Book Reviews
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Well, all of them except Richard II. The following are extracts from the Introduction to Anthony Steel’s 1941 biography of Richard II. I think it is a very succinct and interesting description of the right to the throne of all the kings of England from Richard II to Henry VII. However… (see my comments at…
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Originally posted on Giaconda's Blog: Sarah Gristwood’s book, ‘Blood Sisters’ looks at the lives and reputations of seven key women who lived through the tumultuous and deadly years of the ‘Cousins War’ in C15th England and who changed the course of our national story by their actions. I particularly wanted to read this book because…
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The link below is to a review of Mike Pitts ‘Digging for Richard III – the Search for the Lost King’. I confess up front to not having read the book itself, and my reason is simple. The review tells me how Richard himself is referred to in the book. The usual Shakespearean invention. I…
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The sad events in the immediate aftermath of Bosworth are well known to us all, and are not always illustrated with any kindness to the murdered Richard III, but somehow, this one from the 18th century does him no disservice. He is shown as a young man, not ill-formed, and seems to be carried with reasonable…
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Eleanor again
attainder, bigamy, book review, Chapuys, cover-up, denialists, dental evidence, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, evidence, George Buck, George Duke of Clarence, illegitimacy, John Ashdown-Hill, Lady Eleanor Talbot, Lady Elizabeth Talbot, Lancastrians, Norwich, paperbacks, pre-contract, Richard III, Robert Stillington, Thomas More, Titulus Regius, William CatesbyJohn Ashdown-Hill’s Eleanor, the Secret Queen was first published in 2009, detailing Lady Eleanor Talbot’s family and early life, the circumstances in which she married Edward IV, her similarities to his mistress Elizabeth Woodville (they were dark haired, older and widows of Lancastrian-inclined men), canon law and how it affected Edward’s relationships and children together…
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(and symposium books in general) I purchased this book, edited by Rosenthal and Richmond, for thirty pence but the cross-Atlantic postage was at least nine times as much. One of the eleven chapters, the first by Arthurson on the First Cornish Rebellion, was exceptional and many of the others were interesting. This collaborative book, which…
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Here is a link to double reviews of books that are both entitled Sun(ne) in Splendour – Jean Plaidy’s and Sharon Kay Penman’s. http://www.encorepub.com/carpe-librum-richard-iii-takes-center-stage-again/ Both works are too well known to Ricardians for any explanation to be needed, so I will confine myself to bewailing Plaidy’s abominable cover. How could any publisher impose such a…
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With permission, we present an extract from Kristie Davis Dean’s book “On the trail of the Yorks”, with a particular focus on Margaret of Burgundy and the duchy ruled, during her marriage and widowhood, by her father-in-law, husband, stepdaughter and stepson-in-law. Mechelen is, of course, where a certain historian sought Margaret’s remains, although their identity could…
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