1 comments about Charles and Diana: A Royal Family Album.

1. This is an extremely outstanding album. All the pictures are captioned, and the album features quotations made by either the Prince or Princess of Wales, a famous author, journalist, or a famous magazine.

   Opposite the title page, there is a handsome picture of the Prince and Princess at Highgrove. She is carrying William piggy-back while he if carries Harry on his hip. This picture serves as a theme throughout the book.

   The album is divided into sections - A Royal Romance, A Family, Roving Ambassadors, Private Lives, and A Sense of Style. I shall take two or three from each of the section and the quote which accompies it.

   A ROYAL ROMANCE: On the left is a full page of Harles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer when they announce their engagment. Beneath the title for this section, the Prince and Princess begin their honeymoon cruise in Gibraltar. This quote is at the bottom of the page, 'I've met all Prince Charles' girlfriends, and you're streets ahead of all of 'em. If he doesn't marry you, he's out of his tiny mind.' ARTHUR EDWARDS

   A charming picture of Diana when she was still a kindergarter teacher. 'That enchanting teenager with the chubby cheeks and frilly shirt..." JUDY WADE. A picture of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. 'With Prince Charles beside me I cannot go wrong. LADY DIANA SPENCER. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer after their first official appearance together at Goldsmith Hall in London. 'In Diana's early months of public life the strain of her new-found position as the world's most famous woman told, and only by the enormous iffort of will did she cope with the unbearable attention and lack of privacy.' ALAN HAMILTON

   There are two pages devoted to the wedding rehearsal and the wedding - splendid pictures. 'Our wedding was quite extraordinary as far as we're concerned. It made us bother extremely proud to be British.' 'When you marry in my position, you going to marry someone who, perhaps is one day going to be Queen. You've got to choose somebody very carefully, I think, who could fulfill this particular role, and it has got to be somebody pretty unusual.' THE PRINCE OF WALES. 'The cubbly-cheeked blonde hairdo vanished...a more stylish, more confident woman stands by the side of Prince Charles today. It says a lot for her steely determination that she has come through a period of awesome adjestment and emerged more dazzling than ever.' JUDY WADE.

   A FAMILY: Under the title A Family is a picture of William and Harry at Highgrove. 'It's an affectionate family under perpetual scrutiny.' SIR ALSTAIR BURNET. Diana is holding William and there is a picture of all three - Charles, Diana, and William - while thay are on tour in Australia. 'The birth of our son has given us both more pleasure than you can imagine. It has made me incredibly proud and somewhat amazed.' PRINCE OF WALES. Rwo pages are devoted to Prince Charles and the two boys. 'He is a doting daddy and does everything perfectly.' THE PRINCESS OF WALES on Charles os a father. The next two pages are great with both parents and bother boys at Highrove.

   ROVING EMBASSADORS: Beneath the title for this section are their passports. 'Charles and Diana are mirrors and examples of stalwart British qualities: civility, courtesy, and coziness, with a dash of styles and a bit of fun' TIME. The Prince and Princess of Wales are seated in identical chairs, each of them is smiling, and each of them is wearing the same color. 'To be modern, yet keep the mystique - that is the trick. It is a trick that Charles and Diana have gracefully mastered.' TIME

   PRIVATE LIVES: The pictures in this section are very casual. Beneath this caption is a picture of Prince Charles joking with the crowd at polo. This section is devoted to the couple and their boys at Highgrove, on vacation, and at KP. 'Charles and Diana are arguably the most famous, the most glamourous couple in the world.'

   A SENSE OF STTLE: This section is devoted almost entirely to Diana who is shown wearing many of the various styles of dresses and hats which she made famous. Pages 94-95 picture the Prince and Princess of Wales together surrounded by photographers. The last picture appears on P. 96 and features both the Prince and Princess walking through the streets of Budapest during a tour of Hungary in 1990. She is wearing a pink suit trimmed in purples, and his shirt and tie complement her outfit.

   One must actually see the pictures and read the quotations simultaneously to fully appreciate these beautiful pictures and unique pictures of The Princes and Princess of Wales and their two young princes - William and Harry.

   This book is hardcover, contains 96 pages, and measure 83/4x11 inches.

No comments about Nicholas Romanov: Life and Death.

5 comments about Edward Windsor Royal Enigma: The True Story of the 7th In Line to the British Throne.

1. Worth more for the biographical information it contains than for entertainment. This is not an Edward and Sophie fan book, there are several instances where the author could even be considered mean. It's a couple of years old now but is still one of the few books written about the Prince and his wife.



2. Wendy Leigh has done it again in her most recent biography - of the independent royal son and his equally interesting and independent wife is a breath of fresh air.

   This fascinating exploration of the relationship between Edward and Sophie, their families and background, their work and future hopes, was so refreshing and 'clean'. . . .where others have written books on the royal family that scoured the psyches of their individual souls - usually written by authors with little or no credibility in the psychological field - this book allows us to view this unique couple with our own eyes.

   The addition of their astrological relationship with each other, and the analysis - brief and selective though it is - delves right into the aspects of Sophie and Edward that Ms Leigh herself seemed to highlight.

   Internationally known, world-class contemporary consulting astrologer and analyst, Erin Sullivan, has included a section at Ms Leigh's request - an astrological portrait based on the horoscopes and relationship chart of the couple.

   This feature added another level of information that all biographies would benefit from!

   Let's have more of that!

   Wendy Leigh has produced yet another fascinating biography for our libraries!




3. I found this to be an interesting expose on a not very well known son of Queen II. Ms. Leigh discusses Edward as seen by his co-workers and business acquaintences. I wish there had been more pictures of Sophie and Edward together. Edward comes off as a man trying to make his way in the non-royal "real" business world. He is accused of nothing more terrible than taking advantage of his royal connections. I assumed all business people did just that. I never really gave him much thought before his engagement but I like him more than I thought I would. He and his wife and best friend Sophie have a viable plan to make their own way for themselves and future family. What is so terrible about that?

   Donna A. Maier




4. This book is just what royal watchers are looking for right now -- the inside scoop on Prince Edward. His personality really comes across, and it was interesting to read about how he met Sophie, his new bride. Perfect beach reading! Think the new couple are reading it on their honeymoon???



5. This is a great book--thorough and dishy. It really makes you understand how Sophie has become the next royal bride, and how she'll use her PR savvy to avoid the traps that Diana and Fergie fell into. And it makes Edward out to be much more interesting than his two dopey brothers--a guy trying to have a life and a career.

5 comments about Complete Idiot's Guide to BRITISH ROYALTY (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. The rather stupid marketing-inspired titles aside, this series is often above average in quality and usefulness. Buskin, however, is not an historian but a journalist who especially covered Princess Diana, as well as an author of pop biographies of subjects like Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon, so one might not expect much. His work, while generally accurate -- though he manages, through poor proofreading, to attribute the parentage of Elizabeth II to Edward VIII and Mrs. Warfield in the lineage chart at the back -- and reasonably well written, does tend to cuteness and witty asides. For the rank novice in matters royal, however, this is a servicable primer on the history, traditions, and scandals of 1,200 years of the monarchy in Britain.



2. Even if you don't know where Britain is located, this book will amuse you with its strange historical trivia and amusing snippets about past and present rulers. This is a relatively complete guide to the Kings and Queens of England, and a bit more in-depth on the current Royal Family. There is only so much you can fit into one medium-sized book, so they did a good job of balancing the straight history with some fun facts.

   If you are an avid history buff, you might get upset about some of the errors in the book, but they are minor enough to overlook even for a seasoned British historian - though you'll already know most of the jokes. For a novice historian or someone who's just interested in the British Isles, history or Royalty, this is a great book and a ton of fun! You'll actually learn a lot more than you'd think, and you'll find yourself relating the funny tales at parties or to your kids. Its also a great reference to keep around in case you ever need a quick profile of a time period or politics, such as if you want to put a movie or a book into perspective.

   All around its a good bit of history for mostly anyone, its easy to read and has enough humor and little witty factiods to keep you flipping the pages (sometimes just reading the fact/story boxes on each page is more fun, if you don't want to get into the drier stuff). It would make a great gift, and if you get it for someone I'm sure you'll be flipping through it yourself before too long trying to see what the next crazy king did!




3. The Complete Idiots Guide to British Royalty is a very good book. Like it says, it is a book for people that do not know much about the English Kings and Queens. By the time you are done though they have given you some very interesting insights about each King and Queen of England from Egbert (reigned about 830) to actually Prince Charles (b 1947)

   The book is divided into sections depending on what "branch" of the royal family the particular king or queen was in (for example Queen Elizabeth I would be in the section about the Tudors, but James I right after her would be part of the Stuart family.) The sections deal with the major things happening during that particular reign were and what the king or queen had to deal with at the time (for example during the reign of Elizabeth I they talk about the Spanish Armada as well as her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots wanting to be Queen of England.) The book also goes into details about what goes into the making of a Knight as well as background on Princess Diana. It also goes into detail about the Crown Jewels and some of the more well know Royal gaffs (such as Princess Diana saying she would take Phillip Charles Arthur George to be her lawfully wedded husband instead of Charles Phillip Arthur George)

   All in All a very good book for people who want to know more about the royal family of England or are just looking to increase your knowledge.




4. I bought this book for my wife who for some reason is afflicted with an intense interest in all things royal. I thought I would look though it becuase on this topic I could be called an idiot. Well, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. It is well laid out, it holds your attention and does a very good job in describing many items that I would normally glaze over. For the causal observer of the royals this is probably a very good guide. With that said, I have read in some of these other reviews that there are a few errors in the family trees of the book. That was not an important part of my enjoyment or use of the book, and speaking from experience (my wife's collection) if you are that into the royals there are many (many) books that detail family trees down to the family pets. Overall this is an enjoyable book to get the basics and I now can at least understand some of what my wife talks about on this topic.



5. I was browsing this book to decided if I should buy it when I came across the family trees in the back. Whether it was the author or the proofreader who should be held responsible is unclear, however it states that Elizabeth II and Margaret were the daughters of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Anyone who knows anything about this century, can tell you that is simply WRONG! As most people know, George VI was father to Liz and Maggie, and that is why Liz is queen. Her father became king when his BROTHER, Eddy abdicated the thrown so he COULD marry Wallis!

3 comments about Richard III: Life & Times (Life & Times Series).

1. The book is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about Richard III. It's enjoyable - reading more like a novel than a history text. Moreover, the book is filled with black-and-white as well as color illustrations with brief descriptions of their significance to Richard or the times.
   
   In addition to being well-written, the book is an objective overview of Richard's life as well as the times in which he lived. He paints Richard neither as villian nor saint, but as a man charged with much responsibility at a young age and during troubled times.
   
   For more in-depth coverage of Richard III, read Jeremy Potter's GOOD KING RICHARD? or Charles Ross's RICHARD III. The first reviews historical assessments of the man while the latter is a detailed biography.



2. This is an eminently readable text. The author is a good story teller. He effectively uses a narrative style that brings these historical characters to life. He begins by setting Richard in his historical context. Briefly reviewing the events from the minority of Richard II, which set in motion the events leading to the Wars of the Roses he weaves the tapestry that becomes Richard III.

   Cheetham (the author) goes to great pains to show the complexity of Richard's personality contrasted with the power-driven tyrant of Shakespeare's work. Additionally, he helps the reader by continually reminding us of the role of the supporting characters in this unfolding drama.

   Finally, the author painstakingly looks at alternative theories surrounding the deaths of young King Edward V and Prince Richard. He does not mention the unlikely theory that they were spirited away for safekeeping. Rather, he explores the possibilities that others besides Richard III had motive and opportunity to murder the youths. This is not mere alibi for Richard, since he demonstrates the holes in each theory.

   In the end this book gives even treatment of Richard and his accomplishments and his misdeeds. It is a fair review of a monarch that has suffered from more bad press than he deserves.




3. Richard III has always been portrayed as the uncle who murdered his two young nephews, so he could be king. Others have claimed that it was not King Richard III, but King Henry VII, who killed King Edward IV's two heirs.
   
   History tells us that Edward IV and his Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, had many children, and among them were two boys. When King Edward died, his brother, Prince Richard, offered to take care of his young nephews. Their mother felt
   that she had to agree. Later on, Richard had them declared illegitimate, before the children disappeared.
   
   Richard was king between 1483-85. He died in a battle with Henry Tudor, who became the new king. Henry married King Edward IV's eldest daughter, Elizabeth York. The marriage ended the War of the Roses, as the two Houses, of Lancaster (Henry), and York (Elizabeth) were joined together.
   
   The reason some people have claimed that it could just as well have been Henry who murdered the two boys,is because he needed them dead in order to seize the throne. In this book, Anthony Cheetham gives us his opinion of what happened.

No comments about Princess Kaiulani of Hawaii: The Monarchy's Last Hope.

5 comments about Crowning Anguish.

1. This book was a non-fiction story of daughter of King of Kings Naser Din. She expressed her difficult circumstances of her life as a lady living in a patriarchy society. Once, she learned secular education she moved away from superstitution. She no longer believed that lighting was god's anger but because of scientific reason. In 1936, she passed away as a destituted person.



2. A good primary source, of which few exist. I wanted to point out to one of the reviewers that the language of Iran (Persia) is Persian and NOT Arabic. The memoirs were written in Taj's native Persian (not Arabic) and then translated into English.



3. I was required to read this book for a class on the history of the modern Middle East. I thought this would be one of the more interesting textbooks that I have to read this semester. I was wrong; this thing is painful.
   I've been informed by a friend of mine from the area that it probably loses something in the transition from Arabic to English, but to me the whole thing is overwritten, self centered and features the "heroine" blaming her problems largely on society. Of course she does go into detail about that society, providing the historical value, but still. In places it reads like a manuscript rejected from Harlequin Romance Novels.
   If you really want a picture of life in the Middle East. read "Struggle and Survival in the Modern Middle East" by Edmund Burke. Gives a better pictue.



4. I was largely disappointed with this book - I expected an autobiographical glimpse into the life of a pioneering feminist Iranian princess and her family. What I got was a "dear diary"-style mess penned by a selfish and astonishingly conceited young woman. Princess Taj al-Saltana's memoir of her life in her father's harem is loaded with self-aggrandizing statements and little else. Granted, the princess' spoiled brat mentality and overblown self image are undoubtedly products of her coddled earlier life as the daughter of the Shah, however, the constant self promotion makes for terribly boring reading. Taj rehashes the same themes and stories time and again, all while constantly paying homage to her own alleged beauty and intellect. I am sorry to say that the princess' method of relating her story was tiresome, and I couldn't wait for it to end. I found myself rolling my eyes each time I came across a ludicrous reference to her great beauty or amazing mental capacity -- her photographs and her actions do not quite measure up to her excessive claims. I was also disappointed by the lack of information regarding harem life. For example, while she writes of the rituals involved with marriage, her disjointed writing style and intense self-focus give the reader only a fleeting idea of what actually happened during her marriage ceremony. The princess' writing is unfocused and often skips back and forth in time, making her story difficult to follow. The reader is provided with very little useful information about royal harem life. The princess' interest in civil rights for Iranian women is overshadowed by her greater interest in her own freedom to do as she pleases.

   The book was edited by Abbas Amanat, who provides a dry and lengthy prologue (of just over 100 pages) which sets the stage for the princess' memoir. I found it puzzling at first that the prologue was so long, however, I soon recognized the need for it. The princess provides very little historical orientation in her memoir, and it is necessary for the editor to fill his readers in with pertinent information regarding the political and social atmosphere in turn-of-the-century Iran. While I agree that the intended topic of "Crowning Anguish" is fascinating, those interested in learning about harem life would be better off skipping this book.




5. A truly tragic account of the life of a Persian Princess in the nineteenth century, this book will touch nerves even today. But aside from recounting a life, Taj Al-Saltana's memoir makes three significant contributions to the history of Persia. First and foremost, it is an original and quite possibly the first modern-day feminist book by a Persian woman on the condition of women in Taj's era. Second, her memoir is immensely important to understanding life in the Qajar Dynasty's royal harem. Finally, this book allows the most private look into King Nassir Al-Din's life. Nassir Al-Din ruled Persia for nearly one half of the nineteenth century.

   This book comes with a detailed introduction from its editor Professor A. Amanat of Yale University. The intro is in-depth, reader friendly, and helps set the stage for understanding Taj's era and life in Persia. I would highly recommend the Book "Pivot of the Universe" also by Amanat, on the life of Taj Al-Saltana's father, King Nassir Al-Din Qajar.

2 comments about The Road to Mayerling: The Life and Death of Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria.

1. The tragedy of Mayerling continues to intrigue us. I didn't learn anything startling in this book that I had not read in other books, but it was easy ready and the drama is as fresh today as it was a hundred years ago. We still don't know what was in Rudolph's mind when he killed Mary, and we cannot comprehend anyone agreeing to die at the brink of her adulthood for a dubious love to say the least. The intrigues that went on before the Great War, are still echoing in Europe today. How little the world changes.



2. If you are looking for a bit of fluff about this period of the Holy Roman Empire, this is not the book for you. It is instead a factual reporting of the history of these royal figures. This is a favorite period of history for me and having studied in Vienna there are many pleasant memories of the places mentioned in the book. There is no converation in this book. It really is a history book but a history book that holds your attention. A lot of research went into the formulation of this book and the author is to be praised. Enjoy!!!

No comments about Ernst Bloch.

2 comments about The Reign of Richard Lionheart: Ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199 (The Medieval World).

1. 'The Reign of Richard Lionheart: ruler of the Angevin Empire, 1189-1199' shows how fashions in scholarship have swung across a range of judgments and opinions, from adulation, to disgust for a king who had time only for war. 'The Reign of Richard Lionheart' tracks nearly eight hundred years worth of wildly different, parallel interpretations of Richard's history. Historical fashion is as much the topic here as this controversial king's achievements."
   
   Do not mistake this book for a straightforward biography of Richard III. Rather, it is a study of many interpretations of the man. Depending on the age in which they wrote, historians have suffered severe mood-swings: they either loved him or reviled him, his warlike career interpreted either as a badge of honor or of shame (while he spent a fortune on war and neglected other aspects of his subjects' care).
   
   By Robert Fripp, author of
   Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine



2. Most people don't find the dull records of administration to make for scintillating reading, but for those who already know a lot about Richard I and want a new perspective, this is an excellent study. It places Richard in a European-wide context in a way few studies have done before. However, it does not address (because it is not intended to address) some of the more fascinating aspects of Richard's career: The crusade, his personal life, etc.