2 comments about Gustavus Adolphus.

1. When I first took this book out of the Amazon.com box, my first thought was, "What have I gotten myself into?" It was a massive tome, covering a century of European warfare in considerable detail. Not only was it huge in size and scope, but I was worried about the prose, given the age of the text.

   Fifty pages into the book, I could not put it down. This is quite simply an extraordinary military classic. T.A. Dodge is an exceptional military historian. Unlike many of those who ply that trade, Dodge was a veteran officer and possessed of exceptional military judgement. This is no chairborne commando, but an insightful and experienced soldier whose wealth of practical military experience brings the reality of 17th Century warfare alive.

   Any understanding of military history from 1618-1815 (yes, that's 1815, even though the book stops in 1712) will be deficient without this book. Dodge tells the critical story of how armies evolved from relatively disorganized and short-term field armies to vast, professional military establishments controlled by the monarchs of Europe. The evolution of the modern state cannot be fully understood if one does not appreciate this facet of the military revolution of the 1600s. Dodge is equally adept at bringing the battlefield tactics of the time to life, and illustrating their development. He skillfully guides the reader along the path of military evolution which ultimately sets the stage for Frederick the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte.

   The caveats of this book are that it is long on text and short on maps. The lack of maps makes following the course of marches and counter-marches somewhat difficult. Furthermore, a basic knowledge of the geopolitics of the time is helpful.

   For anyone with the fortitude, this book will bestow upon them a deeper understanding of a seminal period in European history.




2. I read this because I really enjoyed Dodge's military biography of Hannibal, but this book, possibly due to the period covered, was episodic, and without knowledge of European political history during the reign of Louis XIV, hard to follow. The first section, covering Adolfus's campaign in the Thirty Year's War, was quite entertaining, mainly because his efforts were dramatic, innovative, and successful against overwhelming odds. However, once into the military exploits of Conde, Turenne, Cromwell, Eugene, and Marlborough, the narrative becomes rather monotonous, describing one siege after another, one uneventful campaigning season after another. (This, too, no doubt reflects the time: the whole period of the post-Adolfus Thirty Year's War and the War of the Spanish Succession was one vast war of attrition.) Dodge does describe the important battles quite well, and offers incisive assessments of the character and abilities of the period's leading military figures. The book is long (about 850 pages), and long on military facts and figures. Dodge, a veteran of the American Civil War, writes in a rather formal and technical style, adding to the difficulties in wading through the text. I would give the book an "A" for information, but a "C-" for readability. If the subject matter really interests you, I'd say give it a try. If not, pass.

5 comments about The Wicked Queen: The Origins of the Myth of Marie-Antoinette.

1. I read and reread this and I never could make myself like it. It's pretty bad. But for those not wanting to know that much about the human Antoinette and more interested in her in the metaphysical sense, this is the book for you. It's crap to me right now. But who knows....I might find gold in it a decade down the road. Maybe there's insight I've yet to understand. Hence, I'm not placing it in a garage sale...for now.



2. I regret I did not read these reviews before I bought this book.
   The digressions were very distracting. I was greatly offended by the
   vulgar language of the phamplets. I had to throw the book out to prevent any one else being offended. At the time I bought this book I bought another that was more informative.



3. Unfortunately publishers feel that a book on Marie Antoinette will sell every couple years, so like clockwork we see an avalanche of pro royalist, sympathetic, out of context garbage. Most of them repeat the same legends...They base their accounts of the flight to Varennes on Carlyle and talk about her martydom...With the exception of Le Notre not one of her biographers has also done a biography of one of the leaders of the Revolution. Most demonstrate an alarming lack of understanding of basic events such as the the Bread March on Verseilles, September Massacres, the Necklace Affair or even how official Court appointment were made.

   This is the first book in sometime that has put Marie Antoinette back into the context of her time...unfortunately for Royalist Mythology she was commonly referred to as the Austrian .... By her actions she precipitated the Revolution...she was provocative and weak...a flammable combination.

   As for the reader who's sensibilities are offended by the "riding the penis" cartoon...you obviously haven't seen the several thousand cartoons of time that are available...the one you refer to IS tame...you should see the ones where she is dressed like a nun....You should also read the pamphlets sold at the Palais Royale...

   While Hebert did indeed make things up in her indictment, it is hard to get around the fact that she has to shoulder a lot of responsibility for the revolution...

   I recommend this book as one of the best books on Marie Antoinette in last 20 years...it has also prompted me to seek out the author.

   I think the book is well researched, devoid of sentimentality and attempts to place Marie Antoinette back into the context of the tapestry of her times.

   Michael La Vean
   Fellow, International Napoleonic Society




4. The author should study her history and get the facts!
   This book was a joke. I was rather furious and more than disappointed. Marie Antoinette's name was drug through the mud over 200 years ago based on hearsay and false accusations.

   Isn't it time she is given the credit due her by now?
   Read your facts author!




5. This book was a disappointment. I ...was very interested. I am a 'fan' of Marie Antoinette and have been fascinated with her life since reading Castelot's biography of her.

   This book however, though it has some interesting pamphlets of historical interest, is more like a scrapbook. The writing is poor and has no direction. The pamphlets reproduced in the book are mostly pornographic lyrics and droll poetry of the Queen. The worst of which is Marie Antoinette riding an erected penis as if it were an ostrich.

   If you want to learn about the Queen, her children, or the French Revolution, this is not the book to find it in. If you are very familiar with the Queen's life, this may offer you a little insight as to the people's attitude at the time, but that's it. I read it once, and it has been on the shelf since.

   For a truly amazing book about Marie Antoinette, I suggest 'The Fatal Friendship'.

No comments about William Of Malmesbury's Chronicle Of The Kings Of England: From The Earliest Period To The Reign Of King Stephen.

4 comments about Princess Alice, The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth (Vermilion Books).

1. I read this book about 10 years ago, skimmed it actually at the time, and enjoyed it for its gossipy detail.
   
   I re-read it in the past few days and realize how.....how shall I put this....mean-spirited it is. I believe that this is because of the style of Carol Felsenthal first and foremost.
   
   Now, Alice Roosevelt Longworth was no saint. She was a narcissistic trouble-maker, a beautiful and spirited and intelligent woman who could have done so much more with her life. Instead she delighted in bitterness , and witty and smart thought she was, her character was riddled with anger.
   
   Her childhood was tragic. Her mother died 2 days after her birth. Her father, Theodore Roosevelt, had adored her mother almost to the point of goddess worship. Received opinion is that Alice Lee Roosevelt, mother of the subject of this book, was warm, open and loving. And beautiful (this without the cosmetics that enhance beauty today.) It is interesting to imagine what would have happened if Alice Lee had lived on to parent her daughter in a different way.
   
   So, Alice Lee dies suddenly and unexpectedly two days after baby Alice's bith. What does Theodore Roosevelt do with this little girl who bears an uncanny resemblance to her late mother? Does he cherish her, nurture her, think of her as a connection to her late mother's spirit?
   
   No. He basically shuts her out of his life. He doesn't want to see her and pays scant attention to her. He ships her off to be raised by his sister Bamie, a wonderful woman who loved little Alice dearly and would also have made a good parent, Then he marries Edith Carew, who was a childhood friend of his and whom he had thrown over to marry the idolized Alice Lee. Edith Carew insisted on taking care of Alice, but her parenting was based partly, I think, on punishing this daughter of her rival -- how easy it was for her to pretend to care and then muck up this step-daughter's self-esteem entirely. It's really an ugly story, and it's almost painful to read about Edith Carew Roosevelt's subtle and uncharitable coldness toward the little girl whom she could pretend to care about -- when she was actually effecting a very subtle and uncharitable revenge.
   
   No wonder Alice Roosevelt was messed up.
   
   My problem with Carol Felsenthal's book is that she does not examine fully the reasons for Alice Longworth's troubled, combative personality. She takes a light and almost National-Enquirer type tone and, in the end, makes everyone seem like a cartoon stereotype. Does anyone come out of this book as truly likeable and a good person? Even Eleanor Roosevelt is turned into a buffoon.
   
   I wish someone like Joseph Lash or Edmund Morris would write, or would have written, a bio about Alice. (I think both gentleman have passed away, so I probably should say "I wish someone with their depth and even-handedness had written a bio about Alice.")
   
   I would suggest learning more about the sad ramifications of this woman's life by reading about other members of the Roosevelt family -- Alice is mentioned often.
   
   Does anyone else know of a better-written bio of Alice Roosevelt Longworth? I'm really interested in reading one.



2. A good biography I couldn't help but feel sorry for Alice. Her mother died at birth and there were many examples where her father didn't seem to care about her. Leaving her with her aunt to go out west. The second review gives more examples. A lot of her behavoir and wild antics seemed to steam from a lonely girl looking for attention from her family. No wonder Alice loved all the attention she got at as the president's daughter.



3. In her many years in Washington, Alice Roosevelt Longworth saw and considered all. The biting wit she so happily shared (she had a pillow made that said,"If you have nothing nice to say, sit next to me)
   with friends and, more pointedly, enemies is on view.
   
   It was not a happy life, death seemed too often and too soon to be a companion. Starting with her own Mother at child birth and continuing to include her Father, husband and Daughter. Privately she grieved but publicly she knew she had a responsibility to keep fresh the memory of the deceased.
   
   Never one to not do what wasn't acceptable, she cheerfully tells of being drunk in Japan, plotting to marry Nicholas Longworth, who would become Speaker of the House and writing a colume to rival her distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt. (Mrs. Longworth's was more amusing).
   
   As hardcore biography this isn't a gem but as the view of a fascinating life it reveals what we need to know of a famous American. Certainly, her influence and power-which were real-did not extend beyond the beltway of Washington D.C. Too often viewed as a "society lady" by the country at large, (hence the title "Princess Alice")known outside Washington principally for a popular song, "Alice Blue Gown" she was the keeper of that now dead feature of that stimulating, intellectual life, the salon.
   
   What is noted is her great humanity that was never part of her public persona. Reaching out to a pre-married Eleanor (and subsequently being rebuffed and vilified by this same person) or allowing her home to be used as a hostel during a war, was all part of what was a very private person. She had discovered, and the reader can learn a lesson here, that to be very private, you need to be a bit public. Liked or Loathed, all of Washington came to her-if in some cases a bit reluctantly.
   
   Only in one instance did her instincts for the country she truly loved let her down;her involvement, along with Charles Lindbergh, in the abortive movement, America First. It was an episode she regretted, but, as was typical of the Lady, never quite apologized for.
   
   A subject such as Alice Roosevelt Longworth needs a book about them for posterity. She belongs to a group of people that while time will never entirely forget, the personality and importance of her and her times will be diminshed.
   
   It's an easily read book, an enjoyable glance at a character, in a time when character meant something more than a strange person, who in subtle ways had a pleasantly nasty way of influencing people. Enjoy her that way and this book is a good place to make her acquaintance.



4. This is a very readable book that moves you quickly along this biography of Alice, and her family. Page 16 mentions Teddy's attacks of asthma and cholera morbus, and his interest in animal specimens. Could this exposure to arsenic explain his problems? The book says the Roosevelt family was wealthy, but does not say how it was acquired. TR entered politics after his honeymoon, but the book does not tell why (p.25).

   Alice's mother died in childbirth. TR's mother died the same day. Expected happiness was replaced by unexpected sorrow. TR left for the Dakotas where he tried out cattle ranching; he lost most of his fortune in the 1886 drought and the severe winter. He returned to NY and the steady income of a Government job, and married again. Young Alice never knew her mother, but only her stepmother (p.37). Alice grew up lonely with no playmates (p.41). She caught a disease that left one leg shorter than the other. Alice enjoyed her semiannual trip to her Boston grandparents, who spoiled her (p.37). Her stepmother would tell her that her mother was stupid, her father wanted to give her away, and TR proposed to her first and was rejected (p.47)! What a heavy emotional load for an 8 year old! Page 49 tells more about this disfunctional family. Alice was the only female member of an all-boys club where the boys dressed in girls clothes! Alice rejected Christianity and grew up a pagan with no formal education (p.53). Would she be considered an abused child today?

   TR's enemies prevented him from a second term as Governor and shunted him off as Vice President. Then a lone gunman appeared and changed Administration policies. Alice began to socialize with the new-monied "Four Hundred" who disregarded old-money proprieties; TR and Edith held them in "high-minded contempt" (p.57). Alice had an income from her mother's parents. Was her behavior a way to gain attention from her parents (p.66)? Does this explain the rest of her life? There is a lesson here for any parents in a similar situation. Alice wrote "Father doesn't care for me ... as much as he does for the other children" (p.70). Alice was anxious to escape her parents by a marriage, like countless other girls from more humble backgrounds. It was a dynastic marriage: she got a rich heir of a Congressman, he got the President's daughter and a political ally. But change continued like a flowing river.

   Page 113 shows an old political trick. Get some background facts before meeting a new person, then feed it back as a compliment in feigned admiration. It works every time! Page 129 tells how a political deal was made to keep a Bull Moose candidate out of Nick Longworth's district. Page 130 gives another example of Alice's perverse personality. She bragged about having caused her husband's defeat (p.131)! I wonder if her problems were genetic, or caused by her environment? The rest of the book covers the next 60 years of her life.

   Chapters 10 and 11 make it seem that Paulina and the country would have been better off if Alice died in childbirth. What good has she ever done? These portrayals of the members of the Ruling Class will never be printed in your local newspaper.

5 comments about Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son.

1. Dying at the age of 18, Henry Fitzroy is, in the end, a person of little or no historical significance. There was the potential that he could have become historically significant, but he didn't; this may make him a little interest to general history readers. On the other hand, as the king's acknowledged son, there is also considerable documentation about his life, and it did intersect with some of the flashpoints of history. For the reader interested in the period, his story fleshes out the life and upbringing of a high-ranking male. Murphy also checks upon some of the minor, disputed details of the question of the succession.
   
   What is very interesting about biographies like this is that they bring out the details of the period better than biographies of the famous. The latter are so filled with political and social events that very often the subject isn't developed as a person, even when there is copious information. In a way, that is a shame. It would be nice to have "personal" biographies of such people where the already heavily documented major historical events are a background to their daily life. I had read a great deal of information about the Tudors before I learned that Henry played cards with (and lost to!) his cellarer, or that Anne Boleyn, obviously a woman after my own heart, insisted that he move his fighting cocks so that she could sleep in in the morning.
   
   One problem that I do have with Murphy is that she struggles so hard to make him seem more important. If his neighbors were bringing him gifts when he was 12, I think it is more likely to ingratiate themselves with him and his father, not because he was personally doing a fabulous job of managing his estates. His life wasn't one that was eccentric or fascinating or wittily told that I would recommend it to everyone, but I think that people really interested in the period will find it improves their general understanding.



2. I love Henry...love any book about him, his wives, his children, I have all of them. This one caught my eye because it was written about one of his children you rarely hear anything about other than his mother's name and that he died relatively young. I was excited to start reading, but found the presentation wasn't grabbing my attention, and I found myself not being as interested in the information presented as I thought I would be. I suppose you could call the presentation as text-bookish. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy non-fiction, especially historical non-fiction, but this one just didn't keep me interested.



3. Among the more grandiose plans amongst the ministers of Henry VIII's administration was to legitimize Henry FitzRoy and marry him to his legitimate half-sister Mary (i.e. Bloody Mary). It has been rumored amongst historians that this idea was in fact direct from the King's mouth. According to 16th century standards, siblings who shared the same father (but perhaps not the same mother) were considered 'full-blood' siblings. Siblings who shared the same mother but different fathers were those considered "half". Just a little tidbit of historical nonsense.



4. Henry VIII while famous for his six wives, did not stop there: among his many extracurriculars was Elizabeth Blount, a young lady who bore him a son, Henry FitzRoy, who was later made Duke of Richmond. The Bastard Price was born well before Ann Boleyn had come on the scene, was publicly acknowledged as the "natural son" of the King and showered with titles and offices. As such, it would not have taken much - or at least it would have taken less trouble than it might have seemed, certainly less trouble than Boleyn marriage brought - to "legitimize" Richmond and thereby solve the most pressing crisis of the late 1520s and early 1530s, namely, Henry's failure to sire a male heir. Murphy does a reasonable job of walking us through the permutations and combination of this would-be scenario, and one is left pondering the possibilities: could the English Reformation have been averted through a bit of subtle intrigue and a quick marriage to Blount? Though the story is interesting, the book itself is a bit slow and assumes quite a deal of background knowledge.



5. This book is a must read for those interested in Tudor Royalty.It reveals an entirely different view of Henry VIII and the problems[real and imagined]he faced concerning his desire for a legitimate male heir to the Throne of England.The politics surrounding Henry VIII and his Court are well researched and presented in a clear way which involves the reader with the Duke of Norfolk and Anne Boleyn's backers and Family[Seymour] as they fought for power and the favor of the King.

1 comments about With the Heart of a King: Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and the Fight for a Nation's Soul and Crown.

1. King Philip II of Spain was also the King of England when his wife devout Catholic Mary sat on the throne. Like his spouse he loathed the Reformation and tired to end its pervasive insurrection while also building a powerful empire. When Mary Tudor dies, which means her widow is no longer an English monarch, her half sister Protestant supporter Elizabeth I becomes ruler of England. Philip proposes marriage, but she rejects his offer. Instead she challenges his Catholic ways with her Protestant ways leading her nation into being a rival maritime superpower until by 1588 he sends his powerful armada to conquer England.
   
   This is a terrific historical account of how personal alliances were amongst the sixteenth century European monarchies. In some ways the tome feels like a romance novel as the widower pursues his former sister-in-law who rejects his advances. However, their dysfunctional relationship represents the war between Catholic and Protestant domination of Europe and the New World. Well written and fun to read, Elizabethan aficionados (sorry Philip but history is written by the winner) will appreciate this insightful look at the latter half of the sixteenth century when national conflict was personalized.
   
   Harriet Klausner

5 comments about Elizabeth the Great.

1. I have an old copy of the book, which I have reread a couple of times. This is the most readable biography of Elizabeth I that I have read.



2. This book is incredibly well written. It also has the ring of truth. It is not just a biography of Elizabeth I, though it does that superbly, with great insight and scholarship, and always with documentation so that there is a tie-in to actual happenings. But this book also writes in depth about the key people around Queen Elizabeth, so that they too come alive, and sets them all firmly in a vivid and well-described background. This book is fascinating, literate, and a great read, especially for those of us who have an interest in this period in history and its characters.



3. A truly excellent book for someone who, like me, wants to find out not only about the events of Elizabeth's life but also what Elizabeth was like as a person. The writing style is clear and very enjoyable and makes Elizabeth seem alive again. As a schoolboy in England, I studied the Tudor Period, but this book goes way above and beyond what one is taught at school level. I learned so much more about Elizabeth's life and personality, that it has given me a whole new level of respect for someone who I had already held in high esteem. Highly recommended.



4. This excellent book paints an unforgettable portrait of Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess" to her loving subjects. Her fascinating life and vibrant personality are caught with great truth and clarity. Elizabeth Regina-LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!



5. This book is not a 'life and times' volume. It is single-minded in its telling of Elizabeth's life. I found the book to be captivating. I keep it on my desk at work for those rare days when I don't go out to lunch. I know that I can always open the book to any page and find an interesting story ahead.

1 comments about Napoleon the Novelist.

1. Good book, but I whish it had more quotes from Napoleon's writing. Great for entrepreneurs, technologist, lovers, expats... for people who live life on the edge of complete success or complete failure, thinking only of the past of future, but never the present.

No comments about The Royal Book of Lists: An Irreverent Romp through British Royal History.

3 comments about George V's Children.

1. a cold father who frighten his kids ,a cold mother who never bonded with her six kids.is it not a surprize these kids had drinking problems ,drug addiction.george iv had a soech problem because treatment by his father,david fool around with married women who give his love his mother never could.



2. It's a good book, and the author describe the personalities of King George V's children quite well; particular the eldest two. There are only two problems I had with this book:
   
   (1) The copy that I had read, (which was new) apparently when they printed the book, on some of the pages the words are faded.
   
   (2)Some of the quotes that the author used were not consistant/right with the timeline of the book.



3. Great Profile on each of George V's children everyone knows about his first two sons both who became kings Edward and George but it was nice learning about his other children. Each dysfunctional and interesting.