5 comments about Dicing With Di: The Amazing Adventures of Britain's Royal Chasers.

1. It was an interesting book that was candid and well written. I enjoyed reading it and will treasure owning a copy.



2. Insensitive, thoughtless, cruel, non-ending harrassment and deliberate blindness to the misery these two photographers caused Diana runs rampant through every page of this excellently photographed book. Stalking a woman who finally bursts into tears just goads them on to call her a "loon", whereas when she ignores them, they pout and sulk and pretend she secretly "wants the atention". With no thought at all of "do unto others" ,Mark and Glenn intrude onto every private waking moment. It is not enough for them that Diana is on public display as she carries out her duties or charity work. They must catch her sorrow at her father's death, her sipping coffee in her bathrobe in the mroning in her room at Disneyland when she has taken the boys on a visit. What is the purpose of following her everywhere she goes ? It seeme to me that stalkers get arrested in the United States, and yet these men get paid for doing the same thing -- making someone's life miserable -- and then getting paid for it, to add insult to psychological injury. It is a shame that more of the goodness of the Princess is not revealed here, that the evalustion of Diana is not more fair, more generous, more accurate. She was a fabulous Princess, a good Mother, and would have made a good wife to aman not bent from day one on belittling her while he kept up a relationship with his past girlfriend. A sad book because it repreatedly reveals the most despicable aspects of tabloid journalism.



3. This book shows just how terribly Diana was harrassed. You only think you know untill you read this book. The photographers called her crazy yet they did not see how PETTY they were or that they drove her to the brink! This book will make you very ANGRY!



4. I thought the book was enlightening, showing a tiny glimpse into another facet of Diana's personality. The stories told by Glenn and Mark sometimes were funny but most of the time sad, showing how strange life with the British royals must have been for Diana and how confining her life continued to be when she tried to break away and make a life on her own. I just kept asking "what if", if she wouldn't have spent so much time running away, would the paparazzi eventually have moved on to another target and left her alone?



5. The depiction of some of the most professional slimeballs at their very best, true paparazzis with absolutely no ethics whatsoever, if anything this should prove to you that these people at heart are good people, I would let them help my children cross the road anyday, both fine examples of the British tabloid media . Any way Glenn and Mark mine 'll be a swift pint (cheque is in the post I understand?)

5 comments about Queen Emma: A History of Power, Love, and Greed in 11th-Century England.

1. History is full of powerful and intriguing women, and Queen Emma definitely was one of them. If you can appreciate that fact as well, you will appreciate this book. I love that Amazon can find these gems I may not see in the bookstores.



2. There are a couple of facts we need to remember when reading this particular book. First, and this is important, it, the book, is not a Doctorial Thesis and it is not written as such. This is a popular historical work, meant to inform, but at the same time, to entertain. Secondly, I too, like a couple of other reviewers, was a bit disappointed that more was not written about the main character, Emma, her personal life, etc. This leads to the second fact we must remember. Source documents from this era, in particular personal histories, are very, very hard to come by. Most documents from this time have simply disappeared, have been destroyed, or are lost in some historical black hole. This being said and this being remembered, as the book is being read, might help.
   
   The author has given us a fascinating look into the life and politics during the latter part of the first century. A very troubled time for England, and indeed, most of Europe. True, she, the author, does not go into the depth of her subject as many of us would like, but as I have stated, the author had very few source documents of refer to. This work is done in the "popular mode," and is quite readable. The author has taken great pains to let us know when she is stating documented facts and when she drifts into the realm of speculation. This is important to understand what the author is trying to do. I found the author's style far from dry, considering the subject matter. Queen Emma was indeed a complex and fascinating woman and the author has gone to great lengths to bring this across.
   
   This is one of those book I like to call a "tickler," or "seed book." It gives information to those who are interested in a subject, but not fanatical about it. My primary interest is in New World History, but I do like to know where we came from. Works such as this give me as much information as I need for my purposes. Granted, if I were doing a research paper, or was extremely interested in the subject, I would indeed want more. As it stands though, this work gave me a wonder glance into those days and times. Now that I have this information, I find I do have an interest and this work has "tickled" me into checking other works out. This is a good thing. Perhaps one day I could land a nice juicy government grant, travel to England, and check out some of the source documents myself. Would not that be fun!
   
   All in all, I found the work to be very well done, enjoyable to read and quite helpful. I do recommend this one for any individual interested in those days and times and the Queen Emma.



3. Emma of Normandy was the daughter of Richard I and his Danish "handfast" wife, Gunnor, whose origins are obscure. She married Aethelred II of England, was widowed, and married the Danish invader, Canute the Great the next year. One of her sons by each husband subsequently ruled England. She also became the mother-in-law of Henry III of Germany and was the great-aunt of William the Conqueror. But Emma wasn't the typical royal spouse. She learned how to wield power, played an expert political game, and suffered the failings of greed and scandal. Because of her wide and deep connections between the conquering Danes and Normans and the conquered English, this lively, well-written volume is more than a biography. Though the author is a journalist rather than an academic, she has produced a popular history with thorough source citations that is well worth the reading.



4. If you like Medieval history and the history of continuous Viking raids on England, maybe you'll find this book enjoyable. For me, it was a huge disappointment. The author appears to have no concrete evidence about Queen Emma's public or private life, reign, whereabouts during specific periods in British history, children, marriages, or anything else surrounding the book's main topic. Although a short read, it is dry and without enthusiasm. The book's main subject, Emma, is incidental throughout the entire "biography." Emma happened to be the English queen during Viking raids and that's about it. There is plenty of guess-work on the part of the author about what Emma might have done, might have seen, might have said or read, but there's nothing solid or concrete. There are, however, some interesting insights into Medieval life at the time of Emma's reign but that's about it.



5. The century or two leading up to the Norman Conquest is a favorite historical period for me, and I've read a number of books balanced roughly on the fulcrum of the year 1000, give or take. And Ms. O'Brien's was a very worthwhile addition to them. Like another reviewer, though, I wished for more on Emma -- or Aelfgifu as the Anglo-Saxons called her. Still, the book was quite a worthwhile and well-written portrait of the times and the characters involved in those fateful years.
   
   And I still say Harold got a raw deal. Arrow in the eye (at least, according to the Bayeux Tapestry) -- that's gotta hurt! ;)

5 comments about John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty.

1. This book reads well and has lots of of things of interest to say about this great, but flawed Englishman. One small niggle: the author has difficulty with the peerage system and titles [especially the sons of peers and the correct use of Royal Highness, which does not refer to the monarch]- okay, pretty trivial for most purposes, but fairly important for a historian of 18th century British politics.



2. The name of John Wilkes has come up in several books I've read and in a few classes I've taken, but I never really learned all that much about him. Arthur Cash has written a good biography of this eighteenth century Englishman who gained fame for pointing out and fighting the abuses perpetrated by his own government, namely the Parliament and the King's ministers (Wilkes rarely blamed King George III personally). Specifically, Wilkes fought his government when it came to issues like the general search warrant, freedom of press and privacy, and the right of the people, not parliament, to choose its representatives in the House of Commons. Indeed, all this makes Wilkes out to be a champion of civil liberty as well as for the rights of commoners, which in many ways he was, but he also remained loyal to the crown and acted against rioters and mob action, at least that which threatened to turn into lawlessness. It's also worth mentioning that our country learned from some of the causes Wilkes fought for.
   
   In addition to Wilkes's causes and actions taken in the public sphere, we get to see the John Wilkes who enjoyed the intimate company of many women, producing one legitimate daughter (Polly) and a few illegitimate children along the way, enjoyed a good bawdy joke or just making fun of a political figure, spending himself into deeper and deeper debt and so on. Wilkes was not a one-dimensional man by any means. It seemed to come across in this book that John Wilkes tried to make the most out of life, though I think he enjoyed certain things a little too much. He did not seem to sink into complete despair or unhappiness; his contemporaries made note of this upbeat side of his personality. But his activities without question made him a controversial person.
   
   He published criticisms of the government that led to his being declared an outlaw, resulted in a few duels, forced him into exile, was imprisoned and even then was being elected to serve in the House of Commons, but was denied a seat until he finally did win the right to represent the constituents who had elected him to serve. He served in other positions as well, including as Alderman, Lord Mayor of London and Chamberlain (like a treasurer for the city of London). Throughout his ordeals, his reputation and popularity only grew, much to the chagrin of those in government who had been subjected to his wit and criticisms. Wilkes also spoke out in the House of Commons as a supporter for universal suffrage for men, almost unheard of at that time.
   
   In addition to these sides to Wilkes's public roles and his personal life, which I've only so briefly touched on, we become acquainted with many of his friends and associates as well as his enemies, his close and loving relationship with his daughter Polly, though he also seemed kind and loving towards his illegitimate children. Indeed, Cash makes it a point to reveal that Wilkes was often a very courteous, loyal and true gentleman, though this isn't always the case. He was full of life. These are some of the impressions I came away with from reading this book. There were still certain episodes I would have liked to have known a little more about, namely his public service roles and more about his accomplishments and or failures, a more in-depth view of his take on the American Revolution and its conclusion among other things. In the afterword, Cash mentioned that his take on Wilkes is different from that of many other historians; I would have liked the author to have developed that point more. I guess that's what reading other sources are for. Needless to say, this was a good biography on a very colorful individual.



3. John Wilkes was one of the most fascinating figures of the 18th century, both politically and personally. We in the U.S. owe many of the principles in the Bill of Rights to Wilkes, yet how many Americans have heard of him? Especially now, when so many of our civil liberties are being eviscerated, this is an important book. Wilkes was also a colorful character -- to say that he loved wine, women, and song is an understatement. This was a guy who squeezed every drop he could out of life, all the while fighting battles for a free press, protection against unwarranted search and seizure, and free speech. Arthur Cash has given us a rich historical portrait of a true hero (along with some unforgettable Wilkes quotes). If you've never heard of North Briton No. 45, what are you waiting for?!



4. John Wilkes could be considered a "flower-child of the 60's". The 1760's, that is. As I read this magnificent telling of JOHN WILKES: THE SCANDELOUS FATHER OF CIVIL LIBERTY by Arthur Cash, I couldn't help but wonder how this free spirit would be accepted today. I was reminded of countless modern day examples of people who resemble this man they probably never heard of. Cash captures the essence of his subject in an erudite fashion seldom found.
   
   We Americans owe a great deal to Wilkes, and yet, he ranks but a footnote in the pages of our history. Wilkes encompassed the American spirit of independence and if known today, would be a folk hero of the highest regard. Perhaps Cash's work can help put the name of John Wilkes in its rightful place.
   
   John Wilkes had to compensate for his less than dashing looks, and he did so quite well with his wit. He was cross-eyed and had a most prominent jaw, almost to the point of deformity. By the time he was forty, he had lost his teeth and spoke with a very heavy lisp. His wit can be illustrated by his comment to Lord Sandwich who told Wilkes he would either die of the pox or at the gallows. Wilkes retorted, "That depends, my Lord, on whether I embrace your wife, or your principles."
   
   Wilkes pushed the bounds of the "free press" with his publication, the North Briton, which at one point, won him a week in the tower. In the end, however, Wilkes' incessant attack on pushing the boundaries of the free press would eventually make his name synonymous with liberty.
   
   We picture those stuffy men of the late 18th century sitting in Parliament with their starched collars, their powdered wigs, and their staunch expressions and I'm sure many of them fit that very description. But this parliamentarian, writer, freedom fighter and part time pornographer will shock readers with just how "anti-establishment" he was, and for the most part, got away with.
   
   Arthur Cash has composed a delightful, though lengthy read about someone we all should get to know a little better.
   
   Monty Rainey
   www.juntosociety.com



5. A superior biography of an Englishman who had a great impact on the advancement of liberty, both at home and, by example, in the colonies that were to become the United States.
   
   Today's readers will find this life of John Wilkes deserving of attention for a multitude of reasons. Professor Cash gives clear background on many of the political and judicial terms of that age, many of which are still in use today. The evil that was embedded in general warrants, the beginnings to a right of privacy, freedom of the press, and the start towards universal suffrage are all part of this story. As well as the private worldly pleasures of an unorthodox gentleman who never met a debt or woman he could refuse.
   
   One of the best books, if not the best, I have read this past year. If you are a fan of James Boswell or Voltaire I wager that you will enjoy this worthy effort by the accomplished author Arthur H. Cash.

1 comments about William Wallace: The True Story of Braveheart.

1. WILLIAM WALLACE: THE TRUE STORY OF BRAVEHEART is a pick for any interested in Scottish history and culture, who should consider it of ongoing interest, offering a new biography based on new research of medieval records. Wallace came to fame through his active opposition to English imperialism: a fight he was willing to die for. He achieved command but was unable to retain it in battle: with little experience in government or war he nonetheless made a name for himself in both areas. Lesser known is the fact that he was a member of the nobility himself: researcher Brown offers new insights on William Wallace's experiences and dispels many myths.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch

No comments about A Journey Through The Life of William Wilberforce.

5 comments about George Eliot: The Last Victorian.

1. I have started to read a lot of biographies, and somehow most of the authors manage to extinguish my passionate interest in the lives of the greats by a tedious writing style. Kathryn Hughes' book George Eliot: The Last Victorian is innocent of such charges. In fact, the book is both eruditely scholarly and reads like an exciting novel. I hope Kathryn Hughes writes more biographies.



2. Whata complex person was George Eliot (1819-1880). Mary Ann
   was born in the English midlands in a rural, conservative and
   evangelical society. She became an agnostic, free thinker whose
   brilliant early works were translations of German scholarship dealing with a critical examination of the life of Jesus.
   Eliot had a succesion of love affairs which such literary types as John Chapman editor of the Westminster Review and the
   brillian but cold Herbert Spencer. Her true love was George
   Henry Lewes a literary man who never divorced his unfaithful wife Agnes continuing to support her and his children through the long years he spent living with Eliot.
   With the encouragement, nurturing care and support of Lewes the fragile, tempermental, moody and gloomy plain girl from the Midlands became the leading light in the intellectual-literary world of mid 19th century London.
   Eliot is in the first rank of Victorian novelists. Her classics include "Adam Bede"; "The Mill on the Floss"; "Silas
   Marner"; "Felix Holt the Radical': "The Spanish Gypsy"; "Romola"
   "Middlemarch" and "Daniel Deronda.:
   Eliot was a brilliant woman who all of her life was concerned about her plain appearance. She married young John Cross in 1880
   dying only eight months into the marriage.
   Hughes gives a plainly written account of Mary Ann's life from the provincial girl to the grand old lady of English letters.
   Her life was sad since her brother Isaac and family refused to accept her arrangement of living with a married man. She was
   scorned as a fallen woman by polite society but found a modicum of happiness with Lewes.
   Huges provides short adequate summaries of all the novels and poems by Eliot. Some readers may find the infighting among family members and literary people in London tedious.
   Hughes had done her homework producing a solid biography.



3. Though the book was overall a bit biased toward Eliot's needy side, and didn't include quite enough literary criticism for my taste, I still found this a great and very informative read, especially for those with not a lot of background on the subject of this major Victorian writer.



4. Hughes' life of Eliot is solid, comprehensive, and given its dazzling subject, remarkably tedious. The book provides an ample chronicle of Eliot's documented life without ever bringing Marian Evans or her marvelous writings to life.

   Hughes is much better at piling on the details of Victorian intellectual life than working her way inside the creative processes that created Middlemarch, Adam Bede, and Daniel Deronda. The first half of the book, covering Evans' family life and difficult early adulthood, reads well, the impressive accumulation of research making up for lack of narrative.

   But when Evans creates Eliot and the first of her fictions, the book should snap to life. It instead deflates, dutifully cranking out novel synopses and recounting scandals without ever getting at why Eliot's fiction was so beloved in her day, and remains so today.

   A novelist of uncanny power and tremendous influence, Eliot deserves a biography at the level of Peter Ackroyd's spectacular life of Dickens. We're still waiting...




5. George Eliot: The Last Victorian is an intimate biography of noted author Mary Ann Evans, who is perhaps better known by the pen name of George Eliot (1819-1880). Some of Ms. Evans' most famous works include the novels Silas Marner, Middlemarch, and Adam Bede. This informative biography focuses quite closely on Evans' life, including her friendships with Dickens and Trollope, and the controversial scandal of her relationship to a married writer George Henry Lewes. Biographer Kathryn Hughes also scrutinizes the Victorian society that Mary Evans lived in and wrote so much about. Even Queen Victoria enjoyed books by George Eliot, but you don't need royal blood to enjoy this intriguing and meticulously presented biography.

2 comments about The Kings & Queens of England (Revealing History).

1. It would be easier to remember the kings and queens of England if they didn't all have the same names. A Chudley and an Irma in there would have helped a lot. Tired of trying to remember which Henry is which, I checked this book out of the library and then bought one so I would have a handy reference. It gives a synopsis of them all consecutively beginning with several I didn't even know about. It is forthright and not necessarily kind. I'm enjoying it.



2. I really enjoy reading about the different monarchs throughout time. Ormrod's book has made it so easy to read about and learn more about these kings and queens who have shapped the world. "The Kings and Queens of England" is the perfect introduction to all of the different houses and all of the different monarchs. The way in which this book was written allows the reader to either read the book completely or look up particular intrests. He has made it so easy and fairly enjoyable.
   
   I very much recomend this book to anyone who has a historical intrest in the royal families because this is very well written and filled with loads of information that I have not heard any where else.

3 comments about Crowning Glory: American Wives of Princes And Dukes.

1. I have to agree with the reviewer, who said "paragraphs and paragraphs" of... Yes, indeed, this book is paragraphs of tittle-tattle. From Dorothy Adriance to Helena Zimmermann, pages that read as follows:
   
   "(American heiress) Miss Mary X married the Duke of K, whose mother, the American Anne Y, (see her entry on Page 135) was the first wife of the Count of Z, whose sister Maria married the Prince of -- , who lost her inheritance through gambling at Monte Carlo, after which they divorced, and Maria married the Russian Grand Duke ..."
   
   And so on, and so on. I made up that paragraph above, but I'm not really exaggerating -- this is the way this author writes.
   
   There's no insight into why these ladies made these choices (why, oh why did heiresses such as Doris Duke and particularly Barbara Hutton marry so many Euro-trashbags?? What was the attraction to these losers, who treated them, and their many other wives, so badly?)
   
   I was very disappointed in this book. If you want a simple A through Z compilation of names and brief, uninteresting histories and a few nice photographs, this is the book you want, but if you want something with a little more depth, then avoid this book, and purchase "To Marry an English Lord", by Gail MacColl, or, "In a Gilded Cage: From Heiress to Duchess" by Marian Fowler, either of which is SO much more insightful and detailed.



2. good facts about americans who marry into royal ,with great pictures,juicey goosip, but not put together very well.i really wanted to now about certain royals but they other really bore me.



3. Wonderful source of information, but I wonder why the author didn't pull it all together. Paragraph after paragraph of names, dates, locations, some juciy tidbits... but no real flow to it all. Tons of information, obviously well researched, but poorly executed.

2 comments about Margaret: The Last Real Princess.

1. Not great, but not bad. A nice easy read, this is unfortunately a one-sided portrait of an otherwise complex interesting character, focusing mostly on her romantic controversies. I would have liked to know a bit more about all of her, her hobbies, daily routines, relationship with other Royals. I was also disappointed at the photographs, whole pages of her lovers! I would have liked to see her homes, her clothes, and her beautiful wedding. Not a disappointment by any means but this could have been a richer read than as it stands.



2. I hesitated in deciding to review this book. Is it worth drawing the public's attention to a book that is, at best, descriptive journalism which promises more than it delivers? Only after reading the book did I acquaint myself with the author's journalistic reputation which helped explain some of my original disappointment with the book. As an academic, I cannot recommend this book to any serious reader interested in matters concerning the Windsor family. The book lacks proper endnotes and citations. Botham rarely identifies his sources but chooses convincing descriptive labels that suggest authoritative individuals with first hand knowledge. I am disappointed in Botham's "soap opera" treatment of a topic that is of genuine interest to many in the British Commonwealth. In short, save your money!

5 comments about The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era.

1. An enjoyable read, using one of the most underrated characters of the middle ages as a lens into the time. While I don't always agree with Cantor's interpretations, he synthesizes the important bits for the lay reader. A very nice read, for those who want to spare many of the details and go straight to the big picture stuff.



2. While the book isn't quite as bad as other reviewers or the Amazon star-rating indicate, it's not what the publisher advertises it to be - a book on chivalry and John of Gaunt. Threads of these themes appear throughout, but the book comprises random thoughts and insights about upper class medieval life, occasionally with comparisons to other centuries in Europe and the U.S. It reads like a series of classroom lectures in introductory medieval history.
   
   To that end, it has more value than earlier reviewers give it. If you are new to medieval history, this book is as good a place to start as any for information on the class structure, political and social attitudes, and economics of the times. It is not, however, an examination - even on an introductory level - of John of Gaunt. The author's attempt to interweave information about this important historical figure fails.



3. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that publishers should be held legally liable merely for publishing poorly written, banal, politically correct, ahistorical drivel like this book. We rightly protect the freedoms of speech and of the press regarless of the intrinsic value of the speech. (Although I do wonder if Profesor Cantor is solely responsible for this garbage. Perhaps it was his awareness that, as his life was nearing its end, he was bequeathing to the reading public this mess, which led him to so pointedly acknowledge how his literary agent and editor had both "been very helpful in shaping the manuscript" ... which coincidentally represents their last payday from the bestselling author).
   
   As I say, that's not why the publisher should be sued. No, my contention that someone should sue the publisher is based on their own baldfaced false advertisement on the book cover.
   
   They claim that "Norman F. Cantor brings to life John of Gaunt..." He does nothing of the sort. In fact John of Gaunt is really nothing more in the book than a foil for the author's social musings on class and sexual mores and a rant about today's "billionaire capitalists."
   
   To really see where Cantor is heading, just go straight to his last chapter, "The End of the Middle Ages." Here he abandons all pretense to historical perspective or even to staying within shouting distance of his supposed topic. The chapter staggers from unfounded assertion to wild speculation to sweeping generalization to confident prediction of the future like a sawdust preacher haranguing a tentful of simpletons. The moderately informed reader will feel both insulted and somewhat embarrased for the author.
   
   Real scholarship of the past 20 years based on examining a wider body of evidence is dismissed as the faddish popularity of medieval catholicism among historians (p.221). But never fear, Cantor assures us "the truth of the older [Protestant/Whig] view cannot be denied and will slowly be reasserted." Hogwash.
   
   Possible examples can be multipled from almost any page of the book but, as brevity is the soul of wit, I fear I may already have gone on too long.
   
   If someone ever gets around to filing that lawsuit, sign me up for the plaintiff's list. I figure they owe me for the purchase price of the book as well as a litle something in compensation for the hours I spent reading it and waiting (in vain) for it to get less worse.



4. John of Gaunt and his brother Edward the Black Prince have intrigued me since I first took an English History course for my MA, so I purchased this book despite the negative reviews. While it contains at least something on each and their relationship, the book is really not very informative. In fact, you might intuit most of what the author says from just a little knowledge of the period, so general are the author's remarks.
   
   The book was written by a popular although somewhat controversial medieval historian, Norman F. Cantor, during his twilight years. His earlier works were lauded as accessible to the reading public and enjoyed considerable commercial popularity, but according to the Wickipedia entry, his original research was scant and often at variance with other historians, receiving mixed reviews in the journals.
   
   This book is almost sad. The professor died in September of 2004 at the age of 75, and the book was published that same year. One presumes that it was an attempt to recreate something of his earlier success with one last book. I have read other books written by professors at the end of their lives and have been far more impressed. It is a nice way of summarizing the knowledge of a lifetime career and leaving a legacy of what was known and contributed by the author up to that time. I have read a couple of books of this type, including The New Catastrophism: The Rare Event in Geological History by Derek Agar and Ancient Israel's Faith and History: An Introduction to the Bible in Context by George Mendenhall, both of which were quite good. Unfortunately The Last Knight does not stand up well to scrutiny.
   
   I'm not certain to whom I'd even recommend the volume; it is written almost at the level of the middle school student in style and approach, but the material jumps too much from topic to topic, despite the well organized chapter headings: Old Europe, The Great Families, Plantagenet England, Women, Warriors, Spain, The Church, Peasants, Politics, Chaucer, The End of the Middle Ages. They are well chosen topics, but the content is almost random. Each chapter seems to include a hodge-podge of what might easily have been quotes from lecture notes taken out of context but which seemed "too good to leave out." The result is a confusing mix of genealogy and gossipy generalizations.
   
   The author's parenthetical remarks make the book seem coy and dated and probably do more to reveal the author's issues (ie. Ivy league professors, anti-Semitism, etc.) than the period or individuals about whom he writes. Certainly the mention of "illicit sex," "promiscuous sex," and "homosexuality" while it might have been titillating, scandalous, rebellious or even progressive to the young college student in the morally transitional sixties, will seem banal and quaint to a young person today to whom the whole issue is a nonstarter. It reveals the remarkable degree to which Professor Cantor was out of touch with the young at the end of his life.
   
   Part of the problem may well be that the topic, while it is narrowed to the life of John of Gaunt, is really about the age of John of Gaunt. In the absence of any personal letters, the only facts about the man are general ones abstracted from legal and economic documents. To flesh out the book, the author relies upon what is known about other aristocrats of this period; and it's a long period. The author includes information from the reigns of kings as disparate as William of Normandy (1066) to Henry VII (about 1500). That takes in a lot of ground. One must presume that, except perhaps technologically, a lot of change occurred in social behaviors, just as they do now. In fact, even in technology things were changing at a break neck pace compared to the previous 500 years. One might point out that the intrigue, ambition, social interactions and tangled geneology of the time of John of Gaunt were what set up the country for the chaotic period of the War of the Roses which so inspired Shakespeare in his plays Henry IV and Richard III. In short, there is just too much to cover for a book of only 250 pages. More might have been done with a greater degree of focus and better editing.
   
   For those readers who desire a more complete introduction to the Middle Ages and despite the fact that it covers the period immediately preceding John of Gaunt, I would suggest England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 (New Oxford History of England) by Robert Bartlett. Although it is a very heavy and serious work, and may lose those interested in only a casual read, it covers the period more thoroughly and its documentation is without parallel. It will certainly set up the reader to more critically evaluate other books on the period for quality and content.
   
   
   The book suggests haste and an attempt to produce "one last book."



5. I bought this book knowing that it was an attempt at "popular history," and therefore I would never try to hold it to academic historical writing standards. However, even as an easy-reading book for entertainment, this work is horrible.
   
   
   1. First of all, this book is extremely repetitive. I imagine the author was paid by the word, because it is not uncommon to see the same piece of information re-introduced to you numerous times in the span of a few pages (let alone the ideas that were revisited in distant parts of the book). For an example, read pages 122-124.
   
   2. Secondly, the writing is very disorganized, despite the topic-centered chapters the author attempted. Mainly when he is repeating himself, the author will slip in "facts" or ideas that may seem to relate to the time period in general, but have no context within the surrounding paragraphs.
   
   3. Lastly, many of Cantor's claims go beyond "speculation" to the realm of "completely unfounded." One appalling example is on page 81, where the author writes, "if John of Gaunt had written to his mistress Catherine Swynford, it may have been along these lines," followed by a made-up letter. This comes 5 lines after Cantor has written that "not one personal letter" has survived from Gaunt. Clearly, this letter then has no basis even in Gaunt's other writing, and it is wholly unnecessary for the sake of the book.
   
   
   This book has been painful and insulting to read. Overall, there was very little substance. I do enjoy popular history very much, when it is done well, but even as a piece of writing, this particular piece of writing fails miserably. I would be mortified to have my name associated with writing this bad; both the writing and the research were at the level of a young high-schooler, in my opinion. In fact, I'm rather afraid that by purchasing this book, I've encouraged the publishing world to turn out more of this.
   
   
   If you want a general overview of the medieval England, I'd try The Making of England to 1399 by Hollister, Stacey and Stacey. It covers everything from King Alfred to Richard II, and is very readable.
   The Making of England to 1399 (History of England, vol. 1)