2 comments about Elizabeth I (Life and Times Series).

1. Elizabeth is the subject of scores of biographies and this isn't one of the better ones. Williams' writing style is OK, but not deeply engaging, and he glosses over some of the most interesting periods in Elizabeth's life. The book is well-illustrated and is a decent introductory biography of Elizabeth, but it lacks the depth and insight any biography of this amazing woman should offer.



2. There is so much to learn about Elizabeth the 1st. In The Life and Times of Elizabeth the 1st, by Neville Williams an abundant amount of information is given about Elizabeth's life before and during her reign as Queen of England. Before Elizabeth became Queen she suffered through a rough childhood without a mother, being called horrible names by people and being imprisoned by her own sister. During her reign as Queen, Elizabeth had to deal with life in court, religious matters and being courted often by suitors, yet choosing to rule on her own. This book also has many illustrations, which helps you in your understanding of the book.
   
   I felt this book had a lot of useful information about Queen Elizabeth's life. I also found it a very intriguing read. This book relates to the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus shows courage. He shows courage when he took Tom Robinsons case and tried to save him even though he knew in doing so he knew it could possibly hurt him and his family. Like Atticus Elizabeth also showed courage. She showed courage when she chose to rule England on her own even though she was being pressured to marry. There is so much to learn about this incredible monarch and what she went through throughout her life. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

3 comments about Catherine the Great: A Short History.

1. Catherine is one of history's most complex, intelligent, strong-willed and resourceful women. de Mariaga's account is accurate and straightforward. Though she lacks the rhetorical flourish and eye-for-drama that makes Troyat's bio such a joy to read, de Mariaga pays closer attention to historical detail and gives the reader a keener sense of the political atmosphere Catherine faced and then recreated in her image.

   de Mariaga doesn't dwell long on Catherine's formative years, dealing with the entire period from German childhood to ascension to the Russian throne in the prologue. She does mention the effect that Plutarch, Tacitus and Montesquieu had on the fifteen year Catherine. When the Swede, Count Gyllenborg urged her to read these authors, Catherine acted on the suggestion by ordering the library of the Academy of Sciences and its bookshop be sent to her. The books, when they came, were over the head of a fifteen-year old, but she turned to them later in life. de Mariaga tells us that years later, while awaiting news from Potemkin during the second Turkish campaign, Catherine (along with her newest consort, Zubov) distracts herself by translating Plutarch' Lives.

   Catherine had to deal with many powerful factions when she came to power, following Peter II's secret assassination by the Orlov's. Some of the aristocratic members of her early cabinet, especially Panin, were hoping for a parliamentarian form of government, with a select few advisors wielding the majority of the power. Catherine, with the backing of the Orlovs, displayed her mettle early on in circumventing such notions. As far as she was concerned, Russia would remain an an autocrcy. Yet she was diplomatic enough not to appear heavy-handed in her decision-making and gave the impression, even to those she disagreed with strongly, that she was considering their proposals. She gave into Panin on his idea of a councl, but it was to be fashioned by her, so the old idea of service to the sovereign was reinforced. Even so it took her a good five years to consolidate her authority and spoil the ambitions of those who wanted to keep her a figurehead regent serving only until the czarevich Paul reached his majority.

   de Mariaga stresses the importance of the assembly of 1767 in helping validate Catherine's rule and cementing her government. The assembly was important in that it allowed Catherine to come in contact with a wide cross-section of the Empire, and allowed her to confer new status on previously disenfranchised segments of the population (except the serfs, of course), at the expense of the nobility. The nobility found itself unable to resist Catherine's power-grab, for she was now speaking directly to "her children" with the divine voice of the Enlightenment. To have denounced her plan before a national assembly would have been tantamount to denouncing providence itself.

   Catherine epitomized the "enlightened despot." She combined the "enlightened" political model of Montesqieu with her own brand of absolute power. A case could be made that she wasn't so much power-hungry as unwilling to share policy-making with those less-enlightened than she; namely, the Russian nobility whom she saw (correctly) as interested primarily in maintaining their wealth and status.

   Catherine corresponded frquently with Voltaire. She brought Diderot to Russia. She wrote voluminously on subjects ranging from political science to drama. She was a Rennaissance Man in woman's garb in an Age of Enlightenment. Her diplomatic skills were exemplary. She could be ruthless and iron-fisted when the occasion dictated it. She, like Peter the Great before her, forged a new Russia, less dependent on old superstitions and the whip, more attuned to education and the new humanism. While her sexual proclivities have been vastly over-sensationalized, it could well be stated that in the area of bedroom-diplomacy Cleopatra was her only rival.

   Again, if you are a reader interested in good story-as-bio, stick to Troyat. If you are interested in the political panorama of 18th c. Russia, de Mariaga is the best guide I know of.




2. A tad dry but a good history of a very complex woman who moved Russia into the modern era. If you want to know Russian history this is a must read.



3. This book is so dry...very hard to finish. It tells very little about Catherine. Way too much about Russian history leading up to her rule.

No comments about The Memoirs Of Madame De Montespan.

No comments about George IV.

1 comments about Henry V (Revealing History).

1. This is less a biography than it is a overview of how Henry has been treated by historians, dramatists, and population culture. The actual life and assessment of the man takes up less than a third of the book and is pretty standard stuff. The analysis of how history has treated Henry is interesting and good source material but the absence of any real coherant theme under the analysis or final summing up undermines its value. I would say this is good source material for a college paper if you didn't want to read the orginal texts and helpful for the reader to learn where to go next, but not the best source for an understanding of various interpretations of Henry.

No comments about Kings & Queens of England: The Lives and Reigns of the Monarchs of England.

5 comments about The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, Part 3).

1. While Tolkien's epic has its obvious flaws : the blatant racism,
   simplistic politics and superiority of Westerners he beats you over the
   head with, the wonderful setting is not to be denied.
   
   Pitched battle as decoy is not too bad a stunt either, as they try and given Sam and Frodo more time to destroy the One Ring.
   
   After this, the repercussions of this war for Middle-Earth are felt closer to home for the four fuzzy short guys.



2. I listen to a lot of books on tape. Every once in a while I come across a narrator who is perfectly suited to the work. I don't mean a narrarator who has a good voice, I mean a narrator whose voice brings the story alive. Rob Inglis is such a narrator in all three books in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each character is clearly identifiable by his uncanny ability produce dozens of distinct voices. I've listened to other audio versions of Tolkien's works. Those narrarated by Rob Inglis are the only ones that I've found worth the purchase.



3. I won't go into what Lord of the Rings is all about. If you're looking at this book you probably already know. Instead I'll tell you about the version you are looking at. This publication has a wonderful, classic feel to it. Map in the back which provides detail of Rohan and Gondor. The cover slip is great. Wonderful artwork. I purchased this version because it doesn't have the movie art work all over it. Remember, it was a book before a movie. If you're going to read the book, leave the movie behind. The Return of the King also has the Appendices and has a quality hard binding. I would recommend this version (any of three books) to anyone who wants the real Lord of the Rings experience.



4. The third book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which was never meant by Tolkien to be a trilogy, but three separate books seem a lot more manageable than one 1008-page volume). I liked this one better than the second book, but not as much as the first. I thought that, like in the second book, the way Tolkien divided the narrative was weird. Rather than switching back and forth between two simultaneous stories, he tells all of one, then all of the other. Still, that's a little nit-pick for an epic of this magnitude. I'm not sure if The Lord of the Rings as a whole would make my personal top 10 list, but it definitely deserves a spot among the greatest novels ever written, if not for the writing then for the sheer imagination and ambition of the project. I've never read a book that so convincingly creates an entire world. It's no wonder this is considered to be the definitive fantasy. There were times when I wanted to live in Middle Earth and other times when I set the book down and felt like I had been in Middle Earth for a while. An incredible escape, and well worth the time it takes to read it.



5. I got the whole "Lord of the Rings" trilogy for my husband woh loved the movies. He has truly enjoyed listening to the audiobooks and so have I. The reader is excellent and provide different voices for each character. I would compare the reader to Stephen Fry of the UK version for the Harry Potter audiobooks. These books were definatly worth the money.

No comments about The Battle of Naseby and the Fall of King Charles the First (Illustrated History Paperbacks).

No comments about Pierre Reverdy: a bibliography (Research Bibliographies and Checklists).

2 comments about The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes.

1. If you've ever had a hankerin' for knowledge, trivia or just an insight into the kings and queens of England, this is the source. Dame Longford has provided historical and contemporary references, sotries and tales of the British royals from Boudiccea, the Warrior Queen to Alfred the Great, from Aethelred to Victoria to Elizabeth II. the Book opens with a detailed genology, including the Saxons and Danes, Normans, Plantagenets, Yorks, Lancastrians,Tudors, Saxe-Coburg-Gothas and Windsors. Each dated entry



2. I am frequently called upon by community groups to give a talk on the British royal family, given that I have worked in parliament, studied history in London, and have met several of the royals. This is rare among persons in midwestern America. Fortunately, there is no lack of material, and my talks are never the same.

   One of my sources for interesting side notes and comic relief for these talks is 'The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes', edited by Lady Elizabeth Longford. Had there been tabloids throughout history many of these stories might have featured prominently (albeit probably with the occasional alien thrown in for good measure of sensationalism).

   Longford does not commit the sin of most historians of the royals of beginning with William the Conqueror--there was a Britain before 1066. She includes Celts, Danes, and Saxons. Alas, she does not include Scots or others explicitly after 1066, but their stories are woven into the stories.

   Longford's sources include histories, biographies, poems, newspaper accounts, diaries, and personal correspondence in library and museum collections. Many anecdotes are pulled from other histories--those bits that are neglected because the substance of the weightier matters overpowers them. Thus, this collection helps the hidden jewels to shine.

   One example of Longford's treatment would be in recounting the shifting image over time of the reign and fate of Edward II. She gives brief details of biographers from 1313 (during his reign), 1327 (the year of his deposition), a seventeenth century biographer, and a modern biographer. In this we see that while the verdict of history holds sway, it needn't stay constant. Today's hero becomes tomorrow's villain, and yet later tragic character.

   Here one can also see various bits about John Brown, friend and servant and supposed lover (even, some speculated, husband) of Victoria--their relationship is presented from many sides, and Longford resists jumping to conclusions herself.

   From her epilogue, Longford states: 'This has been the story of many dynasties and one royal line. That line goes back a thousand years, yet it has shown infinite variety rather than recognisable family traits. Indeed it seems to cover the whole human spectrum, though in heightened or exaggerated form because of the royal ambiance.... The hushed abdication broadcast from Windsor Castle has replaced the crunch of the axe on Tower Green. Even anthologists can have no regrets.'