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A major historical biography: the dramatic, harrowing and contested story of Sir Walter Ralegh

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A BBC History Magazine Book of the Year

A writer, soldier, politician, courtier, spy and explorer, Sir Walter Ralegh lived more lives than most in his own time, in any time. The fifth son of a Devonshire gentleman, he rose to become Queen Elizabeth´s favourite, only to be charged with treason by her successor.

Less than a year after the death of his Queen, Ralegh was in the Tower, watching as the scene was set for his own execution.

Patriot or Traitor is the dramatic story of his rise and fall.

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´What brings the book to brilliant life is Ralegh´s voice. In conversation with his writing, Beer´s prose soars... It´s hard not to think Sir Walter would have approved.´
Guardian

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Anna Beer is a cultural historian and one of the leading experts on the life and works of Sir Walter Ralegh. She has written biographies of Milton and Lady Bess Ralegh, and Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music , which is also published by Oneworld. She is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford.

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