Product Description

An engaging account of how the Tudor monarchy made the transition from Henry's male sphere to Elizabeth's feminine court.

• Attention-grabbing dramas of treachery, affairs and executions
• A fresher perspective on Tudor court life - focus on revels, music and other entertainments
• Shows what it was like not to have adult males ruling court and country
• Loades is a major author in this field

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book
Everything I've read by David Loades is readable, scholarly, and interesting. This book in particular covers a period that is especially understudied and hard to get a grip on; Loades offers a corrective to the older, but still widely available, biographies of both Edward VI and Northumberland.

Tudor politics....
This book covers Tudor court politics during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary. The book proves to be well written and nicely researched. Its appears that the author wrote the book to introduced an average reader to this rather neglected subject. The book contains a lot of information without the tedious details that may bogged a reader down. I found it to be rather insightful in approach.

Considering the contradictory nature of both reigns toward each other, it was interesting to see it portaryed side by side. Since the book covers the core of the English government, it also serves as a semi-biographical sketches of both Edward VI and Queen Mary. The author also took pains to introduced the book with the last years of Henry VIII and end it with the first years of Elizabeth I.

Overall, a highly readable book on the governmental politics during the reigns of Edward VI and Queen Mary, it come highly recommended for anyone interested in the Tudor period.

... Read more

Product Description
From Elizabeth of York - wife of Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch - through to Elizabeth I, her grand-daughter and the last in the line, this book explores some of the most colorful and dramatic women in British history. Queen consorts were central to the Royal Court but their role has rarely been examined or contrasted with the better known ruling queens. How did they behave (in and out of the bedchamber)? How powerful were they as patrons of learning and the arts? What religious views did they espouse and why? How successful and influential were they? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A cursory history both good and bad
While I have a list of complaints about this book, I cannot wholly condemn it.If you are looking for an introductory history to the Tudor dynasty, it's not a bad place to start.It will leave you hungry for more in depth histories of each monarch (king or queen).

First off, I have to say that the book desperately needs another editorial review.The text is heavily sprinkled with missing commas, periods, misspellings, and in the chapter about Catherine of Aragon, on one page the author calls her sister Joanna and on the next page Juana.These are errors that absolutely should not be present in a $30 book.

Secondly, it feels as if the author wrote under too many constraints.This is only a 234 page book that spans roughly 200 years.Surely there could have been room for elaboration.I also felt the author was limited by focusing only on the queen in each chapter.This leaves much to be desired in the chapters on Catherine de Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, and Elizabeth of York if you are not already familiar with their contextual history.

I also feel that the author inserted one too many editorial comments about his subjects.It just plants a little seed of doubt - how much do I trust this author?

Finally, while portraits of the queens are nice to look at, it would have actually been helpful to have a family tree to reference.You will also want dictionaries by your side, both Latin and English.Is it just me or do authors seem pretentious when they use non-English phrases without translating them?

My recommendation:wait for the paperback.Hopefully by then, the publishers will have fired whoever edited this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This entertaining guide covers the period from 1485 to 1603, exploring the life and times of everyday people (from famine and the flu epidemic, to education, witchcraft and William Shakespeare) as well as the intrigues and scandals at court. Strap yourself in and get ready for a rollercoaster ride through the romantic and political liaisons of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I - and that's not all! Information on surviving Tudor buildings, such as Hampton Court, adds a contemporary twist for readers wanting to bring history to life by visiting these historic sites.

The Tudors For Dummies includes:

Part I:  The Early Tudors
Chapter 1:  Getting to Know the Tudors
Chapter 2:  Surveying the Mess the Tudors Inherited     
Chapter 3:  Cosying Up With the First Tudor 

Part II:  Henry VIII
Chapter 4:  What was Henry like?
Chapter 5:  How Henry Ran his Kingdom
Chapter 6:  Divorced, Beheaded, Died; Divorced, Beheaded, Survived: The Perils of Marrying Henry
Chapter 7:  Establishing a New Church: Henry and Religion

Part III: Edward VI, Mary and Philip, and Queen Mary
Chapter 8: Edward, the Child King
Chapter 9: Establishing Protestantism
Chapter 10: Northumberland, Lady Jane Grey and the Rise of Mary
Chapter 11: What Mary Did
Chapter 12: Weighing Up War and Disillusionment

Part IV: The First Elizabeth
Chapter 13: The Queen and her Team
Chapter 14: Breaking Dinner Party Rules: Discussing Religion and Politics
Chapter 15: Tackling Battles, Plots and Revolts
Chapter 16: Making War with Spain
Chapter 17: Understanding the Trouble in Ireland
Chapter 18: Passing on the Baton - Moving from Tudors to Stewarts

Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Ten top Tudor Dates
Chapter 20: Ten Things the Tudors Did For Us
Chapter 21: Ten (Mostly) Surviving Tudor Buildings

Customer Reviews (2)

In their own words
This book is terrific.I usually re-read it every year or two.It gives you an idea of the groveling and sniveling intrigue, and treachery that went on in the Tudor court.A fine read.

Compulsive reading!
Even at the highest levels of the royal court, Tudor government involved a great deal more than three kings and two (or three) queens. Interwoven with and surrounding the Tudors were eight other great families who supplied queen consorts, mistresses, courtiers, generals and admirals, high state officials, and ambassadors -- the Brandons, Greys, Howards, Seymours, Dudleys, Cecils, Talbots, Sidneys, and Devereux - who were also complexly related among themselves. This era often seems more of a soap opera than any other period in the history of the English monarchy, filled as it was with wealth and poverty, ambition and failure, crownings and beheadings, high statesmanship and low cunning -- and, everywhere, politics. On more than a few occasions, these families were willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters in their quest for power. And what makes this period accessible to modern readers was the development during the English Renaissance of letter-writing as we know it. Great quantities of 15th and 16th century correspondence have survived to detail every aspect of private and public business, personal opinions, pleas for mercy, and jockeying for power. The second major theme of this volume is the constant replenishing of the nobility by the gentry since, on average, noble families lasted only three generations. Hence, Charles Brandon, best buddy of Henry VIII, who went from gentleman to duke in five years, largely on the strength of his engaging personality. The Howards also went up, down, and up again in less than two generations and have retained the Earl Marshal's baton ever since. And, though he left no progeny, Thomas Wolsey typifies the self-made man: from humbly-born cleric to Bishop of Lincoln to Archbishop of York, Cardinal, and Chancellor of England. A beautifully illustrated and very readable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Six young students make their case for the free market with simple, cool and precise reason, combined with youthful humor. Published by a San Diego based think-tank, six authors, age 26 or under, come up with some telling answers....; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

must read for liberals, actually for everyone
do you...

wonder what's going on in the 2008-09 financial crisis? wonder how we got where we are today? wonder what specifically needs to be done to make things better in the future? wonder what really happened in the great depression?

if yes, read this book.

it clearly and concisely lays out the answers.

Covers all the subjects.
I was impressed on how well this book was organized, and how it tied all the subjects together. Capitalism is the most effective way to run economics, and this is the basic principle of The Incredible Bread Machine.
Governments screw up in almost everything they touch, and then screw up again trying to fix what they screwed up before. This book potrayed that extremely well, I think it is a must read.

One of the most important books ever
The Incredible Bread Machine concisely and methodically strikes down all the common misconceptions regarding government and capitalism. It covers all the common objections to personal freedom and exposes the true motivebehind most government actions, and who really benefits from them. It iswell researched, clearly written, and entertaining. It will also make youterribly upset about the nature of government and what it does tosociety.

Please read this book! The more people who read this book, thebetter place the world will be.

Been republished
One of the best free-market books I've ever read. Recently republished (1999), available now from Laissez-Faire books. Has new examples, completely re-edited.

A spectacularly excellent and simple defense of freedom.
This is a wonderfully straightforward explanation of why individual freedom is the one necessary aspect for peace and prosperity.It is a decidedly libertarian volume with irrefutable logic that stands against theliberals, who want to control ones production, and conservatives, who wantto control ones life.I recomment it as a grand introduction for those whoare just beginning to consider what individual freedom (and there is noother kind) really is. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent book on Royal Navy
This is a very good book on the Royal Navy at the time of Nelson.The name is a bit misleading, as it concerns battles other than only Nelson's.The book starts out with the usual introduction to ships, e.g. ratings, construction, etc.However, it discusses things that I hadn't picked up in some other books.For example, there are detailed discussions on how pumps work, how the large anchor ropes were reeled in, compass headings, tacking and wearing, and so on.The section on tacking and wearing set the table for the later discussions of the battles-ships were `stuck in the mud' if a battle and the wind were behind them.The brilliance of the British tactic of attacking the middle and rear of the enemy line becomes crystal clear.I particularly enjoyed this book for several reasons. First, it was easily readable.Some things were rather technical, but for the most part, I moved quickly through the text.I also enjoyed the maps of the battles. Without those, the discussions of the movements of the ships would have been meaningless.The maps made everything understandable.In addition to chapters on the most famous battles, there is a chapter on lesser-known actions.This was icing on the cake.When I was finished reading this book I felt like I had really learned a lot about the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic period.I highly recommend this book.

Required reading for all sea-lovers
Required reading for all sea-lovers
What a great book! I wish I'd read it before I started reading any naval fiction (or fact, for that matter).
Not as detailed as Dr.Roger's 'Wooden World' but much more readable, with lots of snippets of info and descriptions ofprocedures that are taken for granted in most books - like 'what is a messenger and how is it used?' - most buffs have a vague idea, but not in the detail that is shown here.
The text is lively, flows logically from one subject to an allied one, keeping one interested as one is taken through the construction, manning and working of the ship. Then we are treated to remarkably un-jingoistic descriptions of the famous battles of the Napoleonic era, with blow-by-blow diagrams showing the positions of the opposing fleets throughout the action.
My only complaint is that not quite enough space is given to shipboard life, and a little too much praise is heaped on Nelson (after all, that's what Nelson expects....) but not a mention of Cochrane, whose tactics, gung-ho zeal and inventiveness were the epitome of what afighting captain should be (at least, in the eyes of the public - and Patrick O'Brien).
However, a damned good show ... Read more

Product Description
Instructions for making a variety of gifts for different holidays throughout the year. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another wonderful book from Tasha Tudor
I admire Tasha Tudor and her philosophy of passing on the tradition of creating with your hands.In this case it is creating one of a kind gifts for many occasions.The book is easy to read, the directions well written, and of course the illustrations are wonderful.Of course they are, they are from Tasha Tudor! ... Read more

Product Description
'...by far the best overall history of the reign to date.'American Historical ReviewWithin a chronological framework, David Loades adopts a thematic approach to the reign. ... Read more

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Please use P/B for H/B POD.H/B not available.H/B TV sent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A must read
I actually had to read this for an MA class in history and it's definitely a textbook of the Tudor and Stuart time period but it wasn't as dry as I had expected it to be, thanks to Mr. Cressy's amazing writing ability. But it is thoroughly researched and offers up very important conclusions about the social life of the Tudor/Stuart period and anyone who wants the recent and best literature on the subject should read this book.

Social history at its best
I've just finished writing a series of books about life in Elizabethan England, and this book was invaluable to me in my research. It is full of interesting details about how people in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England approached and experienced the major transition points of the life cycle. I would have read and enjoyed Birth, Marriage, and Death even if I had not needed it as a reference, and I would heartily recommend it to any reader who wants to get a feel for this time period.

Great book!
Most historical books of this sort are amazingly dry; this one is not.Mr. Cressy has done a huge amount of research, and the text is peppered with primary source quotations.I now have a real feel for what theseexperiences were like in Tudor & Stuart England.I plan to buywhatever other material Mr. Cressy has written--I found him an easy,extremely informative read. ... Read more

Product Description
Recreating the dramatic events and personalities of Mary and Elizabeth's reigns, this book uses the words of their contemporaries as witnesses to an extraordinary period of history in the making. ... Read more

Product Description
In the sixteenth century England turned from being an insignificant part of an offshore island into a nation respected and feared in Europe.This was not achieved through empire building, conquest, large armies, treaties, marriage alliances, trade or any of the other traditional means of exercising power.Indeed England was successful in few of these.Instead she based her power and eventual supremacy on the creation of a standing professional navy which firstly would control her coasts and those of her rivals, and then threaten their trade around the world.

Product Description
This is the first book about the only Welsh antiphonal known, and it discusses in particular the material for services celebrating the memory of the Welsh patron saint. The `Penpont Antiphonal', National Library of Wales MS. 20541 E, is the only source known of the Latin rhymed Office of St David. An introduction to this fourteenth-century antiphonal includes a full listing and description of its contents. In Part 2 of the book Professor Edwards is concerned to show the significance of the Office of St David. The chants and the literary text are described and discussed, supported by full transcriptions of the musical and literary texts, and by facsimile reproduction of the manuscript folios. The office is considered in its historical perspective: its relationship to other similar late medieval offices and to Rhigyfarch's Life of St David, the importance of this rare survivor in the light of the almost total annihilation of Welsh Latin liturgical material in 1550, and as evidence of the active cultivation of music in Wales during the Middle Ages.OWAIN TUDOR EDWARDS is Professor of Music History at the Norwegian State Academy of Music, Oslo. ... Read more

Product Description
The Tudor Navy is a subject which is very unevenly known. The last significant general histories were written at the end of the last century. Since then much detailed research has been undertaken, particularly on the Armada, the end of Henry VIII's reign and the early Elizabethan period. As a result, it has been generally thought that the navy went through a series of booms and slumps during the 16th century. Further research on the intervening periods now presents a much more even picture of development, although the pace of advance was uneven. At the same time naval history has tended to be seen in isolation, presented by special naval experts. It is better understood as a part of the general administrative, political and above all financial history of the period. This book is designed to present a whole story, set in its proper contemporary context. ... Read more