{"product_id":"2026200010635-secondhand-catherine-the-great","title":"Catherine The Great","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good. Jacket: Worn\/faded - no tears.  Page Condition: Good. Markings: No markings. Binding: Good. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFew rulers in history have commanded power with the audacity and brilliance of Catherine II of Russia, and Henri Troyat's biography presents her extraordinary life with the sweep and drama it deserves. Rising from an obscure German princess to become the absolute ruler of the world's largest empire, Catherine's story is one of relentless ambition, political cunning, and a voracious appetite for enlightenment — all set against the glittering yet treacherous corridors of the Russian Imperial Court.\n\nTroyat, a master biographer and member of the French Academy, chronicles Catherine's reign with the same novelistic intensity he brought to his celebrated portraits of Tolstoy and Pushkin. Translated by Emily Read, this work captures the paradox at the heart of its subject: a woman who championed the ideals of the Enlightenment while ruling with an iron hand. For anyone captivated by the intersection of power, intellect, and desire, this biography raises a compelling question — was Catherine truly great, or simply unstoppable?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49130720854235,"sku":"2026200010635-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/f5f7726b-b173-4df4-82dc-13e5a8a2a432.png?v=1786589290","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200010635-secondhand-catherine-the-great","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}