The Duchess of Windsor [Hardcover]

Michael Bloch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

Published on the 100th anniversary of her death, a definitive biography of the Duchess of Windsor explores, among other things, evidence that suggests she remained a virgin despite three marriages and one of the most celebrated romances of the century.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a highly sympathetic biography of Wallis Warfield (1896-1986), the American woman for whom, in 1936, Edward VIII gave up the English throne, thus becoming the Duke of Windsor. Bloch (Wallis and Edward-Letters, 1931-37), who was one of the Duchess's legal representatives before her death, quotes at length from her letters and covers information published elsewhere, including the story of Wallis's first two marriages and her love affair with Edward. He details how the hostility of the duke's brother and successor, George VI, and his wife to the Windsors resulted in their self-imposed exile from England. Bloch, however, does make the startling claim, based on little evidence, that Wallis remained a virgin until her death. He theorizes that, because of her masculine appearance, she may not have had a distinct gender at birth. Bloch glosses over the Windsors' sympathy for Hitler and maintains that they were "moderately" rather than "extremely" rich. Photos include some previously unpublished.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Another illustrated biography of the late Duchess of Windsor would be welcome if it provided new information, because several exhaustive studies have already been published. Unfortunately, the only thing new here is the speculation that the duchess wasn't a fully functional female?that her genetic makeup might have been "ambiguous." The question is interesting, but Bloch (Ribbentrop, Crown, 1993) doesn't present any evidence or research; he supports his position only with anecdotes and gossip. The author was commissioned by the duchess's longtime friend and lawyer to write several pro-Windsor books, and this is one result. Bloch himself saw the duchess only once, briefly, but was given access to her private papers. Given the controversies surrounding the Windsors and the fact that the principals are all dead, readers would have been better served if Bloch had delved more deeply. Fans of the Windsors will enjoy it anyway.?Katharine Galloway Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312151152
• ISBN-13: 978-0312151157
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Essentially a book of fashion photographs, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Duchess of Windsor (Hardcover)

Althought elegantly designed and filled with high-quality photos, this has got to be one of the most egregious books I have run across in years. Bloch, an associate of the Duchess' lawyer, has cobbled together numerous photographs which depict the Windsors at balls, on holiday (from what?) on the Cote d'Azur, in the Bahamas, in Germany, in nightclubs, etc., etc. It is difficult to read this book and not come away with the impression that, great love story though it may have been, the lives of this woman and her husband were an utter waste of everyone's time. How bored (and boring) they must have been! Unless you want to indulge in a little elegant notalgia, don't bother with this high-fashion trash.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read..., January 31, 2004

By 

M. D. Mulhern (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Duchess of Windsor (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. I was surprised when I started it; there are tons of pictures and less text than might be expectd, but with a topic like this one, I actually think this proved to be an advantage. I felt like I got enough of an overview/background to understand what was going on surrounding the Duke and Duchess, but did not feel overwhelmed by the history. For example, I tried reading a biography on the Duke,a nd was so bored and lost by the first two chapters because I was given SO much information!

I also got a different view of the Duchess. While I had not read any non-foction about her, she does pop up in fiction by Danielle Steele ("Jewels") and Dominick Dunne ("The Two. Mrs. Grenvilles") and she is portrayed in a totally unlikeable light. While I don't know how biased this biography was, I ended up being very sympathetic towards the Duchess and hoping that she and the Duke were happy together.

I also found the many pictures to be a plus, as they were great to peruse.

1.0 out of 5 stars The Duchess of Windsor, October 2, 2011

By 

Dianne Momon (st. louis missouri) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Duchess of Windsor (Hardcover)

Great Coffee Table Book, the book is full of pictures of her that I have never seen, it was well worth what I paid for