2 comments about Peter the Great (2nd Edition).

1. Peter the Great-Profiles in Power is an informative and scholarly account of Peter the Great's life and times. While it may not be for the traditional popular audience (it's not pretty, has no pictures, and can be rather turgid and meandering at points), it provides a relatively concise account of a fascinating topic.
   
   If you are interested at all in Russia and Peter the Great, there are of course many good books from which to start your reading. M.S. Anderson's is perhaps more involved than similar books, but it compensates for its density by being chock full of well-researched and well-presented information.



2. Having had to read this book for a class, I found it quite detailed. It took a while to get started since many of the opening sentences did not flow together. It is a hard book to read but if you are interested in Russian History it is an important book to read. After the first chapter I had trouble poutting it down.

No comments about DANCING WITH THE DEVIL..

No comments about The Chronica Maiora of Thomas Walsingham (1376-1422).

1 comments about Ladies Of The Bedchamber: The Role Of The Royal Mistress.

1. Friedman is clearly more a psychologist than an historian, because throughout the book he has the family relations of the royals in this book often completely messed up. His most stupid fault is calling King William IV "Silly Billy" (even in the title of the chapter about him); "Silly Billy" was the nickname of William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, a cousin and brother-in-law of King William IV.
   The book is not really about "the role played by the royal mistress" or "the effects of extramarital sex on marriage", as the author claims. It's more about the influence of one's upbringing on one's later sex life, both for the royal and his mistresses. The youth and relations of both the Kings and their paramours are described in much detail. In my opinion, he oversimplifies the complicated reality of relationships by explaining everything in terms of childhood needs.
   Nevertheless, the book is easy to read and Friedman sheds a new light on Wallis Simpson's behavior during the abdication crisis.

No comments about Kings and Queens of Britain's Golden Age: The glorious monarchs of the golden age of Britain, from Henry VII, Henry VIII and the magnificent reign of Elizabeth ... of the Stuarts and the rule of Queen Anne.

1 comments about Catherine of Aragon.

1. Mattingly sets forth in very lucid prose the amazing and seldom told story of a woman noble in character as well as birth. Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, is the first wife of England's Henry VIII. Though a foreigner, to the end she is deeply loved by the English people. But that does not save her from Henry's machiavellian machinery when she fails to produce a male heir to secure the Tudor dynasty. Although she eventually loses the battle, we see a woman of lion-like courage, refusing to buckle in an age of moral compromise. Her stubborn dedication to both church and country, and her deep love for her husband, make her a spiritual example to Catholics & Protestants alike. One wonders if there is any other figure of her time who comes off half so glowing. In a word, integrity! This is the English Reformation told from Catherine's perspective-- a fascinating tale and well worth the read.

1 comments about Mary of Guise (Scot¬s Lives).

1. Mary of Guise is probabely best remembered as the mother of Mary , Queen of Scots, but was a fascinating women in her own right. A devout Roman Catholic , she was also a women of courage and determination , she was never wantonly cruel or spiteful as portrayed by John Knox and some British historians , but had to operate with sharp cunning and resolve. Marshall provides a very different portrayal to that of Mary of Guise in the movie Elizabeth (1998),directed by Shekhar Kapur.
   Mary was born on November 22, 1515 at at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine.
   Widowed , at 21, after her first marriage to Louis of Orleans, Duke of Longueville, she became wife of James V of Scotland , at age 23 , in 1538.She was crowned as Queen Consort at Holyrood Abbey in 1540, and the mother of two sons who died in infancy. King James died in 1642 , leaving the 27 year old Mary , Regent of Scotland , with her little daughter Mary (who was sent to France as a little girl for her own safety) .Mary was forced to manouver between various powerful nobles of shifting allegiances , she was loyal to France and the Roman Catholic Church , determined that Scotland should stay Catholic and in alliance with France, she was threatened by the growing power of Scotland's Protestants and of an ever threatening England. This is the story of her life and character , and of her ultimate failure and death.
   Rosalind Marshall provides as sympathetic portrayal of Mary of Guise as well as a sharp eye into the Scotland and Western Europe of the time.
   An impressive personal and social history.

No comments about Diana Her True Story.

No comments about The Beauty Of Diana: The Story of a Princess.

2 comments about Grandmama of Europe: The Crowned Descendants of Queen Victoria.

1. There's a famous painting by Tuxen (reproduced on the jacket of this fat volume) of Victoria's family gathered around her at the time of her Golden Jubilee in 1887; the crowd fills the royal drawing room. During those celebrations, the women of the family filled ten carriages while the men, including a number of ruling and future monarchs, made up an impromptu cavalry troop. Aronson is an old and skilled hand at producing popular biographies of European dynasties and he uses Victoria's position as matriarch of a vast royal clan to construct an overview in the late 19th and early 20th century of Europe's ruling families on ten thrones, from London and Madrid to Athens and St. Petersburg. This is also a personal and domestic study, focusing on court life, rather than a political history, and it is limited to only the first generation, not their heirs to the present day -- which also means that, except for the future Edward VIII, the author is concerned mostly with Victoria's daughters and granddaughters who married into other royal houses. The author's style is easy and his insights and judgments are astute, making this a good introduction to the modern monarchies of Europe.



2. This book has helped me on more than one occasion, to sort out Queen Victoria's huge family. The book only rates four stars, because I dislike the way it is organized. But the information, as well as the detailed lineage is wonderful. Many of Mr. Aronson's books are out of print, but I find them quite frequently at the Strand in NYC or other used bookstores.