Scandalgate is part of the Pocket History series—a conveniently portable, stylishly packaged and eminently collectible set of twelve books that each open a window onto a selection of remarkable stories, characters and themes from the past. A leader is a salesman selling a version of themselves and we know they are never as good as they pretend to be. We rightly suspect that the seeking of power is often a kind of greed in itself and we love to hear of powerful people who have successfully deceived us with the sheen of their charisma getting their comeuppance. Welcome to Scandalgate, thirteen tales of political and courtly mischief, muckraking and blackmail—from the sacking of Gough Whitlam to the impeachment of Bill Clinton.