Customer Reviews

Kings & Queens of England and Scotland

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent source of quick info on the rulers of England and Scotland for the last millenium. Pictures, family trees, and lists of major events during each reign make this a very handy tool which prevents a lot of digging to find the information otherwise.

...who's sometimes a bit vague on his history.

It goes without saying that this isn't an exhaustive reference, but it succeeds at what it is--a handy, very quick reference to English and Scottish monarchs. If you're wondering who was on the throne when Dickens began writing, if you need a quick reminder of who was the first Plantagenet ruler, if you know the Black Prince was Richard II's father but can't for the life of you remember his mother's name, this book will let you find your answer in just a couple of minutes. Worth the purchase price.

I bought this book a couple of years ago. I read it and found it quite easy and enjoyable to read. Now I use it mainly for quick reference and usually find myself spending more time just browsing through its pages and enjoying it over and over. It has a lot of interesting historical facts! I wish there were similar books on other europpean royal houses!

Kings & Queens of England & Scotland is a great book! I use this on a regular basis and is a good source for reports. I would suggest this book. The individual biographies are great, and the events during the reign are really helpful. This book follows each dynasty and shows a family tree for each. I highly suggest this book for anyone.

This is a neat, fun, informative book for everyone, young and old alike. Facts, information, interesting anecdotes, and superb pictures and graphics. The handy size makes it perfect for kids working on reports for school as well. A super book for a number of reasons, and a great one to have on your shelf, especially if you have kids in school or simply want to know more about British Royalty.

Fry's much-condensed version of his earlier book is an excellent, handy and short guide to the British monarchy. Its graphics, photographs and charts are high quality and the text provides the useful highlights of the periods.

This little booklet provides us with a readable and concise history of the Kings and Queens. It traces the successions and the "benchmark" events of the reigns of these royal persons succinctly so the reader can grasp quickly a well-tangled historical record. Like any "concise" review, of course, there is precious little "meat-on-the-bone" beyond a genealogical trace through the hundreds of years of British history. It serves fairly well, however, to trace the "institution" of the British monarchy while giving us numerous teasers for further reading.

KINGS AND QUEENS by P.S. Fry is a 96 page handbook that outlines English history, from the year 600 to the present (circa 1997). The book is a glitzy production and every page is glossy. About two thirds of the pages contain color photos of images of various kings and queens, taking the form of an old painting, old sculpture, or an actual photograph. These kings include well-known figures, such as Alfred the Great (he unified Wessex, Sussex, Essex, Kent, Northumberland, East Anglia, and Mercia), William the Conqueror (memorialized in the majestic Bayeux tapestry), Edward III (he started the Hundred Years War), Henry V (celebrated for finally capturing France, near the end of the Hundred Years War), and Henry VIII (famed for his 6 wives).

Flow charts disclosing various lineages or dynasties are provided, and these cover:
(1) William the Conqueror to Henry I to Henry II (pages 14-15);
(2) Henry II to Edward III to Henry IV (pages 20-21);
(3) Edward III to Henry IV to Henry VI and to Edward IV (pages 32-33);
(4) Edward IV to Henry VII (pages 38-39);
(5) Henry VII to James I (pages 44-45);
(6) James I to George I (pages 64-65);
(7) George I to George V (pages 74-75); and
(8) George V to Elizabeth (pages 86-87).

The book pauses in its march from king to king, to provide one page devoted entirely to King Henry VIII's six wives (page 49). Pages 54-63 are devoted entirely to kings and queens of Scotland (years 843-1603). The book contains plenty of 1-paragraph descriptions of milestone events, including, Viking invasions, Battle of Hastings of 1066, Henry II's appointment of Thomas Beckett as archbishop of Canterbury, Battle of Agincourt, Henry VI's imprisonment in the Tower of London, the imprisonment of Edward IV's two young sons in the Tower of London (upon Edward IV's death), Battle of Bosworth, Queen Mary I's persecution of the Protestants, and so on.

This book is an indispensable companion, when reading regular books on English history, as it is a convenient source of names, dates, and lineages. Generally, books on English history are confusing because there are multiple people with the same name, for example:

"Henry,"
"Edward,"
"John,"
"Warwick," and
"Gloucester."

The "Warwick" of the One Hundred Years War is NOT the same as the Warwick in the time of the War of the Roses. The "Gloucester" of the One Hundred Years War is NOT the same as "Gloucester" (Richard III) in the time of the War of the Roses.

Another confusing aspect of English history, is that some characters change their name from time to time. For example, first, they have a real name, such as "Edward Seymore." But then, when they acquire a title such as Earl of Hertford, where history books call them "Hertford," and later, when they acquire another title such as Duke of Somerset, where history books call them "Somerset." The book under review goes a long way at helping to remove these ambiguities. The glossy paper and intelligent graphic design makes this excellent book a treat to the eye.

This book is a handy review of the highlights of the British and Scottish monarchies. The illustrations are of good quality, and the family trees are helpful. This book is nice to have on the shelf as a quick reference guide for those moments you are trying to keep your Henrys and Edwards straight.

This book is invaluable for anyone researching royal genealogies and history students. Highly recommend, along with the "Mammoth Book of Kings and Queens"