This book is the exhibition catalog of the exhibit by the same name that is traveling around the US, but if you can't make it to the exhibition, this is the next best thing! With 4 essays giving background on Victorian art and history, a chronology of major art events during Queen Victoria's reign, mini-biographies of all the artists, and the 76 works of art from the collection (plus a few extra thrown in!)all beautifully reproduced, this is definitely a collection worth owning. The works are all from the Royal Academy of Art collection and were donated as each artists' best work in order to be granted full academy status and it shows. Many familiar artists are represented such as Alma-Tadema, J.W. Waterhouse, and Millais, but there are a few unfamiliar names, also. If you've never sampled this period's art, this makes for a great beginning. If you don't already own a book on Victorian art, this is a great book to own. And if you do own a collection of Victorian art, it wouldn't hurt to have this on the shelves also.

Henry & Mary Ponsonby: Life At The Court Of Queen Victoria by William M. Kuhn (Associate Professor of History, Carthage College) is the informed and informative, meticulous and scholarly biographical portrait of Henry and Mary Ponsonby, two high-ranking courtiers who served Queen Victoria during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Henry & Mary Ponsonby is an enthusiastically recommended, intimate portrayal of court life which offers unique insights into the recent history of Great Britain's royal family in general, and the court of Queen Victoria in particular.

This book is almost startling to read and browse through. Lousia Antrim was a Lady in Waiting to Queens Victoria and Alexandra of England and accompnied them on most of the state events and overseas trips they went on.

This book is just packed with inside royal information and ancedotes. It also has an amazing collection of royal photos and odds and ends. Things like signed photos of various royalties, meunu's from various occasions, personal snapshots, postcards etc that Louise retained from her various royal jaunts.

This is a lovely, and in some ways very personal book. You get to see the floatsom and jestom of royal living (eg menus etc) that mostly don't appear in other books. It gives you a great feel for the period and lifestyle Lousia lived.

If you are intersted in the royal heyday of the 19th century and early 20th century this is highly reccomended.

A superb novel, one of my favourite book I have ever read. Jean Plaidy is able to convert history into an interesting book which people can get absorbed in without a problem. Its an easy book to read with treachery, murder and romance. It has a wide range of vocabulary and I have learnt many new words from reading this book. I recommmend this book for anyone over 14 years old.

This is the first volume in the Queens of England series of books by Jean Plaidy, who is also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt. It is a well written work of historical fiction that tells the story of the daughter of King Henry IV of France, Henrietta Maria, who went on to marry King Charles I of England.

Henrietta Maria, a Catholic, found herself married to Charles, a Protestant, living in a Protestant country, among a Protestant people. The English, at the time, viewed Catholics with deep suspicion, as the excesses of the Catholic Queen Mary, "Bloody Mary", the daughter of Henry VIII, were still not forgotten. A fervent Catholic, however, Henrietta would not put aside her religion, nor was she particularly discreet about her devotion to Catholicism, and, as such, was never fully accepted by the English people.

Henrietta Maria was an impetuous and pretty, young woman, fond of musical revels, fashionable clothes, and gossip. Her husband, Charles, a family man of principle and integrity, was devoted to her, and together they would go on to have a number of children. Their marriage of state, made for the purpose of maintaining a Franco-English alliance, turned out to be a true love match.

Henrietta Maria was also, however, a puppet of Rome, charged with leading Protestant England back to Catholicism. This was to cloud her judgment, at times, and cause much trouble down the road, and, ultimately, serve to pave the way for the rise of Cromwell and his Puritans. They would make her devotion to her religion and her influence over her husband a focal point for turbulence and civil war. Her loyalty and love for her husband was legendary, but not even she could keep him from the road that led to regicide.

Written in the first person, this is a wonderfully told tale of an enigmatic, little known Queen, who wielded great influence over her beloved husband. Rich with historical detail, it is an enormously entertaining novel that is rife with the political intrigues of the day. All those who love reading well written, historical fiction should enjoy it.

The author gives a vivid picture of all the major figures involved in the Mahdist revolt, from Mohammed Ahmed and the Khalifa Abdullahi to the three main European prisoners. With detailed accounts of military engagements, the stories of those trapped in the Sudan, and escape attempts, this is very engrossing reading.

I have long been enamoured of the story of Queen Victoria, but this is one thing I had not known about until I began really reading about her! Plaidy writes a wonderfully flowing novel about the charming young Victoria - newly ascended to the throne of England - and her Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. As if she doesn't have enough to deal with, the young Queen finds herself falling in love with her advisor, and the feelings are likely reciprocal. Once again, Plaidy does a marvellous job of bringing one of the lesser-investigated (or perhaps more covered-up!) stories of a past monarch. The book is a fast, engaging read, and not at all dry or filled with too many tedious, unneccessary facts about the story (as too many historical novels are!). For anyone wishing to know a little bit more about Queen Victoria or the history of England's monarchs -- this is a book (and author) I highly recommend.

Jean Plaidy, also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, will delight her fans with this, the sixth book in her well-written, fifteen book Plantagenet saga. As are all her books in the popular Plantagenet series, it is replete with vividly drawn historical events and persons. The author weaves a stirring medieval tapestry, focusing on the wife of King Henry III of England, Eleanor of Provence.

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.

A superb novel, one of my favourite book I have ever read. Jean Plaidy is able to convert history into an interesting book which people can get absorbed in without a problem. Its an easy book to read with treachery, murder and romance. It has a wide range of vocabulary and I have learnt many new words from reading this book. I recommmend this book for anyone over 14 years old.

This is a lovely little book with wonderful illustrations and photos of Queen Victoria. I found it interesting and informative. Many of the photos were ones rarely seen in other biographies. Worth having to add to your victoriana.