2 comments about Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland: Biographical sketch and letters.

1. you don't get princess alice really character in this book.this book gloss over her life.we don't get how strain her relationship with her mother queen victoria was.how emotional she felt about a husband who didn't share her interest.her such in religion to find comfort from marriage on the rocks.her interest in nursing,unwed mothers and working mothers.



2. I love reading biographies its always interesting to read about another person's life but its even more fun to do when its basically written by themselves as this book was. Alice certainly had an interesting life and I've always liked reading about her charity and nursuing work. Someone who was born into wealth, power and connected as she was an yet prefered to spend her days helping the poor and sick is very admirable. I enjoyed reading her letters and learning more about her. Towards the end the letters get fewer and fewer of course as she's got an ailing family and her own death draws near. An excellent read.

5 comments about For the Cause of Liberty: A Thousand Years of Ireland's Heroes.

1. I have long been interested in Irish history but could never quite grasp the centuries of convoluted struggle with Great Britain. This book was invaluable in deepening my understanding of some of the bigger events and figures and I happened to read it shortly before viewing the film The Wind That Shakes The Barley so that I was able to enjoy it with greater sympathy and understanding.Good supplements to this are How The Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill and Ireland:A Novel by Frank Delaney.



2. I'm part Irish-American and I knew some about the conflicts between the British and the Irish. After reading For the Cause of Liberty, I now realize how little I knew.

   The book provided an excellent history of the Irish struggle. The information on the Irish heroes (both Protestant and Catholic) who fought the British was very readable. I never knew that the French had a hand (or tried to) in the rebellion in the late 1700's. The extent of the savagery and despicable behavior that the Irish endured was very effectively presented. Overall, an excellent book.




3. Golway has a very easy to read writing style. He gives seemingly very intimate details about each person he talks about, and also gives you alot of background information that you might miss in other books. In some parts of it, you can almost imagine that the heros of old are still alive and fighting for freedom.

   He covers more about history 1850 onwards than previously, but he gives fair time to both of them. A fascinating book for anyone who wants to know about Ireland, or the history of Revolutions in the world.




4. Evaluating Golway's book in terms of its subtitle-- a thousand years of Ireland's heroes-- I think this selection is fantastic. As a semi-biographical profile of many prominent, legendary, and simply amazing Irish revolutionaries, this book does exactly what it should. Golway discusses such notables as Brian Boru, the O'Neill family, Wolfe Tone, Daniel O'Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Arthur Griffith, O'Donovan Rossa, Kevin Barry, Richard Mulcahy, the leaders of the Easter Rising, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins, Kevin Barry, Bobby Sands, Countess Markievicz, Bernadette Devlin, and many more. Other reviewers have summarized quite well what the book is; I would like to provide readers with an idea of what the book is not. This would make excellent supplementary reading for anyone with an interest in Irish history. However, Golway does focus on elements of biography and therefore does presume a fair bit of knowledge on the part of the audience. If you are looking for a good starting point in learning about Irish history, I would not suggest this title. On the other hand, if you already have a general working knowledge about Ireland, these biographies would very, very much enrich your experience. Bottom line: buy it for the biographies and consider any Irish history you pick up along the way an added bonus.



5. Golway's summary of 1,000 years of Irish history provides a very good overview of the highlights of Irish history. It is a great introduction for someone just starting their study of Ireland's rich history. For those who have delved into the history already, it is an enjoyable read. Golway just skims the surface, though. The collection is far from complete in any of the eras it covers.

5 comments about Richard I (The English Monarchs Series).

1. Gillingham does it again. John Gillingham, again,provides us with another superb account of a remarkable ruler of England.



2. I was sceptical getting started on this biography. Certainly, the early parts were fact-laden, slightly uninteresting and slow going.
   
   I am very glad I did not give up.
   
   This is one of the few strictly historical books that restores one's faith in objective research and non-agenda, non-ego driven truth finding.
   
   One might wish for a bit more of a picture of Richard's persona, but from the remove of nearly a millenium, this would be fudging anyway. The facts that there are are clearly and neatly laid out regarding all of Richard's attributes, and some of the modern fadist mythologies (so many of which have their underpinnings in a given academic's desire or need for attention) are dealt with fairly and thoroughly.
   
   Example: Richard was not a homosexual, as "The Lion in Winter" would have a viewer believe. The evidence against it is clear and plenary. It isn't that one doesn't wish him to be, it's just that this notion has its roots in a modern attempt to overlay ancient male and political bonding customs with a template of modern behaviours and modern conclusions which would stem from modern interpretations of those behaviors.
   
   All in all, Richard emerges from the historical record as a great warrior King, who was grossly treated following his exertions during the Crusades, and was forced to try to reclaim the lands that Phillip of France stole while Richard was away. He was therefore forced to stay away from Britain, because the Angevin and Acquitainian and Norman parts of his empire were on the continent. He did not stay away from Britain by choice or by neglect (another myth debunked), but because he was forced to by the duties of his Kingship. Also, Britain WAS part of continental Europe as well in those days. (Or vice versa, if you happen to be English.)



3. A great introduction to those curious about this legendary monarch. Gillingham pulls off a bit of a hat trick here. While he does have strong opinions of surrounding figures, particularly Philip and John, he lets the facts speak for themselves about Richard and does not argue one particular point of view. With one exception, his sexuality. This also one of the few times where I found the primary historians, both Arab and Norman, becoming "characters" and their presence is missed when they die or no longer are around the King. The very difficult task of giving all of the counts of Normandy, the Vexin, and the Aquitaine distinctiveness is handled incredibly well. In the hands of a less skilled author this would have been very dry reading and frustratingly convoluted. Also, bit of a heads up to the future reader: This is Gillingham's second book on Richard the Lionheart and he has written numerous articles and essays on the monarch. He has no problem using himself as a reference and he flat out lifts an entire chapter from his previous work and places it in this one. I found this shrewdly entertaining. It does benefit this volume and since the older version is no longer in print, no harm done. After reading this you come away better informed, entertained and with a desire to pick up another book on this era and this king. I can't think of much better praise than that. An essential work for a medieval library.



4. This is the most balanced royal biography I've read to date. Gillingham begins by tracing Richard's reputation through the ages, beginning at it's peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, when he was considered one of the great leaders of his time to it's nadir in the 1950's when academics began to consider him a "Bad son and a bad king..." who spent far more time on the continent than he ever did in England, leaving it in terrible financial straits when he went off to fight in the crusades, and began to conjecture about his sexual preference. Gillingham explores and discounts these and other myths about Richard and his reign simply by letting the historical record speak for itself and allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions, rather than stating his own opinions as facts and then selectively using the historical record to back them up. He also isn't afraid to admit that he can't be sure of something when the historical evidence is either too thin or simply obscured by the mists of time, which is refreshing. The author is among the first to rely heavily on contemporary Muslim sources in constructing his portrait of Richard, because he believes they are less biased in their evaluation of Richard's character than a European chronicler might be. These sources are, for the most part, complimentary, and add great perspective and depth to the reader's understanding of Richard as a warrior. Gillingham strikes the perfect balance between academic research and popular history, making the book very readable. Whether you're interested in Richard himself, or merely seeking an introduction into reading further about his fascinating family dynamics, or the crusades, this is the book to read!



5. Richard the Lionheart's life and personality may be the stuff of legend, but they are hidden by the mists of time -- or rather the paucity of relevant documents. Gillingham does a brilliant job of breathing as much life as possible into rather arid fragments without stepping beyond what is warranted by the evidence. For his understanding of the king, he draws as much on contempory Arab sources as European ones, arguing convincingly that the Arab writers may have had fewer axes to grind in talking of Richard. Gillingham goes so far as to place his evaluation of Richard's character at the point where the evidence ends -- following his captivity in Germany -- rather than at the end of the book. Instead the book ends with a well reasoned argument that it was John (and John alone) who lost Normandy whereas Richard was winning the war against Philip Agustus of France. Gillingham also points out that, had Richard lived to complete that struggle, the empire of Henry II might still have disappeared with his death.

   Inevitably, some of the work is frustratingly dry -- especially for the process of Richard's development into a strong ruler and military genius against the background of one of history's most disfunctional families. But that dryness arises from the lack of evidence, not from immersion in trivia at the expense of substance.

   The book itself is a delight, with strong narrative supported by a myriad of footnotes which are where they should be -- at the bottom of the pages. All in all, a good story well told with insightful analysis based on the record.

No comments about Blair Unbound.

5 comments about Almost There.

1. This is my first book by this author and thus have nothing else to compare this memoir to. My first impression was her honesty, with herself and with others: her alcoholic mother, her own drinking (a bottle of wine a night), her relationship failures both with men and women, and her regrets in life. Had she been an American publishing this book it would have been a sensation, but alas, because she is Irish and Catholic and an unknown in the US, the book made little waves here.
   
   She mentions her first book "Are You Somebody" a lot in this memoir and this seems to be a sequel. It's the book that shot her to fame, which brought her interviews in the more progressive US Northeast where many Irish live. She ponders her success almost to the point of insanity, rather than enjoying her success for her efforts. It's that typical Catholic guilt feeling.
   
   Her honesty with her seemingly gay relationship had me at first stumped. I almost stopped reading after her first mention of her ex-partner leaving her, but I overcame that after I continued her chapter. Then I realized that subject is just too tabu in the US. So I congratulate her for bringing that subject out in the open.
   
   Her candor of her first book caused some heartache to others in her life, others who may have hurt her in the past. Was she trying to get even with them by publishing the events as they happened according to her? She's honest and covers the other person's point of view, which was a courageous act. Most people who write memoirs mention the people who hurt them, but few take the time to ask themselves why they hurt them, or the reasons for the behavior. Different people, different perspectives, says Nuala. Who's right?
   
   It's definitely not an easy read or one that one laughs out loud reading. It's one more of the "Damn, that hurt!" reaction that, after more thought, allows the reader to gain greater respect for the author, and allows the readers to look deeper into themselves.



2. first off i want to say i shouldn't complain too much as i bought an autographed hard copy of this book for just $1.00 . Thank God for small favors . to begin with i really was enjoying this book in the beginning and too quick to imagine myself buying her first memoir .
   
   what bothered me the most was her having an illicit affair with a man who even she described as not being educated, nor really a " looker " . yet time and again she would drive miles, hours, and pay for their trysts .
   he'd bring hard candy ....lol.
   like, didn't she wonder why she never heard nor saw this gink on holidays such as xmas . not even a card ? I think she knew in her deepest being. she's just the type of woman for some reason needs to be exploited as that's all she feels she truly deserves . it was sickening .
   
   she's lucky to have found someone who cares . but, i didn't give a damn about her during this entire fiasco of a book . she saw the inside of more motels then " the gideon bible " .
   
   my advice to her ...go back to column writing . she ought be ashamed to have her siblings read this as well as everybody else .
   
   i don't believe in bookburning ..but, i'm tempted .



3. I could really relate to her life's reflections in relation to her own personal experiences as well as her perspective on universal family situations. Nuala's frank proclamation revealing her loneliness was quite powerful. The fact that she read this book on CD herself with wit and prose makes me want others to listen to her gift of gab.



4. Yes, ma'am, this `analyze my life and then tell-all' book seems like the sort of fare on which Oprah could chew for several shows. It was ready-made for her book club and would have instantly been embraced by her angst-loving fan base, but somehow it stayed outside that sort of recognition. But that's not a cheap shot, I mean it, this is a book for those who like the sort of reading material common in Oprah's book club. So Oprah readers, go get this!
   
   I don't know if I was supposed to, exactly, but I found this book gloomy, and mostly only liked the rare parts where Irish Times writer Nuala O'Faolain wasn't speaking so personally. Her reports on the state of Northern Ireland, her experiences in America (page 195, " 'America' was always the word for promise." Boy have I ever heard that before...) the compare and contrast moments that dealt with Ireland in relation to other places she's been, these were a lot more likely to hold my interest, I found, than her oft-murky forays into her own allegedly bleak childhood, her controversial romantic life, or her stark realizations at her own failings, failures, and foibles.
   
   Still there's something endearing about a woman whose best mate is her dog, Molly, and whose singlemost passion in life seems to be her readiness to delve into self-deprecation as if it is also her salvation.
   
   I don't regret reading Almost There, but I don't plan on seeking out any of Nuala O'Faolain's other published books, either.



5. I love this book. While her first, Are you Somebody, was so full of darkness, this is full of hope. It is a book about redemption. She is not there yet, but almost there. She writes BEAUTIFULLY. A real wordsmith. The way she writes alone makes it worthwhile. I am in my 30s and male, and I found that I could relate to the themes she raises. They really are universal.

5 comments about Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans.

1. It's hard to define this book. Mostly, it's about the experience of Thomas Lynch and his extended Irish-American family living in Michigan and his going back home to Clare to the relatives still living in the home of his ancestors. That part alone is well worth the read but Mr. Lynch goes much further, delving into his personal, spiritual faith and the schizophrenia of The Church as well as the residue of 9/11 and the chaos, fear and war that has followed, adding a depth I hadn't expected. The writing is lyrical and flows from topic to topic with ease, like an often beautiful, sometimes heart-wrenching journey.



2. "Booking Passage, We Irish and Americans" is a delight. Thomas Lynch's use of language is inspiring. Lynch's observations on Irish and American life in the last three decades are full of wit and insight. This is a great book by a great author.



3. I'd been waiting for what seemed like too long for a third book of stories from Thomas Lynch, but wondered if his Irish-based tales could possibility be as compelling as his earlier works, which were stories about life based on his career in dealing with the dead (in addition to being a writer, Lynch is an undertaker). But again, just as he used the funeral home as a backdrop for stories not about death but about life, Lynch uses Ireland, land of his ancestory and his frequent visits, as the canvas for telling poignant stories about life. Now I'll give friends copies of "Booking Passage" while i wait for a fourth book from Thomas Lynch.



4. Hilarious in parts, I found his diatribe on 9/11, the airport wait between flights, his "rise" to stardom etc. to be egotistical and boring. If he had stuck to Ireland, relatives there, the cottage there, his life in the States and the back and forth between the two, it would have made a better book. I loved it for the brogue and dialogue therein; reminded me of my father who spoke with a brogue imitating my grandparents from Roscommon but it does wander and that's a shame because he seems to have a niche with his close tie to Ireland that could be used again and again in more books perhaps.



5. When three of the sections have these headings: Bits & Pieces, Odds & Ends, Fits & Starts, you get the idea: lots of thoughts mainly about but not always about Irish in America and in the US. Lynch writes well, perhaps too self-consciously (but you could say the same about Beckett, Joyce, McGahern, or Banville) about his place within the past & present Irish identity increasingly available to trans-Atlantic "passengers" reversing the emigration of their ancestors. The strength of this book comes from Lynch's determination to act out a point attributed to one of Brian O Nolan's many literary guises: to be Irish you need not have been born there, merely to claim allegiance.
   
   Comparisons to James Charles Roy's more acerbic accounts of restoring a "castle" in Co Galway and herding about Yanks on a tour, respectively "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Back of Beyond," provide a fine counterpoint to the themes Lynch takes on--a rejoinder in turn to the Niall Williams "back to nature" tendency to romanticize rural Irish life for second-home owners.
   
   The most fluent and unified part of Lynch's collection, apparently knocked about for a while in gestation since about 1970 and added to as life added to Lynch's accumulated experiences revolving around Ireland, mortality, and his place within both realms, the section "Death Comes for the Curate" tracks his priest relative who died early back three-quarters of a century ago in New Mexico, and from this Lynch frames a meditation examining Irish Catholicism from many angles, both in Ireland and its remnants in America. This portion of the book hit home, and worked in its concentration around a central theme.
   
   What worked less effectively was, as the opening paragraph about the chapter headings foreshadows, the scattered organization of much of Lynch's other musings. To his credit he steers clear of "The Troubles" and largely bypasses the cute anecdotes and clever pub banter that sinks many a travelogue about the oul' sod. Yet, in his putting thoughts to paper, he tends--like Montaigne whom he cites--to drift before coming back to where he started, at best. In sections about relatives, the old house he restores, poetry that mattered to his younger and present self, and the irritation aroused by travel and its delays in a post 9/11 world, he is often sharp and worthwhile to learn from.
   
   But in many of these same chapters, the control lessens and you feel as if too many undigested and unrevised ideas crowd out the better prose. The book wanders about mightily, and too much to reward a long sitting or two, although in parts it can be dipped into for a few pages with pleasure. Perhaps I need to re-read Montaigne to acclimate myself to Lynch, but the latter seems to treat the Irish concerns as ultimately as disorganized and fractious as any other Lynch may have. While true for him no doubt, this disorganization makes for less than fluid streams of consciousness on these finely wrought but rather too crammed and caroming essays that leave a reader as often stranded as enlightened. Yet, again, that chapter on Catholicism's superb!

1 comments about Rossiya: Voices from the Brezhnev Era.

1. Alex Shishin's Rossiya: Voice from the Brezhnev Era is a great travel book with wonderful conversations and descriptions. His narrative of crossing Siberia is especially brilliant. Yet, everywhere Shishin went, people shared wonderful stories with him. His own story as a Russian-American discovering his roots through speaking to many Russians in Russian, which he learned in childhood, is a compelling story throughout the book. Anyone who is an immigrant or a child of immigrants can identify with Shishin. The language sparkles throughout the book! Though this is a story that is about the Soviet Union and Poland in the late 1970s, the intimacy of the writing makes you feel like it happened just yesterday.

5 comments about Las cenizas de Ángela.

1. Este es definitivamente uno de los mejores libros que he leido. Indiscutiblemente, te hace ver la vida de una manera distinta. La narrativa es simplemente unica. Te envuelve de una manera en la que no puedes dejar de leerlo y te hace sentir parte de la historia, parte de la vida de Frank McCourt



2. Este es uno de esos libros que te hacen cambiar las expreciones en tu rostro mientras los lees, pueder reir, llorar, mostrar asombro o asco mientras pasas un par de paginas. Exelente narrativa, impresionante la manera como el autor describe cada detalle de la de las situasiones que atraviesa y de sus pensamientos mientras estas situaciones ocurren.
   
   Una vez que comienzas a leerlo ya no puedes parar y te quieres llevar el libro a todas partes, para saber que le depara a Franky en el proximo capitulo.



3. Soy aficionada a la lectura, y en especial las autobiografias y memorias me atraen, Frank McCourt definitivamente es el mejor, sus letras son reveladoras, dramaticamente expresadas, y un vocabulario sencillo y real del vivir cotidiano, su libro Cenizas de Angela es una historia que llega al corazon.



4. HABRIA MUCHAS FORMAS DE DESCRIBIR LA HISTORIA, MAS TAL VEZ SERIA SUFICIENTE DESCRIBIRLA COMO LA HISTORIA DEL SER HUMANO QUE POSEE CALIDAD Y BRILLANTEZ. VALORES QUE EN ESTE SIGLO SON OLVIDADOS POR LOS INSUFRIBLES VALORES MATERIALES.

   DE LECTURA FLUIDA, SIN GRANDES PRETENSIONES ESTRUCTURALES MAS CON UNA SENSIBILIDAD DIGNA DE SER VIVIDA, ESTE ES UN LIBRO QUE NOS RECUERDA QUE EL SER HUMANO, ADEMAS Y ENTRE OTRAS COSAS NUNCA DEBERA OLVIDAR SU PROPIA CONDICION HUMANA. ES A FIN DE CUENTA LA LITERATURA QUE NOS NUTRE HORA TRAS HORA. Y ESTA ES A FIN DE CUENTAS LA CULTURA QUE NOS PERMITE CRECER.

   LO RECOMIENDO SIN NINGUNA EXCEPCION.




5. Es una historia real. Es increible como su hijo mayor saco su familia adelante y como su padre no le importaba su familia dedicado al alcohol. Fue muy duro en que los ninos se acostaran sin comer cuando su padre se bebia el dinero, y como la gente era tan ignorante para todo. Aveces leia y me daba coraje. Queria meterme en ese libro y caerle a patadas al padre y toda esa gente ignorantes. Hoy termine de leer mi libro y quisiera leer la continuacion. Es un libro maravilloso y triste. Quisiera saber cuando van hacer el proximo libro en Espanol. Estoy impaciente por leerlo.

5 comments about The Palace Diaries.

1. This was a disappointing book. Self-centered author, foolish commentary, inane stories of working life at St. James Palace. I was particularly turned off by the second-hand innuendo and cowardly accusations levied against Diana, when she's not around to refut them. The author shows off her immaturity, drunkenness, irresponsibility, and self-conceit. Like we care who she slept with, for example. No wonder she was fired.



2. I don't know if the writer tried to be "Bridget Jones", but that seems to be the writing style although a very poor imitation. This is one of the worst books I have read on British Royalty, fact or fiction. What a waste of money.



3. Even though I am firmly in the Princess Diana Camp, I enjoyed this book from someone who is firmly in the Prince Charles Camp. Written with a wild sense of humor and very tongue-in-cheek, anyone who is curious about life in the palace will really eat this book up. It also confirmed what I've thought about Camilla all along - that she is a schemer and always gets her way, even if it means the wrongful dismissal of a loyal palace employee of 12 years who has become (in Camilla's jealous eyes) a little "too familiar" with Prince Charles for carrying on a casual conversation with him. Shame on HRH for listening to his mistress and bowing to her whims. But after you read this book you will understand that HRH is a man who avoids confrontation at any cost. Too bad he lost an entertaining employee like Ms. Goodall.



4. This is pure British: the story of how a 30 something ends up working for HRH Prince Charles in the 90's. It's a fun and easy read, and even though Sarah Goodall's crush on Charles makes her a little biased, it will show many another side to Charles (not so evil after all) and Diana (not such a victim after all). Recommended for anyone interested in a light account of life at the palace and the trials and tribulations of a typical frivolous young British woman.



5. I received the same unavailable emails from amazon and finally ordered it from alibris. The book was okay, nothing really new but alot of outrageous sexual rucous from the palace. It is hard to know whether these revelations are true or just embellished for the publication. However, a british friend of mine read it and found it credible and amusing. Hey, give it a go! Not quite the book for avid Diana fans and historians but a light, funny sort of read.

5 comments about King John (English Monarchs).

1. An excellent history book, factual as a text book but reads like a novel. Hollywood could never dream up a life or character so complex.



2. King John has the reputation as being the absolutely worse King England has ever had. Accused of lechery, murder, treason and much more, John is looked on as an absolute failure, and is warped out of all recognition as the bad Prince John of Robin Hood. The only bright spot in his reign is John's grant of the Magna Charta, which is looked on by many as the ultimate foundation stone upon which English and American freedoms rest.
   W.L. Warren, in this exhaustively researched book, paints a full picture of the life of this least successful of English kings. Dr. Warren points out that much of John's bad reputation results from writer's contrasting him with his brother, Richard the Lionheart.
   This book gives us the reality of King John. It doesn't excuse him. It does explain him.



3. This book shows the "dastardly" King John of Robin Hood fame in a more realistic light. He is seen to be an enlightened ruler who reviewed the law courts and other English institutions and who truly, of all the previous Plantagenet kings, preferred England as his inheritance. He is not the cowed king who is seen to have signed the Magna Carta, but a king who was faced with the accumulatiom of misrule by previous Plantagnet rulers including his brother Richard the Lion Heart. This book does not hide the King's less likeable attributes, avarice, lustfullness, a bad temper, a vengeful nature, but then Richard Coeur de Leon had that too. This book shows that John was no worse than his predecessors. Read also "Eleanor of Aquitaine" by Alison Weir, which corroborates this book very well..



4. I was a little hesitant about ordering this book at first for fear it would be dry and complicated. I was very happy to discover it was neither. It is well researched and well written. Warren gives you a good feel about the period and the challenges John faced. I even found myself asking "what would I have done in his place?" This book busted a few of the "Bad King John" myths as well as some of the "Good King Richard" ones. This is a very readable book provided you have an interest and a little knowledge about the period. If you are looking for a "Robin Hood" type story this isn't it. It's not a page turner but nor should it be. This is the story of a complex man during a complex time and Warren did a great job of bringing it to life without making it dull.



5. W.L. Warren begins this biography with an explanation of how and why King John ended up with the dastardly reputation we all know from Robin Hood stories and other popular fiction. John, Warren says, suffered from a confluence of factors that have rendered a slanted and warped portrait of him. Historiography methods of the past concentrated almost entirely on contemporary chronicles, practically ignoring administrative records and other types of extraneous material. John especially suffers under this kind of examination, since the chroniclers who wrote about his reign were all either poorly informed, outrageously prejudiced, or both.
   
   John is mocked with the name "Softsword" for having lost his hold on the French domains his father, Henry II, and his brother, Richard I, worked so hard to keep. Warren points out, however, that such far-flung territories could never have been maintained, and, even had Richard lived, the French outcome would probably have been the same. Far from being a military do-nothing, John is the founder of the Royal Navy. Warren marvels that a nation that came to treasure its naval superiority as England did could so completely vilify the founder of its navy.
   
   But this book is no whitewash, either. John was duplicitous and grasping and didn't trust anyone who wasn't beholden to him. He surrounded himself with baseborn hangers-on, excluding and alienating the barons of his realm. He took money for dispensing justice and then still ruled against the side that paid him. He was cunning and conniving, and was known to issue decrees that said one thing while secretly issuing instructions that ran exactly counter to what he wrote.
   
   Yet this same king instituted something that, to historians, is even more important than the Royal Navy: the systematic keeping of government and court records. Before John ascended the throne in 1199, English government recordkeeping is spotty and haphazard - a frustratingly obscure and incomplete source for the study of history. But from 1199 on, these same records emerge as a rich and authoritative resource. Hmm, almost as if John knew the chroniclers weren't going to treat him fairly...
   
   Another myth that gets busted in this book is the one about King John's being forced to sign the Magna Carta. While Warren concedes that John had backed himself into a corner by running roughshod over his barons, he explains that the Magna Carta was simply a compromise brokered between him and his opponents. Nobody was holding a gun to his head - and wouldn't have been even had guns been invented. And John had the last laugh when, days later, he made England a fief of the Pope, who reciprocated by declaring the Magna Carta null and void.
   
   When I started reading this book, I had a fairly negative attitude about King John. By the time I finished, I still didn't like him much, but I had a new appreciation for him as a brilliant, complex, and probably tortured soul who tried to do great things and occasionally succeeded.