Royal Books

Published in May 2013

Britain

The Woman Before Wallis: Prince Edward, the Parisian Courtesan, and the Perfect Murder by Andrew Rose. Marguerite Alibert was a beautiful but tough Parisian courtesan who had a tumultuous love affair with the future king Edward VIII. When she stood trial for her husband's murder, Edward was at risk of having his behavior exposed.

Elizabeth Woodville: The Real Story of the 'White Queen' by David MacGibbon. Biography of the exceptionally beautiful, influential wife of King Edward IV. (Reprint; first published in 1938.)

Memoirs of Mrs Fitzherbert: With an Account of Her Marriage With H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Afterwards King George IV by Charles Langdale. Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837) secretly married the young Prince of Wales in 1785, but the union was legally invalid. These memoirs are based on her own recollections, recounted to the author's brother. (New paperback edition.)

Europe

Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France by Kathleen Wellman. Tells the history of the French Renaissance through the lives of prominent women, beginning in 1444 with Agnès Sorel, the first officially recognized royal mistress, and concluding with Gabrielle d'Estrées, Henry IV's powerful mistress during the 1590s.

The Crisis of the Absolute Monarchy: From the Old Regime to the French Revolution edited by Julian Swann and Joël Félix. Essays on the origins of the Revolution by leading experts from France, Britain and the United States.

Crown and Community in Medieval County Dublin: The Royal Manors by Ãine Foley. A study of the royal manors of Crumlin, Esker, Saggart and Newcastle Lyons between 1170 and 1400. They represented the largest direct stake that the king of England maintained in Ireland.

The Emblematic Queen: Extra-Literary Representations of Early Modern Queenship edited by Debra Barrett-Graves. Essays about Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus (1454-1510), Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), Mary Stuart Queen of Scots (1542-1587), Anne of Denmark (1574-1619), and Spain's María Luisa de Orleáns (1662-1689).

The Book of Emperors: A Translation of the Middle High German Kaiserchronik edited and translated by Henry A. Myers. The Kaiserchronik (c.1152-1165) is a verse chronicle of the exploits of the Roman, Byzantine, Carolingian, and Holy Roman kings and rulers, from the establishment of Rome to the start of the Second Crusade.

Princes, Prelates and Poets in Medieval Ireland: Essays in Honour of Katharine Simms edited by Seán Duffy. Themes include the changing function of kingship and lordship in Gaelic and Anglo-Norman Ireland and the organization of the medieval Irish church.

The Americas

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: Father of the Canadian Crown by Nathan Tidridge. Queen Victoria's father, Prince Edward Augustus (1767-1820) lived in Canada and became commander-in-chief of British North America. He left an indelible mark on the monarchy in Canada.

Chiefdoms, Collapse and Coalescence in the Early American South by Robin Beck. The transformation of Native American societies during the first two centuries following European contact, focusing on the peoples of the Carolina Piedmont, particularly the Catawba Indians and their neighbors.

Politics of the Maya Court: Hierarchy and Change in the Late Classic Period by Sarah E. Jackson. The Maya region of southern Mexico and Central America was composed of independent kingdoms, each ruled by a holy lord. This book uses hieroglyphic texts to investigate the lives of the nobility and their participation in court politics. Illustrated with drawings, photographs, and maps.

The Complete Codex Zouche-Nuttall: Mixtec Lineage Histories and Political Biographies by Robert Lloyd Williams. The pre-Hispanic Mixtec people of Mexico recorded political and religious history, including biographies and genealogies of their rulers, in pictograms on screen-fold manuscripts used to stimulate the memories of bards who performed at elite functions. This book is a guide to the entire contents of the codex.

Asia

The Emperor's Adviser: Saionji Kinmochi and Pre-War Japanese Politics by Lesley Connors. Saionji Kinmochi was an aristocrat who served as Prime Minister of Japan twice during the 20th century and was adviser to three emperors.

Gardens of a Chinese Emperor: Imperial Creations of the Qianlong Era, 1739-1796 by Victoria M. Siu. The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanming Yuan) was begun by the great Kangxi and expanded by his son, Yongzheng, and his grandson, Qianlong. It now lies mostly in ruins, but was the world's most elaborate garden in the 18th century. This book includes 62 color plates and 35 black and white photographs.

Fiction

Royal Mistress by Anne Easter Smith. Novel about Jane Shore, the quick-witted wife of a silk merchant who became the mistress of England's charismatic King Edward IV.

Gilgamesh the King by Robert Silverberg. A retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient story about the magical adventures of a king and his best friend. The real Gilgamesh was king of Uruq (Iraq) and lived around 2500 BC.

The Tainted Throne: Empire of the Moghul, Book IV by Alex Rutherford. India, 1606. Jahangir, the triumphant Moghul emperor, is doomed. Once he raised troops against his own father; now he faces a bloody battle with Khurram, the ablest of his warring sons. The previous books in this series are Raiders From the North, A Kingdom Divided, and Ruler of the World.

The Inquisitor's Wife by Jeanne Kalogridis. A young woman's loyalty to her Jewish family is tested as never before when she becomes the favorite of Spain's ruthless Queen Isabella.

The Boleyn King: A Novel by Laura Andersen. The first book in a trilogy about the fictional King Henry IX, son of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When he and his best friend fall in love with the same woman, romantic obsession looms over a new generation of Tudors.

The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien. An unfinished long narrative poem based on the legends of King Arthur of Britain, written by the author of The Lord of the Rings.

Reign: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel by Ginger Garrett. Torn from her homeland, Jezebel struggles between devotion to the gods she worships, the prince who loves her, and her thirst for revenge. (Christian fiction.)

Published in April 2013

Britain

Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household by Kate Hubbard. Follows the lives of six members of Queen Victoria's household -- including her chaplain, her personal physician, a maid of honor, and a governess -- drawing on their letters and diaries, many previously unpublished.

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England's Most Notorious Queen by Susan Bordo. Why has Anne Boleyn inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really look like? How could Henry VIII order the execution of a once beloved wife? This book examines how generations of biographers, novelists, and filmmakers have re-imagined Anne.

Timeless Icon edited by Carlo Mazzoni. Retraces the legend of Princess Diana through 100 carefully selected photographs. Part of the proceeds from this book will be donated to charity. Bilingual edition (Italian and English).

Harry: The People's Prince by Chris Hutchins. A biography of Britain's Prince Harry written with the help of senior aides, bodyguards, schoolmates and friends.

The Coronation: A Royal History by Annie Bullen. Illustrated with over 80 photographs, this souvenir guide looks in detail at the history of the coronation of Britain's kings and queens: the traditions, the pomp, the ceremony, the robes, the jewels.

Royal Exiles: From Richard the Lionheart to Charles II by Iain Soden. Covers English kings and princes forced to flee into exile or endure captivity at home or abroad, and foreign royalty held in England.

The Last Days of Richard III and the Fate of His DNA by John Ashdown-Hill. A detailed exploration of Richard's last 150 days, his burial, and the construction of his tomb. This fully revised and expanded edition includes the discoveries of the Leicester dig where the king's skeleton was found.

Perceptions of a Monarchy Without a King: Reactions to Oliver Cromwell's Power by Benjamin Woodford. In 1657, Parliament offered Cromwell the crown of Britain. This book explores the nation's response to this unprecedented event.

Europe

What Would Grace Do? How to Live Life in Style Like the Princess of Hollywood by Gina McKinnon, illustrated by Penelope Beech. Lessons in charm and loveliness -- from handling careers and cashmere to manners and men -- drawn from the life of actress Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco.

Twilight of the Romanovs: A Photographic Odyssey Across Imperial Russia by Philipp Blom and Veronica Buckley. The lives of Russians from 1855 to 1918, told through rare archival photographs.

Other

Akbar: The Great Emperor of India, 1542-1605 by Gian Carlo Calza. An illustrated exhibition catalogue, including portraits and information about arms and armor, jewel boxes, turban ornaments, and more.

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42 by William Dalrymple. In 1839, the British invaded Afghanistan to reestablish Shah Shuja ul-Mulk on the throne. This First Anglo-Afghan War ended with the destruction of an entire British army.

Portraits and Caftans of the Ottoman Sultans by Nurhan Atasoy. Portraits and lavishly decorated caftans display the magnificence of the Ottoman Empire's sultans. If you're feeling rich, there's also a deluxe edition.

Fiction

Blood Between Queens by Barbara Kyle. Queen Elizabeth I her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots are locked in a deadly rivalry for the crown of England.

Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I by Sandra Byrd. A young woman at Queen Elizabeth's court is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she's not sure she can trust.

For Children and Teens

Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen by Vicky Alvear Shecter. Cleopatra rocked the world with brilliant alliances that kept her in power. Find out why she has fascinated the world for thousands of years. Includes maps, a timeline, a glossary, sources, and an index. For ages 11 to 14.

Tales of King Arthur: Ten Legendary Stories of the Knights of the Round Table by Daniel and Ronne Randall, illustrated by Graham Howells. Retells the classic legends of King Arthur and his knights.