3 comments about Queen Elizabeth I: A Vision Transcending Time.

1. This book is interesting reading and keeps your attention. Alot of good facts about the life of the Queen.



2. I just got it and it may take awhile to get in but it's worth it!



3. This book offers a fresh perspective on the gender issues surrrounding Queen Elizabeth I in Tudor time.
   
   Are readers aware that Elizabeth threw shoes, lost her temper, cussed, flirted with her suitors, and lost the men she loved?
   
   She may have safeguarded the secret of her marriage from the world.
   Elizabeth lives on and holds close the answers to the questions still surrounding her mystique.

5 comments about Farewell in Splendor: 9The Passing of Queen Victoria and Her Age.

1. no one ever thought queen victoria could ever die.she regein for 62 years ,over a country who became the worlds most powerful superpower.this book is about how her family and servants deathbed watch of the end of a era.inside fight between kasiar and edward soon to be king .the doctor who tooking care of his queen for 20 years.



2. If anyone ever perfected the art of mourning, it was Queen Victoria. Plunging the court into black on the death of the Prince Consort, the Queen maintained full mourning until her own death forty years later.
   This book brings to life the final days and subsequent funeral of the monarch who ruled longer than any other in English history. We see Victoria, old and failing, clinging to life. The doctors trying to balance Victoria's last wishes with those of her family. The family frictions as the clan gathers: the Prince, who had waited so long for the throne; the princesses about to lose precedence; Kaiser Wilhelm, a reigning emperor who loved his grandmama but was resented by aunts, uncles and cousins. And the people, waiting outside the palace gates for the next bulletin on the Queen's health. Victoria reigned for 64 years; many were born and grew to old age in her reign. The passing of the Queen was an epic event - literally the end of an era.
   
   A fascinating behind the scenes look at the staging of a state funeral - a funeral for a woman who had devoted much of her life to funereal trappings. The Queen was dead; God save the King



3. I liked the book. I thought it had a lot of information well presented but also found it to be less than perfect.

   "Farewell in Splendor" is an interesting and readable account of the last week in the life of Queen Victoria and her funeral. When an old woman has nine children and forty grandchildren, it is easy to see that there is bound to be confusion and differences of opinion about her care. However when that woman is also the Empress of the largest empire on earth. The difficulties seem to multiply for each of her subjects. This is the case in 1901 as Victoria, the doyen of Royalty, finally fades after a record breaking sixty-four years on the throne.

   Jerrold M. Packard has written two books on the subject of Victoria and her family. I found that much of the background material in this book was a reprieve of "Victoria's Daughters". Since any book about the death of Victoria is bound to have a limited audience, much of the background material seemed to be out of place in a book devoted mostly to a three-week period. I think that people willing to read about Victoria's death might already know something about her life.
   
   From the book, I get have a strong impression that Packard simply does not like Queen Victoria and saw her only as a mean and selfish old woman. I'll grant you that in many ways she was, but in this book so many of her more endearing traits are omitted. It draws a rather one-sided picture of Victoria and not the most flattering side. I think that a little more balance would have served this book well.

   I like that fact that the book was easily readable and had many interesting facts to present. His parenthetical remarks really added to the book and helped it rise above being a rehash of newspaper accounts and old. Letters. However, I also found that on occasion there was too much trying to show how much better the late 20th century was from the 19th. His interjection of the modern mind-set into the Edwardian/Victorian eras was a more of hindrance than help.

   I did enjopy the book and think is a solid additon to the world of victoria Liturature but I would not reccommend it as a starter book.




4. The focus of this book is the death and funeral of Queen Victoria. The topic is well-researched, and Jerrold Packard does an excellent job of suitably setting the scene. As he describes the days leading up to the legendary queen's death, he artfully illuminates the cast of supporting characters. Thanks to Victoria's prolificate offspring, this includes most of the European nobility. Packard also examines Victoria's daily life, both personal and public. Furthermore, the significance of the great monarch's passing is put into context by his succinct analysis of the political situation in England and abroad. All in all, a very interesting and well-written book that will whet your appetite for more information about this fascinating era.



5. Farewell to Splendor is a fascinating look into the private life of the British royal family in the week surrounding the death of Queen Victoria. I found myself spellbound by the atmosphere Packard describes and by the events he relates.

   It's too bad, then, that Packard's research is less than sterling, and his work filled with modern stereotypes and assumptions irrelevant to Victorian times.

   For instance, Packard writes that Victoria herself was an unpleasant, unamusable person, when in fact the Queen was a normal woman who liked nothing more than a good joke. (She said "We are not amused", but only because her target was telling dirty jokes in the presence of children.)

   There are other minor errors in fact, by themselves unimportant perhaps but it does make me wonder: if there are so many minor errors, how many major errors are there?

   I was also distracted by Packard's many references to Victoria's fitness level and his wonderment at her reaching an advanced age without being physically fit. Methinks Mr. Packard has been brainwashed by the health and fitness detachment of the Politically Correct Police. People who live long do so for many reasons. Fitness is only one piece of the puzzle, and compared to genetics it may not even be that big a piece. It's also irrelevant on a cultural level. Virtually nobody at the time exercised; to point out that Victoria was out of shape is roughly similar to pointing out that Elizabeth II couldn't fight the Romans because she doesn't paint her face blue as did Boadicea.

1 comments about The Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa (Records of Western Civilization Series).

1. I bought the Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa for my High Middle Ages class, and the text offers an interesting slice of history of the reign of Frederick Barbarossa. Begun by FB's uncle, Bishop Otto of Freising, it was completed by Otto's assistant, who arguably offers a more solid history than his more skilled and sophisticated predecessor.

5 comments about Elizabeth Taylor: The Queen and I.

1. But I still like this book. I love some of the shots of Elizabeth. She was, and still is, one of the world's most beautiful women. I like some of the single shots of her and also the ones of her with Richard Burton. I also like the shots of the kids. I don't like the pictures of the photographer; they weren't necessary. Some of the photos ARE average, but some are beautiful. Too bad some of the shots show Taylor's frumpy figure; I would've preferred to see more of her face. I also wish there had been some colored photos in this.



2. I love the cover of the book. The pictures I didn't like were the ones with Elizabeth in the bathtub And the pictures of the Author and his marriage This is a book about Elizabeth not Bozzacchi Overall, though I love this book. Elizabeth Taylor's beauty is dazzling right into her forties!!! That's amazing! This is one of my favorite Elizabeth Taylor books (and I have several).



3. Gianni Bozzacchi's "Elizabeth Taylor: The Queen and I" is really is a treasure trove of photos from the Taylor-Burton years! It's one of three books that I consider my Dame Elizabeth "Bible's" - the other two being My Love Affair with Jewelry, and Bob Willoughby's Liz an Intimate Collection. In a way, Bozzacchi's book sort of starts up where Willoughby's ends. I was sort of disappointed when I bought the Bozzacchi book two years ago. It had fewer pages than I had anticipated, and at the time I was never really a fan of the late Burton years. I hadn't really seen any of her films from that period. But I found myself grabbing for that book first on my shelf, and I really adore it. I have also discovered the films from that time, like X Y and Zee, Secret Ceremony, Ash Wednesday, etc. and I love them! It was a completely different kind of glamour from the 1950s, but the clothes were stunning. And of course all that Taylor-Burton excess of diamonds, furs, and yachts were at their peak. It's a time that will never be repeated, for better or worse. I reccommend this book to any Dame Elizabeth Taylor fan!



4. Being that the author knew Elizabeth Taylor so well, the photos could have been on a more upscale tone. Some very mediocre photos when we all have seen gorgeous photos of a gorgeous lady. Somewhat disappointed.



5. I just recieved my copy of Elizabeth Taylor: The Queen and I" I think the book is completely engaing from cover to cover. Gianni's personal memories to the time when the pictures were taken, makes you feel as if your just that bit closer to Elizaebeth. Elizabeth is trully displayed as a human being, human or star, this woman radiates confidence, luxury, and beauty. My favorite picture in the book would have to be the one where she is running in the Dorchester Hotel, skirt all the way up, hair racing towards every directions, very free and bohemian feeling. I love this woman, not because she was for a large time Hollywood's calling card, or the worlds most beautiful woman. But because there is a purity in her eyes, and her soul can literally touch you through simple pictures. Anyone in doubt whether to get it or not, take my word, the book is worth any price, youll have alot of fun looking through it.

No comments about Crown of Thorns.

No comments about Diana: Fashion and Style.

No comments about Two Years In The Forbidden City.

No comments about Kings & Queens: The Concise Guide.

4 comments about The Diana Conspiracy Exposed: The Definitive Account.

1. Martyn Gregory STILL does not explain why the following happened!
   1. Why was a partial embalming done on Princess Diana while she lay in the French hospital.
   2. Why did street cleaners come into the tunnel just a few hours after the accident to clean the street where the accident was.
   3. Why did they reopen the tunnel just hours after the accident.
   4. Why was Henri Paul's blood packed with carbon monoxide.
   5. Why wouldn't anyone let Henri Paul's family do an independent study on Henri Paul's blood
   6. Why were witnesses that saw certain things eliminated from the investigation. And on and on and on. In my mind, Princess Diana was 'eliminated' by top professionals....and they got away with it. Read 'The Hidden Evidence and 'The Murder of Princess Diana'!



2. I'm still in the process of reading this book but two things are already apparent to me. 1. Mr. Gregory seems to have a powerful dislike for Mohamed al Fayed. 2.Since the wildest conspiracy theories don't hold up he seems to think that means none of the rumors could be true. I agree that the Princess likely did die in an accident but to absolutely rule out foul play is going too far. Many of Mr. Gregory's debunkings seem very well thought out and informative, even probable, I just have a feeling that something is missing.



3. Martyn Gregory's account of the couple's final journey is riddled with inaccuracies, distortions and falsehoods.



4. It is quite obvious that Mr. Gregory has done his homework here. There were several interesting details which I had not read before. He is very anti Al Fayed. But he did strain his credibility with me when he twice mentioned that JFK was assasinated in Houston. Mr. Gregory must be very young! I enjoyed the book. He argued his "case" very convincingly.

No comments about Two Years in the Forbidden City - with a new foreword by Graham Earnshaw (Tales of Old China).