5 comments about The Little Princesses: The Story of the Queen's Childhood by her Nanny, Marion Crawford.

1. A lovely portrait of royalty as it used to be, painted in the words of a woman who devoted years of her life to royalty's service. "Crawfie," as a very young Princess Elizabeth nicknamed her new governess, had no idea when she accepted the post that she would be staying for more than a short time. She'd come to help the Duke and Duchess of York begin their little girls' education, after which Miss Crawford fully intended to take up the classroom teaching career of which she had always dreamed. She wasn't planning on growing to love Elizabeth and Margaret as she did. Nor had she any clue that one of her charges would someday sit on England's throne.
   
   The interlude Miss Crawford planned to spend with the Yorks lasted until after Princess Elizabeth's marriage. As a member of their household, she experienced history first hand when the abdication of King Edward VIII - otherwise known as "Uncle David" - forced her employers to give up their private, comfortable, family-centered life. She kept their daughters out of harm's way during the frightening war years that soon followed; and after the war's end, helped the family that by now considered her indispensible in guiding its "little princesses" from adolescence into womanhood.
   
   Charming, but in no way saccharine, this recently re-released book provides invaluable insight into the character of the woman who has reigned for more than half a century as Queen Elizabeth II. Not by any means just for "royal watchers"!



2. absolutely fascinating story of Nanny Crawford which brings to life how the Royal Family live. I cannot understand why the Royals thought it was disrespectful to write this and cut Nanny Crawford off for the rest of her life. I wonder what the real reason was?



3. Truly, this book is a national treasure and even the Queen should cherish it (apprently, she does not). After reading it, I have new-found respect for Elizabeth II and her family. No where else would you find such wonderful detail of the lovely lives these little girls led. Its also very revealing to see another side of the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII. I couldn't put it down and was left wanting more!



4. For fans of the British royal family, this book is a must-read. While it may be a trifle dated and decidedly unsensational, the book holds a unique place in the now vast array of books about the royals because it was the first to break the rules and reveal details of life behind the gilded doors of Buckingham Palace. "Crawfie," who cared for Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret for 17 years, was completely cut off by the royal family after the book was published, but the book itself lives on as a kind of time capsule of royal life before the press declared open season on the royal family.



5. I enjoyed reading this book. Crawfie (as she is nicknamed by the princesses) uses a chronological framework to look inside the royal family. She shares about their daily routines and relationships within the extened family. It starts around the time Elizabeth is 8 or so and goes through her teen years. It gave me a better understanding of Queen Elizabeth than I had from only seeing Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006). It's not the kind of book you'd read to a child who loves princesses. It is written from one adult to another, but a young teen on up would probably enjoy it.

No comments about In Triumph's Wake: Royal Mothers, Tragic Daughters, and the Price They Paid for Glory.

5 comments about Talleyrand.

1. Talleyrand is possibly the most intriguing person to come out of the French Revolution. When he is not selling his services to the courts of Europe he is offering the Directory and Napoleon vital information as to how they should conduct foreign affairs. Cooper does a very good job of putting Talleyrand within the context of his times and makes diplomatic history come alive through his traitorous character. For those who understand the basics of the French Revolution and Napoleon this is a great book to expand their knowledge of how these events impacted Europe. If you are writing a diplomatic history this is an essential book that has to be understood. Cooper uses many of Talleyrands writing for his sources and gives the best impression available of the minister.



2. A good introductory book to Talleyrand. Unfortunately it does not contain references to qtotes, events or anything at all. There is not a single footnote in this book despite fact that author makes many references to quotes, memoirs, etc. Not surprising as the book was written in the 1930s. For a more scholarly (but dry) biography see Dwyer's biblio on Talleyrand (Longman Publishers).



3. This book is absolutely brilliant and I would recommend it heartily to everybody who likes history written in clear , precise and informative language. I will read more of Duff Cooper and am already delving into Tallyrand and hope to read his autobiography.



4. There are few if any parallels to Charles-Maurice, Prince de Talleyrand, in the annals of diplomatic history. In modern times, there have been some examples of men who were able to somehow "dodge the raindrops" and serve for many years in high positions in tumultuous political environs. Anastas Mikoyan's ability to survive long and close proximity to Stalin is one notable instance; but he never possessed Talleyrand's gravitas and international influence, nor did he serve different, hostile regimes. No, Talleyrand is in a league of his own - more politically nimble and long-serving than even the satirical Vicar of Bray.
   
   In this classic 1932 biography by Duff Cooper (a picaresque political character in his own right), the legendary French Foreign Minister is treated with respect, almost reverence, and not without a touch of personal fondness. The author clearly does not see Talleyrand as Napoleon came to see him: as nothing but "dung in a silk stocking." Cooper constructs a portrait of Talleyrand based in large part on the diaries of men and women who mixed socially with the legendary statesman in the salons of Paris, London and elsewhere. I have found that such sources are most enlightening and allow the reader to gain a more nuanced perspective and human reflection of the subject. The picture of Talleyrand that emerges is one of a world-class charmer, a conversationalist nonpareil. One gets the sense that Talleyrand would succeed as well in early twenty-first century Washington as he did in early nineteenth century Paris.
   
   Much has been made of Talleyrand's unusual ability to survive the convulsions of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. Cooper suggests that he was sensitive to criticism on that account and defended his decision to serve such fundamentally different regimes this way: "At every epoch there is some good to be done or some harm to hinder; that is why, if one loves his country, on can, and in my opinion, one ought to, serve it under all the Governments that it adopts." A mode of thinking contemporary Democrats and Republicans might profit from.
   
   Cooper argues vigorously that Talleyrand was a man of a few deeply held positions on foreign policy, but perhaps little in the way of deeply held moral convictions. "He was not one who would die for his principles, nor even suffer serious inconvenience on their account, but he held to them with singular tenacity and was faithful to them - in his fashion." The overriding foreign policy issue that Talleyrand championed was peace and comity with England, France's historical nemesis. Cooper calls Talleyrand's position on England "fearlessly consistent" and ultimately far-sighted and sound. "He had welcomed it before the Revolution, he had striven for it by the side Mirabeau, he had pursued it under the Feuilant Government and under the Girondins, from exile he had urged it upon Danton, during the Directorate he had endeavored to return it, and under the Consulate he had promoted it at the Peace of Amiens; he had remembered it at Erfurt and supported it against Napoleon in good and in evil days." Talleyrand was not physically brave, but he was unflappable on positions of policy in the face of the toughest negotiations or personal invective, and the desire for a stable peace with England was a stance from which he never wavered.
   
   Talleyrand led a crowded and improbable life, yet I found the most arresting chapter of this biography to be the last. In the sunset of his life, this octogenarian ci-devant priest, this married bishop and lecher, this revolutionary ex-communicated by Rome, embarked upon a slow and thoughtful return to faith, literally signing his peace with the Catholic Church just hours before his death. It was a final peace treaty of sorts that absorbed as much time, deliberation, and posturing as any he had crafted in the realm of international relations.



5. The French bookseller responded "bien sur" when asked if he had Cooper's "Talleyrand" as if, language aside, it was standard fare at this Parisian bookstop. Published in 1932, still in print, "Talleyrand" comes with its own pedigree. The author had his own as well; author, poet, gambler, womanizer, diplomat. Duff Cooper writes with eloquence and insight about his 19th century libidinous French counterpart. His amazing career spanned ages; from kneeling at the feet of Voltaire, to pre Revolution activities, through the dark days of the Directorate, through the Napoleonic years and past the Restoration when he died in 1838 after making peace wih his God at his Parisian home in a scene wonderfully described by Cooper. "He departed with his credentials in order, his passport signed." Cooper delights in Talleyrand's quick wit and repartee' with Napoleon and "the allies" at the Congress of Vienna. The verbal duels with the French elite are delicious; Chateaubriand sees Fouche' walking arm in arm with Talleyrand as "a vision of Vice supported by Crime." By focusing on Talleyrand, his achievements, his miscues, the book moves effortlessly from era to era without being bogged down in the weeds. Cooper's admiration is obvious, his observations are precise and thoughtful; Napoleon's refusal to recognize impossibilities, the enmity of the Spanish people at the Emperor leading to his downfall, and the magnitude of Talleyrand's achievements at the Congress of Vienna by keeping France intact, and how he became through the dint of his craft and personality the determining factor at the Vienna settlement and the role of France in Europe thereafter.

5 comments about Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Marie Fedorovna (1847-1928).

1. As a die-hard Romanov fan, I found the story of Empress Marie Feodorovna in Little Mother of Russia by Coryne Hall to be fascinating. Unfortunately, errors and oversights by Hall kept this from being a truly great biography.
   
   Marie, the former Princess Dagmar of Denmark, is best known as the mother of the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas II. This is a rags to riches to almost rags story. Dagmar was born into one of the poorer branches of the Danish Royal Family. Although not heir to the throne, circumstances lead to her father being crowned King Christian IX. Her sister Alix eventually became Queen Alexandra of England (married to Edward VII), and her brother became King George I of Greece. Dagmar was not as beautiful as Alix, but she had velvety eyes, a caring heart, a petite figure and a sense of style. She was originally engaged to the Russian Tsarevitch Nicholas. When Nicholas died suddenly, his brother Alexander (Sasha) took Dagmar as his bride. This was a marriage of opposites, yet it was one of the happiest among any royal family at that time. When Sasha ascended the throne on the assassination of his father, Alexander II, Dagmar became the glittering and very popular Empress Marie Feodorovna.
   
   Sasha and Marie had a happy family life and reared five children. But their biggest failing was raising Tsarevitch Nicholas to be a weak man, totally unprepared for the crown. When Sasha died suddenly at the age of 49, Marie's life took a dramatic turn when she found herself on the outside looking in.
   
   Nicholas was totally dominated by his wife, Alexandra. The situation became worse when after the birth of four daughters, the empress finally gave birth to a son and heir, Alexis. Soon after his birth, it was discovered that Alexis suffered from hemophilia. In desperation, Nicholas and Alexandra turned to a number of quacks and mystics before meeting up with the infamous Rasputin. Marie could only sit by helplessly as Russia headed toward revolution.
   
   Little Mother Russia shows how Marie was a woman of contradictions. She was a loving and devoted mother to her oldest three children. But after she became empress, she became more remote and detached to the two youngest. She was an anti-Semite, yet treated Jews with kindness. She wasn't the most intelligent woman, but she was clever, witty and possessed a strong political acumen. Marie had a talent for toning down her often stubborn and autocratic husband. It wasn't until after Sasha's death that she became stubborn herself, as well as selfish and demanding.
   
   After the revolution, Marie lost almost everything including two sons, five grandchildren, assorted in-laws, her palaces, her wealth and most of her possessions. She lived the rest of her life in her native Denmark, supported by her two nephews, King George V (England) and King Christian X (Denmark). Her meager allowances did not allow her to live as an empress, although she certainly tried.
   
   Unfortunately, there are a number of problems that detract from this book. First, there are a number of typos and errors that are unacceptable. Little Mother of Russia is generously sprinkled with Russian terms without explanations. I had to go on Google to discover that a panikhida is a memorial service. The ending was rushed and not well documented. On page 357, she states that the remains of two bodies, believed to be Alexis and the missing grand duchess, were discovered near Ekaterinburg and were awaiting DNA testing. She does not document where she got this information, and I have not seen this mentioned anywhere else.
   
   Even with these problems, Marie led a fascinating life and Little Mother of Russia is quite interesting. Just the photos are worth the price of the book-many never before seen. So while I thought this book was good, it could have been much better.



2. This book was incredible, It was all I hoped for and more. :-) Seriously, it was worth what it cost, because it seems the author left no stone unturned on what they ate, what they wore, everything. If you're a history lover such as myself, you'll love this book!



3. This was the hardest book to find it after five years of searching and two failed attempts I finally found it. It was certainly worth the wait. It was well researched and written. The Empress Marie certainly had anamazing life and one of the few to survive the Russian Revolution which most ofher family was killed including two of her children and five grandchildren. Even though she went to her grave still believing they were still alive some where. It must have been easier to accept then the fact they were killed. I enjoyed learning about her childhood in Denmark and her marriage which was pretty romantic. An excellent book.



4. Coryne Hall has really done the Empress Marie justice. It is a treasured book in my vast library, one of the most valuable I own, really.
   
   Coryne Hall really brought Marie's life out, and gave it dimension, without being biased in her telling. Read the book if you are interested in the Romanovs. Read Nicholas & Alexandra by Robert Massie first, then read this.



5. What a disappointment. This reads like a cut and paste job--there's no flow from paragraph to paragraph and virtually no personal information about the Dowager Empress. There is however a great deal of politics in the book if that's what you want.

5 comments about Elizabeth I CEO: Strategic Lessons from the Leader Who Built an Empire.

1. I do have a comment on history content, in response to one of other reviews I read -let's keep in mind that, if it wasn't for Elizabeth I there would be no empire to pass along to James I-England would be swallowed up by either France or Spain. Surely, Elizabeth I made a few mistakes like every other monarch, but they fade out in comparison to her achievements. She truly did build an empire, and serves as a great example of a true leader.
   Tudor scholar



2. Elizabeth I CEO was a wonderful reading that inspired me a lot. It is one of those books that you hate to leave unfinished. The lessons of Elizabeths leadership are compelling and quite inspiring.
   
   I never thought that I would need a book on inspiration in my life, but this book indeed changed this view as well.
   
   Excellent work.



3. It was a woman who gave birth to the British Empire where the sun (son) never set on England's territory. None other than the Virgin Queen herself, who bore no heir, but lived to a very ripe old age. In her time, Elizabeth turned around her country from bankruptcy and discord. The book takes snippets from her life and there are some gems of wisdom from Elizabeth's reign. Like her father, Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth the First lived large and had the courage to be powerful, was an orphaned Princess who ascended to the throne and a nation in tatters ... and whose life was a testament that resulted in Rule Britannia until the last colony, Hong Kong, was relinquished in 1997.
   
   But if you really need lessons from a Monarch: read Margaret Thatcher's own words on her ascent. First hand knowledge is the most useful.



4. While I don't believe that Elizabeth was totally the excellent strategizer, I do believe she was well advised and did her own thinking. This book goes back and imposing upon historical events the decisions made by Elizabeth-I and how it would apply in business today. There are certain parallels between a monarchy and corporation that do fit together and can be seen in examples. The major portion of the book covers the image that Elizabeth set forth by taking on being the image of the Mother Mary (Catholic church) to her subjects, thus, to make the people more accepting of the new Church of England as the religious seat of power, thus diffusing the Vatican's hold over the people. My only complaint, like others opinions, there were no mention of where things went wrong, only highlighting the good things. This is a very good book still and I recommend it along with another book called Big Chief Elizabeth (which is more of the history of the new World and Elizabeth's funding of the voyages to capture more land).



5. This transaction was easy and fast. The book was in better condition than expected. Thank you!

5 comments about The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England.

1. A fantastic book full of gory facts. No medical knowledge needed.



2. Excellent. Interesting, well-written, fascinating. And I'm not even a doctor.



3. I was worried when the introduction tactfully implied that the author was playing fast and loose with the facts. Was that the best person they could get?! Then, I was just plain bored. It wasn't bad as a history lesson, but that's not why I bought the book. Perhaps the fact that I do have a medical background made me more skeptical. I expected to find more than unfounded speculation. I would suggest only reading this book if you did not take any biology classes after you left high school.



4. This is a great book to read if you are into history and always wondered about the vague descriptions given in history books as to why people died in olden times. It is pure speculation, taking the symptoms that some historian wrote hundreds of years ago, and trying to figure out what the person really died of. The book will still leave you wanting more information but the only thing to work with is what someone way back when wrote and they hardly had the ability to properly disgnose an illness. This book has many good plausible reasons for their deaths.



5. I bought this book years ago at Heathrow Airport and devoured it on the flight back to New York. It's the only time I haven't been bored on that 7 hour trip. If you love history, especially English royalty, you will enjoy this. It's well written and while some of the conclusions may be speculative there is enough information on each death to hazard a few guesses on your own. You don't need any medical knowledge to throughly enjoy this book.

5 comments about On Royalty: A Very Polite Inquiry into Some Strangely Related Families.

1. The author is a leftist who either assumes everyone agrees with his anti-monarchist opinion or, in the condescending manner of many of those of his political ilk, assumes that anyone who does not agree with him is not as intelligent. He implies the idea of monarchy is not rational, a typical leftwing talking point that thereby assumes "rational" is ill-informed and generally ill-read electorates voting in incompetent, nitwit political candidates based on looks and "charisma" and with absolutely no understanding of how to lead a nation. It has become what some of america's founding fathers assumed democracy would become - mob rule with all of its negative consquences. These democratically elected politicians are all in the back pockets of private business interest who care about money before they care about people - and again the world is seeing all of the consequences of that. Some representive government. The current European monarchs are each worth 100 of these elected leaders.



2. Jeremy Paxman endeavours to produce a balanced look at today's British Royal Family. Why they behave as they do, the influences, events that have brought about the current family. He has confined his main comparisons to the Queen and Prince Charles with Prince Phillip in a minor role. It is a very readible and well researched book with many facts being presented in a style that keeps the book moving and does not allow it to get "bogged down". He has trod a very careful path through the Princess Diana era and on going influence. A book that aims to demonstrate how the Monarchy in England has evolved over the centuries.



3. ON ROYALTY was a fun read and a pleasant surprise. Jeremy Paxman takes us on a delightful and sometimes irreverant journey into the world's royalty. Seeing the picture of Queen Elizabeth II of England led me to expect the book to primarily deal with the British Monarchy and the Windsor clan. Although the British Royal Family is prominently featured in the book, Paxman gives us insight into other royal families. His book is an often tongue-in-cheek look at that mystical institution where certain select people achieve a status above mere mortals. Although the British Monarchy is one of the world's oldest royal institutions, it is not without its share of controversy and question over lineage. More than once, a king or his heir was deemed not suitable for the throne (being Catholic was one reason) and a new King was chosen from relatives in Europe even though there were candidates in England who were much higher in the line of succession. Direct lineage did not assure one's right to be the next King of England. Find out how Thailand got its monarchy. Why is he the KING OF THE BELGIANS and not the KING OF BELGIUM? Paxman gives us so many obscure yet fascinating facts.
   The brief monarchy of the Kings of Albania provides some insight into how a nobody can become a king. The Albanian royalty was created from scratch in the 20th Century as were the monarchies in other countries. New countries came into existence after WWI. As in the 19th century, sometimes a country either ran out of kings or decided a monarchy was the best way to go. When Sweden needed a new king, one of Napoleon's soldiers took the job. Norway needed a king so they looked to the Danish royal family for a candidate. Some lesser princes suddenly found themselves king of another country they had never visited. Being in the right place at the right time and you too can be king. You just never know when you might be chosen to be king. ON ROYALTY is a delight for royalty fans and history lovers. Royal institutions are fading. Kings are becoming less relevant in the modern world but more than a handful of countries still have a king or a queen. So sit down and dust off your royal crown and a wodnerful book and its look at royalty.



4. This book gives insight on how the Church of England and the government of the U.K. affect the royal family,and how the royals affect general society.
   There are a few behind the scenes,or below the stairs type tidbits.
   Overall it was a fine history lesson.



5. It was a good book, very well researched as well as giving both the good and bad points on having a monarchy within a country.

5 comments about Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany.

1. A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED BOOK REGARDING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN GERMAN PRINCELY FAMILIES AND THE NAZI REGIME FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON THE HESSEN-KASSEL BRANCH.
   
   UPON READING IT WE CAN SEE HOW THE PROMISES OF THE REICH AND THEIR DEFINITE HOSTILITY TOWARDS COMMUNISM MADE THESE PRINCES SUCEPTIBLE TO THE NAZI REGIME. AFTER ALL ON THE WAKE OF THE DISASTER OF WW I, THEY WERE DISPOSSED OF THEIR TITLES, POSITIONS AND IN MANY CASES THEIR SOURCE OF WEALTH.
   
   HOWEVER, IT IS NOT QUIET CLEAR IF THEIR ASSOCIATION WAS A MEANS OF SURVIVAL AND FINANCIAL BETTERMENT (OR AT LEASE A STATUS QUO) OR AN ACTUAL POLITICAL/ECONOMIC CONVICTION BY THEM OF THE NAZI RPHILOSOPHY AND REGIME.
   
   THE BOOK IS VERY WELL DOCUMENTED...BUT A BIT TEDIOUS READING. NOT SOMETHING YOU READ FOR ENJOYMENT BUT FOR ITS SCHOLARLY INFORMATION.
   
   STILL, AN INTERESTING BOOK ON AN INTERESTING CHAPTER IN HISTORY.



2. Philipp and Christoph von Hessen-Kassell were great-grandsons of Queen Victoria and nephews of Kaiser Wilhelm II. They were born into the highest circles of wealth and privilege in pre-World War I Germany, living in a variety of palaces and castles and secure within a wide family circle which extended into nearly every royal dynasty in Europe. Petropoulos' central story examines how such men could have been seduced into participating in the highest levels of one of the most thuggish regimes in modern times.
   
   The Hessen family, like other royal/noble clans, was severely shaken by World War I. Although they did not lose all their property (or their lives) as so many of their relations did, Philipp and Christoph's family saw their status slip and some of their wealth vanish. This, along with the terrible suffering more ordinary Germans underwent in the post-World War I period, made the Hessen princes prime targets for the appeal of Nazism: militarism, aggressive nationalism, revenge for past defeats.
   
   After Hitler's coming to power in 1933 and the establishment of the Third Reich, the Nazi Party made a concerted effort to win the support of highly placed individuals and families. Much of the German aristocracy and many members of former royal houses joined the Party, and while they may have privately sneered at the lumpenproletariat side of the Nazis and contrasted it with their own urbane sophistication, they were not above working for and doing the bidding of those they considered so uncouth. Philipp and Christoph were two prime examples. Philipp assisted Hitler in cultural affairs and, since he was married to a daughter of the Italian king, often served as an envoy to Mussolini. Christoph ran one of the Nazi intelligence agencies and served as a fighter pilot in World War II. Both were members of the SS, and both were used by Hitler to try to win influence with their cousins, the British royal family.
   
   Having so much access to Hitler meant making a lot of moral compromises for the Hessens. Neither was particularly anti-Semitic (at least by the standards of the time) and had Jewish friends, but both were silent participants in the early stages of the Final Solution and similar atrocities. Both were artistic and fairly well educated by the standards of their caste, but neither protested the Nazi book-burnings or the destruction of art deemed insufficiently Aryan. Petropoulos does a good job contrasting this lack of action by the Hessens with the opposition of such aristocrats as Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who with his family suffered enormously because he refused to collaborate.
   
   As so often happens to those who cooperate with evil, Philipp and Christoph became victims themselves. Philipp and his wife (the beautiful Princess Mafalda of Savoy) ended up in concentration camps where Mafalda died after terrible sufferings. Christoph was killed in a suspicious plane crash after he too lost the Nazis' favor. After the war Philipp spent time in POW camps and went through a long drawn out denazification process before being allowed to retire, poorer and hopefully wiser, to what was left of his estates.
   
   Petropoulos had the cooperation of many members of the Hessen family and other German nobles as well as that of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was Christoph's brother-in-law. He does a good job depicting the two men as the cultivated, charming cosmopolitans they were, and the reader is left with a disturbing question: If men such as these could be corrupted by the Nazis, is anyone really safe from similar extremism?



3. Petrouplos'has a remarkable knack for gathering valuable hisotrical information, not to mention wangling an interview with the formidable Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is a serious academic historian and his work includes a list of previous books he's written about the Nazi era and the holocaust. His fluency in German, and his academic background, put him in a league of his own among royalty writers. The book is written with the stiff prose of an academic research paper, but on its face, it may appeal as much to royalty buffs as to historians of World War II and the Nazi movement.Often the sensational facts underlying the story are dulled by the musty language. However, the reluctance to sensationalize gives the book more credibility. Petroupols downplays the sizzling hot genealogy of the principal players, Christoph and Philipp von Hessen. Even the family tree fails to branch out as far as it could, straight into the heart of the living royal family of England. A typical royalty writer such as Kitty Kelley would have put the facts in big bold font: the Duke of Edinburgh, husband of the Queen of England, had three sisters and three brothers-in-law who became members of the Nazi party. The facts are interesting, if deplorable. Petroupolus seeks to lay out the facts objectively, looking at root causes. Maybe there is enough distance between us and the Nazi era to admit with some calmness the appeal of the movement. Royalty buffs may want to turn their idols into saints, but this book makes it evident that some royals backed Hitler long and enthusiastically. One vivid passage in the book quotes a conversation between Phillip von Hessen and Hitler, and the Prince sounds both subservient and fanatical: 'Jawohl, mein Fuherer!'he says, several times in one minute.
   
   I admit to being a royalty buff, and I bought this book because my current obsession is the house of Hesse. I found mayself seeing Princess Margaret of Hesse-Kassel in a new light. A daughter of Victoria, the English Empress of Germany, who was herself the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Margaret and her husband became devout fans of Hitler and Nazism. The root cause seems to have been a hatred of Communism and an admiration for the German economic and social renaissance ushered in by the Nazis. True, many German nobles gradually or quickly became disillusioned by the regime as it showed its profoundly evil side...and suffered military defeat. One can't help wondering how one would have acted in the same circumstances. And how our own reaction to the policies of the current administration will be viewed.
   
   We all get caught in our times. Petroupolos's book doesn't convey this vividly, and it is not a miracle of literature. But the facts he discloses resonate long after the last page is turned.



4. A rich account with impeccable sholarship of a German royal family's historical roots, European connections, and role in the Third Reich.



5. 
   Petropoulos goes where no one has gone before. I had often wondered about the rumors surrounding the Windsors for which JP carefully separates facts from fiction. I had also wondered about what had become of the many royal houses of pre-Weimar Germany. With this book, I understand a lot more about their post WWI history.
   
   This is not just a story of the von Hessen princes, while they are the focus, they are used as a benchmark for many royals in this period.
   
   The devastation of Germany in WWI (22% of its young men killed) was followed by a new governance and the Weimar Republic arose. It exiled the Kaiser, rescinded royal titles, and voted on the status of lands formerly owned by a patchwork of royal sovereignties now abolished. While this vote on the lands failed passage, it was alarming to the aristocracy.
   
   Noting this, and perhaps the fate of the Romanovs, and the socialistic/communistic aspects of the times, the royals and aristocrats were seduced by Hitler's message. They joined the Nazi party earlier and in greater proportion than any other demographic.
   
   The prose in this book is heavy, and for someone like me, without much background in the history of Germany in this period was a slow read. It was, nevertheless, a page turner. Because I didn't know this family, what they did, nor their fate, I was glued to it. A map would be useful for readers, like me, with little background in Germany and its geography.
   
   You came to understand the thinking and the loss which would compel the royals to do something, anything, following their loss of status and wealth. The Nazi party with its militaristic overtones was a match for their feudal ideals. JP documents the anti-Semitism of the aristocracy. He also notes that while their childhood training taught them their role above others, it also inculcated a sense of honor which should have precluded the activites they later got caught up in.
   
   Philipp and Christoph, perhaps typical of royals and aristocrats, were deeply entrenched in the party as it turned homicidal. Phillipp either approved or ignored the conversion of the former mental hospital to a torture and/or elimination facility in the town over which he presided. As the author notes, due to the heavy censorship of the times, and his inability to confide, we don't know the disposition of Phillipp (and the other royals and aristocrats in similar situations, nor their feelings and motivations as the party turned on them) as events careened into deeper madness. We do have Philipp's denazificaiton testimony, which of course is steered to his defense.
   
   A debt is owed to not just the author for assembling this massive amount of material, but to the von Hessen family who provided full access to their personal papers.

1 comments about Snowdon: The Biography.

1. This book is not yet available in the US; I had to order it from AmazonUK, but I'm very glad I did. De Courcy, a great writer, "sort of" received cooperation from Armstrong-Jones in the writing of this "unauthorised" biography.
   
   I had known the bare bones of Armstrong-Jones/Lord Snowdon's life from reading biographies of other members of the Royal Family. De Courcy does a great job at fleshing out his life, work, and personal life, without sensationalising it too much. However, what can you say about a man with three legitimate children and two illegitimate ones to his credit. This is a man who seems never to be without a woman (and a "spare") in his life at all times. I suppose his womanising can be blamed on his rotten relationship with his mother, a social-climbing snob without much in the way of maternal feelings.
   
   The book details his life with Princess Margaret and how his association with her does aid his ascent into the upper ranks of society. But his superb skills at photography were just as important as his relationships in his rise. He's a man of many talents and manifest personal charm.
   
   A well-written bio of a particularly interesting subject.

5 comments about Grace Kelly: Icon of Style to Royal Bride (Philadelphia Museum of Art).

1. I was a bit disappointed when I received the book as I thought it would have more colored pictures of her wardrobe. Many were in black and white. The photos of her wedding dress were lovely though -- I guess that was the true focus of the book.



2. This book gives a very detailed representation of Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress. It also gives lots of details of the events leading up to her wedding day. It is not a biography of her life. It focuses on her wedding day and the events leading up to it with the wedding day itself being the culmination.



3. I, for one, think that Grace Kelly was the epitome of the most beautiful, elegant brides of the modern edge...even to Princess Diana..that dress and the work that went into it is mindblowing. I've seen the dress in person and it TRULY is BREATHTAKINGLY stunning! The lace, alone, in this modern age (although no longer available) would be over $10K ALONE! I plan to copy some of Grace's elegance in my very own wedding...a Rose Point Lace garter, the beautiful Juliet Cap...all I can say is this: It's not a Grace Kelly Bio--this is strictly dedicated to the dress and it's making: fabrics and laces used and how they were all put together. Truly and informative book besides being a wonderful reference as well as a Keepsake. At LEAST 5 stars on this. Check it out..you won't be disappointed!



4. I bought this book for the sole purpose of learning more about Grace Kelly's wedding dress. At the time I bought the book, I was planning my own wedding and I wanted a wedding dress that looked similar to Grace's. However, I had not been able to find good pictures of the dress online or in other books I had of Grace. Therefore, I was delighted with this book, which has beautiful pictures of the dress. Furthermore, the book has also proven to be a great addition to my collection of Grace Kelly books as it provides particular attention and detail to one of the most important days in Grace's life. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is interested in Grace, and particularly in her wedding dress.



5. A bride figure of really beautiful Grace.
   The photograph which photographed her is splendid. Various articles used at the time of marriage are carried.
   This is a precious document.