the Economist.
Milton published his debut novel, Edward Trencom’s Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese, in 2007. Set in 1969, the main character of this comic thriller is cheese aficionado Edward Trencom, the owner of one of the finest cheese emporiums in London. During a tour group’s visit to his shop, a mysterious Greek man convinces Edward that he is being watched. After this encounter, Edward starts digging into his family history and discovers that many of his ancestors died in grisly, suspicious ways and that he may be next on the list.
A reviewer on the website PopMatters called Edward Trencom’s Nose “a highly entertaining novel,” noting that “Milton does a sterling job of bringing cheese to life. He also succeeds in illuminating some dark corners of history, particularly old Byzantium and recent Greek events. In fact, it’s this specificity and attention to detail that makes Edward Trencom’s Nose something special—although more for entertainment value than for imparting knowledge.”
In 2011, Milton published The Boy Who Went to War: The Story of a Reluctant German Soldier in WWII, published in England as Wolfram: The Boy Who Went to War. This is the history of the Third Reich as experienced by one young German, the son of an artistic and outsider family who were opposed to Hitler. It is also a personal story for Milton as the boy in question, Wolfram Aichele, became his father-in-law. Speaking with Bookbag website contributor Sue Magee, Milton commented on the inspiration for this nonfiction family saga: “For years, Wolfram never spoke about his experiences during the war. I was desperate to ask what had happened to him, but—as you can possibly imagine—it’s not the easiest question to ask your German father-in- law. It was my daughter’s school project that gave rise to the book. My father-in-law suddenly woke up to the fact that he had a fascinating and valuable story to tell. He spoke with ease and no subject was taboo. But he did tell me that he still had traumatic visual images of his time at the battlefront, when he and his comrades came under sustained attack from the Americans.”
The young Wolfram, born in 1924, grew up in a bohemian household in Entengin, a small village near Pforzheim, in the vicinity of the Black Forest. The family were never Nazis, but Wolfram was soon sucked up into the military apparatus, drafted at age seventeen and sent first to Crimea, then the Eastern Front, and finally to Normandy just before the Allied invasion. He was captured by the Americans there and spent two years in Oklahoma as a prisoner of war, returning to Germany in 1946 to discover that Pforzheim had been leveled by Allied bombing. Thereafter he married and forged a successful artistic career.
Reviewing The Boy Who Went to War in the online Historyextra, Roger Moorhouse commented: “Rather than one of the countless wartime memoirs that provide little of any historical or literary worth, Milton’s book offers much of value to the reader.” Moorhouse further called it a “very valid and interesting book, which offers an illuminating insight into the experience of ‘ordinary’ Germans living in ‘small- town’ Germany.” Similarly, Magee, writing on the Bookbag website, noted: “It’s more than sixty-five years since the end of the war, but I think this is the first time that I’ve read about the life of normal German people. Even after all this time there are still myths about who had it worst and who showed the most bravery. Read this and judge for yourself.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer also had praise, observing: “With this book, Milton provides an unusual perspective on an undeniably tragic period in history,” and a Kirkus Reviews critic called the book “a fine addition to the dwindling number of firsthand World War II personal stories.”
In Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global Revolution, Milton narrates a little-known historical fact about a group of espionage agents who helped to stymy Lenin’s plans for a worldwide communist revolution. British intelligence already had a spy network in Petrograd whose job it was to keep Russia at war with Germany. This cadre of spies included the novelist Somerset Maugham, children’s author Arthur Ransome, and the legendary Ace of Spies, Sidney Reilly. As Milton shows, it is most likely one of these agents who killed Rasputin, who was known to sabotage the war effort. Following the Revolution, these men infiltrated Soviet commissariats, the Red Army, and the Cheka, or secret police, and were almost successful in assassinating Lenin. They also helped to finance the regime’s opponents and encouraged sabotage.
“Readers will not regret picking up this entertaining history of spectacular, often nasty derring-do by real-life secret agents,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of Russian Roulette. A Kirkus Reviews critic was also impressed with this book, terming it a “beguiling ride through a riotous time by a historian and able storyteller who knows his facts and his audience.” Similarly, Minneapolis Star Tribune Online contributor Stephen Lyons observed: “Milton’s deft recounting of Reilly’s tales of derring-do remind us of an age before faceless drone surveillance and tech- heavy NSA snooping, a time when boots-on-the-ground connections and human cunning ruled the day.” A Russian Life writer felt that the “spy stories in this volume, rich in tradecraft and memorable anecdotes, stand strongly on their own as a thrilling compendium of espionage during a critical juncture in history.”
In When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History’s Unknown Chapters, Milton offers twenty-five offbeat, colorful, and little-known historical narratives. In addition to stories involving the two titular characters, the book includes such tales as the baker who survived the Titanic by drinking two bottles of whiskey and was subsequently kept warm in the icy seas; the man who made it through the atomic bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Ada Blackjack, an Inuit who became a female Robinson Crusoe, surviving almost two years on an island north of Siberia; and the Hungarian orphan Florenz Szasz, who was sold into an Ottoman harem and later became an explorer in Africa, among many others.
“The book reads like a champagne cyclone, extra brut and deliriously fast, brimming with strangeness and just enough pedagogy to be educational yet still entertaining,” noted Paste website reviewer B. David Zarley of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain. Zarley added: “Entertaining to a fault and well researched, if a bit bare, Milton’s survey of history’s shadowed corners is just that: a light beam dancing in the gloam, illuminating, in both senses of the word, but fleeting.” Booklist contributor Eloise Kinney similarly commented: “History’s lesser-known infamous moments … are told here in bite-size, simple text in chapters meant almost to raise questions rather than give the facts.” Library Journal writer Jason L. Steagall called it a “wonderfully diverse collection,” adding: “Fans of history, trivia, and Milton’s previous works will delight in this collection of lesser-known historical stories.” A Kirkus Reviews critic was also impressed, commenting: “There’s enough adventure, gore, and mystery to make this volume mostly entertaining.” Likewise, a Publishers Weekly writer observed: “Milton’s entertaining collection is sure to leave readers waiting for the next volume in the series.”
When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank is a companion volume to When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain. Like its predecessor, this book contains brief entries on various WWII figures and events. Among the topics Milton covers are King George III’s potential bipolar disorder, the journalist Witold Pilecki’s dismissed account of Auschwitz, and the tragedy that occurred as Allied troops prepared for D-Day. Jason L. Steagall, contributor to Library Journal, remarked: “This is the perfect addition to any library, especially those that own the previous volume.” A Kirkus Reviews critic called the volume “highly readable.”
Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat finds Milton focused on the Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. Colin Gubbins was the British group’s chief, and Millis Jefferis designed weapons for the organization. Milton explains that the SOE’s original goal was to create unconventional weapons to arm British citizens in case the Germans invaded the country. Later, Churchill instructed the group to focus on sabotaging German industrial operations, which it did with great success.
Writing in Air Power History, Ron Davis asserted: “For fans of offbeat military history, this book is a treat. Milton likes his subject, applauds its indifference to the established order, and brings some unique personalities to life. It is an enjoyable read that shines light on some neglected World War II history.” Gilbert Taylor, reviewer in Booklist, noted that the subject of the book was “so popular with history readers.” A Kirkus Reviews contributor described the volume as “an exciting, suspenseful tale of international intrigue.” “While this work is heavy on superlatives and light on analysis, overall it is an entertaining read,” remarked Edwin Burgess in Library Journal.
Milton revisits an important event in World War II in Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won D-Day. This volume was released in the UK under the title D-Day: The Soldiers’ Story. Milton details the calculations that led to the choice of location for the invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. He then explains how the attack played out, highlighting the stories of individuals who were involved.
In a review of the British version of the book on the Scotland Herald website, Trevor Royle suggested: “This is an exemplary account enlivened and enriched by the author’s discreet and under-stated sense of common humanity.” A Kirkus Reviews critic praised the book’s “skillfully woven narrative.” Roger Moorhouse, contributor to World War II, commented: “Milton writes with fluency and immediacy, and contributes numerous previously unseen accounts to the historical record. For once, it seems, the hyperbole is justified.”
In Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World, Milton focuses on the tensions between the Allies and the Soviets in the aftermath of WWII. After Germany was divided following the war, the Soviets took part in various activities that undermined the Allies and harmed German citizens. Finally, when the Soviets blocked West Berlin, the Allies were forced to take action. They airlifted supplies and food and dropped them inside the region, neutralizing the Soviets’ aggression. Eventually, the Soviets gave up their blockade. Milton explains the implications the conflict had in the subsequent years in terms of international relations.
A Kirkus Reviews writer remarked that the book offered “entertaining if unedifying fireworks in postwar Berlin.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly asserted: “Full of vivid details and intriguing personalities, this is a page-turning chronicle of a noteworthy period in world history.”
(open new)Milton again examines the relationship between the Soviet Union and the Allies in The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance That Won the War. Unlike, Checkmate in Berlin, which details the relationship in the aftermath of WWII, The Stalin Affair finds Milton explaining how the relationship came to be in the first place. Milton notes that Churchill had been vocal about his disapproval of Stalin and the actions of the Soviet Union in the years before the Britain entered the war. However, when the Nazi invaded his country, Churchill believed supporting Stalin was his only hope in overcoming Hitler. When he proposed supporting Stalin to other high-ranking British officials, Churchill met resistance. Meanwhile, the U.S. was sending supplies to Britain but had managed to stay out of the conflict. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was spurred into finally joining the effort to defeat the Axis powers. With the assistance of other figures, including the wealthy entrepreneur, Averell Harriman, Churchill and Roosevelt came together to ultimately support Stalin, though Stalin and Churchill had conflicts during some meetings. Milton argues that the alliance with the Soviet Union was a reason that the Allies won the war. A Kirkus Reviews writer suggested: “The author ably navigates this complicated narrative, and readers with an interest in political and military history will find it to be an engaging, colorful read.”
In addition to his nonfiction volumes and novels, Giles has also written children’s book, sometimes collaborating with his artist wife, Alexandra Milton. Among those collaborations is Call Me Gorgeous!, which stars a fantastical animal with attributes from real animals, including crocodiles, reindeer, and pigs.(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Air Power History, 2017, Ron Davis, review of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat, p. 59.
Atlantic, October, 2008, review of Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of Islam’s City of Tolerance, p. 117.
Booklist, May 15, 1999, Danise Hoover, review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg; or, The True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, p. 1649; November 15, 2000, Margaret Flanagan, review of Big Chief Elizabeth: The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America, p. 607; October 15, 2001, Margaret Flanagan, review of The Riddle and the Knight: In Search of Sir John Mandeville, the World’s Greatest Traveler, p. 376; December 15, 2002, Kristine Huntley, review of Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan, p. 730; May 15, 2005, Jay Freeman, review of White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and Islam’s One Million White Slaves, p. 1620; July 1, 2008, Gilbert Taylor, review of Paradise Lost, p. 32; December 1, 2009, Kristen McKulski, review of Call Me Gorgeous, p. 49; January 1, 2016, Eloise Kinney, review of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History’s Unknown Chapters, p. 30; February 1, 2017, Gilbert Taylor, review of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, p. 12.
Bookseller, April 9, 2004, Benedicte Page, “Slave to the Sultan: Giles Milton Tells the Story of Thomas Pellow—One of the Million White Slaves in North Africa Whose History Has Been All but Forgotten,” review of White Gold, p. 24.
Christian Science Monitor, February 16, 2017, Steve Donoghue, “ Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare Unveils Churchill’s Commando Units,” review of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Economist, May 3, 2008, review of Paradise Lost, p. 90.
Forbes, July 26, 1999, Adam Bresnick, “The Spice Boys,” review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 281.
Geographical, January, 1999, Ciara Shannon, review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 68; August, 2004, Mick Herron, review of White Gold, p. 96.
Independent (London, England), June 9, 2008, Alev Adil, review of Paradise Lost.
Journeys, June- December, 2000, Roy Ellen, review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 198.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2001, review of The Riddle and the Knight, p. 1469; November 1, 2002, review of Samurai William, p. 1595; April 15, 2008, review of Paradise Lost; October 1, 2009, review of Call Me Gorgeous; August 15, 2011, review of The Boy Who Went to War: The Story of a Reluctant German Soldier in WWII; March 15, 2014, review of Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global Revolution; October 15, 2015, review of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain; September 15, 2016, review of When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank; November 1, 2018, review of Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day; May 15, 2021, review of Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World; November 15, 2016, review of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare; June 15, 2024, review of The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance That Won the War.
Kliatt, January, 2002, Janet Julian, review of Big Chief Elizabeth, p. 31.
Library Journal, May 15, 1999, David Keymer, review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 108; October 1, 2000, John R. Burch, Jr., review of Big Chief Elizabeth, p. 122; December, 2002, Steven I. Levine, review of Samurai William, p. 150; July 1, 2005, Robert C. Jones, review of White Gold, p. 97; July 1, 2008, Veronica Arellano, review of Paradise Lost, p. 95; November 15, 2015, Jason L. Steagall, review of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain, p. 95; November 1, 2016, Edwin Burgess, review of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Jason L. Steagall, review of When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank, p. 88.
New Republic, June 25, 2001, Alan Taylor, “The Virginians,” review of Big Chief Elizabeth, p. 36; April 22, 2002, Nicholas Howe, “Paths of Story,” review of The Riddle and the Knight, p. 43.
New Statesman (London, England), September 18, 2000, Anne Somerset, “Well-Hung Tongue,” review of Big Chief Elizabeth, p. 54; June 14, 2004, Frank McLynn, “The Sultan’s Slave,” review of White Gold, p. 51.
New Yorker, July 28, 2008, review of Paradise Lost, p. 81.
New York Times, November 23, 2000, Janet Maslin, “Colonists’ Travails in Earliest Virginia,” review of Big Chief Elizabeth, pp. B16, E18; December 2, 2001, Geoffrey Moorhouse, “Travelers from Antique Lands: Two Books Focus on Two Journeys in the Twelfth and Fourteenth Centuries,” review of The Riddle and the Knight, p. 26; April 27, 2003, Susan Chira, “Shogun’s Pet,” review of Samurai William, p. 18.
Observer (London, England), June 27, 2004, Dan Neill, “When Morocco Ruled the Waves,” review of White Gold.
Publishers Weekly, April 5, 1999, review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 232; October 16, 2000, review of Big Chief Elizabeth, p. 58; October 8, 2001, review of The Riddle and the Knight, p. 53; January 6, 2003, review of Samurai William, p. 52; May 2, 2005, review of White Gold, p. 187; February 26, 2007, review of Edward Trencom’s Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese, p. 58; June 16, 2008, review of Paradise Lost, p. 43; November 16, 2009, review of Call Me Gorgeous, p. 51; October 10, 2011, review of The Boy Who Went to War; January 27, 2014, review of Russian Roulette, p. 178; November 9, 2015, review of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain, p. 52; May 3, 2021, review of Checkmate in Berlin, p. 46.
Russian Life, March- April, 2014, review of Russian Roulette, p. 62.
School Library Journal, January, 2010, Heidi Estrin, review of Call Me Gorgeous!, p. 79.
Spectator (London, England), June 22, 2002, Sara Wheeler, “Go East Young Man,” review of Samurai William, p. 50; June 12, 2004, Philip Hensher, “Pirates of Penzance and Reykjavik,” review of White Gold, p. 42; May 10, 2008, review of Paradise Lost, p. 40.
Time International, April 12, 1999, Helen Gibson, “Spice World—The Book: Since Its Discovery, the Scent of Nutmeg Has Held a Heady Attraction for Epicures and Traders Alike,” review of Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, p. 65.
Weekly Standard, September 1, 2008, Christopher J. Walker, review of Paradise Lost.
World War II, August, 2019, Roger Moorhouse, “Operation Overlooked,” review of Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die, p. 71.
ONLINE
Bookbag, http:// www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (March 1, 2011), Sue Magee, author interview; (February 3, 2015), Sue Magee, review of Wolfram: The Boy Who Went to War.
Curled Up with a Good Book, http://www.curledup.com/ (February 14, 2009), Camden Alexander, review of Paradise Lost.
Giles Milton website, https://www.gilesmilton.com (August 7, 2024).
Historyextra, http:// www.historyextra.com/ (March 9, 2011), Roger Moorhouse, review of Wolfram.
Minneapolis Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/ (May 25, 2014), Stephen Lyons, review of Russian Roulette.
Paste, https:// www.pastemagazine.com/ (January 8, 2016), B. David Zarley, review of When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain.
PopMatters, http:// www.popmatters.com/ (July 13, 2007), David Pullar, review of Edward Trencom’s Nose.
RCW Literary Agency website, https://www.rcwlitagency.com/ (August 7, 2024), author profile.
Readings, http:// www.readings.com.au/ (June 5, 2008), Michael Awasoga-Samuel, review of Paradise Lost.
Scotland Herald, https://www.heraldscotland.com/ (September 15, 2018), Trevor Royle, review of D-Day: The Soldier’s Story.
Spectator, http:// www.spectator.co.uk/ (August 31, 2013), Andro Linklater, review of Russian Roulette.
Wales, http:// www.walesonline.co.uk/ (May 3, 2008), Emily Lambert, review of Paradise Lost.
Washington Times, http://www.washingtontimes.com/ (August 20, 2014), Joseph C. Goulden, review of Russian Roulette.
Wigan Today, http:// www.wigantoday.net/ (July 25, 2013), Pam Norfolk, review of Children of the Wild.*
GILES MILTON is the internationally best-selling author of twelve works of narrative history, including Nathaniel’s Nutmeg and Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and have been serialised on both the BBC and in British newspapers.
He is also the writer and narrator of the acclaimed podcast series, Ministry of Secrets.
Milton is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
The Times described Milton as being able ‘to take an event from history and make it come alive’, while The New York Times said that Milton’s ‘prodigious research yields an entertaining, richly informative look at the past.
Giles Milton’s book Nathaniel’s Nutmeg is currently under option in America for a major TV series, and Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is also under option.
All of Milton’s books are available in print format and as e-books, in UK and US editions.
Giles Milton was born in 1966. He was educated at Latymer Upper School and the University of Bristol, where he read English. His nonfiction books include Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Big Chief Elizabeth, Samurai William, The Riddle and the Knight, White Gold, Paradise Lost, Wolfram, Russian Roulette, Fascinating Footnotes from History. He is also the author of three novels, The Perfect Corpse, According to Arnold and Edward Trencom's Nose.
In the preface to the American edition of Fascinating Footnotes he has written: 'Much of my working life is spent in the archives, delving through letters and personal papers. The huge collection housed in Britain’s National Archives is incompletely catalogued (the National Archives in Washington DC is somewhat better) and you can never be entirely sure what you will find in any given box of documents. Days can pass without unearthing anything of interest: I liken it to those metal-detecting treasure-hunters of North Carolina who scour the Outer Banks in the hope of turning up a Jacobean shilling or signet ring. Persistence often pays rich dividends and this book - an idiosyncratic collection of unknown historical chapters - is the result of my own metaphorical metal detecting. Amidst the flotsam and jetsam, I’ve found (I hope) some glittering gems.'
Milton's works of narrative history rely on personal testimonies, diaries, journals and letters to make sense of key moments in history, recounted through the eyes of those who were there.
A Cornish slave boy held captive in Morocco; a Jacobean adventurer in Japan; a young German artist conscripted into Hitler's war machine - Giles Milton's books focus on the stories of ordinary people who found themselves attempting to survive in extreme situations.
Giles Milton is represented by Georgia Garrett at RCW literary agency and Rob Kraitt at Casarotto film and television agency
Giles Milton
UK flag (b.1966)
Giles Milton is a British writer and journalist born in Buckinghamshire in 1966. He has contributed articles for many British newspapers and several foreign publications, and specialises in the history of travel and exploration. In the course of research, he has travelled in Europe, the Middle East, Japan, the Far East, and North and South America.
New and upcoming books
May 2024
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The Stalin Affair
Novels
Edward Trencom's Nose (2007)
According to Arnold (2010)
Children of the Wild (2012)
The Perfect Corpse (2014)
Two Happy Monsters (2016)
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Picture Books hide
Call Me Gorgeous (2022) (with Alexandra Milton)
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Non fiction hide
The Riddle and the Knight (1996)
Nathaniel's Nutmeg (1999)
Big Chief Elizabeth (2000)
Samurai William (2002)
White Gold (2004)
Paradise Lost (2008)
Wolfram (2011)
aka The Boy Who Went to War
Russian Roulette (2013)
Fascinating Footnotes from History (2015)
When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain (2016)
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2016)
When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep / Stalin Robbed a Bank (2016)
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2018)
D-Day (2018)
Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die (2019)
Checkmate in Berlin (2021)
Never Surrender (2023) (with others)
The Stalin Affair (2024)
Giles Milton
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Giles Milton
FRHistS
Born 15 January 1966
Buckinghamshire, England
Occupation Writer, historian
Subject Cold War, World War Two, Slavery, East India Company, Elizabethan and Jacobean exploration
Spouse Alexandra Milton
Children Three daughters
Giles Milton FRHistS (born 15 January 1966) is a British writer and journalist, who specialises in narrative history.[1] He writes non-fiction, historical fiction, and children's history books, and is best known for Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and Nathaniel's Nutmeg.
Milton's books have sold more than one million copies in the UK, and been published in twenty-five languages.[2] He also writes and narrates the podcast series Ministry of Secrets, produced by Somethin' Else and Sony.
Biography
Born in Buckinghamshire, Milton was educated at Latymer Upper School[3] and the University of Bristol. He lives in London and Burgundy and is married to the artist and illustrator, Alexandra Milton. He has three daughters.
He has been a Trustee of the London Library[4] since 2015.
Works
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Milton's Checkmate in Berlin explores post-war Berlin from 1945 to 1949, focusing on the city's division between the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. D-Day: The Soldiers' Story focuses on the experiences of survivors during Operation Overlord, giving voice to unheard accounts. Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare contains the story of a secret irregular warfare organization and its missions during World War II.
Fascinating Footnotes From History is a collection of lesser-known stories from world history, featuring topics like Adolf Hitler's cocaine use, Josef Stalin's criminal experience, and other anecdotes about famous historical figures. The stories have been drawn from Milton's research and previously published as separate e-books. The book is available in the United States as two volumes, When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History's Unknown Chapters and When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed A Bank.
Russian Roulette is a historical account of British spies who were sent to Soviet Russia after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, aiming to thwart Lenin's plans. The book is based on previously unknown secret documents found in archives.
Wolfram: The Boy Who Went to War tells the story of Wolfram Aichele, a young artist who grew up during the Third Reich. The book follows his life, including his time in the Reich Labour Service, his experiences in the war, and his time as a prisoner of war.
Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922 is a historical narrative that recounts the sacking of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) and the subsequent population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1922. The book makes use of unpublished diaries and letters written by Smyrna's Levantine elite to provide an impartial perspective on this event. It has been praised for its balanced approach to history and has been published in both Turkish and Greek. The narrative provides a day-by-day account of the events that took place when the Turkish army entered Smyrna, looking closely at the individuals involved and the humanitarian efforts made by American charity workers.
Milton's books focus on lesser-known stories from history, chronicling the lives of extraordinary people and their exploits. His works include White Gold, which explores North African slave markets, the enslavement of white people in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the story of a young English cabin boy named Thomas Pellow; Samurai William, the historical portrayal of the life and adventures of Englishman William Adams who was shipwrecked in Japan in 1600; Big Chief Elizabeth, about English and Dutch colonial adventurers competing for control of the world supply of nutmeg in the 17th century; The Riddle and the Knight, a historical investigation into the voyages of medieval knight Sir John Mandeville through Persia, Arabia, Ethiopia, India, Sumatra, and China; and Nathaniel's Nutmeg, an account of Nathaniel Courthope's role in the 17th-century battle between the English and Dutch over nutmeg, which was highly sought after for its purported medicinal properties.
Bibliography
Non-fiction
The Riddle and the Knight: In Search of Sir John Mandeville, 1996 ISBN 978-0340819456
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History, 1999 ISBN 978-0340696767
Big Chief Elizabeth: The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America, 2000 ISBN 978-0340748824
Samurai William: The Englishman Who Opened Japan, 2002 ISBN 978-0340794685
White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's One Million European Slaves, 2005, Sceptre, ISBN 978-0-340-79469-2
Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922, 2008, Sceptre, ISBN 978-0-340-83786-3
Wolfram: The Boy Who Went To War, 2011, Sceptre, ISBN 978-0-340-83788-7
Russian Roulette: A Deadly Game: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Global Plot, 2013, Sceptre, ISBN 978-1-444-73702-8
Fascinating Footnotes from History, 2015, John Murray. ISBN 978-1473624993
When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain, 2016, Picador, ISBN 978-1-250-07877-3
When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank, 2016, Picador, ISBN 978-1-250-07875-9
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, 2016, John Murray. ISBN 978-1-444-79895-1
D-Day: The Soldiers' Story, 2019, John Murray. ISBN 978-1473649040
Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day, 2019, Henry Holt & Company, ISBN 978-1-250-13492-9 (paperback published as Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, 2021, ISBN 9781250134936 [5]
Checkmate Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World, 2021, Henry Holt & Company, ISBN 9781250247568
Novels
Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue, and Cheese, 2007
According to Arnold: A Novel of Love and Mushrooms, 2009
The Perfect Corpse, 2014, ISBN 978-0992897222
Children's books
Call Me Gorgeous, 2009, Alexandra Milton, illustrator.
Zebedee's Zoo, 2009, Kathleen McEwen, illustrator.
Good Luck Baby Owls, 2012, Alexandra Milton, illustrator.
Children of the Wild, 2013.
Giles Milton
Giles Milton was born in Buckinghamshire in 1966 and read English at the University of Bristol. He is the internationally best-selling author of many works of popular history, including Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, Big Chief Elizabeth, Samurai William, White Gold, Paradise Lost, Wolfram: The Boy Who Went to War, Russian Roulette, Fascinating Footnotes from History, Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, D-Day: The Soldier's Story and Checkmate in Berlin. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have been serialized on both the BBC and in British newspapers. The Times described Milton as being able "to take an event from history and make it come alive," while The New York Times said that Milton’s "prodigious research yields an entertaining, richly informative look at the past." Milton’s book Nathaniel’s Nutmeg is currently under option in America for a major TV series. His most recent work is The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War. He launched a podcast with producer Sarah Peters in March 2023 called Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets. He lives in London with his wife and daughters.
Twitter: @GilesMilton1
Instagram: @gilesmiltonecad
Facebook: Giles Milton (Writer)
Website: www.gilesmilton.com
Books in order of publication:
The Riddle and the Knight(1996)
Nathaniel’s Nutmeg(1999)
Big Chief Elizabeth (2000)
Samurai William (2002)
White Gold (2004)
Edward Trencom’s Nose (2007)
Paradise Lost (2008)
According to Arnold (2009)
Call Me Gorgeous (2009)
Zebedee’s Zoo (2009)
Wolfram (2011)
Good Luck Baby Owls (2012)
Russian Roulette(2013)
Children of the Wild (2013)
The Perfect Corpse (2014)
Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2015)
D-Day: The Soldiers’ Story (2018)
Checkmate in Berlin: The First Battle of the Cold War (2022)
The Stalin Affair: The Impossible Alliance that Won the War (2024)
AGENT: GEORGIA GARRETT
QUOTED: "The author ably navigates this complicated narrative, and readers with an interest in political and military history will find it to be an engaging, colorful read."
Milton, Giles THE STALIN AFFAIR Henry Holt (NonFiction None) $29.99 9, 3 ISBN: 9781250247582
Politics makes strange bedfellows, and war makes even stranger ones.
On the huge canvas of World War II, the alliance between the Soviet Union and the British-U.S. partnership was crucial, but it came about only through a combination of diplomacy and desperation. So argues prolific historian Milton, author of Checkmate in Berlin, Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and other notable books of history. Churchill, in particular, had punctuated his career with bellicose criticism of the Soviet Union and especially Stalin, but when the Nazi forces invaded, Churchill had no doubt that Stalin was the lesser of two evils and should be supported. Persuading people in his government was not easy, especially as Britain was dependent on supplies from the U.S., and passing some on to Russia added to the pressure. In the U.S., many favored isolationism, and others took the view that the two dictators should be allowed to fight each other to the death. Then Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and Hitler declared war on the U.S. At that point, staying out of the conflict was no longer possible. Johnson introduces a complex cast of characters, with Averell Harriman, a business tycoon and confidant of Franklin Roosevelt, in a central role as liaison with Churchill and later the Soviet government. Stalin could be friendly or belligerent, depending on his mood of the day, and he and Churchill butted heads in several of their meetings. Nevertheless, the alliance held together. "Against all the odds, it had won the war for the Allies," writes Milton. "But it was unable to survive the peace." The author ably navigates this complicated narrative, and readers with an interest in political and military history will find it to be an engaging, colorful read.
Milton mixes personal details with historical sweep to tell a significant tale.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Milton, Giles: THE STALIN AFFAIR." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797463118/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=39ca8e04. Accessed 12 July 2024.
MILTON, Giles. Call Me Gorgeous! illus. by Alexandra Milton. unpaged. Boxer Bks., dist. by Sterling. 2009. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-906250-71-3. LC number unavailable.
PreS--A mystery animal describes its many characteristics ("I've got reindeer antlers and the ears of a pig"), leading up to the big reveal: "I'm a reinde-piggy-porcu-croco-toucaflami-roos-dalma-chameleo-bat-frog. But ... you can call me GORGEOUS!" The book is visually rich but lacking in substance. The clues do not lead to a solvable mystery, since the animal is a fantasy creature of borrowed body parts, and to call the result "gorgeous" is a bit of a stretch. The story makes no statement about beauty being in the eye of the beholder or about valuing uniqueness; it is simply an exercise in fantasy. The large format, thick creamy paper, and highly textured illustrations featuring close-ups of the various animal body parts are indeed gorgeous. Full-body illustrations of the named animals decorate the endpapers, providing context, though some creatures are obscured by the dust jacket. While a first look at the book is visually arresting, the weak story will not hold up to repeated readings.--Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
Estrin, Heidi
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Estrin, Heidi. "Milton, Giles. Call Me Gorgeous!" School Library Journal, vol. 56, no. 1, Jan. 2010, p. 79. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A216180314/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d49eb2c1. Accessed 12 July 2024.