1 comments about King Henry V: A Biography.

1. The material to understand this late-medieval conqueror is more abundant than one realizes: not only detailed chronicles, State documents and accounts of his wars, but personal anecdotes and financial records. And Hutchison makes good use of it, working not from secondary but from primary sources, giving a detailed, perceptive and highly readable account of a remarkable individual. If he works to contrast the Henry of history with the Henry of Shakespeare, that is understandable and indeed right, since it is through the plays - and especially through Laurence Olivier's unforgettable film - that most of us have become aware, if at all, of the fame and success of this usurper's son. Hutchison treats his subject with a sympathy that does not stop short of admiration, giving just and honourable due to all his remarkable qualities - able politician, bold and independent mind, excellent organizer, and finally, as everyone knows, superlative soldier. Yet his final verdict is inevitably negative: Henry stiffened the social situation of England, threw the country into a war which it did not have the resources to maintain, and which - but for his genius - would have ended in disaster early on (there is something very telling about the frenzied rejoicing which greeted his victories); brutalized his followers, degraded the rule of warfare, and, in the end, presided over the spiritual impoverishment and material ruin of two great countries, as the great age of Chaucer and the Roman de la Rose died out in a sea of blood and even the military glory of Henry gave way, not so much to the splendid but brief phenomenon of St.Joan of Arc, as to the crooked and cruel practical politics of Louis XI, the establishment of brutal royal tyranny in France and the collapse into civil war in England. Like that of all conquerors - think of Alexander of Macedon, of Gengis Khan, of Napoleon, Wallenstein, Gustavus Adolphus, Charles XII of Sweden, Hitler - Henry's ultimate legacy was purely one of collapse and negation: he achieved nothing except a blaze of unconstructive glory.

2 comments about Nur Jahan: Empress of Mughal India.

1. This book is interesting because Nur Jahan was the virtual ruler of India through the years of her marriage to the astute but dissolute Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, whose weak character and refinement make him a very comparable ruler to Louis XV in France.
   The Indian emperor allowed his consort to govern in his name while he enjoyed himself in the pursuit of courtly pleasures and what turned out to be a slow descent into alcholism.
   Luckily for India, Nur Jahan was a very intelligent and capable ruler, that knew how to promote the right people and had an extensive and beneficial influence over the taste and artistic developments of the period, her legacy in that respect is even more interesting than her politics. She was also acknowledged by the emperor for her accomplishments, even having coinage issued in her name which was quite an accomplishment at a time when most women's lives were confined to the harem, or zanana as it is called in India.
   Some of the most interesting passages of the book are those dealing with her patronage of the arts, and particularly for her influence in architecture and the construction of exquisite gardens. It is most important to note that the architectural style of the Taj Mahal, the greatest of all Mughal monuments and the greatest achievement of Sha Jahan's reign actually had an antecedent in the mausoleum that Nur Jahan built for her father.
   In another very interesting chapter her literary merits as a poet are discussed and quoted, so the reader is able to glimpse at her literary persona. This is perhaps the most revealing chapter in getting to know the woman behind the veil of majesty and cultural convention.
   Although I enjoyed reading this book, I found the style to be dry and dull. It is difficult to get through the chapters, and one gets the impression that the scintillating personality of the empress escapes the author's portrayal. The author has investigated her subject thoroughly but has failed to understand the charm and magnetism that made Jahangir fall in love with her, eventhough she was past her prime, widowed, and had a grown child from her first husband when he became interested in her.
   The amount of notes per page is quite staggering and the reader is advised not to follow them if he wants to keep track of the narrative, it is best to check them all at one time at the end of each chapter, as most are only referencing the sources and not necessarily clarifying the text.
   There are no maps of either cities or countryside in the book, so for the reader it may be annoying not to be able to visualize the many trips of the court or even the locations of battlefields. The book has many illustrations but none are in color, and most of the architectural pictures seem to have been taken in the early part of the 20th century, and fail to convey the delicate beauty of the Mughal monuments. More importantly, the black and white illustrations of the miniatures, which are never augmented in size, make it almost impossible to see any details. These illustrations do not provide an accurate depiction of the splendor and luxury that characterized the court of Nur Jahan, which was anything but subdued in color.
   All of the above taken into account, it is still a most interesting and important account of a fascinating character in the history of India and I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in the period or in a fascinating woman that combined in one person the strength of will and intelligence of Elizabeth I of England and the seductiveness, elegance and charm of Empress Josephine.
   Nur Jahan deserves more attention from biographers, and her life would be excellent material for an exciting film.




2. Ellison Findly's "Nur Jahan" is a biography of the eighteenth and last wife of the Mogul emperor Jahangir (1569-1627). Jahangir was Nur Jahan's second husband. Her first, Sher Afghan, was killed in a fracas that followed his murder of an old friend and associate of Jahangir.

   Jahangir was given largely to sensual pleasures, including six cups of alcohol (each two parts wine to one part arrack) and two doses of opium every day (the first eight surkhs, the second six) --- following a reduced regimen, instituted by his physicians and enforced by Nur Jahan. I wish Findly had mentioned how many milligrams a surkh is. Also, how much happiness and debility a diet such as this is likely to induce. Given his level of addiction, it is no wonder that following Jahangir's wedding to Nur Jahan in 1605, political power was exercised on his behalf almost entirely by a clique constituted, initially, of his beloved Nur Jahan, his chief minister Itmaduddaula, the courtier Asaf Khan, and his son Khurram.

   Itmaduddaula was Nur Jahan's father, and Asaf Khan her brother. Khurram, the son of Jahangir's second wife, Jagat Gosaini, came to be known as Shah Jahan, later, when he ascended the throne following a protracted rebellion against his father. The ruling clique had disintegrated by the time of the rebellion. In his revolt, Khurram was covertly aided and abetted by Asaf Khan, who was also the father of his wife Arjumand Bano (later Mumtaz Mahal).

   Sharyar, a son of Jahangir from one of his concubines, and the husband of Nur Jahan's only child Ladli Begum from her marriage to Sher Afghan, was Nur Jahan's choice for Jahangir's successor. Nur Jahan had no children by Jahangir. Nurjahan had tried her very best to marry Ladli first to Khusrau, Jahangir's eldest, then to Khurram, but neither could be made to take an interest in Ladli.

   Sharyar, however, never did stand a chance against Khurram. In the few years before Jahangir's demise, Sharyar contracted leprosy, and that further reduced his chances for making a successful bid for power. A few days after Jahangir's death, Sharyar did proclaim himself emperor at Lahore, but within a few days of that he was imprisoned by Asaf Khan, and blinded by his order. Yet a few days later Shah Jahan, marching north from Deccan to Agra at the head of the rebel army, sent a message to Asaf Khan to have Sharyar and four other princes done to death. They were strangled.

   Nur Jahan was a woman of unusual ability. She exercised political authority with intelligence, courage and astuteness, and did it despite constraints (like purdah) imposed by life in the Moghul zenana. She was also responsible, almost single-handedly, for the many artistic, architectural, and cultural achievements of the Jahangir era. Her cultural and artistic achievements derived largely from the immense resources at her command. But they were also, in equal measure, due to her unflagging energy, and the keenness of her aesthetic vision. Her artistic achievements include the Moghul gardens of Kashmir and Agra, and the tomb of her father Itmaduddaula, also in Agra, which was the first example of the use of white marble embellished with the precise inlay of precious stones into the surface of marble facing --- a technique (pietra dura) exploited also in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

   Findly's biography is a work of scholarship and authority, yet very lucid and absorbing. It covers a very interesting period of Indian history, and ties together reports from a number of contemporary sources: Indian, British, Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian. Separate but overlapping chapters each cover material with thematic unity.

3 comments about The Camera and the Tsars: A Romanov Family Album.

1. Although this book is advertised as a photo book, particuarly interesting for me was the information it gives about other, more obscure members of the Romanov family. Most photo's are accompanied by a paragraph discussing the family member involved, and this is especially helpful to me as a fan of woman's history when discussing Romanov Princesses who married into other European royal families. I believe these women, coming from the family they came from, were probably very formidable and interesting individuals in their own right, and I think it's a shame there is so little reading material available about them.



2. From the cover of this book I believed that I was purchasing a family album of JUST Tsar Nicholas II's immediate family. Although there is a whole chapter devoted to him and his children, this book is mostly filled with pictures of other Romanovs. The few pictures of Nicholas II and his children have been previously published.
   
   The chapters of the book are as follows:
   1. The Last Tsar
   2. The Family
   3. Marrying into the Family
   4. Born Romanov
   5. The Training of Princes
   6. A Suitable Marriage
   7. Family Ties
   8. The Family at Work
   9. The Family at Play
   10. The Passing of the Tsar
   11. War and Revolution
   12. Full Circle



3. This is a wonderful Zeepvat book. It is similar in nature to others she has written. Although I enjoyed the book a lot, some of the pictures had been previously published in other books and forums. I would have liked to have seen more pictures that had never been published about their day to day life at Livadia, Tsarskoe Selo and on board the Standart. What i am saying is that maybe more access could be granted to different photo albums than just the usual that are referenced in other books and this one as well.

No comments about James VI And I: Ideas, Authority, And Government.

2 comments about Victoria an intimate biography.

1. Very, very detailed account of the life of Queen Victoria. I appreciate the author's effort, but this book is a failure!

   This book TRIED to be a political AND intimate biography but it just didn't work. The reader is overwhelmed with minor details about the politics of Victoria's reign without getting the big picture. All the details are wonderful, but the author writes in such a confuzing manner that it's hard to follow everything. In the end, we are left with a vague idea about the events of her reign.

   There was an alarmingly small amount of information on Victoria's personal relationships. I don't know what else to say because I honestly can't recall learning anything new! Stanley ignored Victoria's family and it makes for horrible reading.

   Honestly, this book is a very boring read. Do not waste your time even trying to consume and understand this "intimate" biography.




2. The author does an excellent job of detailing Queen Elizabeth's life, from girlhood to her death. Throughout the book are the Queen's own letters, furthing our insight into this dynamic female ruler. After finishing this book, I felt as though I knew Her Royal Highness personally!

1 comments about Alexander the Great in his World (Blackwell Ancient Lives).

1. Alexander the Great in His World by Carol G. Thomas is a lucid narrative of Alexander's times, about which a reconstruction of Alexander is attempted, and it could be said that it has been achieved. Points of divergence are always present, but this is a worthwhile book on Alexander whose focus is on the then forces which molded him accordingly.

No comments about Victoria and Albert: A Family Life at Osbourne House.

2 comments about Last Man Out.

1. "Last Man Out", by H. Robert Charles is a non fictional story about the author being captured in a prison camp in World War II. This book is the story about Robert Charles, who was a marine machine gunner aboard the USS Houston which was sunk by the Japanese in Sundra Strait, March 1, 1942. Robert swam nine hours until he was picked up off the coast of Java by the Japanese. He was held captured for forty three months in slave labor camps in Burma, Thailand, and Saigon. The Japanese had forced the prisoners(Americans, British, and Australians) to build a 262 mile stretch of railroad, from Burma south into Thailand, through some of the worst parts of the jungles. Through all of this torture, a doctor, Dr. Henri Hekking, saved the lives of more than 250 Americans, including the author. He saved them by the knowledge of herbs that grew wild in the jungle. Then something that will help these men survive happens.
   This book is a remarkable story about the treatment that prisoners in slave labor camps received. It shows the dedication that these soldiers had for their countries. This book goes beyond what is taught in the classroom. This man, Robert Charles, was there, living the torture that any person could never imagine that could happen to them. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn what these brave men went through, to save our country from being attacked. They are the heroes that saved us.



2. The author tries to create the illusion that he knew my grandfather real well. In fact they only met on a few occasions. My grandfather, Henri Hekking, was a stickler for detail and was disturbed by the fact that the author "recalled" conversations between them that never occured. The "death railroad" was a very traumatic experience for alot of people and the events should be exposed, but people who glorify themselves on others heroics are bothersome to me. Overall the stories are portrayed very well but I feel they have been "over-enhanced" for better book sales.

2 comments about Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses Ii, King of Egypt (Egyptology) (Egyptology).

1. Dr. Kitchen's monumental work is the standard book on Ramesses the Great, one of Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs. The author meticulously examines Egypt's history prior to Ramesses' reign and Ramesses II's motivations as king. Kitchen explains Ramesses II's need to enhance his family line's legitimacy to the throne since his grandfather, Ramesses I, only acquired the throne by being appointed as heir apparent to Pharaoh Horemheb. In addition, his family were commoners with no previous blood ties to the royal family. This helps explains Ramesses II's need to create massive statues, rock cut temples at Abu Simbel, the great Ramesseum at Karnak, his initiation of almost yearly military campaigns against the Libyans, the Barbary Sea Pirates, and most famously, the Hittites, among his many numerous deeds in order to prove the legitimacy of his kingship.
   
   Ramesses ended up becoming one of Egypt's most famous and dynamic kings and was probably the Pharaoh of the Bible who faced Moses since the prominent city of 'Raamses' is explicitly mentioned in the Biblical account in Exodus as being one of the Egyptian cities in the fertile Delta that the Ancient Israelites left. This is probably the new city of Pi-Ramesse Aa-nakhtu or the "House of Ramesses-Great-of-Victories" which Ramses II built in his reign. His extremely long reign--at 66 Years--allowed him to virtually stamp his authority and memory into posterity. All in all, Kitchen gives an insightful study of Ramesses II: the model pharaoh in war, international diplomacy and monument building. Hence, Kitchen's astute book title: Pharaoh Triumphant indeed.



2. This book gives the reader a massive insight into the land of Egypt under the fist of pharaoh Ramesses II. The book paints a clear picture into the truth behind this greatest of kings, it explains his family, the history preceeding his reign and the various campaigns during his time on the throne. This is truly a book for the experienced Egyptologist as you have to have a lot of back ground knowledge on the 19th Dynasty. This book makes the great hero out of Ramesses as he no doubt truly was, he truly was "PHARAOH TRIUMPHANT".

2 comments about Monaco's Wild Child: Princess Stephanie First Ever Biography.

1. This book appears to be a very long grade school English essay. It is packed full of gramatic and spelling errors.
   The information in the book seems to be just a rehash of everything written in the National Enquirer about Princess Stephanie over the past 15 years.
   Not worth wasting your time on this one!



2. I will happily be the first to review this piece of junk. I honestly do not believe I have ever read a book with so many misspellings and factual errors as this book had. Fabio Barthez? It's Fabien. Ouragon (French for hurricane)? It's Ouragan. Tamara Rotola? It's Rotolo. And it goes on and on and on. While some of the gossip was interesting to read it was really difficult to get through all the mistakes. Drove me nuts. If I could give a -10 I would.