The Royals by Leslie Carroll
Hardcover, 176 pages
Sterling
September 22, 2011
★★★★☆
Genre: Non-Fiction, Coffee Table Book
Source: Personal Collection
Since the Middle Ages, the lavish world of the English monarchy has fascinated the public. The Royals: The Lives and Loves of the British Monarchs uncovers the most colorful characters ever to wear the crown, from William the Conqueror, the Norman duke who invaded and took England as his own, to William of Wales, the second in line to the modern throne. Nearly 1,000 year of the British rulers are chronicled, including the notorious kings and queens of the Tudor dynasty, up to the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Beautifully illustrated, this visual history brings the royal family to life. Includes removable reproductions of:
- letters from Henry VIII's wives
- the execution warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots
- a ticket to Queen Victoria's Jubilee Ball
- Edward VIII's official letter of abdication
- the wedding program for Charles and Diana
- and the official invitation to William and Kate's wedding
I picked up this book because I was interested in the reproductions that would be included. I knew most of the facts that were included in this book, but it is more of a coffee-table book rather than a deep non-fiction read.
I thought there was a great selection of members of the British royal family; while not every person is included, all of the time periods are represented here. Even though there were royals who were skipped, they were usually mentioned to some extent in either the preceding or succeeding chapters. I also enjoyed the fact that the modern royals were included, which are usually skipped over in chronologies.
The reproductions included were fun and it was exciting to look at each one. I appreciated the transcriptions of some of the documents because the handwriting was atrocious. I also would have liked something from any of the royals before Anne Boleyn as they didn’t appear until about halfway through the book and that was the purpose I purchased the book for.
I thought that the images were very nice reproductions which would look great on the coffee-table. Overall I found this book to be a quick, enjoyable experience and would recommend it to fans of the British royals.
Author Leslie Carroll also has written several other non-fiction books: Royal Affairs, Notorious Royal Marriages, Royal Pains, and Royal Romances. You can visit Leslie’s website for more information.
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This book is a Barnes & Noble exclusive.
Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court
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