July 2017 Book News

Shadows of a Princess
Paperback – 27 July 2017 (UK)  & 25 July 2017 (US)

Reissued for the twentieth anniversary of Diana’s death, this sensational bestseller is an explosive account of her life, from the man who was by her side throughout its most turbulent period.

In 1981 Lady Diana Spencer was seen by many as a lifeline for the outdated Windsor line. But Diana didn’t follow the script. Instead she brought a revolution.

Patrick Jephson was Diana’s closest aide and adviser during her years of greatest public fame and deepest personal crisis. He witnessed the disintegration of her marriage to Prince Charles and the negotiation of the royal divorce.

Rooted in unique first-hand experience, Shadows of a Princess is an authoritative, balanced account of one of the world’s most famous and tragic women.

The Empress of Art: Catherine the Great and the Transformation of Russia
Paperback – 11 July 2017 (UK) & 13 June 2017 (US)

Intelligent and determined, Catherine modeled herself off of her grandfather in-law, Peter the Great, and sought to further modernize and westernize Russia. She believed that the best way to do this was through a ravenous acquisition of art, which Catherine often used as a form of diplomacy with other powers throughout Europe. She was a self-proclaimed -glutton for art- and she would be responsible for the creation of the Hermitage, one of the largest museums in the world, second only to the Louvre. Catherine also spearheaded the further expansion of St. Petersburg, and the magnificent architectural wonder the city became is largely her doing. There are few women in history more fascinating than Catherine the Great, and for the first time, Susan Jaques brings her to life through the prism of art.

Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey
Paperback – 6 July 2017 (UK) 12 December 2017 (US)

These were the words uttered by the seventeen-year-old Lady Jane Grey as she stood on the scaffold awaiting death on a cold February morning in 1554. Forced onto the throne by the great power players at court, Queen Jane reigned for just thirteen tumultuous days before being imprisoned in the Tower, condemned for high treason and executed.

In this dramatic retelling of an often misread tale, historian and researcher Nicola Tallis explores a range of evidence that has never before been used in a biography to sweep away the many myths and reveal the moving, human story of an extraordinarily intelligent, independent and courageous young woman.

Diana: I’m Going to be Me: The People’s Princess Revealed in Her Own Words
Paperback– 1 July 2017 (UK & US)

The book takes us from Diana’s troubled childhood, through her rushed and ultimately unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and the uneasy relationship with the Royal Family, to her last years of failed flings and untimely death. But it also highlights the depths of her care and compassion, her unshakeable love of family, her groundbreaking campaigns on AIDS and land mines and her cheeky, sometimes risque, sense of humour. Beautiful and vulnerable, and one of the most popular and most photographed public figures, she lived the whole of her adult life in the glare of an intense media spotlight yet managed to retain her dignity and identity. In this first ever comprehensive collection of Diana’s most memorable quotes, veteran royal reporter Phil Dampier reveals the heart and soul of an incredible woman who is missed by millions around the world. Her powerful legacy lives on through her sons, Princes William and Harry, and a new generation is becoming aware her extraordinary life for the first time.

Royal Gifts

Hardcover – 15 July 2017 (US) & 27 July 2017 (UK)

Throughout her long and distinguished reign, Queen Elizabeth II has been presented with gifts of great value and historical significance.

Published to coincide with the Summer Opening exhibition 2017 at Buckingham Palace, Royal Gifts presents a selection of the gifts given to The Queen. A spectacular display of craftsmanship, these fascinating objects come from more than one hundred countries, and cross every continent. Many  commemorate remarkable moments from throughout The Queen’s reign, including meetings with world leaders such as former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower, former South African President Nelson Mandela, and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China. Others mark key milestones like The Queen’s ninetieth birthday and Diamond Jubilee. Bringing these gifts together for the first time, including some that have never been published before, Royal Gifts includes beautiful new photography and descriptions of each gift’s creation and presentation.

Cecily Duchess of York

Hardcover – 13 July 2017 (US & UK)

This is the first scholarly biography of Cecily Neville, duchess of York, the mother of Edward IV and Richard III. She was said to have ruled Edward IV ‘as she pleased’ and Richard III made his bid for the throne from her home. Yet Cecily has been a shadowy figure in modern histories, noted primarily for her ostentatious piety, her expensive dresses, and the rumours of her adultery.

Here J. L. Laynesmith draws on a wealth of rarely considered sources to construct a fresh and revealing portrait of a remarkable woman. Cecily was the only major protagonist to live right through the Wars of the Roses. This book sheds new light on that bloody conflict in which Cecily proved herself an exceptional political survivor. Skilfully manipulating her family connections and contemporary ideas about womanhood, Cecily repeatedly reinvented herself to protect her own status and to ensure the security of those in her care.

From her childhood marriage to Richard duke of York until her final decade as grandmother of the first Tudor queen, the story of Cecily Neville’s life provides a rich insight into national and local politics, women’s power and relationships, motherhood, household dynamics and the role of religion in fifteenth-century England.

Unexpected Heirs in Early Modern Europe: Potential Kings and Queens (Queenship and Power)

Hardcover – 29 July 2017 (US)  & 29 July 2017  (UK)

There were many surprising accessions in the early modern period, including Mary I of England, Henry III of France, Anne Stuart, and others, but this is the first book dedicated solely to evaluating their lives and the repercussions of their reigns. By comparing a variety of such unexpected heirs, this engaging history offers a richer portrait of early modern monarchy. It shows that the need for heirs and the acquisition and preparation of heirs had a critical impact on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century culture and politics, from the appropriation of culture to the influence of language, to trade and political alliances. It also shows that securing a dynasty relied on more than just political agreements and giving birth to legitimate sons, examining how relationships between women could and did forge alliances and dynastic continuities.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Royal Britain: A Magnificent Study Of Britain’S Royal Heritage With A Directory Of Royalty And Over 120 Of The Most Important Historic Buildings

Hardcover –1 August 2017 (US) & 31 July 2017 (UK)

Explore the history of the British Isles in this celebration of its monarchs, and the development of its fine architectural legacy. The first half is a magnificent illustrated history of Britain’s kings and queens, including such internationally recognized characters as Henry VIII and Elizabeth II. The second part focuses on many fascinating historic sites in Britain and Ireland, including Tintagel, Windsor and Chatsworth. From castles to kings,from stately houses to statesmen and nobles, the legacy of Britain’s past is an intrinsic part of the country today.This expert and comprehensive guide to British royalty and architecture will delight and inform every reader.

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women: A Social History

Hardcover – 4 July 2017 (US) & 1 August 2017 (UK)

The turbulent Tudor Age never fails to capture the imagination. But what was it truly like to be a woman during this era? 

The Tudor period conjures up images of queens and noblewomen in elaborate court dress; of palace intrigue and dramatic politics. But if you were a woman, it was also a time when death during childbirth was rife; when marriage was usually a legal contract, not a matter for love, and the education you could hope to receive was minimal at best.

Yet the Tudor century was also dominated by powerful and dynamic women in a way that no era had been before. Historian Elizabeth Norton explores the life cycle of the Tudor woman, from childhood to old age, through the diverging examples of women such as Elizabeth Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister; Cecily Burbage, Elizabeth’s wet nurse; Mary Howard, widowed but influential at court; Elizabeth Boleyn, mother of a controversial queen; and Elizabeth Barton, a peasant girl who would be lauded as a prophetess. Their stories are interwoven with studies of topics ranging from Tudor toys to contraception to witchcraft, painting a portrait of the lives of queens and serving maids, nuns and harlots, widows and chaperones. Norton brings this vibrant period to colorful life in an evocative and insightful social history. 8 pages of color illustrations

Death of a Princess: The True Story Behind Diana’s Tragic End

Kindle – 11 July 2017 (US)

For the twentieth anniversary of Diana’s death, a new, updated edition of the headline-grabbing New York Times bestseller that told the definitive story of how the Princess of Wales lost her life in a high-speed car accident in the heart of Paris on August 31, 1997.

What really happened on that fateful summer night? Rumors still abound: that Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed (son of wealthy Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed), were planning to marry and British intelligence was somehow involved in their deaths. Or, that the paparazzi, a second car, or Diana and Dodi’s driver, may have been responsible.

Written by Tom Sancton, Time‘s Paris bureau chief at the time, and Scott MacLeod, then the magazine’s Middle East correspondent, Death of a Princess struck a chord in 1998 with its exhaustive account of what really happened in the months, days, hours, and minutes leading up to the fatal crash. The book remains a masterwork of strong, original reporting, firsthand interviews with key figures, and insider analysis of one of the twentieth century’s most tragic and unforgettable events.

In the Footsteps of the Six Wives of Henry VIII: The Visitor’s Companion to the Palaces, Castles & Houses Associated with Henry VIII’s Iconic Queens

Paperback – 1 November 2017 (US) & 15 July 2017 (UK)

Explore a fresh perspective on the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives by embarking on a journey through the manors, castles, and palaces in which their lives played out. This journey traces their steps to the Alhambra in Spain, childhood home of Katherine of Aragon; to the room at Acton Court where Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII publicly dined; through the cobbled grounds of Hampton Court Palace, which bore witness to triumph and tragedy for Jane Seymour; into the streets of Düsseldorf in Germany, birthplace of Anne of Cleves; among the ruins and picturesque gardens of St Mary’s Abbey in York, where Catherine Howard and Henry VIII rested at the pinnacle of the 1541 progress; and to Gainsborough Old Hall in Lincolnshire, where Katherine Parr lived as daughter-in-law of the irascible Sir Thomas Brough. Each location’s narrative unearths the queens’ lives in documents and artifacts, as well as providing practical information. This book brings readers closer than ever to the women behind the legends, providing a personal and illuminating journey.

Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant

Paperback– 21 July 2017 (UK)

The tall, handsome Abdul Karim was just twenty-four years old when he arrived in England from Agra to wait at tables during Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. An assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail, he suddenly found himself a personal attendant to the Empress of India herself. Within a year, he was established as a powerful figure at court, becoming the queen’s teacher, or Munshi, and instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. Devastated by the death of John Brown, her Scottish ghillie, the queen had at last found his replacement. But her intense and controversial relationship with the Munshi led to a near-revolt in the royal household. Now a major motion picture starring Dame Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul examines how a young Indian Muslim came to play a central role at the heart of the empire, and tells a tender love story between an ordinary Indian and his elderly queen.