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The remarkable Mary Nisbet was the Countess of Elgin in Romantic-era Scotland and the wife of the seventh Earl of Elgin. When Mary accompanied her husband to diplomatic duty in Turkey, she changed history. She helped bring the smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, struck a seemingly impossible deal with Napoleon, and arranged the removal of famous marbles from the Parthenon. But all of her accomplishments would be overshadowed, however, by her scandalous divorce. Drawing from Mary's own letters, scholar Susan Nagel tells Mary's enthralling, inspiring, and suspenseful story in vibrant detail.

Customer Reviews (7)

Pseudo-history, girl power, & the loss of marbles
Page 60 of this book states that "...the Ottomans, suspicious of the West, would prepare documents for foreigners in Italian because Venice was, for centuries, under Ottoman control."

How could any book claiming even a passing relationship with historical accuracy say this about Venice? It is not only wrong, it is so absolutely wrong as to make one wonder whether the author's claim to be a professor in the humanities department of Marymount Manhattan College (which may be a perfectly innocent victim in this, I don't know)is true - or to wonder which specific subject she may actually teach - creative writing perhaps?

Having already been made uneasy by her representation of the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland, the Union of Scotland & England, and the general depiction of the subject of this biography as a modern girl, the shocking ignorance displayed above was too much, and the book - once the fell sentence had been read out to those around me to the general horror of them all - placed in the take back to the library pile.

Some of the other reviews compare this one to the Captain Aubrey books - at least the author of those was concerned with historical accuracy, and his works were officially fiction.

Courageous Women
The story of how Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin, not her husband, saved the Elgin marbles is fascinating. The rest of her life reads like a romance novel!

A charming women
Mary Nisbet was the definition of an aristocrat. She lived a life most people dream of: She was good looking, charming, intelligent, extremely wealthy, and was admired and respected by some of the most powerful people around.

So what will you get out of by reading this book? Your be put into the shoes of Mary Nisbet and her extravagant lifestyle. Your get to know her spendthrift husband and his preoccupation with marbles from Parthenon. But really not much else.

The book is based off of Mary's diary, which really helped give the book life.
So, I'm giving the book 3 stars because the book was written fairly well, but the story was a little boring.

Absorbing
Seldom do I read Biographies and feel so intimately close to the subject as I did with this skilfully researched piece of work.I felt as if I had lived right along with Mary through her travels, adventures, exploits and tragedies.Packed with Romantic locals and historical people.It's an intimate peek into a fascinating life, who was Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin.

Quite a Girl!
Quite a Girl! We have this vision of the women of a century ago being totally subservient to the men. It has been the men who made history. Where there have been women in the story, they are often viewed only as a companion to the men, as examples, the recent biographies of Washington and Nelson. In recent years we've begun to see well written biographies of women who certainly led fascinating lives.

Mary Nisbet was smart, rich, beautiful. She took smallpox vaccine to the Middle East, brought classical marbles from the Parthenon back to England (before Napoleon could get them). Then she 'replaced' her husband with his best friend.

Quite a Girl, Very interesting character, well written book. ... Read more

Product Description
Moses - A Prophet of Many Religions is the biography of Moses, a 13th century BCE Biblical Hebrew religious leader, lawgiver, prophet, and military leader, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. He is also an important prophet in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, Mormonism, Rastafari, Raëlism, Chrislam and many other faiths. According to the book of Exodus, Moses was born to a Hebrew mother who hid him when a Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed, and ended up being adopted into the Egyptian royal family. After killing an Egyptian slave master, he fled and became a shepherd, and was later commanded by God to deliver the Hebrews from slavery. After the Ten Plagues were unleashed on Egypt, he led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Moses - A Prophet of Many Religions is highly recommended for those interested in the history and story of this popular prophet from the Bible. ... Read more

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1927. The Reign, 22nd January 1901 to 6th May 1910. A biography of King Edward VII, by the English biographer and critic, Sir Sidney Lee, who is best-known for A Life of William Shakespeare. Edward VII was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Victoria, true to the Hanoverian name, saw the worst in Edward. She and Albert imposed a strict regime upon Edward, who proved resistant and resentful throughout his youth. Victoria consistently denied her son any official governmental role. He rebelled by completely indulging himself in women, food, drink, gambling, sport and travel. His wife, Alexandra, turned a blind eye to his extramarital activities, which continued well into his sixties and found him implicated in several divorce cases. Despite Edward's colorful personal life and Victoria's perceptions of him as profligate, Edward ruled peacefully (aside from the Boer War of 1899-1902) and successfully during his short reign, which is remarkable considering the shifts in European power that occurred in the first decade of the twentieth century. ... Read more

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J.A.S. Evans examines the reign of the great emperor Justinian (527-565) and his wife Theodora, who advanced from the theatre to the throne.He chronicles the origins of the split between East and West, the results of which are still with us.The book goes on to look at social structure of sixth-century Byzantium and the neighboring empires.It also covers Justinian's wars, which restored Italy, Africa and a part of SPain to the empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful
Clear and concise! An adventure in reading and very historically accurate! This is a must read for history buffs (especially Elizabethan!) ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing on interviews with palace insiders, and featuring never–before–seen photos, Royal correspondent Mark Saunders looks at the young yet colorful life of Britain’s Prince Harry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Being an American who knows nothing about the Prince, I liked it!
This was the first thing I have read about Prince Harry so all the information was new and intereting to me.Also, the book has a clump of pictures in the middle which are adorable.

One of the issues I have with the book however is that the author spends alot of time talking about Princess Di and Prince Charles. He tries to bring it back to Prince Harry by putting Harry's name on each page (or sometimes Williams name).Sometimes the page in question has nothing to do with Harry or William but all of a sudden there their names are, slapped on the page.There are moments where it seems that he just guesses what they were filling during a certain time and that is enough to get their name on the page.My other issue is that at times the book does feel a little "tabloid" like.The author uses "sources" to tell what the Prince was doing or thinking.Of course leaving you to wondering if the source is someone who shook hands with Harry once and now considers themselves an expert on all things royal.Other times he just seems to make assumptions.A perfect example of these is when he assumes that Harry was in love (or had a crush) on his nanny, Tiggy.Being a young man, that close to an older woman, he probably did have a crush on her, but the author almost asserts it as fact (without any "source" to back it up). Is this true? Has Harry admitted to it? Going futher, he insists that a braclet he bought in Africa was for her to show her his eternal love or something. Is that a fact? Was she seen wearing the bracelet later? He never goes into details like that in the book to back up statements he makes.It's these moments that come across as the author just guessing about the Prince. If he does have intimate sources, he does not give the impression that he does.And for me, a biography should come across as 100% fact from reliable, named sources, not gossip.

Besides all the above, a good amount of the book does seem sincere and accurate. And in addition to that, it was a fun read. I would recommend it (even if I don't know if it's all true).

Don't waste your money !
I guess this book would be good if you weren't an avid fan of Princes Harry and William. However, if you are, then this book is NOT for you !
First of all, the print looks like it was intended for someone with a reading level of 4th or 5th grade (no offense to 4th or 5th graders), but I guess that's just one of the ploys of the author (i.e. if you write BIG then you don't have to write as MUCH). Second, of the information that is written there is really nothing interesting or new. The first half is about his parents, particularly Diana, and the second just has corny trivial information about him which you've probably heard hundreds of times before.
The pictures were nothing spectacular, and if you're a really avid fan, such as myself, you'll notice that some of them are mislabled.
If I were you I'd save my money and join one of the internet Prince Harry clubs. You'll get more recent information, pictures and more than likely won't have to weed through all the information about other family members who you really don't care about !

ok
i love prince harry so of course i bought this book.the only bad thing was that in the beginning it was more of a biography about Diana.but as harry gets older (more towards the middle) it becomes more about him and it gets pretty good.but the beginning is kinda boring, but i would still recommend it for any fan of prince harry.

How do they do it?
I hope this is the best book to ever hit the store shelves. It looks SOOOOOOO GOOD, I've read every book anyone has ever written about Harry! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best book on the Jacobite Kings I ever read.
I have read many books on this subject and this is by far the best.It describes all the exiled Jacobite Kings from James II to Henry IX in great detail.It discusses their way of life, their personalities and theirmotivations.It gives details of all the people that had an efect on theirlives and fills out the individuals by telling us of their real characters. All this in an approachable easy read.If you have any interest in theseKings at all, then this book is a must. ... Read more

Product Description
King George III is commonly remembered as the King who lost the American colonies and for little else. He was, however, a great book collector, the founder of the Royal Academy, and a patron of art and science. Furthermore, his ideal of monarchy determined the pattern of the future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Full of information
This book is loaded with detail about King George III.The chapters are sectioned off more in sections like politics, youth, family life, illness, hobbies...etc.The political debates and trials he went through are described in great detail.A little too much detail for myself.I got a little bogged down with all the debate.Mr. Brooke does give some good insight into the man though and gives some interesting views on the Revolutionary war and the cause and views from both the British sides and American sides.A good book for people who want to know George III the man, and a great book for a student of the Georgian era and the details of politics during the reign of George III. ... Read more

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Mary Queen of Scots was reviled as traitor to her country and schemer against the life of Queen Elizabeth, and savaged by her contemporaries. Carol Schaeffer's intimate biography takes us inside the mind of the young leader, from her court intrigues, intense passions, and loveless marriages to her martyr's death at the executioner's hand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mary Queen of Scots by Carol Schaefer
Mary Queen of Scots by Carol SCcaefer was a great find. This wonderful book tells an epic tale. The intimate style of storytelling kept me turning the pages. Carol Schaefer's skillful weaving of fact and fiction allowed me to harbor a secret wish that all would go well for the remarkable and doomed heroine. The dusty historical facts I had so often read in shcool came to life with the use of such lyrical language, language fit for a queen. I recommend this book as a perfect gift for friends and family. A discerning reader will appreciate this book by a gifted writer. I await Carol Schaefer's next contribution to the literary world.

Mary Queen of Scots by Carol Schaefer
My eyes grew big as I read. Carol Schaefer's eloquent language, combined with an "at the edge of your seat" story-line, gave me chills. I never knew reading a biography could be this entralling. ... Read more

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Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette - French Aristocrat and Military Officer is the biography of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, a French military officer and former aristocrat who participated in both the American and French revolutions. He permanently renounced the nobility and the title "Marquis" before the French National Assembly on June 19, 1790. Even though he was already adopted by George Washington, he was twice granted Honorary Citizenship of the United States, first in 1824 (along with his descendants in perpetuity), and again, posthumously in 2002; one of only six specific persons so honored. Lafayette served in the American Revolutionary War both as a general and as a diplomat, serving entirely without pay in both roles. Accused by Jean-Paul Marat of responsibility for the "Massacre of the Champ de Mars" (before which, Lafayette was nearly assassinated), he subsequently was forced out of a leading role in the Revolution by Jacobin-Terror anarchists. On August 19, 1792, the Jacobin party seized control of Paris and the National Assembly, ordering Lafayette's arrest. He fled France and was arrested by the Austrian army in Rochefort, Belgium. Thereafter, he spent five years in various British Empire-Allied- (Prussian and then Austrian) Empire prisons. After a strenuous effort by his brave wife, that was aided by the French Directory that forced Napoleon's Army toward Austria, he was released in 1797; however, Napoleon did not want Lafayette to return to France and hoped he would leave forever to the United States. After three years in exile he quietly returned (aided--again, by his wife) and continued to be active in French and European politics until his death in 1834. Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette - French Aristocrat is highly recommended for those interested in learning more about the history and story of this legendary general and diplomat. ... Read more

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Henry the Lion, a medieval Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, was one of the first, great German princes who wielded immense influence as a politician and a patron of the arts.His thirst for power put him in conflict with his cousin Frederick Barbarossa, whose imperial policies he had originally supported.After his eventual removal from power he spent many years in exile in England, retaining enough prominence to enable his family's return to importance in the subsequent century.To this dramatic life, the author brings years of research and a lucid personal style to illuminate the political, social, and intellectual contexts around this vivid personality. ... Read more

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Acceding to the throne upon his brother's abdication, George VI was immediately confronted with the turmoil in European politics leading up to World War II, then the war itself, followed by a period of austerity, social transformation and loss of Empire. George was unprepared for kingship, suffering from a stammer which could make public occasions very painful for him. Morever, he had grown up in the shadow of his brother, a man who has been idolized as no royal prince has been, before or since. However, this biography shows that although George was not born to be king, he died a great one. ... Read more

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1929. In this biography of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales it is the authors' aim to not add more gilt to the already glistening halo of romance which an entranced world has placed around the head of the heir to the British throne, nor to present His Royal Highness as a prince charming, but as a very human young man, not more perfect than his fellows or possessed of more than the average number of virtues to be found in any other clean living, sport loving young Englishman. ... Read more

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The controversial son of George III who reconstructed Windsor Castle and commissioned Brighton Pavillion. ... Read more

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This overview of the British monarchy, from the accession of the unpopular George I in 1714, through the apparently halcyon Victorian era to the present, argues that the House of Windsor, often beset by sloth and lack of self-restraint, has frequently been saved not by its own actions, but by dedicated servants and spouses; and that the seeds of the collapse of its mystique were sown back in the 1970s, when the Royal Family tried to transform its image and became active figures in the publicity game. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Royals
An extremely contoversial book but certainly an eye opener. All those things one thought were true appear to be confirmed. Even things we hadn't heard of were written in such a way that they even changed our opinion of some of the royals. Now I understand why it was banned in the UK.

A must read - you won't be able to put it don't. ... Read more

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The history of modern Japan cannot be conceived without reference to its emperors. Japan became a modern nation during the reign of Emperor Meiji from 1868 to 1912, experienced an interlude for a good part of the reign of Emperor Taisho (1912-26), and then suffered defeat in war and rose from its ashes during the reign of Emperor Showa (Hirohito) from 1926 to 1989.

What role did the three emperors play in forming the policies of government and influencing the course the country would take? How did their personalities affect this role? What kind of men, in fact, were they? It is such questions as these that the author, Stephen S. Large, winner of the Ohira Prize for his book on Emperor Hirohito, attempts to answer.

From Emperors of the Rising Sun: Three Biographies the reader will not only gain an insight into the lives and characters of the three emperors but will also acquire an understanding of the inner workings of Japanese politics and a knowledge of the behind-the-scenes stories that determined the kind of nation that Japan would become. In short, Emperors of the Rising Sun is enjoyable as well as insightful, a delight for anyone interested in the history of Japan or the roles that emperors have played in modern times. ... Read more

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This is a biography of Princess Margaret. Her life has been a balancing act; she has spent the greater part of her life torn between meeting the exacting standards of the monarchy and flouting its long-established conventions. She has spent her life surrounded by wealth and all its trappings, but, it appears, despite it all, she has led an unhappy life. She has been described as tragic, a royal maverick, a woman of conflict, and a princess without cause. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

England's Other Rose
Over the course of seven decades she has gone from being the cherubic little princess who captured the hearts of the pre-war public, to the controversial, often badly behaved tabloid darling whose escapades foreshadowed those of her nephews and their wives, to the shadowy figure whose recent stroke would seem to have more or less removed her from the public stage.

In this evenhanded but essentially sympathetic biography, the Princess emerges as both surprisingly interesting and sadly adrift, a woman whose only substantial accomplishment may end up having been the mother of two apparently well-adjusted and happy children (a feat her older sister might well envy).

Having interviewed members of the Royal Family for various other projects over the years (an advantage denied most unauthorized biographers), Aronson weaves first-hand quotes into his narrative to good effect.He effectively discounts some earlier biographers' wilder claims (of inherited madness, for example) while, it must be admitted, adding some of his own (is it really possible that the Princess confessed to having "detested" her grandmother, the formidable but endearing Queen Mary?).All in all, though, a pleasant and worthwhile read for Royal-watchers. ... Read more

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Prince Philip had a difficult childhood which hardly prepared him for his role as the Queen's husband. A man of contradictions, he adopted an extravagant lifestyle whilst advocating industrial reform, and became president of the World Wildlife Fund whilst continuing to shoot and hunt. Above all, though lacking a constitutional role he has nevertheless exerted great influence on the Queen and the Royal Family, the ultimate effect of which only time will tell. These and other aspects of his life and times are covered in this biography. ... Read more

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Daughter of Prince Rainier and Hollywood ice maiden Grace Kelly, Stephanie's gilded upbringing was shattered at the age of 17, by the car crash that killed her mother. She survived the accident, but not the conspiracy-mongering of the media that blamed her for her mother's death. Already known as a 'wild child', the tragedy and the vendetta fuelled a vortex of self destruction. The book tells the story of the men, the drugs, the clinics but also the odyssey from riches to rags that have led the princess to a strange serenity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very poorly written
This book appears to be a very long grade school English essay. It is packed full of gramatic and spelling errors.
The information in the book seems to be just a rehash of everything written in the National Enquirer about Princess Stephanie over the past 15 years.
Not worth wasting your time on this one!

Does the word editor mean anything?!
I will happily be the first to review this piece of junk.I honestly do not believe I have ever read a book with so many misspellings and factual errors as this book had.Fabio Barthez? It's Fabien.Ouragon (French for hurricane)?It's Ouragan.Tamara Rotola?It's Rotolo.And it goes on and on and on.While some of the gossip was interesting to read it was really difficult to get through all the mistakes.Drove me nuts.If I could give a -10 I would. ... Read more