David Watmough is one of Britains greatest living gay historians, and his latest oeuvre is a tribute to his dedication and fanatical attention to detail. I loved the way his breezy, almost conversational prose brings new light to such stories as the time Henry VIII pulled a pike out of the River Thames, or how, on Bosworth Battle field, King Richard had time to fetch a 28 pound mirror carp out of Ashby Pond, using only a horsehair line and a maggot bait.
I, for one, had no idea James I was a keen fly fisherman, and how, on many occasions he'd simply pop down to the burn and catch his own salmon for breakfast, or that in 1066 King Harold, just before he got shot in the eye, ate a hearty lunch of kippers that he'd caught and smoked himself the previous week. Wonderful, fascinating stuff. Warmly recommended.