United Kingdom Books

Ms. Mumm provides important insights to the lives and motives of women in Victorian England who chose to enter the uncharted territory of active religious life in a world which not only frowned upon the notion of an independant woman but also one where it was illegal in the church for a woman to express herself thus. It was amusing to discover the ruses which some Mothers Superior devised to circumvent attempts at episcopal and clerical control. Given the difficulty in procuring access to documentation where it survives her work is an important step to futher understand an often unknown aspect of the not too distant past as seen through the eyes of women. It is all too often assumed that women both Anglican and Roman Catholic chose the cloister simply for pious reasons alone when the true picture was far more complex. This is a book that needed to be written.

I found Susan Mumm's an inspiring overview of early female Anglican orders. I was amazed at their flexibility in membership and was really surprised at the idea you did not have to be a member of the C of E or even a Christian. In addition they demonstrated such open mindedness in not dismissing anyone from their ranks for illegitimate birth. This was unique for a time when appearance and propriety were everything. These women seemed have inherently understood the true goal of life's journey.... the individual's realization of her own salvation in this case, in a community of like minded women.

What I found significant was S. Mumm's inability to get information after, if I am correct, 1915. It appears that these creative women were followed by those less inspired and perhaps more inhibited. I found it tragic.

As a young teen I was inspired by the writings of Mother Kate SSM and her efforts in the slums of London. The early efforts of these women lead to changes in education and nursing and inspired women to achieve outside the confines of the Victorian household. However, that dream appears to have been clouded and eventually lost. Few if any of the orginal Anglican women's orders kept that first creative life and inspiration. That is unfortunate.. but perhaps not.. perhaps they have finished their work or need to hear the sound of the trumpets again.

Often, scholars presume that we "know" x about a particular subject, only to discover that our knowledge is based on half-truths or, worse, mere prejudice. Susan Mumm's project in this book is to rectify our remarkably scrambled understanding of Anglican sisterhoods. Notwithstanding the work of sociologists and historians like John Shelton Reed, Geoffrey Rowell, and Nigel Yates, Victorian Anglo-Catholicism has not been an intellectual growth industry. Mumm's book is both a useful contribution to a not-overcrowded field, and an excellent introduction to a promising area of research.

As she herself admits, Mumm skimps on the theology behind Anglican sisterhoods, dwelling instead on their missions, internal politics, and conflicted relationships with the Protestant mainstream. Contrary to what may be the expectations of some, Mumm finds that "first-wave" Anglican sisters did not necessarily join religious communities out of deep piety; instead, they saw the communities as the best route to careers in fields like administration, teaching, nursing, and social work. Thus, at least in the beginning, the impulse behind such communities could well be dubbed quasi-feminist. By contrast, "second-wave" sisters were far more likely to join out of strictly religious considerations, something that put them into conflict with older members of the community. Not surprisingly, this rise in purely religious vocations coincided with the spread of secular career opportunities for women. Mumm also finds that these sisterhoods were far more successful than their male counterparts, in terms of dedication and pure longevity, and that their missions to the poor have been seriously undervalued by previous scholars of Anglo-Catholic history. Finally, Mumm does a good job laying out the basic Protestant objections to the sisterhoods, which range from the sexist (women were "unfitted" for such independence) to the sexual (sisterhoods were anti-family and anti-marriage).

The only problem with the book is one that was beyond Mumm's power to rectify: many sisterhoods either left no records or refused to allow her access to them. Readers may therefore wonder about the extent to which her sample was actually representative. Nevertheless, this is a minor quibble about an important piece of scholarship.

Religious Life, Victorian-era convents of nuns -- most peoplewould likely jump to the conclusion that this book is about totallyregressive (not to mention repessive) institutions.

Instead, Susan Mumm sets out to examine the phenomenon of a movement situated in an age and time of few opportunities for women, a movement run and directed by women, which offered them more than ample scope to found and direct important institutions, to live independent of the control of men and of families, to decide upon their own lifestyle and establish a corporate life which fostered individuality, education and creativity. Susan Mumm describes surprisingly enlightened practices among Anglican Religious -- members ecouraged to keep up with their reading and their own interests, communities which invested on behalf of each entrant in case she should ever decide to leave, so that an annuity might be provided... Anyone acquainted with a religious order knows how unique each individual in that community is, contrary to common stereotypes: this book is utterly fascinating in that it sketches out how enlightened the administration of Anglican Religious life in the nineteenth century really was. Quite an education! And extremely readable.

A terrific book. This is the best biography of Blake that I know of, and is also one of the most encouraging books I have read in years. Bentley sews together contemporary reports, journals from Blake's friends, and Blake's poems and drawings themselves to form a mysterious--although moving--picture of the man. Blake, upon moving back to the Thames, one day opened his window and reported that he saw the filthy river moving along 'like a gold bar.' From his early years, he claimed to have visions of fairies and angels, and later in life even was able to see William Wallace and Satan (the sketches are included in the book). I know of nothing like Blake, and would give this outstanding biography of him six stars.

This biography concentrates too much on Blake's occupation as an engraver and glosses over his reputation as a poet and visionary. Such a bluntly factual, objective account of Blake seems out of keeping with his spiritual enthusiasm and disdain for the factual (i.e. the physical world). But this book did help me develop an appreciation for Blake. The "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" did not impress me because they seemed to be the epitome of maudlin Christian sentimentality. However, Bentley's biography makes it clear that Blake was not a conventional Christian. I was impressed by the importance Blake placed on the imagination, creativity, and the arts as the true expressions of spirituality and the sublime. I also admire Blake's spirited defense of imagination and the Poetic Genius.

If Blake were alive today I think he would rant against the scholars rather than Empire. The scholars have laid claim to the poet's place in society and the only empire that exists today is the academic empire. Just look at the way a college campus expands and swallows up all the property around itself! It is the scholars who attack men of inspiration and genius because they need to promote poetry as something that can be taught and explicated.

Blake does seem mad when he talks about speaking with angels and spirits but he probably did possess the faculty of a visionary imagination which caused him to express such reverence for the world of imagination, even to the extent of preferring it to the natural world. It reminds me of a quote from Rimbaud, "I came to find my mind's disorder sacred".

This is a very good, straight-forward biography of a mysterious man. Anyone curious about Blake should read it. People who love Blake will still love him, their love enhanced by the very clear context given to the events of his life. Of the visions that are of course the oddest thing about Blake, at least to the vast majority of us who don't have them, the author is neutral. You can't really know. I'm personally for rather than against visionaries even if they are delusional, just because this is indeed the age of fiberglass. Someone said of Blake that he was cracked, but the Light came through the crack. I like to believe he was visited by Milton, Michaelangelo and William Wallace, etc., and that he saw trees full of angels. At the same time, there is a question about the nature of inspiration. Once established, Blake's style in poetry and painting never changed much, only the subjects changed: so the various spirits did nothing in the way of altering his method, nor did they alter his views much, though he seems to have mellowed somewhat. He seems to have been a channel for one Spirit who changed form. There are other artists who seem to me to have represented the world beyond in a more profound way: Bach, Milton, Michaelangelo, Wordsworth for example. And of course, Shakespeare seems to have had a 100 people's combined understanding of how life is. And there are artists, more like us, who seemed to have developed as life progressed.

Still, he was one of the men who lived for and frequently in the electric blessing that changes everything, that power, gift, the angels, like Cupid, seem to bestow as they choose. Blake was a vehicle.

He was the great Outsider artist. He was a Hero of poor England. Thank God for Blake who said, "I live in a hole here, but God has a beautiful mansion for me elsewhere." He was authentic, poor and a real man. Everyone should know how he died singing Hallelujahs and hymns of praise.

The scholarship that works through this book is obviously one of love and devotion of many many years. Bentley's sorting out of events in Blake's life is amazingly well researched - it is the first Blake biography that does not have that usual blur of focus that leaves one more mystified than enlightened. Blake's contemporaries, friends, enemies, patrons, etc. are all given voice through their own extant letters, articles . . - this contextualizes him beautifully and clears the field of critical debris that has grown out over the centuries. In fact, it is Bentley's sober critical eye (of fairness) which is so refreshing - his sense of balance is impeccable. Only a lifetime lover of Blake could hit so consistently true tones. But if you're arriving to this book looking for critical scholarship of the work and myth than you're walking through the wrong door. This book is not about the minutae of the work (see Northrop Frye for that) - it assumes already that one is also a lover and "understander" of the work. This book is about the man - written and informed, of course, by the man's work, but is a book about Blake's life - not a treatise on Urthona. Yes, I recommend this book. Walk on in and stroll around.

This is a story of two men, Mr. Kennedy tells us at the outset, one who loses his wife and baby to murder, is falsely accused and put to death and the other, a vicious, pathetic, seedy serial killer. The labyrinths of the story are thus: Mr. Evans, his wife and baby rent rooms in a doll-sized house in Notting Hill. In this house, on the ground floor are Mr. Christie and his wife. An elderly man also resides here but he is away. Before the bodies of Mrs. Evans and her baby are discovered in the wash house, Mr. Evans turns himself into the police and, although illiterate and possessing the mentality of a 10 year old, confesses twice to the murders. Later he retracts his confession and claims that Mr. Christie committed the murders and that he confessed only to protect Mr. Christie. He explains that Mr. Christie convinced Mr. Evans and his wife that he was an abortionist, that (against his wishes) his wife agreed to undergo Mr. Christie's treatment. Mr. Evans claims to arrive home to find his wife dead but his baby alive. After a couple of days, Mr. Christie tells Mr. Evans that he sent the baby to a couple in East Acton and advises him to flee London. Mr. Evans is tried, found guilty and hanged to death. Several years later, six women's bodies, including that of Mrs. Christie, are discovered at 10 Rillington Place. It becomes obvious that Mr. Evans was telling the truth and was innocent of the murders of his wife and baby. He was wrongfully put to death. His innocence has never been reinstated by the British court.

Mr. Kennedy makes it clear that the crimes are not the only issue here. The major issue is the miscarriage of justice and the further injustice that this mistake has never been officially acknowledged by the British authorities. Poor Mr. Evans, his mother and sisters who lived nearby.

The account of the murders of Beryl Evans and baby Geraldine is thoroughly presented. There is too much consideration for the feelings of the police and judge. Ultimately, the question of how these lawmen could have ignored certain evidence, and tampered with the existing evidence, becomes paramount. In this book, the authorities, even more than Mr. Christie, become the guilty party. Mr. Kennedy does a respectable job of finding excuses for them (as indeed they seem to have found for themselves) in the basic fact that Mr. Evans, a chronic liar and emotionally confused, confessed twice to the crimes but the tampering of evidence makes lame any justification for this misjustice. It is maddening and incomprehensible and upstages Mr. Christie, whose story is another book in itself, totally.

It is no small point that the inside cover of this book is a map of Notting Hill in the 1950s. The neighborhood where Mr. Christie, the Evans's, Mr. Evans's mother and sisters lived, as well as where Christie's other victims frequented, seems to play a part in understanding the emotional pitch of these people and their lives, presenting a banal but murky background to the horrors that took place.

This is an excellent true crime account. It fascinates and enrages the reader and serves to clear the name of an innocent man who could hardly have understood what was happening to him. The fact that one wonders about the souls of these unfortunate people, victims, criminal and lawmen, is the greatest achievement of this book.

When Timothy Evans met John Christie in 1950's London neither was to know how they would forever change each other's destiny. This factual account of one of Britain's most notorious serial killers and the man who was wrongly executed in his stead is a seering condemnation of police ineptitude and judicial bungling. Author Ludovic Kennedy has left no stone unturned in his exhaustive and penetrating investigation of how one man was rushed to the gallows and another went free to kill repeatedly. Evans' story is filled with pathos while Christie is revealed to be a monster of chilling amorality. A film of this story, starring John Hurt and Richard Attenborough, beautifully captures the atmosphere of the period, but it is this staggering book which documents the events with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy.

Ludovic Kennedy gives a brilliant account of the life of the infamous Serial Killer, and of the man he framed for murder.

One of the best stories I've ever read. Being a true crime story, the truth is really stranger than fiction. This book was beautifully written and I've read it several times. The movie with John Hurt and Richard Attenborough from 1970 is also excellent, but the book describes the details better than a movie can.

What happened to all those people who thought smiling was right wing, and whose activism consisted of making others feel inadequate? They were just waiting for you to be slightly out of line about Nicaragua or a teeny bit frivolous about gender stereotypes. One slip and they'd give you their best sneer - in spades. Politeness was also right wing. Yes, things got better. This joyless crowd melted away, morphed into new people, or else herded into colleges of higher education and social work departments to waste public money on endless meetings. But I shall never forgive!

This book is a misery memoir of the highest order. The story of an activist who, galvanised into socialism as a young man in the late 70s, the very same period when the ideology was lurching around in its death throes, decided to devote his life to the Labour Party. John O'Farrell was no ambitious Blairite politico though. He fought his battles at the low end of the totem pole - trudging miles of godforsaken streets delivering leaflets, attending tedious meetings in grubby halls where left wing worthies tied themselves in knots with their own political correctness. All this could descend into a self righteous polemic. But the crucial, vital saving grace is the book's humour.

O'Farrell tells of the looks he gained in working class pubs by lunk headed Sun readers when he tentatively voiced his opposition to the Falkland's war. His guilty admission after the Brighton bomb that he wishes Thatcher had actually kopped it. The wishful, naive optimism on the eve of every general election only to wake up with a head pounding hangover and the Tories in power -again! The brutal asceticism and self-abnegation that prevented him from enjoying pretty much anything.

Nowadays, O'Farrell has done a New Labour type maturation himself - he lives a comfortable life as a metropolitan Guardian columnist and broadcaster. New Establishment as it were. But he can still laugh at the grim old days. The Conservatives might have won all the elections in the 1980s - but Labour trounced them at the humour polls. Very funny.

This book is hilarious. And so true. If you were an unhappy camper during the Thatcher years in the UK--or are filled with dread by the recent onset of unfettered Republican control in the US you should read this book. The author was a writer on the political satire show SPitting Image in the 1980s and boy does it show. Laugh out loud quality in many part and filled with so unspoken truths. Great stuff.

Essential therapy for anybody who supported the Labour Party through eighteen years the of Conservatives Ruling Britain. We feel that O'Farrell was right there with us as pre-election optimism dissolved into miserable failure again and again and again.

Over the years his radical edge is softened by age and cynicism. The vegetarian succumbs to the bacon sandwich. The dedicated capaigner pays the au pair to deliver his election leaflets. The words of the chant have changed - 'What do we want? A winter flowering clematis! When do we want it? Before we lay the patio!'

Is it similar changes which made the Labour Party electable again?

His description of the unforgettable election night of 1997 is the highlight. The defeat of Michael Portillo described as dramatically as the scoring of a winning goal in the Cup Final. Could we ever get?

But did things really get better?

I HAVE LISTENED WITH GREAT INTEREST TO THE HISTORY OF THIS HEMISPHERE HAVING DROPPED THE SUBJECT AT SCHOOL THROUGH SHEER BOREDOM. SO MUCH ITS CONTENT HAS HAD ME AMAZED.

I was totally captivated! What an incredible, sweeping history, sumptuously written and produced; rich by far in audio than if it were produced on film. Bravo BBC! At one point I even briefly understood the English soccer hooligans - after all, rampaging around the Continent thumping foreigners is only what their predecessors have done for 1000 years! With an incredibly rich and diverse history and an incalculable contribution to the world's culture (hooliganism excepted!), Britons almost have the right to be admired and to be what they are not - arrogant and boastful. We must admire too, their charm, wit and self-effacing modesty. A tip of the hat from California!

I am almost ashamed to admit that the book version of this title sat on my bookshelf for a year, as I thought it would be a very cumbersome read. Recently I picked up a CD version, of the title, from my local library. (There are approximately 10 CD's, each covering approx. 200 years of history). Now I am devouring the book, wondering why I waited so long to read it. I have borrowed & re-borrowed the CD's from the library, & I listen to them at home over & over again. What I particularly like about this title is the way the author refers to contemporary documents relevant to the time in history being covered. Christopher Lee has taken a subject which, in other's hands, can sometimes be flat & 'dry', & he has created a masterpiece. If you have even the slighest interest in history I urge you to either read the print version of the title, or if you can't get your hands on that beg or borrow a copy, in either print, on tape, or on CD. You WON'T be disappointed. I only wish someone would produce a masterpiece of this calibre for 'other' history e.g. French, Italian etc Oh, & BTW, 'This Sceptred Isle - Twentieth Century' has just hit the shelves in Australia. I have already purchased my copy. I expect it will be every bit as good as '55BC - 1901'

Given sets of these tapes as a holiday gift, I was slowed in my enthusiasm toward the givers. Facing a long drive, with ample entertainment backup, I listened to the first of many tapes. Could history on tape possibly subvert popular culture and current events ? I have now listened to these tapes more than 6 times. The presentation, content, and most of all attitude of the material is addictive. The BBC should be commended again for their quality educational products, and their significant contributions toward restoring the positive reputation of the British people. I HIGHLY recommend purchasing these tapes for yourselves and your children's enlightenment.

This is a slight revision of my review of the hardcover version. Such a good book should be affordable. Hiram Morgan's monograph is an excellent study for any reader interested in early modern British or Irish history. One cannot understand the contemporary Protestant versus Roman Catholic distrust, animosity, and cultural divide in Northern Ireland without understanding the English Tudor's racist Irish policy of colonization.

One of Morgan's major contributions is to put the causes of Tyrone's Rebellion into the even broader context of late 16th century Europe, where the Protestant-Catholic religious divide, intensified by the Catholic Counter-Reformation, shaped national and international politics, while at the same time, the centralizing tendencies of nations like England conflicted with the lordships of Ireland. Morgan places the England-Ireland conflict within the same overarching political and religious context as the Spanish war in the Netherlands. Catholic Spain supported the Irish rebellion.

The author is no polemicist. He has grounded his study in English and Irish manuscript sources and Spanish archives and supplied readers with decent maps, and an important revisionist interpretation of this crucial but strangely overlooked rebellion.

Tyrone's Rebellion was led by the controversial Hugh O'Neil, the earl of Tyrone. This outbreak was the culmination of growing Irish animosity towards intrusive Tudor policy, but as mentioned above, according to Morgan it was not mere "Tudor rebellion." Despite the Tudor's usually successful strategy of divide-and-conquer, the ignorance and heavy-handed tactics of Elizabeth I's English administrators managed to unite the Gaelic chieftans with the Anglo-Irish (English or Norman expatriates who had become "more Irish than the Irish themselves") in opposition to English plantation and pacification under the leadership of O'Neil. O'Neil was his own man, and Morgan refutes the old steretype that O'Neil was the "creature" of Elizabeth's court. The rebellion was fomented in 1593-94, broke out in 1598 Battle of Yellow Ford), and lasted until 1607 (after Elizabeth I had died, and been succeeded by James I).

Tyrone, the "arch rebel," ultimately came to terms days after Elizabeth's death, and went into exile (the famous "flight of the earls"). Robert Devereaux, the earl of Essex, and one of the queen's favorites, was not so fortunate. His personal ambition, military incompetence, and defiance of his majesty's orders cost him his life. While the fate of such elite persons (along with the great apologist of English policy - poet Edmund Spenser) is well known, one of Morgan's minor oversights, which is common in most books about this era, is a lack of attention to the appalling fate of the masses of English and Irish who were slaughtered on both sides of this early version of total war. Half of Ireland was destroyed. The result was famine, disease, and anarchy. The war cost the stingy Tudors a fortune in expenditures and debts. But England prevailed and secured Ireland from being a threatening base of operations for Catholic Spain or France. The "flight of the earls" - the "wild geese" - scattered throughout continental Europe, signaling the decline - but not the end - of Gaelic Ireland.

Hiram Morgan's monograph is an excellent study for any reader interested in early modern British or Irish history. One cannot understand the contemporary Protestant versus Roman Catholic distrust, animosity, and cultural divide in Northern Ireland without understanding the English Tudor's racist Irish policy of colonization. One of Morgan's major contributions is to put the causes of Tyrone's Rebellion into the even broader context of late 16th century Europe where the Protestant-Catholic religious divide shaped national and international politics. The author is no polemicist. He has grounded his study in manuscript sources and Spanish archives (Catholic Spain supported the Irish rebellion).

Tyrone's Rebellion was led by the controversial Hugh O'Neil, the earl of Tyrone. This outbreak was the culmination of growing Irish animosity towards intrusive Tudor policy. Despite the Tudor's usually successful strategy of divide-and-conquer, the ignorance and heavy-handed tactics of Elizabeth I's English administrators managed to unite the Gaelic chieftans with the Anglo-Irish (English or Norman expatriates who had become "more Irish than the Irish themselves") in opposition to English plantation and pacification under the leadership of O'Neil. The rebellion was fomented in 1593-94, broke out in 1598 (Battle of Yellow Ford), and lasted until 1607 (after Elizabeth I had died, and been succeeded by James I).

Tyrone, the "arch rebel," ultimately came to terms days after Elizabeth's death, and went into exile (the famous "flight of the earls"). Robert Devereaux, the earl of Essex, and one of the queen's favorites, was not so fortunate. His personal ambition, military incompetence, and defiance of his majesty's orders cost him his life. While the fate of such elite persons (along with the great apologist of English policy - poet Edmund Spenser) is well known, one of Morgan's minor oversights, which is common in most books about this era, is a lack of attention to the appalling fate of the masses of English and Irish who were slaughtered on both sides of this early version of total war. Half of Ireland was destroyed. The result was famine, disease, and anarchy. The war cost the stingy Tudors a fortune in expenditures and debts. But England prevailed and secured Ireland from being a threatening base of operations for Spain or France. The "flight of the earls" - the "wild geese" - scattered throughout continental Europe, signaling the decline - but not the end - of Gaelic Ireland.

A study on the influencing factors of key decisions made by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone and events leading up to the 'Nine Years War" with England. Unlike many other works, there are references to key players in these events including the Earl's brothers Cormac and Airt as well as Hugh Maguire, Red Hugh O'Donnell, and others.
Hugh O'Neill, an Irishman who was taken into custody as a child and trained in the English manner, returns to Ireland. His eldest brother Brian dies leaving him taniste to the title of 'The O'Neill'. Political intrigue ensues when a rival family member claims the title for himself. Meanwhile, the English crown seeks to plant more settlers in Ireland. O'Neill takes the sword for England and earns his title 'Earl of Tyrone'
The temperament and willpower of a man largely ignored by the Crown comes into question as he is dogged by enemies and harrassed by the state. Further problems arise when English troops establish fortifications on his land.
The book becomes a study of the events and circumstances surrounding O'Neills decision to seek aid from the Catholic King Phillip of Spain and turn his back on the tyrannical and genocidal Tudor advance.
The tactics used by O'Neill while negotiating and fighting are the roots of 'guerilla warfare'. The successes at Clontibret, Enniskillen, and the Yellow Ford are mirrored by the Irish failure to win the disasterous battle of Kinsale.
As evidence for the author's conclusions, he includes a letter written by Cormac O'Neill, the Earl's brother, requesting aid from King Phillip II of Spain.
As the author is a historian, all references are cited.
2001 marks the 400th Anniversary of the Battle of Kinsale. This work is a must have for any serious student of Irish history.

A 'must read' for any serious student of Irish history. To fully understand why Ireland is in the political conundrum it is you must first understand where the divisions between religion and politics began. The Geraldine and Butler leagues implemented by Sir Henry Sidney are merely the start, the ineptitude of Tudor officials the catalyst, and the rising power of Hugh O'Neill and his confederacy of Irish Lords and Cheiftans who had been wronged by English policy the vehicle. This book paints the most vivid picture of the people and the events responsible for the conflict. A look at a rare letter written by Cormac Mac Baron to King Phillip II of Spain is used to re-enforce the arguments propounded within the text. The authour, a historian, has clearly done more in-depth research on the subject than any other author to date and accurately describes (for the first time ever) the true story of The O'Neill.

During her nearly sixty-four-year reign Queen Victoria produced a cultural and fashion following particularly notable in the jewelry world, where English and European Jewelers produced less expensive pieces mimicking the queen's, which were worn by the middle class of her times. These pieces were long ignored because of their low value and cheap materials - but today are prized for their workmanship, which VICTORIAN JEWELRY: UNEXPLORED TREASURES reveals in chapters of history following designs, materials, and lovely secondary pieces. Styles presented here have been selected from collections around the world and are displayed through specially commissioned color photos just for this book.

This quite a different take on jewelry than most books, and accordingly very worthwhile. I got this book out of the library, read it cover-to-cover, and I am still buying a copy. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and wonderfully detailed.

These are the common, cheaper, but still beautiful pieces that are normally overlooked. I think that people who like Art Nouveau, which concentrated more on design than the expense of the materials, would find them particularly interesting. In addition, Dawes take us through the various fads of the time period. The text explains many of the peculiarities behind the rise of such styles (e.g.: aluminum was once rare; aristocrats wore iron jewelry to show that they had supposedly patriotically donated their real jewels to the government, etc.)

A very worthwhile addition to a jewelry book collection.

This book is a must for anyone that collects or deals in Victorian Jewelry! Good information with exquisite photos of the finest examples of Victorian Jewelry.

Victorian jewelry is one of my passions and I both collect and sell it. This book has fabulous illustrations, great information, and a bit of a different slant than other books on Victorian jewelry. I am so glad I did not miss this one, and bought copies for both my home and shop libraries. Worth twice the price!

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (08/06)

Samuel Pepys was born in London, England in 1633. He attended Cambridge University, graduating in 1654 and became a well-known man of business in London, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge as well as an appetite for pleasure. In 1660, Pepys began keeping a diary in which he recorded all of the details of his life in London.

At approximately this same time, Count Grammont of France arrived at the English court after being banished from the French court of King Louis XIV for seducing the King's mistress.

Lewis Melville used the memoirs of Count Grammont and the diaries of Samuel Pepys extensively when he wrote this book in 1928. The book is a fascinating look into the inner workings of the royal court of King Charles II of England woven around a series of pictures commissioned from Sir Peter Lely by Anne, Duchess of York, who wished to have portraits of the most beautiful women in the court. The eleven portraits were called "The Windsor Beauties" because they were originally hung in the Queen's bedchamber at Windsor Castle.

This revised edition, supervised by Victor R. Volkman, retains the original text. To help the reader better understand the political and social issues of the time, Mr. Volkman has added a large glossary as well as extensive footnotes. He has also added a proper bibliography for anyone who wishes to do further reading.

The Windsor Beauties is the first of a series of restorations Mr. Volkman hopes to do, introducing the great literature of the 17th and 18th centuries to a new generation of readers. I spent several wonderful hours reading this book and then many more online as I started reading more and more about the people in this book.

The Windsor Beauties: Ladies of the Court of Charles II is the newly revised edition of the classic 1928 text. An absorbing masterpiece that meticulously and faithfully renders the day-by-day interplay of court life during the reign of Charles II of England, especially focusing upon those women notable enough to be immortalized in a portrait project at the behest of the Duchess of York, The Windsor Beauties is sparsely illustrated with black-and-white copies of the famous portraits. Yet the real draw is the eye-opening, unrepentantly honest written account, now enhanced with a new glossary, bibliography, extended footnotes for lay history readers, and the first-ever translations of French language poems, letters, and epistles. Highly recommended especially for lay historians and writers planning to pen court life period pieces.

Without repeating what other reviewers have said about the content and composition of this book, I do want to reiterate that it is an excellent and fascinating study of life in Restoration England. (For newbies, that refers to the reign of Charles II.) While there are some problems with readability that the original author (Charles Melville, in the 1928 edition) did not fully resolve, such as smoothly incorporating all of his quotes into the text--it is nevertheless a greatly enjoyable book. As much of it comes from diaries and correspondence that were contemporary to the time, the reader is treated to the uncensored opinions that people only write privately, or at most, to one or two other people--usually--but we get to "eavesdrop" as it were. Rich, gossipy, full of small details that delight--it's a painless history lesson. You learn about the period, the monarch, and the mistresses (many of them, at any rate) by people who were there. It is not a scholarly book, which I mention as encouragement for the casual reader; but it is a fabulous introduction to the time, and to a great many amazing characters that you will find yourself wanting to know even more about, afterwards. That's what I call history at its best! Many thanks to Victorian Heritage Press for publishing this valuable work.

As an editor and biographer, Lewis Melville (the pseudonym for Lewis Saul Benjamin) produced numerous works of literary and social history. Though written nearly a century ago, his books on such figures as William Makepeace Thackeray, John Gay, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu persevere as well-written and insightful studies of their subjects. This book is something different, a collection of chapter-length biographical studies of women who were prominent in the court life of King Charles II. Eleven of them were noblewomen who were the subjects of a series of portraits commissioned from Peter Lely by the Duke of York, to which Melville added studies of the Duchess of York, Nell Gwyn, Louise de Keroualle and the Duchess Mazarin.

First published in 1921, this book has been reissued by Victorian Heritage Press in a revised edition, with explanatory footnotes, translations, and a glossary added. This is obviously a labor of love, one designed to make Melville's enjoyable accounts accessible to a new generation of readers. Though the research could have been more solidly based (I had a problem with the reliance on Wikipedia as a source, especially when the shelves overflow with so many excellent scholarly works on Stuart England), this is a welcome resuscitation of a useful study of the English upper class in the 17th century.

This book was introduced to me through a friend and, quite frankly, my first reaction was to cringe at the idea of reading such a bulky historical book. But from the first letter I was transfixed by the dialogue between husband and wife on both political and personal matters. This book brings with it a new aspect of Churchill's personality - he was not only a great statesman but he was a passionate man who loved his wife dearly which is seen clearly in the letters that were intended for her eyes only.

I often wonder how he would have felt to know millions would one day read the letters he wrote to his "clemmie-cat". In any case, its a great read :)

Cheers, Meagan.

When I considered buying that book, I first felt quite uncomfortable about the idea of reading an exchange of private letters between Winston and Clementine. Fortunately, I overcame my discomfort fast. I quickly enjoyed reading that thick epistolary volume about their political and personal matters. The personal letters of the Churchills revealed to me how influential Clementine was on Winston across the board. Their deep love and trust was the secret of their successful marriage, even if Winston was not always an easy husband and politician to deal with. Corresponding by written messages (today perhaps by email) with each other on a regular basis, even when they were together, proved to be an excellent way to help them keep their enduring flame for each other intact. Today, too many marital and extra-marital relationships get dissolved prematurely because of a lack of enough communication between both players. Life is after all a comedy in which men and women play their part and need to know or rediscover how to communicate their joys and pains to one another in order to increase the odds that they will be successful in their relationship.

The real service that this book performs is to remind the reader that great historical figures are not one dimensional. Chuchill was a renaissance man, warrior, journalist, historian, memoirist, politician and statesman. He was arguably the single greatest personage of this century and his name has become a symbol for the indominitable spirit of a free people. The collection of letters sent to and received from his wife are entertaining as well as educational. They provide a feel for the time in which they were written and place many of Churchill's famous accomplishments (and failures) in proper context. Amazingly, unlike today when the more we know of a public figure, the smaller they seem, in Churchill's case one comes away convinced that this was a great man in the truest sense, and that much of his greatness is due in no small part to his marriage to Clementine.

Winston and Clementine: Happily Ever After

This is the story of a political marriage. In some ways it will be familiar to the contemporary reader, though it began and ended a long time ago.

Both husband and wife in this marriage were interested in politics. The husband was elected again and again over decades to high office. For decades his wife fought at his side, entertained at his table, offered her judgment to him and his colleagues and his enemies. She took his place in his absence, and sometimes in his presence. She became an international figure. She had power, and she used it. Always she had a mind of her own.

Sometimes this couple would quarrel. Once a serving dish was thrown. There was a period, not too long, when one of the partners was out of sympathy with the other, or anyway in sympathy with another.

They knew trouble. They lost a daughter and many friends to death, and some friends to betrayal. They fought political wars at home in which their own party tried to deprive them of office. They fought shooting wars abroad-including the worst ever. More than once, they seemed down and out. Their livelihood as much as their career was threatened. After decades of struggle they reached the summit of power and they knew the adoration of a nation and a world. By then they had grown old together.

Readers of this story will find that wives did not enter politics yesterday, and private lives were influential in politics before last week. But in other respects this story is unlike anything we have known in this time. Here are two people who won every honor that human affairs can offer, and they won them together. Meanwhile they operated upon those natural and traditional lines that involve that deepest of partnerships. Their division of labor augmented the strength of them both beyond what either could do, apart or together, if they both had done the same parts of the job. True, this is the story of a political partnership. More than that, it is a marriage.

The editor of this book is the youngest child of Winston and Clementine, Mary, now Lady Soames. She brings to the work care, intimacy, and insight. She has adopted some of the best devices of Sir Martin Gilbert, Churchill's official biographer, to make the book available to the reader unfamiliar with the times and the people. Her notes are useful. She lets the letters themselves convey the story.

One sees right away the amazing pace at which these people lived. Winston Churchill was a soldier whose bravery and judgment in battle were beyond doubt. He wrote every line of every speech he ever gave, save perhaps one, and they are not surpassed in eloquence or impact or amplitude. He wrote serious books, nearly forty of them. He served in the British House of Commons, and mostly in the Cabinet. Meanwhile he made his living writing and speaking in publications and before audiences all over the world. Their house teemed all day and much of the night with secretaries, researchers, and colleagues. He wrote once that statesmen should exist in a condition of "stress of soul." Ever he took that advice for himself.

And necessarily, then, he imposed it upon his wife.

Winston Churchill and Clementine Hozier were married in September 1908, and they remained so until parted by death in 1965. Martha Washington, wishing to keep her relations with our Founding Father private, burned most all of the letters that passed between them. The Churchills' letters are preserved intact in their remarkable abundance. Partly because they were so busy, and partly because they took many vacations apart, occasions to write were frequent. In their day the post traveled rapidly-Fed Ex was not necessary; e-mail was unavailable; the telephone came along, but its frequent use developed later. And so they wrote, and well they wrote.

Nuggets are found in every shaft of this mine. Sir Winston is candid with his wife as with no other, especially in times of triumph or stress. When the first war begins, he unveils his character: "Everything trends towards catastrophe & collapse. I am interested, geared up and happy. Is it not horrible to be built like that? ...Yet I wd do my best for peace, & nothing wd induce me wrongfully to strike the blow." Another time, in a very different mood, he writes: "you have seen me very weak & foolish & mentally infirm this week...." And then the man of unbreakable will proceeds: "I cannot tell you how much I love & honor you and how sweet & steadfast you have been through all my hesitations & perplexity."

Clementine often bears the burden of saying to her husband what others cannot. When the first war begins, she cautions him about the feelings of a dismissed Admiral: "there only remains the deep wound in an old man's heart. If you put the wrong sort of poultice on it, it will fester." When the second begins, she writes: "...there is a danger of your being generally disliked by your colleagues & subordinates because of your rough sarcastic & overbearing manner.... Therefore with terrific power you must combine urbanity, kindness and if possible Olympic calm."

The letters of Winston are often more abstract and reflective than those of his wife. Sometimes they are effectively first drafts of things he will later publish. His life is saved once in the trenches by an annoying general who makes him walk two miles under fire just for a little chat; when he returns his dugout and all in it are destroyed. He reflects: "it is all chance or destiny and our wayward footsteps are best planted without too much calculation. One must yield oneself simply & mentally to the mood of the game: and trust in God which is another way of saying the same thing...."

At the same time, one sees in the husband a sharp need for his wife. It is he who is "lonely among crowds." It is he who has no one but her "to break the loneliness of this bustling existence."

History has more to say of Winston than of Clementine. He saved his country and more in a desperate crisis, and he leaves behind him a written account of prudential wisdom that is not surpassed. Both his words and his deeds exhibit a longing for honor. He fought for it. He met its demands with utter resolve and lifelong resilience. But of course there was more to his life than that. Honor itself is limited by the high purposes that define it, including the promises and affections that make a family. So he could write to her, at one of the lowest points in his life: "the nearer I get to honor, the nearer I am to you."

Churchill ends My Early Life, his explicitly autobiographical work, with the passage: "Events were soon ...to absorb my thoughts and energies at least until September 1908, when I married and lived happily ever afterwards." And so together they did. And do.

The virtues of Martin Jarvis's breezy, insightful and well-crafted autobiography have been noticed here and elsewhere. I can report that the pleasure to be derived from it is increased ten fold by listening to Martin Jarvis reading it. The voice is beautifully modulated, and apparently undamaged by forty years of theatre, TV, film and radio work. Not only is the text beautifully read, but there are also many demonstrations of Martin's Jarvis's uncanny ability to mimic and adopt other voices. You'll not only hear what Sir John Gielguid, Sir Alan Ayckbourn and Harold Pinter say, you actually believe they are there, speaking to you. Even the great radio actress Marjorie Westbury, to whom Martin Jarvis pays a high tribute, is somehow heard again in Jarvis's reading. There is also a Polish film director, and a Hollywood agent whose impersonations you will never forget.

Whether you're a theater enthusiast, an admirer of Martin Jarvis's work, a budding actor, or just someone who likes to be amused and entertained, you'll find this audio book set to be a great investment.

Loved Martin Jarvis's acting stories. It's a lesson to some of us who might have thought, in our dreams, that it's all champagne and roses. This elegant Brit warns that it ain't as easy as he and some of his fellow performers make it look - life on stage and screen can be full of downs as well as ups. Jarvis's sense of adventure makes the book a page-turning treat. His Hollywood tales are nothing short of compelling, not to say hilarious. And I have never read a better account of what it is like to be on stage in some of London's most noted theatres. A beautifully written autobiography, bursting with fun, information and wise thoughts about acting. I recently had a good time in the theatre watching this British star play the title role in the Lloyd Webber/Ayckbourn 'By Jeeves, on its way to Broadway. Look out NYC. Will Jarvis be writing about his adventures on the Great White Way? Hope so.

This autobiography by versatile British actor Martin Jarvis answers just about every question you've ever wanted to ask concerning the mysteries - and absurdities - of his profession. Whether he is writing about his experiences in Royal National Theatre productions with Sir Peter Hall or the intense atmosphere on the set of James Cameron's Titanic, Jarvis is never less than spellbinding. He is fascinating, too, about the detailed work that has gone into his many starring roles in the plays of Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter and David Hare. And the account of his Theatre Royal Hamlet is a comic classic. His pen portraits of Sir John Gielgud, Robert Duvall, Angela Lansbury, Leonardo di Caprio, Kate Winslet, and the incomparable Dame Judi Dench leap from the page with a glittering perception. I adored the stories about the author's introduction to Hollywood - the character of the hysterical manager, Travis, has to be read to be believed. But beneath the humour, Jarvis' elegant prose conveys an extraordinary sense of the value and worth of being an actor. He is moving, too, as he takes us back to his beginnings at school in South London and his early successes (and failures) at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I particularly appreciated the tales of student work with Anthony Hopkins, Mike Leigh and Patrick Stewart. This is the best book on the secret world of actors since William Redfield's brilliant 'Letters from an Actor'. I wholeheartedly agree with Dame Judi's assessment, displayed on the cover of this unmissable paperback: "Marvellously written - I laughed and Laughed!"