{"product_id":"9781802066418","title":"Augustus The Strong","description":"Author: Blanning, Tim\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781802066418\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Penguin UK\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 06 Jan 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 432\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA riotous biography of the charismatic ruler of 18th-century Poland and Saxony, and his catastrophic reign.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAugustus is one of the great what-ifs of the 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century. He could have turned the accident of ruling two major realms into the basis for a powerful European state - a bulwark against the Russians and a block on Prussian expansion. Alas, there was no opportunity Augustus did not waste and no decision he did not get wrong. By the time of his death Poland was fatally damaged and would subsequently disappear as an independent state until the 20\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTim Blanning's wonderfully entertaining and original new book is a study in failed statecraft, showing how a ruler can shape history as much by incompetence as brilliance. Augustus's posthumous sobriquet 'The Strong' referred not to any political accomplishment, but to his legendary physical strength and sexual athleticism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYet he was also one of the great creative artists of the age, combining driving energy, exquisite taste and apparently boundless resources to master-mind the creation of peerless Dresden, the baroque jewel of jewels. \u003ci\u003eAugustus the Strong\u003c\/i\u003e brilliantly evokes this time of opulence and excess, decadence and folly.","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46727085654174,"sku":"UBD-9781802066418","price":32.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781802066418.jpg?v=1776492493","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781802066418","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}