Used price: $0.62
Buy one from zShops for: $35.00
Collectible price: $34.00
Used price: $46.47
List price: $14.95 (that's 30% off!)
Buy one from zShops for: $13.08
Used price: $12.45
Son of iron fisted King Henry II of England and his headstrong wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, John was their youngest son. When his older brother, King Richard the Lionhearted, died without an heir, there were two who laid claim to the crown of England: Richard's nephew, Arthur, who was the son of John's older, now deceased brother, Geoffrey, and Richard's youngest brother, John.
Arthur had not been brought up in England. He had, instead, been raised as a Breton and was foreign to English ways. Moreover, he was a mere pubescent child of thirteen. Fearing that the people of England would not flock to Arthur's banner and thinking John to have precedence over his older brother's son for purposes of succession, William Marshal, the most respected knight in England, gave John's cause his support, and where William Marshal would lead, others would follow. Thus, John was crowned King, a black day in English history.
John would turn out to be a cruel and evil tyrant, more given to indulging in debauchery than to securing the kingdom over which he reigned. Foolish and dissolute, he prefered to rape, pillage, torture, and murder than to apply himself to statesmanship and governance. Lascivious by nature, he abducted a beautiful twelve year old girl, Isabel of Angouleme, who was betrothed to another, and made her his child bride and queen. Together they would sport, while his kingdom fell apart.
As for Arthur, let's just say that the kid never even had a fighting chance. In the end, however, John, himself, and not Arthur, would be his own worst enemy. John would lose the great possessions for which his ancestors had fought, and, for a time, even England's fate was made precarious by John's failure to rule effectively.
The lurid details of King John's reign make for an absorbing and compelling work of historical fiction. The author seamlessly weaves historical events and persons into a tapestry replete with period detail that fully engages the reader. Devotees of historical fiction will certainly enjoy this novel, which is part of the author's fifteen book Plantagenet saga.
Used price: $19.16
Collectible price: $26.47
Used price: $2.90
Collectible price: $3.18
Buy one from zShops for: $5.75
Having myself spent a lifetime in medical research to improve family plannning, had I written an account of its history perhaps the injustices and hypocrasy which I witnessed by those who would assume moral authority over all of humanity would have certainly made my writings biased. Yet Lader gives a rather balanced overview, trying to exercise respect for the position of his enemies; those calling themselves pro-life or putting the Pro-Life brand name on it.
From the early struggles of daring to place contraceptives into the hands of needy young people through the development of the safe abortion pill in France, Lader simply delivers factual accounts of its scientific, medical and political history. Of course, he doesn't fail to neglect the wicked political hippocrasy of the Republican Party who begin by first rallying around Richard Nixon's national and global agendas of promoting widespread family planning as part of his national security program for the 1970s. Exposaed here are two of Nixon's staunchest family planning supporters: Governor Ronald Reagan of California (liberalizer of his state's restrictive abortion laws) and Congressman George W. Bush of Texas, the point man for global contraception and abortion. Gleaning support for his presidential campaign from American Catholics and their allies for putting a stop to Nixon's efforts, Jimmy Carter begins cashing in on the anti-abortion movement. They get the message, and pretty soon Reagan and Bush do a 180-degree moral reversal so that the White House can become theirs. [Is any creature lower than politicans?]
In the end, French scientists led by Georges Teutsch and Emile Etienne Baulieu trying to produce a new treatment for overactive adrenal glands accidently stumble on the first safe drug for induction of first trimester abortion: RU-486. Lader carefully chronicles the medical and political developments accompanying this new drug. Against enormous odds, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Gore fulfill their 1992 campaign pledges of making RU-486 available to American women.
To gain insight into a very significant history of the emergance of women's reproductive rights in the 20th century this book is an indispensible sourcebook for educating the enlightened reader.
Used price: $17.50
Used price: $15.00
Collectible price: $13.90
Used price: $12.50
Collectible price: $12.71
Eleanor was one of the four beautiful, well-educated, and accomplished daughters of the impoverished Count of Provence. When the eldest, Marguerite, married King Louis IX of France, Eleanor soon followed with a king of her own, Henry III of England. The other two younger sisters later married into the royal houses of France and England. Sanchia married Richard of Cornwall, brother to Henry III, while Beatrice married Charles, the Count of Anjou, brother to Louis IX.
Eleanor, a headstrong, and imperious woman, won the heart of King Henry III, turning him into the most uxorious of husbands. A weak king, he was the most devoted of husbands, happiest when he could be with his Queen and their family. Eleanor, although a devoted mother to their children, led Henry by the nose, making insatiable demands upon the exchequer for money, jewels, luxurious clothing, and lavish gifts for her and her family from Provence. The besotted king was more than happy to grant his beloved wife's desires, even at great cost to his subjects, who despised this greedy Queen from Provence, known for her wild extravagance. She, in turn, would despise her subjects, treating them with contempt and seeing them only as a source of unlimited funds.
This, of course, eventually led to unrest throughout England, as well as a revolt led by Simon De Montfort, who was married to the sister to King Henry III. Simon de Montfort desired to form a parliament that would represent the people and ensure that laws would be passed that were just. He called for an end to the crippling taxation that was imposed upon the people of England in order to support the greedy and parasitic Provencal relations of the Queen, as well as the King's foreign born half-brothers and sisters. He also desired their ouster from positions of power and influence in England. He would eventually take King Henry III and his heir, Edward, as prisoners.
Edward, who would be known as Edward Longshanks because of his great height, was the handsome, beloved son of King Henry III and Queen Eleanor. He would escape his imprisonment and defeat Simon de Montfort and his forces, ensuring the return of control over England to his grateful father. Edward quelled the rebellion, showing himself to have none of his father's weaknesses. Though the English had despised King Henry III and his avaricious Queen, they were delighted with the heir to the throne, who would go on to rule England as King Edward I.