Queen Victoria's Gene (Pocket Biographies) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is a pioneering study of the genetic, personal and political effects of hemophilia on the British royal family, eatablishing for the first time the part it played in bringing about the Russian revolution, the fall of the Spanish royal family and Hitler's rise to power. The authors, widely respected scientists who have been involved in DNA testing of bones, trace the history of the hemophilia gene in the British royal family and raise some startling questions, not least of which concerns its origin.

Why was Queen Victoria born with this hereditary gene if it was carried by none of her ancestors? Was she an illegitimate child? In unravelling the story of Queen Victoria's Gene, the authors detail the remarkably well documented sexual lives of Victoria's decendants, and also reveal the truth behind such characters as Anna Anderson, who claimed to be Anastasia, the Czar's youngest daughter.

When first released in hardback, this secret, and startling history of the British Royal family caused great controversy, and is an original and thought provoking study of Victoria, and European History.

About the Author

D. M. Potts holds the Bixby chair in the School of Public Health, University of California, at Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (March 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750911999
• ISBN-13: 978-0750911993
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,264,198 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, October 12, 2000

By	M. S. Butch (Katonah, New York USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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a quick read, and entertaining but doesn't really follow through on its title. very little of the book is actually about the appearance of hemophilia in victoria's line; some of it is an abbreviated story of her family, some of it is a primer on genetics, some of it is a description of family members who inherited it. but the "hook" that induced me to buy this book was the connection between victoria and hemophilia, and about this the book has only mild speculation. where did she get the gene? the author suggests maybe from an unknown "real" father; but surely such speculation is irresponsible without some evidence? of which there is none.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you know about royalty and hemophilia, skip this book, June 27, 2000

By	Ashley (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

The authors are informative regarding Princess Charlotte of Wales, but everything else is either partially or totally wrong. There are too many mistakes re: royalty, not to mention basic grammatical errors, therefore the average royal reader should skip this book. Not worth the headache and hassle! (Unless you enjoy correcting mistakes on every other page.) Plus, it does not have a very well established thesis; the authors often jump form subject to subject, making the reader guess what's coming next. Nor does the book have any real endnotes or bibliography = not the book for ANY historian.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More about hemophilia and history than scandal, January 11, 2002

By A Customer

It's too bad so many reviewers and editors chose to focus on the small part of this book which questions Queen Victoria's legitimacy, because that's not really what this book is about. It's far more about how the interbreeding of British and other European royalty had profound consequences for world history. The bulk of the book traces the competitive sexual politics prior to Victoria's birth, and the way inbreeding among royalty contributed to the spread of the hemophilia gene, causing major world upheaval (in particular, to the fall of the Russian tsar). Much has been written of the privileges of 19th century royalty, but this book brings into sharper focus the way these royals' private behavior had public consequences. An interesting treatise on an aspect of history that is often overlooked: that many European wars were family conflicts extended to a grand scale.