5 comments about Althorp: The Story of an English House.

1. I have to admit I probably would have only been vaguely interested in The Story of Althorp had it not been for the Diana, Princess of Wales Factor. I still harbour some curiosity about her childhood and background. Funnily though Charles Spencer, Diana's brother who is the author of this book, points out early on that their were actually quite old (although still children) when they moved there - the Earl Spencer didn't inherit it from his father until quite late in the piece.

   I didn't pick it up solely for Diana though - This was home to one of the most interesting families in the period that I am extremely interested in. The First Earl Spencer and his wife (eighteenth century) had two infamous daughters. Their eldest daughter, Georgiana born in the late 1750's who later married the 5th Duke of Devonshire She has been the subject of numerous biographies on her life. The second daughter led a quieter but only slightly less fascinating life - that was Henrietta who married Lord Bessborough. Henrietta's own daughter was the shocking Lady Caroline Lamb. So all in all this house has a wonderful coterie of historical 'ghosts' knocking around in its archives. All good material for Spencer to draw on - and he does.

   Unlike a previous reviewer of this book I don't have any problems with the text and illustrations - the hanging of the paintings (the reviewer saw them turning up in different rooms) is fully explained in the text and it is easy to see which are the before photos and which are the after ones. This includes an explanation and reference in the text to which photo is the dining room before it was turned into the dining room.

   What I found most interesting about this book was that it was more than just a history of the people who lived in the house, it was actually a history of the house. Of the changes which had been made over time, walls being knocked out, cladding put on, rooms covered over - all the things which happen to a stately home over 300 years of existence - and the effects which it has on the building.

   Spencer is very personal in his writing, I don't think he lacks for self-confidence anyway and although it didn't detract from the book at times I found myself smiling and wondering did he really think he would ever fail?

   On his step-mother, Raine. Well it has never been a secret the feelings that her step-children had for her. Given some of the things which have come out in the past I think he was remarkably restrained in limiting himself to some pithy statements on her handling of the design of the house - which I have to say seeing the photos of the rooms she decorated - I am in full agreement with him.

   Still while I enjoyed the book immensely, and would recommend anyone with an interest in things English to read this book, it doesn't rate as one that I would keep on my shelves. There are books more specifically in my particular area of interest - Georgian House Style - a recent good one I read was by Henrietta Spencer Churchill which is also on Amazon.




2. This history book of Althorp (pronounced Awltrupp - per the second chapter) is the kind you would expect to see at the house's giftshop. The publication date is 1998, but the thoughtful, researched text suggests that the Earl was probably writing the book before Diana's death.

   The text describes the evolution of the house and grounds as they have passed from each generation, with the final chapter explaining the design of Diana's memorial. However, there is very little about Diana in the remainder of the book. Where she is mentioned, it is often but a sentence, as with this description of the family Bible: "...Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough's family Bible, which lists every member of the Spencer family after her, naming their date of birth, date and place of christening, godparents, date and place of marriage, spouse, children and date of death. I recently had to bring it up to date."

   The book's pictures are of rooms on the ground and first floors (first and second floors in American), valued paintings, other art objects and the grounds. The Earl redecorated Althorp after inheriting it in 1992. I think his style is lovely. The house looks livable and the grouping of paintings, which he attributes to Edward Bulmer, is as special as the Earl describes.

   However, it is with the pictures that I find a fault with the book. Under scrutiny, I noticed that some furnishings are in more that one room. Dated captions may have helped with this: Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of Georgiana, Countess Spencer with her daughter Lady Georgiana, is seen hanging in the Marlborough Room as a drawing room (page 144), while it is also seen hanging in the South Drawing Room on page 11 (decorated by the Earl) and the South Drawing Room on page 128 (decorated by Raine). We know the Earl made the Marlborough Room a dining room. So what is the time period of the room on page 144?

   The treatment of Raine, the Earl's former stepmother, is the book's other fault. The Earl has used this as an opportunity to criticize her, her decorating, and even her servants. He describes Raine among "short-termist stepmothers [who] have made massive inroads into once secure inheritances." The pictures of her decorating of Althorp are the most awful pictures in the book: the chapel used as a storage area ("never patient in those days with things Christian"), a library with little furniture, the South Drawing Room in poor light.

   The Earl's criticisms do not seem to fit in this book when the prior 100 pages describe how generations of Spencers have sold art and land to maintain Althorp. The Earl himself rents out Althorp for corporate business entertaining.

   (Raine's decorating was featured in an article in the January 1991 Architectural Digest. Yes, she used too much gilding; her style was that of an older woman. But her furnished library really does not look much different from the Earl's and the South Drawing Room is photographed in kinder light.)

   However, these two faults, and the lack of a map of the grounds, did not stop me from enjoying the book. I look forward to seeing if the Earl's latest book, The Spencers: A Personal History of An English Family, is up to the writing standard he has established here.




3. This is a wonderful book! In particular enjoyed the way that Charles Spencer brought his ancestors "to life." He gave some very personal and fascinating ancedotes about his ancestors.

   The pictures of Althorp were absolutely beautiful, and he went into great detail explaining the history of the contents of the rooms and the history that took place in them.

   Charles Spencer stated that he was afraid, at one point, he would not make his mark on Althorp. He certainly has made a significant mark for the better. It is amazing what he has done in such a short period of time.

   I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. It is entertaining, funny, informative, creative and fascinating.




4. That's it, I'm going to be a history major. I loved this book. Who says you can't write history in the first person? I laughed, I cried, I could relate to the author at times. I too love fine houses. I found it most amusing, all the tales he told about selling furnishings just to keep the house. I mean this book is part history, part autobiography, and it reminds us all of the bond we have with our house, our ancestors, our land, and the pictures we hang on the wall. I highly recommend it.



5. This book is filled with historical facts and alot of pictures. Earl Spencer gives a witty and factual account of "Althorp" over the centuries. His knowledge of the former Earls and what they each contributed to the house during their lifetimes, make a great read. The family art collection is unbelievable a couple of his relatives were painted by Gainsboro himself.

5 comments about Nell Gwyn: Mistress to a King.

1. nell gwyn was born from a impoverished and abusive childhood but never became a cruel or bitter woman.she stole the heart of a king bearing him childern.their love affair last 16 years became one of royality greatest love story.



2. I lived for a while by Nell Gwyn's house in Newmarket, Suffolk, England and so was interested in her greatly. I've read biographies of Charles II and had a perspective of his mistresses. The details of Nell's life are great; however, as a descendent of Charles II and Nell Gwyn, Mr Beauclerk's bias is obvious. His descriptions of the other mistresses are vicious at times. A great perspective of Restoration England.



3. I was spellbound as I kept reading this fascinating biography, written by a direct descendant of Nell Gwynn and King Charles II.
   This is a true life biography of the rag to riches ascent of a girl living in grinding poverty who scaled the heights and became the mistress to the King of England. The true story of the beautiful, enterprising, intelligent Nell Gwynn is sure to fascinate.



4. 
   I've been prone to reading about the Tudors so the Stuarts and the merry merry life of Charles II was new to me. Beauclerk's readable biography of his famous ancestors has really piqued my interest in the Stuarts.
   
   He notes in the text that 15 biographies have been written about Nell. Not having read any of them, I don't know how this one differs, but it reflects the author's broad knowledge of Restoration theater and poetry. He depicts the strange sort of liberation that followed Cromwell. He describes the changing role of women who now had a crack at few careers besides prostitution such as orange vending, acting, playwriting, and, well, courtesanship.
   
   The author is disciplined and sticks with his subject. He gives us enough background in Restoration politics so that we can understand Nell's (precarious) position.
   
   Nell's success in her short life was certainly made possible by the times in which she lived. The King's early life required normal socializing with commoners. Without this, his life and court might have been more like any other, with not so many out of wedlock children, and certainly none acknowledged. Nell would have had absolutely NO access were Charles' succession linear.
   
   Nell must have been a real card. I'm trying to think of a contemporary equivalent, and cannot. The description of the bed she had carved (and the cost of it) really takes the cake! It's hard to imagine her lack of prentense in the world in which she moved.
   
   The final chapter on her many descendants from her one surviving son is interesting. There were too many to keep track of but the general discussion is heavy with the weight of the British class system.
   
   That Beauclerk has written of his foremother, not of his forefather, is a sign of our times. It has been all too frequent for children to "reach up" to the male for prestige, career and/or status, as Beauclerk notes that the Duke of Monmouth does. This is often accompanied by ignoring or insulting the mother and what she brings to the match. Beauclerk does not minimize his royal line of which he could very well boast (I'm a descendant of a king!) He celebrates the intellegence talent, wit and adventuresome spirit that is part of his matrilineal side.
   
   After reading the book I checked Wikipedia and learned that Princess Diana is a direct descendant of both Barbara Palmer AND Louise de Keroualle and Charles II, and that Camilla is a descendant of Louise de Keroualle and Charles II!



5. Far more than a mere recitation of dry facts, Charles Beauclerk's biography of the magical life of Nell Gwyn displays rare insight into the human condition, which insights one soon realises are acutely applicable to the here-and-now of politics, art, and the mysterious attachments of the heart. To history, Nell Gwyn was all to often misunderstoond to be merely (pg. 297) "...the stuff of legend, the girl from the slums who had won the heart of a king." In the author's hands, however, this story of love reciprocated (for such it was) is more than romance- it shines a spotlight on the theatre of politics and power which was the 17th century and still is today, in which nothing is as it seems to be, and fame provides a most convincing disguise for the truth. Beauclerk's evident erudition is worn lightly, and in this biography the richly comedic serves to illustrate the philosophical. Beautifully written, the author's style is both polished and relaxed, not unlike the later diaries of James Lees-Milne, with a limpid clarity of prose interspersed with surprising imagery, like his description of the Protestant rabble-rouser Titus Oates, (p. 279) "His mouth, we are told, was in the centre of his face, and he was built like an orc, with short bandy legs and long lifeless arms." On nearly every page one finds apt insights as, for example (p. 293) referring to the death of Nell's mother, "...like many alcoholics, old Madam Gwyn probably found a way of abandoning decent surroundings for a life of misery somewhere." The world of Charles Stuart and Nell Gwyn was a theatre, both metaphorically and literally, and whether on stage or at court everyone acted a part. In his biography of Nell, the plays of Dryden, Marvell, and others are neatly dissected by Charles Beauclerk to reveal unexpected depths of meaning. Nell was above all a comedienne, a star in her own right whose alliance with the saturnine, tricksy Charles Stuart made them the most successful double act of the 17th century. And there is, of course, the well-known account of Nell, whose coach being attacked by a mob mistaking her for the King's French (and Roman Catholic) mistress Louise de Keroualle, ordered her driver to stop, and flinging open the window (p. 307) "...cried out good-humouredly, 'Pray, good people, be civil, I am the PROTESTANT whore!' Immediately, the curses turned to cheers, caps were tossed in the air, and a path cleared for her coach. Waving and smiling, she passed on." And so, waving and smiling, Nell's brightly shining spirit has been well and truly awakened in this present biography.

3 comments about Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana.

1. harriet was no stranger to private and public scandels but lived a life she wanted to.she had two unwed childern while hiding pregancy when living with her husband.running up huge gambling debts,being interest in politics when women had no say in politics at all.



2. Before I read the biographies of Harriet and Georgiana, I thought the stories of £50,000 gambling debts were just made up for romantic novels. Harriet and her sister Georgiana, members of the influential Spencer family, made "brilliant" marriages, set the fashion trends of their times, lived scandalous lives, and mixed with royalty in England and across Europe. Their interest and influence in politics were incredible for a time when women were still thought of as useless and frivolous creatures. This biography is well documented and gives a great introduction to late 18th Century English society.



3. Highly recommend this book. Harriet had a celebrated life like her more famous older sister, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. Harriet's world included a who's-who of late 18th-early 19th century English society. If you liked Amanda Foreman's book on Georgiana, you will really enjoy this book on Harriet...a star in her own right.

5 comments about Talleyrand.

1. The French bookseller responded "bien sur" when asked if he had Cooper's "Talleyrand" as if, language aside, it was standard fare at this Parisian bookstop. Published in 1932, still in print, "Talleyrand" comes with its own pedigree. The author had his own as well; author, poet, gambler, womanizer, diplomat. Duff Cooper writes with eloquence and insight about his 19th century libidinous French counterpart. His amazing career spanned ages; from kneeling at the feet of Voltaire, to pre Revolution activities, through the dark days of the Directorate, through the Napoleonic years and past the Restoration when he died in 1838 after making peace wih his God at his Parisian home in a scene wonderfully described by Cooper. "He departed with his credentials in order, his passport signed." Cooper delights in Talleyrand's quick wit and repartee' with Napoleon and "the allies" at the Congress of Vienna. The verbal duels with the French elite are delicious; Chateaubriand sees Fouche' walking arm in arm with Talleyrand as "a vision of Vice supported by Crime." By focusing on Talleyrand, his achievements, his miscues, the book moves effortlessly from era to era without being bogged down in the weeds. Cooper's admiration is obvious, his observations are precise and thoughtful; Napoleon's refusal to recognize impossibilities, the enmity of the Spanish people at the Emperor leading to his downfall, and the magnitude of Talleyrand's achievements at the Congress of Vienna by keeping France intact, and how he became through the dint of his craft and personality the determining factor at the Vienna settlement and the role of France in Europe thereafter.



2. There are few if any parallels to Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand, in the annals of diplomatic history. In modern times, there have been some examples of men who were able to somehow "dodge the raindrops" and serve for many years in high positions in tumultuous political environs. Anastas Mikoyan's ability to survive long and close proximity to Stalin is one notable instance; but he never possessed Talleyrand's gravitas and international influence, nor did he serve different, hostile regimes. No, Talleyrand is in a league of his own - more politically nimble and long-serving than even the satirical Vicar of Bray.
   
   In this classic 1932 biography by Duff Cooper (a picaresque political character in his own right), the legendary French Foreign Minister is treated with respect, almost reverence, and not without a touch of personal fondness. The author clearly does not see Talleyrand as Napoleon came to see him: as nothing but "dung in a silk stocking." Cooper constructs a portrait of Talleyrand based in large part on the diaries of men and women who mixed socially with the legendary statesman in the salons of Paris, London and elsewhere. I have found that such sources are most enlightening and allow the reader to gain a more nuanced perspective and human reflection of the subject. The picture of Talleyrand that emerges is one of a world-class charmer, a conversationalist nonpareil. One gets the sense that Talleyrand would succeed as well in early twenty-first century Washington as he did in early nineteenth century Paris.
   
   Much has been made of Talleyrand's unusual ability to survive the convulsions of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. Cooper suggests that he was sensitive to criticism on that account and defended his decision to serve such fundamentally different regimes this way: "At every epoch there is some good to be done or some harm to hinder; that is why, if one loves his country, on can, and in my opinion, one ought to, serve it under all the Governments that it adopts." A mode of thinking contemporary Democrats and Republicans might profit from.
   
   Cooper argues vigorously that Talleyrand was a man of a few deeply held positions on foreign policy, but perhaps little in the way of deeply held moral convictions. "He was not one who would die for his principles, nor even suffer serious inconvenience on their account, but he held to them with singular tenacity and was faithful to them - in his fashion." The overriding foreign policy issue that Talleyrand championed was peace and comity with England, France's historical nemesis. Cooper calls Talleyrand's position on England "fearlessly consistent" and ultimately far-sighted and sound. "He had welcomed it before the Revolution, he had striven for it by the side Mirabeau, he had pursued it under the Feuilant Government and under the Girondins, from exile he had urged it upon Danton, during the Directorate he had endeavored to return it, and under the Consulate he had promoted it at the Peace of Amiens; he had remembered it at Erfurt and supported it against Napoleon in good and in evil days." Talleyrand was not physically brave, but he was unflappable on positions of policy in the face of the toughest negotiations or personal invective, and the desire for a stable peace with England was a stance from which he never wavered.
   
   Talleyrand led a crowded and improbable life, yet I found the most arresting chapter of this biography to be the last. In the sunset of his life, this octogenarian ci-devant priest, this married bishop and lecher, this revolutionary ex-communicated by Rome, embarked upon a slow and thoughtful return to faith, literally signing his peace with the Catholic Church just hours before his death. It was a final peace treaty of sorts that absorbed as much time, deliberation, and posturing as any he had crafted in the realm of international relations.



3. This book is absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it heartily to everybody who likes history written in clear , precise and informative language. I will read more of Duff Cooper and am already delving into Tallyrand and hope to read his autobiography.



4. A good introductory book to Talleyrand. Unfortunately it does not contain references to qtotes, events or anything at all. There is not a single footnote in this book despite fact that author makes many references to quotes, memoirs, etc. Not surprising as the book was written in the 1930s. For a more scholarly (but dry) biography see Dwyer's biblio on Talleyrand (Longman Publishers).



5. Talleyrand is possibly the most intriguing person to come out of the French Revolution. When he is not selling his services to the courts of Europe he is offering the Directory and Napoleon vital information as to how they should conduct foreign affairs. Cooper does a very good job of putting Talleyrand within the context of his times and makes diplomatic history come alive through his traitorous character. For those who understand the basics of the French Revolution and Napoleon this is a great book to expand their knowledge of how these events impacted Europe. If you are writing a diplomatic history this is an essential book that has to be understood. Cooper uses many of Talleyrands writing for his sources and gives the best impression available of the minister.

No comments about Kings & Queens: The Story of Britain's Monarchs From Earliest Times to Today.

1 comments about Charlemagne's Courtier: The Complete Einhard (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures).

1. This wonderful volume provides a holistic collection of Einhard's writing with a detailed and indepth introduction. Dutton provides a solid historical background for Einhard and the society he lived in. Einhard's works offer a wonderful view of life in the middle ages. His biography of Charlemagne is stylized, yet demonstrates the concerns of state, the expectation of an emperor's subjects, and the role of the courtier in Carolingian Gaul. Einhard second major work, a treatise on the holy martyrs, brings the faith and practice of medieval Christianity to life. All of the works are tied together by Einhard's touching letters. These letters bring the man's character to life. They demonstrate not only the responsibilities of a courtier, land owner, and abbot, but also his love for his family, his faith and the religious crisis he experienced when the two clashed. Every student of medieval history will benifit from reading this book.

5 comments about Richard and John: Kings at War.

1. The battle between church and monarchy for control of England in the 12th and 13th centuries is a fascinating look at greed, power, some chivalry and life during hard times. Throw in Robin Hood, Magna Carta and beautiful ambitious women for a great story.



2. I must say that I am very disheartened by some of the other reviews here that chide author McLynn for using big words or for going into excessive detail in Richard and John: Kings at War. For me, McLynn's prose was the highlight of this experience, his colorful and extremely engaging writing made exploring the often confusing and complicated world of medieval European politics and culture.
   
   I'm the kind of reader who likes a challenge, who enjoys coming across words that I need to look up in a dictionary, and relishes the opportunity to immerse myself in a vast, unfamiliar world like that of Richard the Lionheart and the Angevin dynasty. When I come across a word like "uxorious" or "gallimaufry," I don't resent the author for obfuscating his thoughts in the arcane or obscure, I'm thankful to be introduced to new methods of expression.
   
   Richard and John is a challenging read, without a doubt, but McLynn's approach is not condescending to the reader. Quite the contrary, by not dumbing down his text he reveals a level of respect to the reader, and puts his faith in our ability as learned adults to not merely allow the book to wash over us passively, but to actively engage the text, and include ourselves in the rich dialogue he has set-up.
   
   I enthusiastically recommend Richard and John as an excellent and exciting narrative which sheds light on the distant yet in many ways familiar world of medieval Europe and as an example of well-tuned writing that should invigorate readers, not discourage them.



3. Its nice to learn that "King John was not a good man", and that Richard actualy earned his reputation. Well written, exciting as a good detective story, history the way it used to be written and the way it should be written. Besides its fun to see the revisionists revised. A good read as well as good history.



4. I enjoyed McLynn's book, which is unashamed in its traditional bias. He is incredibly scrupulous about citing his sources, with a vast array needing practically the last 50 pages of the book to list. I only wish that he had drawn upon a somewhat wider vocabulary to match. After reading this and his 1066 book back to back, I would not be entirely inconsolable if I never came across the words 'uxorious' or 'contumacious' again which he is particularly fond of. Or a state of affairs described as a 'cockpit' of intrigue or tension.
   
   Still. I enjoyed Richard & John a great deal. Though it is clear, throughout the book, that whom he truly relishes writing about is Richard. John is pretty much an afterthought, beyond the fortunate circumstances of living a bit longer after Richard's death, which provides McLynn with the opportunity to take sadistic pleasure in detailing his failures in comparison with Richard's heroic nobility. If the Lionheart had lived a decade longer, this book might as well have been called 'Richard'. Which wouldn't have been bad. Since the book truly soars when Richard takes center stage. There is also fine treatment given to an array of memorable if little known characters, such as William Marshall, who had a rather hilarious affinity for tournaments.



5. I admire "Richard and John: Kings at War." But one suspects that a rush to meet its release date hurried the editing, creating a faustian bargain for this book.
   
   "Richard and John: Kings at War" is encyclopedic. I have read this period widely, but still found a new treasure-trove of facts. And back-stairs whispers. Her contemporary chroniclers gave Eleanor of Aquitaine a bad press. Now, Frank McLynn's diligent research shows the rest of this weird family faring no better. He lets us into secrets, confiding foibles of perhaps the most dysfunctional imperial family since First Century Rome.
   
   Readers will recognize sibling rivalry between brothers of unequal aptitute. To this, add faction-fights between parents playing favorites to influence their sons, while also fighting France, the Church and each other. Fans of the Asian board game "Go" -- objective: seize and control territory -- will understand the Angevins intuitively! Richard is the brother (or classmate) we envied: he captains the teams, gets the girls and is deemed most likely to win. John grits his teeth, struggles and slips into poor moral and practical judgments.
   
   Those who strive to read "Richard and John: Kings at War" from end to end may struggle, too. It's that editing challenge I mentioned.
   
   I dissent from McLynn's description of Eleanor of Aquitaine; and from Alison Weir's opinion, which he quotes, that Eleanor's likeness is unknown. The British set-designer Claude Marks had a deep knowledge of medieval Poitou and Aquitaine. Moving to New York, Marks lectured at the Metropolitan Museum, whose medieval busts of Henry and Eleanor he considered plausible likenesses. In "Pilgrims, Heretics, and Lovers" Marks also cites a contemporary source for Eleanor's eye color. (I confess bias: I commissioned a portrait modeled from that bust of Eleanor. Then a forensic artist working from the same bust projected Eleanor's features into old age for me.)
   
   That aside, in summary, readers familiar with the general story who skim over rough passages will find "Richard and John" informative. Amusing and entertaining, too.
   
   Robert Fripp, author,
   "Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine"

5 comments about A Lady, First: My Life in the Kennedy White House and the American Embassies of Paris and Rome.

1. I've always enjoyed Ms. Baldridge's books, and this was no exception. I was expecting, knowing nothing about it beforehand, that it would be yet more nostalgia about the Kennedy White House. Thankfully, it wasn't. That period of her life occupied part of the book, but not even the major part. Actually, I enjoyed most the part about her time working for Tiffany & Co. It's great bedside reading.



2. I had this on my shelf for several years before finally reading it--and now I regret waiting so long! This is a captivating story told by someone uniquely placed in several high-level positions: aid to David & Evangeline Bruce in France; aid to Clare Booth Luce and Henry Luce in Italy; and chief of staff to Jackie Kennedy. In addition to this, Ms. Baldrige was the first woman executive at Tiffany's, and held a high level position at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. But what really endears her to the reader is Ms. Baldrige's way of telling hilarious stories on herself--the things that go askew during a dinner party, for example. She took her work very seriously, but is modest enough to tell stories on herself that can make one dissolve in laughter. I came away from this book with a higher appreciation of all that she has done. She is very likeable!



3. 
   
   The product arrived in excellent condition, within the specified time period, and I am very happy with it.
   
   Thanks



4. Oh! how I wish I had a life like Tish Baldridge's! She is a gutsy and classy lady and I admire her for that. I loved to read that book because it goes to show that dreams come true when we put the energy and efforts for them to materialize.



5. Tish Baldridge has led an interesting and amazing life. She wasn't blessed with great wealth or beauty yet she managed to live and work on the upper echelons of American political and social society in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and onward.
   Baldridge takes you through her beginnings in the midwest, her education at Miss Porter's and Vassar as one of the less financially advantaged students, her life in Paris and Rome working for such trend setters as Clare Booth Luce, her days at Tiffany, her years in the White House with Jackie Kennedy, and her life after.

   Here's what is great about this book and her story: her life didn't begin and it didn't end with her association with Jackie Kennedy. Camelot fans will get great glimpses into those years from her vantage point. But there is a lot more to this book...

   I would highly recommend this book to women who love biographies on the Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn set. I also would recommend this book to women who enjoy the story of a self-made woman and a survivor and anyone interested in the social history of this era. I would not recommend this book to most men and I would caution all readers to note that this is a book filled with details of food, flowers, gowns, and jewels and not policy making or congressional bills. You learn about the parties that Jackie Kennedy went to in the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis not about the policy nuances behind the crisis.

   I gave this book as a present to several female friends and they loved it.

5 comments about The Cardinal's Hat: Money, Ambition, and Everyday Life in the Court of a Borgia Prince.

1. This book is about as interesting as reading about the travels and costs associated with the sending of a carton by Fedex. Ms. Hollinsworth found and translated a lot of information and tried, unsuccessfully, to wrap a story around a bunch of boring facts. In Ippolito's travels, we discover how many people traveled with him, how much merchandise he had to carry, how much he tipped everyone, how much he paid for rent and meals along the way, etc. I mean "Enough is Enough." Some idea of what he spent would have been fine, but Hollinsworth seems determined to include every scrap of information she translated, regardless of its value or interest. In fact, we learn very little about what the title suggests the book is about. The story of how Ippolito got his cardinal's hat could have been explained in one chapter. All the rest of the information that was included could have been drastically shortened, eliminated, or cited in the biography.
   The book was extremely boring and disappointing.
   
   David Strong PhD



2. This is a most remarkable piece of archival research that recreates the everyday life of a 16th-century Italian aristocrat as he and his family pursue his goal of attaining for him the rank of cardinal in the wholly worldly and corrupt Catholic Church of that era. Using an enormous trove of documents she stumbled upon in the archives of Modena, Hollingsworth brings to vivid and detailed life the world of Ippolito d' Este, one of the sons of the notorious Lucrezia Borgia and her last husband, Duke Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara.
   
   In the hands of the wrong writer, this kind of research could be deadly dull--little more than an endless 16th-century shopping list. But in Hollingsworth's hands these "dry" documents come to life, and take the reader into the day-to-day, material world of Ippolito d'Este as no other form of research could do. This is history that takes us from politics and power-seeking all the way to the level of perfumed gloves and crystal urinals, a world of mind-boggling aristocratic affluence and luxury.
   
   The author's writing style, which some might consider a bit dull, is appropriate for her subject, in the sense that Ippolito needs no editorializing-- his documents themselves speak louder than anything the author could say about them. In any case, the writing is always competent, and often enlivened with flashes of dry British humor. Her ability to make sense of endless pages of accounts-- and to make the contents of those account books of interest to a modern reader-- is nothing short of masterful.
   
   My only criticism is that, among all the illustrations, there doesn't seem to be a single one of Ippolito himself.



3. The beauty of this book is that it uses account books and letters to put together a
   very detailed account of the life of an Italian noble churchman who aspired to be
   (and near the end of the book becomes) a cardinal. And he's no ordinary cardinal --
   he's a favorite of Francois I of France, a patron of Cellini, and the like.
   
   The downside of the book is that every so often you feel as if you're reading an
   annotated Visa bill. Long discussions of how much money was paid for different
   items, where the best items came from, etc. Not everything is likely to be interesting.
   In my case I enjoyed details of how clothing was made (and discovering that furs
   were often recycled from one piece to another) but was bored by long discussion of
   fees to bargemen and carters for hauling produce.



4. One of the most admirable tasks of an art historian is to endure long hours, days, and weeks in cold, often musty, archives to produce an incomparable image based on documents. Since the two previous reviews elaborate on the central figures of the D'Este family, their history, roots, and struggle for power, let me guide the reader to the fine details of Mary Hollingsworth's transcriptions of the family ledgers.
   
   We learn about all levels of the "famiglia," the group of servants around the young Cardinal Ippolito, from men who clothed and fed him, to those who emptied his chamber pots and cleaned his bedchambers, made his candles, embroidered his shirts, and looked after his ledger books. Fascinating is the author's account of crossing the Alps in wintertime, the management of Ippolito's large entourage, transport of huge travel chests and the Cardinal's four-poster bed, worries about miniscule details like the cold feet of his favorite dogs. We learn about the life of a prince who spared no money to buy his cardinal's hat and to promote the image of his noble family.
   
   Try a good glass of Italian wine, fresh semolina bread, and the oil from the former D'Este lands while paging through the book. Great reading for scholars and general readers alike.



5. A boon for the historian of Renaissance Italy is that it was remarkably bureaucratic, and paper trails are all over the place. They do need finding, sorting, and placing in context. Mary Hollingsworth is such a historian, and was forced by weather to make a detour to Modena in 1999. As long as she was there, she started looking through the archives. A friend had already told her that the story of Ippolito d'Este would be worth looking up, and she started to do so. There were 2,000 of his letters, letters written to him, and 200 account books. She had found "a unique account of life in sixteenth-century Europe, a detailed record of how a Renaissance prince lived." Not just a Renaissance prince, but an archbishop who was a climber, aiming for a cardinal's hat and perhaps the papacy. In _The Cardinal's Hat: Money, Ambition, and Everyday Life in the Court of a Borgia Prince_ (Overlook Press), Hollingsworth has set out her findings in detail. Ippolito has, of course, been written about before, but mostly as an important patron of the arts; he built the magnificent Villa d'Este at Tivoli and he was a patron of the musician Palestrina. The life and career have otherwise been ignored, and Hollingsworth here corrects this void through the remarkable documents she found.
   
   Ippolito d'Este was born in 1509 in Ferrara, the second son of Alfonso d'Este and Lucretia Borgia. The firstborn son was fated to be the Duke of Ferrara, and Ippolito was fated to enter the church. Ippolito was no more pious than his brother; their respective careers were merely a matter of birthright. Ippolito became Archbishop of Milan at age nine, and his family was thereupon interested in making him a cardinal. The means for acquiring the cardinal's hat was financial. The cardinalship was in fact purchased from the corrupt Pope Paul III by the Duke for his brother, although there were many complicated arguments made as all the parties involved attempted to improve their positions in the arrangements. Ippolito's candidacy was greatly improved by his friendship with Francis I of France, with whom he seems to have had a sincere friendship. The two men were interested in the sorts of things young men were interested in, hunting, tennis, gambling, and women. A great deal of Hollingsworth's research has been into account books, and many of the entries are for elaborate, strange, or funny items. Ippolito was a dandy, favoring bright colors, especially expensive reds, with elaborate shirts, doublets, coats, breeches, and hose. One inventory includes 611 shoelaces. Another lists fifteen pairs of gloves, and while gloves themselves were relatively cheap, glove-wearing was expensive, because they were perfumed with ambergris and musk. There are relatively few religious items inventoried, evidence that Ippolito liked his pleasures more than his religious duties. Even his rosaries were filled with musk and ambergris.
   
   Much of Hollingsworth's narrative necessarily involves listing of such properties. This is not really a biography as so many of the details of Ippolito's life are not known, but it is a splendid examination of how rich people of the age spent their time and money. The idea of a cleric and his family spending in such a way might strike our own sensibilities even as immoral, but Ippolito was a man of his time. He seems not to have been any sort of tyrant, and he did some modest good in his patronage of artists. Given his own time and his own goals, he was successful. He very nearly missed getting to be Pope, and he would probably have been as good a one as there were in his times. He and his brother did successfully campaign to get him the cardinalship, and after all the expenditures to that end, Ippolito racked in lucrative titles, becoming titular Abbott or Archbishop of Italian or French branches that brought in money. Francis got what he needed, too, as Ippolito went to Rome as Cardinal-Protector of France. The magnificence described here in such detail proved to be a necessity for political power and a virtue for theological advancement.

5 comments about The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England.

1. I bought this book years ago at Heathrow Airport and devoured it on the flight back to New York. It's the only time I haven't been bored on that 7 hour trip. If you love history, especially English royalty, you will enjoy this. It's well written and while some of the conclusions may be speculative there is enough information on each death to hazard a few guesses on your own. You don't need any medical knowledge to throughly enjoy this book.



2. This is a great book to read if you are into history and always wondered about the vague descriptions given in history books as to why people died in olden times. It is pure speculation, taking the symptoms that some historian wrote hundreds of years ago, and trying to figure out what the person really died of. The book will still leave you wanting more information but the only thing to work with is what someone way back when wrote and they hardly had the ability to properly disgnose an illness. This book has many good plausible reasons for their deaths.



3. I was worried when the introduction tactfully implied that the author was playing fast and loose with the facts. Was that the best person they could get?! Then, I was just plain bored. It wasn't bad as a history lesson, but that's not why I bought the book. Perhaps the fact that I do have a medical background made me more skeptical. I expected to find more than unfounded speculation. I would suggest only reading this book if you did not take any biology classes after you left high school.



4. Excellent. Interesting, well-written, fascinating. And I'm not even a doctor.



5. A fantastic book full of gory facts. No medical knowledge needed.