4 comments about Philip II (European History in Perspective).

1. This version of Philip falls into so many shallow traps repeating the errors and outright lies of Philip's enemies, it is frustrating to read. He makes blanket statements which are just "let me tell you what to think about this" without backing them up.
   
   
   Having read at least five other bios of Philip, my estimate of this one is that it no where near does justice to the man, his spirit, character or reasons for his decisions.
   
   Walsh's is the most interesting and best researched, even forgetting that it was written long ago. He has the most love for his subject. He really shows Philip's heroic character and immense pressures, along with flaws.
   
   Kamen's is an interesting read, though it almost ignores the Catholic aspect of Philip.



2. Very good and interesting biography on Philip II. It was very easy to read and will written. Becoming the most powerful person in Europe at the time. The amount of land and countries he ruled over is impressive.



3. A very easy-to-read book, well written, comprehensive, well researched. It does not challenge other biographies of the Prudent King, like those classic ones by G. Parker and H. Kamen, on any significant point, but/and is a nice choice if you are a casual reader, or a student. Well structured and vividly written, with what the Greeks call "a sensitivity towards the subject", and a sensitivity towards the reader, I might add, this is a nice biography in all.



4. For anyone with an interest in Philip II of Spain or the convulsive times Europe was going through in his age, this is an absolute must. The author's mastery of the subject is obvious and his writing is never heavy or boring. The book is superb, simple, clear,discretly erudite. Mr. Williams writes to please and interest the reader, not to impress the world with his knowledge. His book should be compulsory reading for French historians, most of whom are pompous bores.

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.

No comments about Isabel Orleans-Bragança: The Brazilian Princess Who Freed the Slaves.

No comments about THE UNRULY QUEEN: LIFE OF QUEEN CAROLINE.

3 comments about Napoleon III and His Carnival Empire.

1. The improbability of this ruler makes the story! I might have never known for the positive things that Napoleon III was responsible for, like the Eiffel Tower.
   
   If you enjoy reading about the lesser known facets of history, I highly recommend this book.



2. The author gives a vivid and amusing picture of Napoleon III and the French society of his time. The fascinating story of how an almost comic character, who very likely did not even have Bonaparte blood running through his veins, was paradoxically shrewd enough to resurrect his alleged uncle's empire and then lose it all due to his own incompetence is told in a amusing way but without neglecting references to sources and documents. The mild despot Louis Napoleon was a omen of much more barbaric dictators that would taint with blood the landscape of 20th century Europe.



3. This is History as sheer entertainment. The story of how a used car salesman of a man becomes the Emporer of France. Against all odds, with shameless optimism, populist appeal, administrative incompetence and relentless sexual exploitiveness, protected and tolerated by virtue of a booming economy, Louis Napoleon proceeds Clinton in a virtual parody of the present by coming to power in an unlikely set of scenarios filled with irony and hilarity in the middle of 19th century France. The first elected populist turn Dictator - Louis Napoleon Bonaparte preceded Hitler by 90 years. More Clinton than Hitler, This story of a harmless flirt turn despot is a marvelous parady of the banal ambitions of all politicians. This man is so much like the present day Clinton in shamelessness, ambition, optimism, sexual opportunism and maybe unlike Clinton, gross administrative incompetence as to form the most unlikely story in all history. With so many cunning men greedy for power, how is it that such a man should come to power? Not only did he achieve power but the Charlatan Napolean III out lasted the Original Napolean by ruling France from 1848-1870 (22 years, The First Four years as an legaly elected President, the Last 18 years as Emporer). His reign gave stamp to an age and a style refered to as "Second Empire". Napolean III's rule, like Clinton's, was sustained by a period of unprecedented Economic Growth - preciding over the initial stages of Industrialization in 19th Century France. All but forgotten now, Napolean's greatest legacy to the present is modern Paris, to which he gets very little credit. Of course none of this would be worth while if not exploited properly. Fortunately John Bierman is more than equal to the task. Well written, both insiteful and humorous, Bierman's sophisticated repartee never fails to exploit an opportunity for irony or the humor in his subject. Reading this book was more like eating a box of candy - I could not put it down - and was sad when it came to an end. It has been said great men are produced by times of dire circumstances. Bierman proves this postulate by pointing out how great times produced, in 19th century France, a man of small stature. Despite the shallow glamour of the Second Empire, it crashed on the sham that it was when confronted by the politics of real consequence in Bismark's Prussia (Bismark's Realpolitik of Blood & Iron). For the next hundred years, begining with the tragedy of the Paris Commune, France had to struggle to cope with Napolean III's other great legacy: a unified Germany on its eastern boarder. Napolean III stands as an important history of the dangerous consequences that self serving populist charlatans pose for all history. Clinton ought to be carefull of the entanglements he gets involved in. Like Napoleon III, it could very well be his undoing.

5 comments about Louis XIII, the Just.

1. This book is a great biography. A. Lloyd Moote does a very good job of describing Louis XIII's life. He sets out to methodically and objectively analyze the sources pertaining to Louis XIII and his rule. Moote clearly states at the beginning of the book how he will analyze the sources, and what he hopes to achieve by doing so. Basically, his goal is to shed light on a king who has been alternatively portrayed as either incompetent or cruel, and sometimes both.
   
   One of my favorite aspects of this book is Moote's description of Louis' relationships. He does a great job describing Louis's relationships with his father, mother, advisors, court favorites, and wife. He illustrates how those people influenced him. But at the same time, the author points out that Louis was not the puppet of other individuals, but rather the creation of his environment, of which the relationships were one part of. In my opinion, this is the strongest aspect of this book, and alone makes it a valuable read.
   
   The book also did a very good job of making sense out of the early modern French court and society, clearly illustrating how it influenced Louis XIII and how Louis influenced them in return. Even though I found the book dry at times, it is extremely well written. It flows well, and I enjoyed reading it. The book also includes very helpful maps and a good selection of portraits of the main people discussed in the book.
   
   One downside that I found with the book was its lack of discussion regarding European affairs and the political situation in France. This is more of a personal preference of mine, rather than a serious lacking in the book. The author does mention other countries and how France interacted with them, but I would have liked to see more. I also would have liked to see more written about the political situation in France. The estates general convened for the last time before the French revolution early in Louis XIII's monarchy. It would have been interesting to see more about how that affected France, the make up of the estates general and other political discussions. With the text of this book under 300 pages, these things could have easily been added without making the book too long.
   
   Despite my few qualms with this book, the good parts far outweigh the bad. I recommend the book if you are interested in French history or early modern European history.



2. This 1989 biography, the first to appear in English, is the finest work on Louis XIII which I have read in twenty years' study. It studies the king's life in detail, examining the innate character, principles and environment which shaped him, and the ways in which he in turn shaped the political and social future of France. Moote demonstrates clearly that, far from being the caricature created by Tallemant and Dumas, Louis was an intelligent and effective king who developed his own ruling style and chose the best of servants - the great Richelieu, of course - to support him in his task. The work follows his life chronologically, departing from this in the final section to study thematically his legacy, looking at the warfare state, culture and his intimate life (an achingly sad part of the book for anyone who cares about him).
   This is an insightful and sympathetic study, clearly written and a very easy read. My only regret is that it is not several hundred pages longer. It has an interesting selection of illustrations - pamphlets and medallions as well as the standard de Champaigne portrait of Louis from the Prado (which, incidentally, was done many years after his death). I highly - no, completely - recommend this book to anyone.



3. This proves to be an excellent biography on Louis XIII who usually don't get too much attention by historians since he was often totally overshadowed by Cardinal Richelieu or by his heir, Louis XIV. But this well written and easy to read biography, the author showed the Louis XIII was an equal if not a controlling element of a partnership that grew between him and Cardinal Richelieu. Through both men, France grew and became the next European super power. People of France suffered for that growth and men like Richelieu were often damned by later history as villians and monsters (Three Musketeers book for example). What was so interesting about this biography was the author make it so clear how politically and personally acute Louis XIII was in the first place. His support of Richelieu, during good times and bad, revealed a highly focus and mature mind. While his personality wasn't anything to bragged about, his quirks and eccentic behavior can be overlooked as long as he had his eye on the ball and kept on going. A book written with great insight, understanding and nicely researched, I am sure it will be a bit before this book will be surpassed.



4. From his boyhood until he became king at the age of 14, we have the explanation to his moods, that reflected on his growing personality.
   Within a few years after he set the crown of France on his head, slowly but with determination he started to implement his views, dispite all oposition from his mother and the old feudal nobility, who didn't appreciate a slash on it's privileges.
   Louis XIII and his chief-minister Richelieu formed a terrible but effective pair aimed at constructing a solid country out of several kingdoms.
   What a diference from the week Louis XIII depicted on the classic "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas.
   If it wasn't so exhaustive, particulary in the king's younger years, it would be quicly read.



5. This is the best historical biography I have ever read.

   That said, my one complaint is the failure to include genealogy charts for the French and Spanish royal houses. Readers need these charts.

   On the other hand, there are several excellent illustrations, and the characters that they represent are so skillfully drawn in words that they assume truly human dimensions, a rarity in historical biography!

   The characters in this history include the king's widowed mother (and bitter political foe); his wife Anne, childless for over twenty years before Louis XIV was born (she often befriended outrageous schemers and troublemakers); Cardinal Richelieu, Louis's brilliant partner (he attracted deadly hostility from many directions); and Gaston, Louis's brother, who threatened to overthrow the king. Louis's illegitimate half-brothers and sisters were reared at court and created problems as well.

   The king's "favourites," both male and female, are a fascinating group in their own right. They could fill a book of their own. I will use the extensive bibliography to learn more about particular characters and events in the life of Louis XIII.

   The main character was a king at the age of eight, following his father's assassination. Violence and insurrection threatened the king through much of his life. The story of his public triumph against political opposition, often at immense personal cost, is a gripping one. Military, political, and diplomatic events are described extremely well, while the court and its characters can almost be seen and felt. Professor Moote tells the life story of a complex and very human individual who occupied an extraordinary position. It is a moving story.

   I hope that Professor Moote will write more about the history of France. Please!

5 comments about Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures.

1. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the size of this addition to the "Life in Pictures" series (my own fault for not reading the dimensions before buying). The other "Life in Pictures" books I have purchased have been large, oversized productions that bring to life the lives of their subjects by way of extravagantly sized photos with captions in a comfortable font. The print in this book is literally 1/16th of an inch tall. Also, it is very oddly arranged. The photos skip around the Princess' life in a haphazard manner. The arrangement made no sense to me, and I would have preferred a chronological order.
   
   That said, the scope of the photos is expansive in its inclusion of many private photos of the Princess and her family, as well as gorgeous portraits, unposed snapshots, and film stills. As a result of this book, I feel as though I know Princess Grace more intimately than ever before. The biographical section at the beginning of the book is a good overview of many of the important events of her life, and there are many quotes included, both by Princess Grace and about her. But the main story here is the pictures, which encompass so many of the moments, both private and public, of her life.
   
   Overall, this comprehensive collection is a wonderful look at the life of Princess Grace. Although it is a bit small in size for a book primarily telling a story through pictures, I believe most will be satisfied with the scope of the photos included.



2. This is one of my favorite books. A must have for all Grace Kelly fans. The pictures are beautiful and it tells the story of Grace and Rainer. This is ONE GREAT BOOK!



3. My wife is a Grace Kelly fan. I tend to buy her any book I come across about Princess Grace. I feel that this is a good book to add to a collection of Princess Grace books but it is not the definitive book on Grace Kelly.
   
   This book is authorized by the Grimaldi family and as compared to other books it has the feel of prior restraint. The closeness with the family gives us pictures cannot be found in other books; however the text adds nothing to the life of the Princess. It feels that the authors had censored themselves. I was not looking for a tabloid account but perhaps a more realistic account would have been better.
   
   A lot has been said about inaccurate facts, typographical errors, and editorial gaffes. I still believe despite all of its shortcomings that this is a book worth buying.



4. Best image selection, best layout, moving foreword by Prince Albert.



5. This is a beautiful book. It begins with a brief (and fairly shallow) biography. The majority of the book features over 180 photographs from Grace Kelly's life, from infancy through to her funeral, in both colour and black and white, interspersed with quotations by or about Grace. The reproduction and layout of the photographs and the quality of the paper stock are both high and the result is a lovely coffee table book. Most of the photos are stunning and many are ones that I have not seen before.
   
   Having said that, my impression was that the book had been compiled hastily and without care. Some quibbles:
   - Some dates are incorrect. For example there is a photograph of
   Princess Grace meeting John F Kennedy dated May 24, 1964 - which seems unlikely given that it was 6 months after his assassination! Elsewhere there are two photographs of the same event (Grace's arrival in Monaco for her wedding) one of which is dated April 12 1956 and the other April 14 1956.
   - The photographs are not always displayed in chronological order. For example, midway through a number of photos from the height of her film career in the mid-fifties comes a shot of Her Serene Highness attending a party in 1977. I found this annoying and detrimental to the idea that we were following the span of her life - especially as the majority ARE chronologically arranged.
   - While most of the photos are gorgeous, some appeared to have been chosen simply because they were previously unseen rather than because of any photographic merit - photographs that were out of focus or badly composed. Others were colour photographs reproduced in black and white, probably to sit better alongside other black and white images, but I would have preferred to see them as originally taken.
   
   This is still a lovely book and would be a great gift for a Grace Kelly fan. It is just a shame that more care was not put into its compilation and it is for this reason that I give it only 3 stars.

No comments about Alexandra: Princess and Queen.

1 comments about The Queen Mother's Century.

1. I bought this book for mt 981/2 year old cousin. She is just 6 months younger. My cousin is not in good health now bur is a great admirer of the older generation of the family. This book brought a big smile to her face, when she saw the cover. Made her day, Thanks for the book. You made someone very happy.

5 comments about Dark Horse: A Life of Anna Sewell.

1. The new biography of Anna Sewell, author of Black Beauty, is a must read. Adrienne Gavin's style is clear, crisp, and even seductive. Reading the biography felt like being invited on an intimate journey with the biographer/scholar in search of Anna Seawell's life and time. You will love this well-researched biography even if you haven't read Black Beauty.



2. Anyone who has enjoyed 'Black Beauty' as a child should read this fascinating biography of Anna Sewell, 'the ultimate in metaphorical dark horses'. The book charts Anna's family background and Quaker upbringing; the fall which left her lame for life; her invalidism and the subsequent numerous methods of treatment and cures which were attempted; and her love of horses and the freedom she was able to experience in riding. It details Anna's often painful spiritual journey through religious faith and doubt; her close relationship with her mother, Mary Sewell, who was at the time a well-known author herself; and the charitable works and projects they undertook together. The text contains frequent references to and quotations from a variety of sources, which adds to rather than distracts from the narrative, providing an easy and engrossing read as well as a vivid account of Victorian life.



3. A fascinating life of sadness, courage against all odds and the story behind one of the bestselling novels ever written. Thoroughly researched but a smooth easy read I loved the details of Victorian life and the story behind how Black Beauty became so popular. Highly recommended!



4. Right from the beginning "Dark Horse" captured my attention and held it chapter after chapter. Ms. Gavin's recount of Anna Sewell's life is so well written, that I could not put this book down. And it is extremely inspirational in its own right. I am now determined to not only read "Black Beauty", but also to read it to my children, and when they get older, to have them read "Dark Horse". I highly recommend this book to everyone, even those of us who have not read "Black Beauty" will gain from reading "Dark Horse".



5. An entertaining read for those interested in children's literature and Victorian women's lives and writing. Thoroughly researched and extremely well-written. Fans of Black Beauty will no doubt be surprised by the drama of the author's own story. Highly recommended!