The Image of the King: Charles I and Charles II [Paperback]

Richard Ollard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2001

"Remarkably and immensely readable...A just yet compassionate study of two complex, muddled, fissured human beings caught in the most difficult of crafts--kingship...It should not be missed by anyone interested in the Stuarts or in the personalities of Charles I and Charles II: indeed, any reader will be greatly stimulated by it."--J.H. Plumb, New York Review of Books. Two kings, father and son...and yet, their personalities could hardly have differed more. Through sources as varied as masks, statues, poems, medals, and contemporary written records, a picture of these Stuart monarchs, their characters and their politics, emerges.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Ollard spent ten years teaching History and English at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, before becoming a publisher's director. His previous book, The Escape of Charles II, was widely acclaimed for its skill in combining historical discipline with a vivid recreation of period and the immediate moment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Press (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842120794
• ISBN-13: 978-1842120798
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,613,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Surprisingly, This Book Is About Image and Personality!, August 23, 2000

By 

Old Anglican "galtonian" (Cambridge, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Image Of The King - Charles I and Charles II (Paperback)

While I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is not an historical chronicle of the reigns of Charles I and Charles II, it does not purport to be. What it does provide is superb insight into the personalities of these two fascinating monarchs, their public images and private personae. One can get excellent chronicles of the reign elsewhere. Here, one encounters vivid exposition and analysis of the thoughts, motives and manners of the kings, and how these were affected by the conscious cultivation of image. Ollard is, as always,elegant and eloquent.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Image is everything, May 24, 2000

By 

Schwanda (Shoreline, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Image Of The King - Charles I and Charles II (Paperback)

Skip this book if you're looking for details into the reigns of these monarchs or specific instances of foreign policy, etc. This book mostly discusses the image of the kings, as the title suggests. There is little mention of Charles I's attempt to rule without his Parliment, but instead concentrates on his exquisit art collections, his vanity and his self-image. There is more written about Charles II and how his exile shaped his personality and made him so markedly different from his father. The book itself is small and is a fast read. It is a great character sketch on these two Kings.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King Charles I & II Phoenix, October 24, 2007

By 

Becki Merritt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Image of the King: Charles I and Charles II (Paperback)

Not only am I writing about Cavalier Spaniels, I am currently doing a story on the making of the breed and find you had what I needed for reference work. Thank you.