Monarchy Books - Page 12

On Royalty: A Very Polite Inquiry into Some Strangely Related Families

Jeremy Paxman

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Editorial Review:

The notable characteristic of the royal families of Europe is that they have so very little of anything remotely resembling true power. Increasingly, they tend towards the condition of pipsqueak principalities like Liechtenstein and Monaco--fancy-dress fodder for magazines that survive by telling us things we did not need to know about people we have hardly heard of.

How then have kings and queens come to exercise the mesmeric hold they have upon our imaginations? In On Royalty, renowned BBC journalist Jeremy Paxman examines the role of the British monarchy in an age when divine right no longer prevails and governing powers fall to the country's elected leaders. What Desmond Morris did for apes, Paxman has done for these primus inter primates: the royal families.

Diana: The Intimate Portrait

Judy Wade

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When Princess Diana died in August 1997, the nation mourned for a woman they felt they had come to know intimately; having witnessed the quiet, blushing Lady Diana Spencer transform into an elegant, stylish ambassador who tirelessly campaigned for the causes in which she believed. With the announcement of her untimely death came an unprecedented wave of collective grieving. In this revealing book, royal expert Judy Wade uncovers the woman behind the public's princess, speaking to some of Diana's closest friends and confidantes to reveal the truth about her. They journey inside her Kensington Palace apartment and describe how she cleaned her own bath and nagged her sons to improve their manners, just like any other mom. They reveal her secret plan to marry a man who shared her desire to help the sick and suffering, her violent row with Dodi Fayed just before they died, and the real reason she went on a last mission to Australia. Diana's manipulation of the media following her expulsion from the royal family is also examined, as well as the police investigation into her death, and the impact that her death had on the monarchy. This is a fascinating look at a woman who was so many things to so many different people.

Queen and Country: The Fifty-Year Reign of Elizabeth II

William Shawcross

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Editorial Review:

The year 2002 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Elizabeth II's accession to the British throne. To celebrate this occasion, William Shawcross, an award-winning writer and journalist, has written an intimate and revealing portrait of the Queen and an absorbing narrative of how the faces of the monarchy, Britain, and the world have changed over the past fifty years. Britain today bears little resemblance to the country the Queen inherited in 1952. There is more criticism than deference; the institution of the monarchy is no longer accepted unquestioningly. Yet, as Shawcross describes here, Elizabeth's long and valiant, sometimes difficult, always challenging reign shows us a monarch who has risen admirably to the occasion and has held the country and the commonwealth together.

Drawn from the BBC's landmark four-part television series, Queen and Country combines personal recollections, classic archive film, and contemporary footage, as it examines how the Queen has adapted and succeeded. Exploring several aspects of her public role -- including her relationships with successive prime ministers -- Shawcross shows how she has remained a fixed point in the storm, a reassuring bedrock of stability, calm, and good sense, who has earned the respect and affection of the world.

With more than one hundred photographs, this volume focuses on four parts of the Queen's life. The first explores the central relationship between the Queen and her subjects. Her private life is the subject of the second part as Shawcross describes how she enjoys horse racing, her dogs, shooting, and family life. He also discusses the turbulence of her children's marriages and lives. Part III focuses on the Queen's political role as head of state and explores how close she is to the center of decision making. The final part follows Elizabeth II as she travels the globe and strengthens the ties of the commonwealth.

Written with the cooperation of the Queen's family, friends, and her trusted aides, this unique portrait accompanies the celebration of her golden jubilee that will be one of the most televised and written-about events of 2002. Queen and Country is the most authoritative account of Elizabeth's reign that will appear during this year-long celebration.

Collins Gem Kings & Queens: An Illustrated Guide to the British Monarchs

Neil Grant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good Things Come in Small Packages 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

One of my favourites, and will surely become yours!

Colour-coded sections cover 1. Pre-Saxon Rule; 2. Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; 3. Saxons, Normans and Plantagenets; 4. Tudors and Stuarts; 5. Hanover to Windsor. The Compendium (part 6) includes Crown Jewels, Nicknames, and Genealogical Charts.

It is particularly good on ancient British chiefs and Celtic tribes, rarely covered in other guides. A short two-page overview of each monarch is preceded by a summary box containing birth and death dates and places, parentage, accession to the throne, coronation, authority (i.e. status and titles), death date and burial details.

The major public and personal events of each reign are outlined. Also, there are features on such events as the Roman Conquest, the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms, Wars of the Roses, the Gunpowder Plot, Home Rule and the British Empire. Contemporary illustrations, e.g. the Bayeux Tapestry for the Norman Conquest, lend period flavour.

A perfect introduction, overview, or review. It's a useful first source before proceeding to longer royal histories or individual biographies.

Essential.

Editorial Review:

New Edition.

The Book of the Body Politic (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Christine de Pizan

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Editorial Review:

This is the first translation into modern English of Christine de Pizan's major political work, The Book of the Body Politic (c. 1407). Written during the Hundred Years' War by France's first female professional writer, it discusses the education and behavior appropriate for princes, nobility and common people, so that all classes can understand their responsibilities toward society as a whole. The product of a time of unrest and disorder, the book provides a fascinating view of politics from the perspective of an educated woman.

Duke Hamilton Is Dead!: A Story of Aristocratic Life and Death in Stuart Britain

Victor Stater

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Editorial Review:

Politics and society in an aristocratic world--as seen in the dramatic story of a notorious duel.

On the morning of November 15, 1712, two of Britain's most important peers, the fourth Baron Mohun and the fourth Duke of Hamilton, met in Hyde Park. In a flurry of brutal swordplay that lasted perhaps two minutes, both fell mortally wounded. For months afterward, the kingdom was in a uproar, for the duel had occurred at a moment of grave political crisis. Whigs and Tories, increasingly desperate over the future as Queen Anne neared death, hurled charges of political murder and treasonous plotting against one another. Charge and countercharge filled the press as the social and moral crises mounted.

Using the famous Mohun-Hamilton duel as a focal point, Victor Stater re-creates the desperate aristocratic world of late-seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century Britain. Mohun and Hamilton stood at opposite ends of a bitterly divided political spectrum, but politics was not the only cause of their quarrel. A decade-long battle over a disputed inheritance was a crucial element, and Stater shows how, amid the luxury and ostentation of the aristocratic lifestyle, something very like moral anarchy reigned. The result is a stunning narrative of life and death in a tumultuous time, an era in which incivility and moral turpitude ruled beneath a thin veneer of aristocratic manners.

Complete Idiot's Guide to BRITISH ROYALTY (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Buskin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

they need someone who knows british royalty to write it 1 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

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!

Editorial Review:

You're no idiot, of course. You know that Charles is the Prince of Wales, that Princes William and Harry are "the heir and the spare," and that Queen Elizabeth is a ship. But when it comes to knowing who's who in the British monarchy, you think that the Windsors are a family on a TV miniseries. Don't change the channel yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to British Royalty helps you make sense of the world's longest-running soap opera--and illustrates how the behavior of current royal rulers pales in comparison to that of their colorful predecessors. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Monarchy in South East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition (Politics in Asia Series)

Roger Kershaw

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Editorial Review:

This book is the first study to relate the political history of the South East Asian Monarchy to the politics of the region today. The excellent coverage of this fascinating subject should be of interest to the general reader.

A Genealogy of Sovereignty (Cambridge Studies in International Relations)

Jens Bartelson

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Editorial Review:

The concept of sovereignty is central to international relations theory and theories of the state and provides the foundation of the conventional separation of modern politics into domestic and international spheres. In this book Jens Bartelson provides a critical analysis and conceptual history of sovereignty, dealing with philosophical and political texts during three periods: the Renaissance, the Classical Age, and Modernity. He argues that sovereignty should be regarded as a concept contingent upon, rather than fundamental to, political science and its history.

Burghley: William Cecil at the Court of Elizabeth I

Stephen Alford

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Editorial Review:

William Cecil, Lord Burghley (1520–1598), was the closest adviser to England’s Queen Elizabeth I and—as this revealing and provocative biography shows—he was the driving force behind the Queen's reign for four decades. Cecil’s impact on the development of the English state was deep and personal. A committed Protestant, he guided domestic and foreign affairs with the confidence of his religious conviction. Believing himself the divinely instigated protector of his monarch, he felt able to disobey her direct commands. He was uncompromising, obsessive, and supremely self-assured—a cunning politician as well as a consummate servant.

This comprehensive biography gives proper weight to Cecil's formative years, his subtle navigation of the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, his lifelong enmity with Mary Queen of Scots, and his obsession with family dynasty. It also provides a fresh account of Elizabeth I and her reign, uncovering limitations and concerns about invasions, succession, and conspiracy. Intimate, authoritative, and enormously readable, this book redefines our understanding of the Elizabethan period.