Royal Books

Published in February 2012

Modern British Royalty

Queen Elizabeth II: A Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Album by Jane Roberts. A biography in photographs with 300 full-color illustrations, many never before seen.

Queen Elizabeth II: A Royal Life in Pictures by Ammonite Press. During Elizabeth's long reign, the world has witnessed sweeping changes and the queen has been one of the most photographed women in the world.

The Prince's Speech: On the Future of Food by HRH the Prince of Wales. A 2011 speech by Prince Charles about the growing global food shortage. The prince advocates organic farming and resilient agricultural systems that, for the well-being of future generations, must be adopted today.

British Royal History

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anna Sebba. This biography explores the obsessive nature of Simpson's relationship with Edward VIII, and new evidence that she may never have wanted to marry him at all.

Catherine of Aragon: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's First Unfortunate Wife by Patrick Williams. Biography of the heroic and dignified queen who was cast aside by her husband for reasons of dynastic ambition.

The Boleyns: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Family by David Loades. Anne Boleyn and her siblings, Mary and George, ascended to the peak of influence at Henry VIII's court, but made many enemies who brought down the entire family in blood and disgrace.

Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination by Scot McKendrick, John Lowden, and Kathleen Doyle. This catalog for a British Library exhibition of illuminated manuscripts collected by the kings and queens of England. Includes full-page illustrations and three essays.

The Pocket Guide to Royal Scandals by Andy Hughes. Facts and rumors about history and skeletons in the British royal cupboards.

Europe

The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor by Martijn Icks. Young emperor Elagabalus made himself a god, played pranks, was the subject of salacious rumors, and was murdered by his own guards at the age of 18. This biography distinguishes the reality of his life from myth.

Conquest: The English Kingdom of France, 1417-1450 by Juliet Barker. Henry V launched a campaign that would put the crown of France on an English head. Only a peasant girl, Joan of Arc, would halt the English advance.

Royal Censorship of Books in Eighteenth-Century France by Raymond Birn. How censors served as cultural intermediaries who expanded public awareness of progressive thought.

Other

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman. Written by an American secretary who suddenly found herself king of an impoverished fishing village in Ghana.

The Evolving Canadian Crown edited by Jennifer Smith and D. Michael Jackson. Assesses the role of the monarchy in Canada, including the constitutional role of the governor general, the use of the reserve power, and the "Canadianization" of the Crown.

Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies by Christopher Davidson. About the six traditional monarchies comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Kings to Comrades: Nepal's Maoist Movement and the Democratic Transition by Nishchal Basnyat. Nepal's monarchy was abolished in 2008. This book incorporates rare interviews with Maoist leaders and newly discovered documentary evidence about the revolution and its outcome.

Amenhotep III: Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh by Arielle P. Kozloff. The life story of Amenhotep III, who ruled for 38 years during the apex of Egypt's international and artistic power.

Fiction

Herod: The Man Who Had to Be King by Yehuda Shulewitz. Novel about the conflict between Rome, the Jewish people, and Herod -- the devoted family man of malevolent moods for whom no challenge is too great or bloody to reach his goal of becoming king.

Published in January 2012

Britain

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith. A biography of Queen Elizabeth II, drawing on numerous interviews and never-before-revealed documents.

The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Andrew Marr. A "surprising and very personal" biography.

Edward III by W. Mark Ormrod. Biography that emphasizes how the warrior king's rule was affected by his family relationships.

Queen Elizabeth in the Garden: A Story of Love, Rivalry, and Spectacular Gardens by Trea Martyn. How Robert Dudley and William Cecil competed for the favor of Elizabeth I by laying out extravagant gardens at their palaces.

Sandringham Days: The Domestic Life of the Royal Family in Norfolk, 1862-1952 by John Matson. Draws on letters, diaries and contemporary reports.

Spain and Britain

Philip of Spain, King of England: The Forgotten Sovereign by Harry Kelsey. The life of Spain's King Philip II, from his childhood to his marriage to England's Queen Mary I to his attempted invasion of England with the Armada. This book shows that during his marriage to Mary Tudor, Philip was an active King of England who took a keen interest in ruling his wife's kingdom.

Europe

Alix and Nicky: The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina by Virginia Rounding. A deeply personal study that gives psychological insight into the last tsar of Russia's marriage and how it shaped the events that engulfed his family.

Roger II and the Creation of the Kingdom of Sicily by Graham Loud. English translations of the main narrative sources and other relevant documents for the reign of King Roger, founder of the kingdom of Sicily.

The Rise of Female Kings in Europe, 1300-1800 by William Monter. How Europe's 30 female monarchs achieved sovereign authority, wielded it, and (more often than men) abandoned it.

Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations by Norman Davies. An account of 14 European kingdoms -- their rise, maturity, and eventual disappearance. Includes Aragon, Etruria, and the Kingdom of the Two Burgundies.

Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed by William O. Stephens. A clear and concise introduction to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus's life and writing.

Bewitching Russian Opera: The Tsarina From State to Stage by Inna Naroditskaya. Catherine I, Anna, Elizabeth, and Catherine the Great each built theaters, established drama schools, commissioned operas and ballets, and themselves wrote and produced musical plays.

Holy Roman Empire

Sacred Music as Public Image for Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III by Andrew H. Weaver. How the emperor manipulated the arts to communicate with his subjects and secure their allegiance to the Catholic Church.

Leonardo's Lost Princess: One Man's Quest to Authenticate an Unknown Portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci by Peter Silverman with Catherine Whitney. How the author proved that a "German, early 19th century" portrait he owned was, in fact, a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of Bianca Sforza, wife of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

Other

Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings and America's First Imperial Adventure by Julia Flynn Siler. Portraits of royalty and rogues, sugar barons and missionaries combine in the sweeping tale of the Hawaiian Kingdom's rise and fall.

Epic of the Persian Kings: The Art of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh edited by Barbara Brend and Charles Melville. The epic 10th century poem Shahnameh chronicles the reigns of four royal dynasties. This book sheds light on the epic's background, national importance, and enduring legacy, and includes a wealth of illustrations from Shahnameh manuscripts.

Fiction

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak. Tells the epic story of Catherine the Great's improbable rise to power in Russia through the eyes of a royal servant named Barbara.

At the King's Pleasure by Kate Emerson. Beautiful Anne Stafford, lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, is torn between two men. Then her life becomes more complicated when King Henry VIII also starts to pursue her. From the Secrets of the Tudor Court series.

At the Mercy of the Queen: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Anne Clinard Barnhill. At the age of 15, Margaret Shelton arrives at the court of Henry VIII and is drawn into the perilous web of her cousin Anne Boleyn's ambition.

The Queen and the Courtesan by Freda Lightfoot. Henriette d'Entragues isn't satisfied with simply being the mistress of Henry IV of France; she wants a crown too.

Death of Kings: A Novel by Bernard Cornwell. Alfred the Great lays dying, and the fate of all -- Angles, Saxons, and Vikings -- hangs in the balance. This is the sixth book in Cornwell's Saxon Tales series. The first five titles are The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, The Lords of the North, Sword Song, and The Burning Land.

The Secret Crown by Chris Kuzneski. Two men search for the truth about Bavarian king Ludwig II's murder and his mythical treasure.

The Royals: Prince Harry by C. W. Cooke. Graphic novel (comic book) about Prince Harry, from his upbringing by Prince Charles and Princess Diana to his wild partying and his military experience.

Jezebel by Eleanor De Jong. Jezebel, a young princess of Tyre, is destined to marry King Ahab of Israel, but begins an illicit affair with Jehu, a visiting prince. Currently available at Amazon.com only in Kindle edition.

The Shadow Prince by Terence Morgan. Novel about English royal pretender Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be one of the lost Princes in the Tower. Published in the UK; available from AbeBooks.

Children's Books

Pharaohs and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt by Kristine Carlson Asselin. How pharaohs lived and ruled. For children ages 9 to 12.

Princess Kandake: Warrior By Choice... Appointed to Rule by Stephanie Jefferson. In ancient Nubia, 14-year-old Princess Kandake learns she must be both queen and warrior to save her kidnapped brother.