First there was Bill Clinton, the notorious former US president, who immersed himself in scandal but stood his term. He visited Oxford under the cloud of his amnesty dealings in July 2001, but redeemed himself at Helen House hospice where he charmed all and sundry, writes Katherine MacAlister.

Next came his daughter, Chelsea, who won a place to study international relations at University College, Oxford, to escape the relentless media spotlight in the States, and has just finished her finals.

And now there is his wife Hillary, a US senator, who has just published her autobiography, Living History, and will be signing copies at Borders in Magdalen Street, Oxford, on July 5.

The bookshop staff can't believe their luck and are expecting a huge turnout, and record sales, as people flock to find out what really went on behind the gates of the White House.

Mrs Clinton's publishers describe the book as 'Hillary's chronicle of living history with Bill Clinton, a 30-year adventure in love and politics and passion for their country, which survives personal betrayal, relentless partisan investigations, and constant public scrutiny."

You would be hard pushed to find a more interesting and controversial family, and the hype surrounding Hillary's book is as much to do with her marriage as her personal

achievements.

"Her story is one of the most eagerly anticipated publishing events of recent history," the critics note.

Between them, the Clinton clan must have filled more news columns than any other living family. The endless scandals and aspirations of America's ambitious

couple have kept the tabloids running and running both here and at home.

The Monica Lewinsky furore, the numerous affairs and the White Water expos, all revealed a darker side to the blue-eyed president.

But throughout the humiliation Hillary Clinton stood by her man, gathering much admiration in the process, and they are still together.

Whether she remained by his side because of her own political ambitions, out of duty, or even love, has been much debated. Either way, Hillary came out of it much better than her husband, and her resulting US Senate position was a hard-fought battle from which she emerged victorious.

The book also covers her fascinating climb up the political ladder. In Living History she writes about her upbringing in suburban middle-class America in the 1950s, and her transformation from Goldwater Girl, to student activist, to controversial First Lady.

She met Bill Clinton in 1969.

The president often recalls how they met in the library when she strode up to him and said, "If you're going to keep staring at me, I might as well introduce myself." They were soon inseparable, and married in 1975.

Hillary lived in his shadow until the president's term expired.

She stood as a US senator for New York in November 2000, winning the highly publicised campaign, which made her the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate and the first woman elected statewide in New York.

And with her 23-year-old daughter about to spread her own wings, there are already rumours Hillary might even run for president.

But if she has one message to give to other women, regardless of her achievements, it is about finding balance in their lives.

"Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to find whatever the right balance is ... for me, that balance is family, work, and service."

Hillary Clinton will be signing copies of Living History (Headline, £16.99) at Borders, Oxford, on July 5 at noon.