Queen Victoria (Very Interesting People) [Paperback]

K. D. Reynolds (Author), H. C. G. Matthew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0199217580 | ISBN-13: 978-0199217588 | Edition: Pbk. Ed

Definitive, concise, and very interesting...From William Shakespeare to Winston Churchill, the Very Interesting People series provides authoritative bite-sized biographies of Britain's most fascinating historical figures - people whose influence and importance have stood the test of time. Each book in the series is based upon the biographical entry from the world-famous Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The Very Interesting People series includes the following titles: 1.William Shakespeare by Peter Holland 2. George Eliot by Rosemary Ashton 3. Charles Dickens by Michael Slater 4. Charles Darwin by Adrian Desmond, James Moore, and Janet Browne 5. Isaac Newton by Richard S.Westfall 6. Elizabeth I by Patrick Collinson 7. George III by John Cannon 8. Benjamin Disraeli by Jonathan Parry 9. Christopher Wren by Kerry Downes 10. John Ruskin by Robert Hewison 11. James Joyce by Bruce Stewart 12. John Milton by Gordon Campbell 13. Jane Austen by Marilyn Butler 14. Henry VIII by Eric Ives 15. Queen Victoria by K. D. Reynolds and H. C. G. Matthew 16. Winston Churchill by Paul Addison 17. Oliver Cromwell by John Morrill 18. Thomas Paine by Mark Philp 19. J. M. W. Turner by Luke Herrmann 20. William and Mary by Tony Claydon and W. A. Speck

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

K. D. Reynolds was a formerly Research Editor at the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography H. C. G. Matthew was the founding editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and was Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford and a fellow of St Hugh's College

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Pbk. Ed edition (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199217580
• ISBN-13: 978-0199217588
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,832,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Minor point of info for previous reviewer, January 1, 2010

By 

PBF - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen Victoria (Very Interesting People) (Kindle Edition)

The reviewer above refers to Victoria as "seemingly always dressed in black." In fact she really _was_ always dressed in mourning following her beloved Albert's death at an early age. Moreover, she was so devastated by the loss that she completely withdrew from the public eye for two or three years, only relenting when Disraeli - after much, much effort - impressed upon her that her subjects were growing restive with a monarch they never saw.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the iconic monarch, March 1, 2009

By 

Mark Klobas (Tempe, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Queen Victoria (Very Interesting People) (Paperback)

As one of the last monarchs whose name is associated with an era, Queen Victoria comes across more as an icon than as a person. Yet the stout figure seemingly always dressed in mourning always had to walk a fine line between these two poles. Viewed from birth as a likely future monarch, Victoria led a isolated life as a child thanks to her mother and a key member of her household, both of whom sought to usurp her future authority as queen. Asserting herself soon after her accession to the throne, she nonetheless submitted willingly to her husband, Price Albert of Saxe-Coburg, deferring unquestioning to his counsel throughout their marriage. Devastated by his death, she eventually emerged from her seclusion to assume a politically active role in the later decades of her reign, spending her final years as a beloved and venerated figure among the British people

Summarizing Victoria's life for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Plus Index of Contributors (60 Volumes), from which this short study is derived, was the joint task of its editor, H. C. G. Matthew, and one of his former students, K. D. Reynolds. Matthew's premature death, however, left Reynolds to finish up the entry. His achievement is an impressive one that combines insight with brevity to provide a remarkably comprehensive summary, one that shrugs off the longstanding myths and imagery to allow a real person of flesh and blood to emerge. It makes this book an essential starting point for learning more about the queen, one unlikely to be bettered in its evaluation of Victoria's life and reign.