Customer Reviews

All the Queen's Men: The World of Elizabeth I

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Looked forward to this book with great anticipation, but was rather disappointed. Many of the stories in the book, especially in the courtiers and statesmen chapters, were very familiar to me, having read them elsewhere. I'd recommend, instead, a book by Neville Williams with the same name (All the Queen's Men), if you can find a copy (currently out of print). The most interesting personalities of the period are examined in greater depth and the book is better illustrated than Brimacombe's.

I have one of the earlier editions of this book... if you are studying Elizabeth I or are simply interested in reading a chronological account of the "Who's Who" of Elizabeth's court and courtiers, this is the book for you. If you're bent runs to historical costuming for the Elizabethan era, this is also the book for you. For the costumers: this book contains more source material (by means of portrait reproduction) than you can imagine or shake a stick at. I used this book not only for historical research, but as a costuming reference as well until I found Janet Arnold's book "Patterns of Fashion." The print plates (and there are A LOT of them) are both in color and b/w in my edition. The book is incredibly well researched and written... very little in it could be considered dry. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a page turner, but after almost 20 years with this book in my library I still use it as a reference... it's THAT good... I HIGHLY recommend it!!

All the Queen's Men provides a wealth of knowledge about Elizabeth 1, and also about the men that helped her to become one of the greatest queens in England's history. For example, Elizabeth's Privy Council was filled with many intelligent and capable people. One of these people was William Cecil, who was an extremely hard-working Secretary of State. Under Elizabeth's reign, she surrounded herself with men of knowledge. But, she also appreciated the arts. Many artists and writers evolved during the Elizabethan rule. One of the most historical writers during this time was William Shakespeare who wrote plays like Romeo and Juliet. Through her entire life, Elizabeth 1 had men surrounding her. But she never picked one for the most important positions in her life to be filled by a man, her husband. She had an extensive string of suitors, but never settled down with one. Among these suitors were Philip of Spain, Charles the Archduke of Austria, and Henry the Duke of Anjou. Overall, this is a very well written book. It contains many relevant illustrations that help you while you are reading. All the Queens Men will delight anyone who is interested in the Elizabethan era.

This book was not well edited. I was amazed that a man with Brimacombe's credentials had such poor grammar. Also, refers to one of the "Queen's Men" as Anthony on one page and Arthur the next. How did the editor miss that? Brimacombe's skipping around would be a little difficult to follow for someone with no previous knowledge of Elizabeth I. The only reason I did not discontinue reading this book was that there were enough new tidbits here and there to keep me interested, however, for one new to the subject, there are many better books out there.

I work at Renaissance faires and do historical reenactment and this book is invaluable! A close look at the powerful men surrounding Elizabeth I throughout her reign, this book is great for character work and inter-court relationships. Also a great costume resource. Wonderful portraits often the lesser known and harder to find men and women of the later 1500's. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Elizabethan Era.

All the Queen's Men provides a wealth of knowledge about Elizabeth 1, and also about the men that helped her to become one of the greatest queens in England's history. For example, Elizabeth's Privy Council was filled with many intelligent and capable people. One of these people was William Cecil, who was an extremely hard-working Secretary of State. Under Elizabeth's reign, she surrounded herself with men of knowledge. But, she also appreciated the arts. Many artists and writers evolved during the Elizabethan rule. One of the most historical writers during this time was William Shakespeare who wrote plays like Romeo and Juliet. Through her entire life, Elizabeth 1 had men surrounding her. But she never picked one for the most important positions in her life to be filled by a man, her husband. She had an extensive string of suitors, but never settled down with one. Among these suitors were Philip of Spain, Charles the Archduke of Austria, and Henry the Duke of Anjou. Overall, this is a very well written book. It contains many relevant illustrations that help you while you are reading. All the Queens Men will delight anyone who is interested in the Elizabethan era.