Once again it’s time for a sneak peek at the new royalty books scheduled to be published next month. As always, publication dates are subject to change.
The Royals by the editors of People Magazine. Looks at the “lives, loves, and secrets” of the world’s royals. Revised and updated for 2010.
Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen by Anna Whitelock. Biography that presents England’s Queen Mary I as a complex figure of immense courage and humanity.
Elizabeth’s Women by Tracy Borman. About female friends, rivals, and foes who shaped the life of England’s Queen Elizabeth I.
Queen Anne’s American Kings by Richmond Pugh Bond. In 1710, four Iroquois visited Britain. They were treated as heads of state and met with Queen Anne.
Rival to the Queen by Carrolly Erickson. Novel about the bitter romantic rivalry between Queen Elizabeth I and her cousin Lettice Knollys.
For the King’s Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick. Novel about a mistress of England’s King Henry II.
The Countess and the King by Susan Holloway Scott. Novel about Katherine Sedley, mistress of Britain’s King James I.
I’ll publish the full list of new books on the Royal Books page on September 1.
If I could only read one of the books listed above, I would probably pick “For the King’s Favor” because I like historical fiction and I’ve yet to read anything by the popular Elizabeth Chadwick. Which book would you choose?
Tanzanite takes a look at fiction book covers featuring Catherine the Great and her family.
Is the fad for book covers featuring headless/faceless women finally petering out? By my count, this month there are at least five new royalty books that depict female faces! I especially like the cover of The Red Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory.
But this is my favorite royalty book cover for August:
The Courtiers: Splendor and Intrigue in the Georgian Court at Kensington Palace by Lucy Worsley is an entertaining look at 18th century British royals and the colorful characters who attended them at court.
The publisher sent me a review copy of this book (so far I’ve only read the first two chapters, but I am enjoying it a lot). It’s a beautiful book, with good-quality paper, attractive and readable type, illustrations throughout — and, of course, that appealing front cover, with an image taken from “The Dinner Party,” a painting by Marcellus Laroon the Younger. The back cover has a picture of Kensington Palace. Overall this is a really well-designed book that’s a pleasure to hold and read.
What do you think of this book cover? And are you as glad as I am to see women’s faces reappearing on historical book covers after years of headless women?
It’s time for a sneak peek at some of the titles due to be released in August! As always, publication dates are subject to change. I’ll post the full list of new royalty books on the Royal Books page on August 1.
The Queen’s Year: A Souvenir Album by David Oakey. A season-by-season guide to Queen Elizabeth II’s annual schedule, with photos.
A Royal Passion by Katie Whitaker. The turbulent marriage of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France.
The Death of Elizabeth I: Remembering and Reconstructing the Virgin Queen by Catherine Loomis. Looks at Elizabeth’s final illness and death, and how her subjects responded to their loss.
The Royal Portrait: Image and Impact by Jennifer Scott. Examines portraits from Britain’s Royal Collection.
The Life and Afterlife of Isabeau of Bavaria by Tracy Adams. During her lifetime, Isabeau, wife of mad King Charles VI of France, was revered. After her death she was reviled as incompetent and depraved.
The Secret Eleanor by Cecelia Holland. A novel about seductive, manipulative Eleanor of Aquitaine, who married kings of both France and England.
His Last Letter: Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester by Jeane Westin. Novel about Elizabeth I’s romance with Robert Dudley.
If I could only choose one of these books to read, it would be “A Royal Passion.” Which book would you choose?
The best-selling royalty books (and one DVD) of May and June 2010, based on sales made through the Royalty.nu site and its companion blogs:
#1
The Young Victoria. 2008 movie on DVD starring Emily Blunt as Victoria and Rupert Friend as Prince Albert. The movie won an Oscar for costume design.
#2
#3
#4
Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. Princess Diana secretly helped the author write this biography, which shattered the myth that she led a perfect fairy-tale life.
#5
An Uncommon Woman by Hannah Pakula. Biography of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, who was the wife of German emperor Frederick III and the mother of Wilhelm II.
For more books about royalty, visit the Royal Books page!
I must say, the quality of royalty-related book covers has improved a lot recently. Among my favorites for July: The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty by J. S. Hamilton, Kings of the North by Cecelia Holland, and Palaces of the World 2011 (admittedly, that last one is a calendar, not a book).
But here’s my favorite royal book cover of the month:
The Sixth Surrender by Hana Samek Norton is a novel about Eleanor of Aquitaine’s deadly dynastic chess game to safeguard the crowns of Normandy and England for her son John.
This is one of the best historical fiction covers I’ve seen in a long time. So many historical novels aimed at women these days show headless/faceless women in costumes that appear historically inaccurate. The woman on this cover actually has a face (gasp). I’m not an expert on 13th century costumes, but her clothing at least looks accurate. This is an attractive cover that suggests a suspenseful plot about a capable woman.
So far the book isn’t receiving great reviews at Amazon, but the cover still makes me want to read it. What do you think of this book and/or its cover? Is there another new royal book cover that you prefer?
Publishers have some interesting new offerings for royal watchers next month, including a number of historical novels. Here’s a sneak peek:
The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty by J. S. Hamilton. A complete account of the English royal dynasty’s rulers and politics.
Serfoji II – Scholar-King of Tanjavur by Indira Viswanathan Peterson. Biography of King Serfoji II (r.1798-1832), ruler of a small Indian kingdom.
Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany. From 2300 to 1300 BCE, great kings kings forged friendships across hundreds of miles.
Legacy by Susan Kay. Novel about England’s Queen Elizabeth I and the three men who loved her.
The Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir. Tells the story of England’s most passionate and destructive royal couple, Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II.
The Sixth Surrender by Hana Samek Norton. In 13th century France, Eleanor of Aquitaine launches a deadly dynastic chess game. (Fiction.)
Kings of the North by Cecelia Holland. During the Dark Ages, Raef Corbanson is thrown into the struggle between Denmark’s King Sweyn Forkbeard, England’s King Ethelred II, and Ethelred’s son Edward. (Fiction.)
As always, publication dates are subject to change. I’ll post the full list of new royalty books on the Royal Books page on July 1.
If I could only read one of the books mentioned above, I would probably pick “Brotherhood of Kings” because I enjoy reading about ancient history. Which book would you choose?
There are some good royalty book covers this month. My runner-up pick for the book with the best cover is The Sultan’s Shadow by Christiane Bird. Pretty, isn’t it?
But this is the cover that appeals to me most this month:
Shadow of the Swords is a novel about the 12th century sultan Saladin, who finds himself at war with King Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade. The cover appeals to me because it looks like a movie poster or video game cover image. I think that’s a good way to capture the attention of younger readers and show that history can be interesting.
What do you think?
Author Lynn Cullen’s novel about 16th century Spanish king Felipe II changed when she stumbled across a mysterious portrait by a female artist.
The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen is available from Amazon.
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