1 comments about I'll Tell the Jokes Arthur: Diana, the Royal Family & Me.

1. This book has been called the funniest and best Royalty book ever written. I cannot say that I agree with that synopsis, but it is an interesting read, nonetheless. I have read most every book written on Diana and the royal family of England. I have read other books that were much funnier and that had more of an "I can't put it down" element, but I do have a great deal of admiration for Arthur Edwards and his position of respected photographer of England's royalty. He offers a unique perspective on the private lives of Diana and Fergie, and many details I had not read before. But it took me quite a long time to get through this book - my way of telling whether a book is absolutely fabulous or not - and obviously much of its content is now sadly outdated. If you are a die-hard royal fan, however, I'd still recommend it.

1 comments about Catherine the Great (Profiles in Power).

1. That this book is part of the same Profiles in Power series as Hartley's Alexander I and Carwardine's Lincoln simply boggles the mind. Was the editor on vacation?
   
   The best part of the book is the cover, featuring a painting of Catherine. Unfortunately, the book is not even worth opening.
   
   Academics like what is called a "review of the literature," in which they survey what has previously been written on a subject. This book is nothing but such a review. The book is very short with short chapters with a massive bibliography at the end of each chapter.
   
   Just what is the author's take on Catherine? Well, there isn't one. He just reviews and reviews.
   
   This book undermines the credibility for reading Profiles books in the future.

5 comments about Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards.

1. The book is entertaining but if your goal is the study of history, do not buy this book. It is, as another reviewer pointed out, full of mistakes. The first one I found (that stood out) was on page 10. The author states that Mary II (of William III and Mary II) was the sister of James II. She was, in fact, James II's daughter. William's mother, Mary, was the sister of James II and Charles II.

   I also found that Hilliam's method of tracing the lines of descent of the various royal houses of Great Britain seemed designed to confuse, rather than enlighten, the reader. I think that it even confused the author himself(see page 10).

   On the plus side, the sections on Bones and Bastards are entertaining to read, if you don't plan on using this book for research purposes.




2. leading to Princess Sophia Dorothea`s apartement.

   In fact Count Königsmarck was last seen whe he left his house in Hannover on the evening of 11.July 1694. No corpse was ever found. Of course there were rumours all over the town that he had been assassinated and murdered and that his body had been thrown in the river Leine. But wether this had really happened an if it was being carried out on the instruction og George Ludwig (the latter George I) or his father Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hannover or the Countess of Platen (who was not only Königsmarck`s mistress but also Ernest Augustus`s) will never be known. Princess Sophia Dorothea was not divorced and put under house arrest in Ahlden because the dying Königsmarck was found lying before her bodouir But because she was forced to return to her father in Celle. This business was called run away and although she did not "flee" voluntarily and although of course her father turned her down she was accused of wilful deserting thus justifying George Ludwig to divorce her. As a note of history she became not only the mother of the english dynasty of Hannover but through her daughter, another Sophia Dorothea, the mother of the prussian dynasty of Hohenzollern.

   But on the whole the book is remarkably enertaining and gives you a fascinating insight into 1500 years of englisch history.




3. Honestly, people - calm down. Did any of the previous readers/reviewers honestly expect a book with the title "Kings, Queens, Bones and Bastards" to be a flawless description of centuries of English history ? And that with scholarly accuracy and intellect ? Take it for what it is worth. Read the "Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy" if you want accuracy. This book is a highly entertaining, easy read. I highly recommend it for its amusing anecdotes and enjoyable style.



4. This is a fun book that gives interesting and little known facts occuring in the royal history of England. It ties together many unions, births, deaths and other important events of English royalty and lesser royals. It is an easy read and a great reference for understanding the royal succession.



5. There is a lot of history in this book. Over 1500 years is covered. The author digs deep into history to give us the histories of the people that became the Kings and Queens of England from the reign of Egbert in the 800's to Queen Elizabeth II who is currently reigning.
   
   The book is broken down into sections. The first section details the lives of the King or Queen in question. The next details the people that they married. The next is how the person died and where they are buried. The next section details wither the King or Queen had any illegitimate children.
   
   Very informative book for people who are interested in the royal family or just want to learn more. It also has a family tree that connects the first King of England to Queen Elizabeth-fascinating stuff!

No comments about THE LAST OF THE DUCHESS..

5 comments about Diana--The Last Word.

1. I have not even read the book yet, and I find a huge mistake. The picture in the book that is labeled Hasnat Khan is actually Dodi Fayed. If you look at pictures of Khan and there are several online, you can see that he has fuller lips and straight thick hair. When you compare the picture in the book to pictures of Dodi you can see it is the same person.
   
   If they can't even get that right or missed the correct name in the editing, you begin to wonder about the rest of the book.



2. This book is the worse form of petty gossip ever written. Definitely NOT historical, and should NOT be attributed to Diana's memories. This book should be called Simone Simmons: The lowest of the low.



3. This is one of my favourite books about Diana, The Princess Of Wales.It is a genuine human book about a genuine human being.The ancedotes are what bring it to life such as Diana liking to wear blue nail polish but only on her toes.
   I fail to see why others are so critical of this book perhaps it comes to close to the truth for some people



4. Whilst Ms. Simmons has been slaughtered in the mass media over her revelations, it is interesting that since the inquest into Diana's death has begun, she appears to be receiving vindication on an almost daily basis.
   
   Whilst newspapers do not report the full facts, they are on the inquest website... but much of it was in Ms. Simmons's book published a couple of years ago.
   
   Simmons's writing style is accessible to all, covers some previously unexplored and fascinating insights into a fabulous woman and it is likely only to upset those who have created for themselves a fairytale illusion that they do not want shattered.
   
   Read it and accept what you like, read it and dismiss if you wish, but accept that Diana was a person not just a media image.



5. After reading this book, I could only think that perhaps Simone is pathetic and self-centred and quite obviously jealous of Paul Burrell's (the princess's trusted butler) close friendship and loyalty to his highly respected boss Princess Diana. However, it is quite an interesting book, maybe there were some heart-to-heart women's talk in which Princess Diana would never have confided in Paul. Or perhaps Paul is totally aware of many events but chose to remain silence or just briefly mention in his books, out of his prefessionalism and respect for his boss. However, I doubt the authenticity of some contents written in Simone's book, especially the Kennedy junior flint. Having read books written by Simone (the best friend) and Paul (the butler), I would give my respect to Paul Burrell.
   p.s. Simone, how could you ever mention colon irrigation? And repeating it throughout the book?

2 comments about Charles II: The Last Rally.

1. I've read several biographies of Charles II, the best of them Antonia Fraser's, with Stephen Coote's more recent Royal Survivor much less so. Almost all treat their subject as intelligent, but lazy, at best, feckless and disloyal at worst. Belloc takes the unique view that Charles had a strong and well developed set of principles that were reasonably adapted to a free and just society, but which were irreconcilable with the nouveau riche elements of his economy. This treatment was quite reasonable and fairly convincing, but most of all made good reading. As with much of Belloc's work, there is a strong institutional Roman Catholic orientation. Belloc does downplay the licentiousness of the Restoration Court in general and its monarch in particular, but those details can be readily found elsewhere.



2. Hilaire Belloc is truly without peer as a historian. His works are beautiful and riveting. One has the feeling in reading Belloc of having a long and deep conversation with an old and extremely wise friend. The mood of the discourse is intoxicating, and we don't want the interlude to end. But end it does, the good news being we can always find more of this prolific and insightful author to peruse.
   
   In Charles II, Belloc tells the story of the restoration of the Stuart monarchy after the Cromwellian "Commonwealth". We heartily recommend reading Belloc's "Cromwell" first and then this excellent work. Simply by reading the last chapter of each respective work, the reader will grasp firmly one of the great truths that Belloc imparts, what it is to die in an unrepentent state, that of Cromwell, and what it is to leave this Earth, being reconciled in the Eucharist, as Charles II finally was. The story of the good English Priest who both introduced Charles to the Catholic faith, once saved his life, and finally gave his last rites, is far more powerful than any dramatic fiction I have ever read. His brother James, later to be James II of England, perfectly sums up this scene in saying,
   
   "The man who saved your life has come to save your soul."
   
   This is wonderful. Read it. And be richly blessed.

No comments about Bishop Burnet's History Of His Own Time V2: From The Restoration Of Charles Ii To The Treaty Of Peace At Utrecht, In The Reign Of Queen Anne.

5 comments about Frederick the Great: A Life in Deed and Letters.

1. After reading this book, I still didn't know why Frederick II of Prussia had been accorded the title "the Great" by history. This volume spends a lot of time on detailing the personal life of a very flawed man, and very little explaining why he was a seminal force in 18th century politics. I finally turned to his entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, which in a short article did a better job of explaining Frederick's place in history than this book did.

   Other flaws in this book: for those of us not familiar with 18th century European political geography, a map or two would have been helpful; without maps, it's impossible to understand Frederick's political machinations or (especially) his military campaigns. Also, incredibly, among the pictures there is not a single one of Frederick's queen!




2. In a society stuffed with anglophiles and, more recently, celticphiles, we have little history available on Middle Europe and its grandeur. We know that it produced the most terrible army of the 20th Century. We also know of colorful snippets about how 18th Century German mercenaries lent a hand in Britain's fruitless effort to keep 13 American colonies from becoming an indepent nation.

   The book gives a much deserved look at how Middle Europe's nations evolved through marriage, annexing and (naturlich) war. Frederick is taken off of his pedestal for us to take a closer look, and the authors shows us Frederick's warts and all. His family, especially his father, plays a vitol role in the book, which the author infers that this is a key element in driving Frederick to succeed.

   If there is a shortcoming in the book, it would be the battles. Though the book was not published to be a historical guide on tactics and strategics, I would like to know more on how the protagonist became so land rich at Prussia's zenith.




3. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great introduction to this important figure in European history.



4. I enjoyed this book, but I've purchased it twice and, despite the list of illustrations in the front, there isn't one picture in the book. I would love it if I could find a copy that was printed with the pictures.



5. Wow, this is the kind of popular history that one likes to find, for it is an easily read, quite original and highly entertaining piece of work. Most treatments of important historical figures are, of necessity, heavily-laden with names, dates, geography, and the minutiae of day to day and month to month activities. This is, after all, what a history is meant to be: An accurate recording of the events described. Most pleasure-readers want a lively, entertaining read that is also factually accurate. Unfortunately, an accurate history almost requires all of the relevant details. On the other hand, by including all of the detail the lively and entertaining parts are left out of the equation. (A marvelous exception to this rule is Robert Caro's singular and unrivaled biography of LBJ which, by the way, is still uncompleted three volumes and twenty years later).
   Giles MacDonogh has crafted a solution by focusing on Frederick's social and intellectual life. Essentially this is a kind of monograph in which the machinations of the war campaigns, for instance, are summed up in a few lines or a paragraph rather than parsed in painful, niggling detail in mind-numbing liturgical fashion. Likewise, many important characters in Frederick's life are glossed over or mentioned in passing (with the exception of a fine exposition of his father's life, and a rather hilarious on-going description of the decades-long sometimes charming sometimes brutal battle of wills between Voltaire and Frederick). The unspoken premise is a familiarity with Frederick the Great. MacDonogh's mission is to uncover aspects of Frederick's character -those things that went into making him great- that weren't fully developed in other treatments of the man, so be prepared to read another to get one's fill of mind-numbing tactical data and a full calender of events and daily briefings. We find the essence of the man through an examination of the ideas that motivated him, a reasonable explanation of how they were inculcated and developed and how they were applied. It is, if you will, a pointillist portrait done in broad brush strokes.
   Although you will likely come away from this book marveling at the genius of Frederick, the book suffers from not having at least a couple of maps to enable one to picture the puzzle-piece character of Frederick's home geography (one also wishes for more pictures of the players in Frederick's life, 16 pps. of pictures is just not enough). Also it doesn't supply quite enough for war campaign material for one to fully apprehend the awesome strategist that Frederick undoubtedly was (perhaps the author expects that this follows logically from a look at the man himself). It would also help to have a working knowledge of written French because the book is liberally sprinkled with lines in the French. The author seems to go out of his way to use obscure words so that one will frequently consult a dictionary. Funny enough because of the author's odd word choice I found myself looking up words that while completely familiar were still surprisingly ill-defined in my mental dictionary. I genuinely learned some new words and came to appreciate others which I believed I already knew. The biggest complaint I have is that the author expresses far too much interest in Frederick's sex life. Admittedly Voltaire's numerous scurrilous allegations against Frederick make for entertaining reading, but it seems that the author worries the issue like a small dog on a large bone.
   My complaints are small-beer when compared to the list of very interesting details included one finds fascinating but would never have thought to wonder about. Frederick's taste in music, food, architecture, literature and philosophers, for instance: An overview of Frederick's views on the economy, law, education, agriculture and manufactory: Immersion in the life of Frederick's mind and numerous examples of his sharp, incisive wit and rather deep observations about people and culture. Finally, the author does a brilliant job of bringing various lines of poetry to life with his translations of material issuing from Frederick, Voltaire, and a slew of people within Frederick's orbit. This couldn't have been accomplished by anybody but a person with a flair for language and literature. This engaging read is sure to bring a good few hours of pleasurable reading.

1 comments about Edward, Prince of Wales and Aquitaine: A Biography of the Black Prince.

1. If you're looking for an upbeat, easy-to-read history of Prince Edward, look elsewhere. This is definitely NOT the book for you.
   
   If you are looking for a book that details the life of a great leader, and digs deeply into the machinations behind the events of his times, this is definitely the book to get.
   
   So, point of the review: Armchair historians beware! This is a deep, quite dry history of the Black Prince.

No comments about Alfred the Great.