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5:43 am
October 28, 2011
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Any recommendations? I have a voucher for Fishpond so I was thinking of ordering the books on Jane and Anne of Cleves by Elizabeth Norton but I was wondering if there’s any other books written on her? The portion in Starkey’s Six Wives is very short, although he has convinced me she was far from angelic.
8:08 am
May 16, 2011
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Whenever I visit my library i usually look for Anne stuff (never successful) and I always find stuff on Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, and Katherine of Aragon. That’s about it. I’ve never read a book completely about Jane. Would I like to? Yeah but my town sucks and has absolutely no book stores and 2 library’s with little selection of Tudor era books.
Good luck though.
• Grumble all you like, this is how it’s going to be.
8:56 am
June 7, 2010
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The only full-length bio on Jane (from my knowledge) is Elizabeth Norton’s. It’s an okay read, but I was disappointed with it. Nevertheless, it does explored Jane’s life, but I felt more could have been done with the material.
The best I’ve read about Jane is in Starkey’s Six Wives, which he does challenge the long-held assumptions of her life. Fraser does a good job ofJane in her books on the six wives.
Other than those sources, I cannot recall from memory any other books on Jane. I know there are a coupleof fictional books about her. I find it annoying that Jane is so often ignored when it comes to published Tudor works. I want to know more about her, and from different historical perspectives. I know there is more to her than the one dimensional submissive wife. Underneath, I imagine, was a woman of intelligence, ambition, and nerves of steel.
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
12:52 pm
January 9, 2010
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I’d recommend the Elizabeth Norton book on Jane, if only because it’s the only bio that I know of that focuses solely on Jane! It does go into her family history and offers up some interesting info on Jane herself, the odd tidbits of which I was previously unaware. And the photos are gorgeous, so that helps lol
But it’s a shame there isn’t more on Jane, and Anne of Cleves too, as they seem to be the two wives that are consistently overlooked by historians. I may be wrong here, but I seem to remember reading somewhere (can’t remember where) that Kelly Hart, author of ‘The Mistresses of Henry VIII’ is doing a biography of Jane. I hope so as I’d love to know more about her.
1:39 pm
October 28, 2011
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Thanks guys, Elizabeth Norton it is. I might check some of my bibliographies and see if I can dig anything else up.
Duchess I totally agree. I loved this quote from Starkey
“Anne might talk of killing Catherine, the gentle Jane went further and was an accessory-after-the-fact to the judicial murder of her predecessor”
It got me intrigued. I have never bought into Jane as submissive/perfect female/model wife either. I can’t remember where I read she was picking out wedding clothes on the day Anne Boleyn was executed but it’s always stuck in my head. Also I have to admit I don’t think I like her much, but this just gets me more interested in reading about her.
Mya I can’t buy Tudor books over here either, none of the second-hand bookshops ever have any and to buy them new would cost me about $25-30 a book. Have you tried Awesome Books? Bar the small handful I owned previously I have gotten my whole Tudor library from those guys at $4-5 per book including shipping. Sometimes the condition is not so good but they’re good about replacing if you’re not happy.
2:38 pm
May 16, 2011
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I’d even settle for a $25-30 dollar book if I could find one but I can’t. We have a ‘little’ library and a ‘big’ library and they have the same selection of Tudor books but at the bigger one has more but not ones I wanna read…It sucks.
I’ll try looking for Norton’s next time though.
• Grumble all you like, this is how it’s going to be.
5:32 pm
November 18, 2010
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I feel your pain, ladies. My local library is 3/4 French and the English selection is growing very slowly.
I’m currently making my birthday Amazon order so some relief on the horizon…
I have the Norton book. It’s reasonable.
Sadly Jane just never left much impression before her marriage and knowledge of her life during her courtship and marriage is limited. She certainly was as ambious as Anne. After all, attracting and keeping the attention of the king was a risky business. She must have been in fear every month until she concieved and even then she wasn’t safe until her son was in Henry’s arms…
It's always bunnies.
5:41 am
January 3, 2012
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Iactually find it a little hard to believe that there are so few books, written about J.S, AOC, KH, and KP, when they all played a part in making the monster called Henry come to life.. J,S and AOC books are particularly hard to find although we do have a few non fiction books about KH and KP, with maybe the odd fictional book about KH. I believe Joanna Denny wrote a book about KH.
I mentioned to Claire the other day, that there are also very few books written from a mistresses point of view where Henry was concerned.
I think there were one or 2 about Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn, but we know that Henry had other mistresses besides them.
It does make you wonder though on just how different Henry was towards his mistresses and his wives. We do know that before Henry married AB, he was gentle and caring, although they did used to have the odd disagreement and in the first years of his marriage to A.B, he didn’t look at another woman, and of course when he did Anne made it know she wasn’t a happy bunny, and he told her quite bluntly that she should shut her eyes to such things as her betters had done before her. But I don’t remember having read anywhere that after Jane died of him actually taking a mistress or even during his marriage to her (Jane) or KP? I don’t think he would have done during his marriage with KH as he was completely besotted by her and I suppose in his eyes there were none at the court who could attract him like she could.
Of all the books that I’ve read about Henry’s wives, Starkey’s is probably amongst the best, as he really knows how to challedge the readers perception of the issues he’s raised, and yes his books have produced some very lively debates here, which is all good.
Semper Fidelis, quod sum quod
6:37 am
April 11, 2011
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Elizabeth Norton’s biography on Jane Seymour would seem to be the best, there are however a few books around about JS, it’s just a question of taste and/or if you prefer novels to a factual read. The list, to my knowledge, is: Plain Jane by Laurien Gardner. Jane Seymour by Francis Clark. Pour the Dark Wine by Dinah Lampitts. The Favoured Queen by Carolly Erickson. The Tudor Rose by Julia Watson. Jane, Beloved Queen by Jean Evans. The Flower of Old England by Philippa Dobson and The King’s Wife by Ursula Bloom.
Kelly Hart (who wrote a book about Henry’s mistresses) is also planning to bring out a book this year regarding JS.
A book by William Seymour – Ordeal By Ambition – covers the story of the whole Seymour family and their part in Anne’s downfall, Jane’s path to Queen, her death and what followed.
7:29 am
January 3, 2012
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I actually like to read a mix of fact and fictional books. As long as you remember that the fictional books have little or nothing to do with the factual side of things. It does the old grey matter good to have a little light hearted relief now and again.
As it happens Neil I’ve just put Julia Watson’s book on order, so I guess you must have been reading my mind.. Best not to do that, as I don’t think you really want to go down with Dinosaur disease. As for the other books your’ve mentioned I’ll put them on my book wish list.
Right now I’m reading Mary and Elizabeth by Emily Purdy.
Semper Fidelis, quod sum quod
7:36 am
January 3, 2012
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Mya Elise said
Whenever I visit my library i usually look for Anne stuff (never successful) and I always find stuff on Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, and Katherine of Aragon. That’s about it. I’ve never read a book completely about Jane. Would I like to? Yeah but my town sucks and has absolutely no book stores and 2 library’s with little selection of Tudor era books.
Good luck though.
Thankfully Mya we do have a lot of libraries around us, but even so Tudor Era Books are thin on the ground even here. It really must be S.O.B for you more than me as your live in Canada? Can you do an inter library reservation at all? meaning that you make a request for a book at your local library and they then search other libraries to try and find it and get it sent to your library for you. Does that make sence..
Semper Fidelis, quod sum quod
9:48 am
April 11, 2011
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>Boleyn said
I actually like to read a mix of fact and fictional books. As long as you remember that the fictional books have little or nothing to do with the factual side of things. It does the old grey matter good to have a little light hearted relief now and again.
As it happens Neil I’ve just put Julia Watson’s book on order, so I guess you must have been reading my mind.. Best not to do that, as I don’t think you really want to go down with Dinosaur disease. As for the other books your’ve mentioned I’ll put them on my book wish list.
Right now I’m reading Mary and Elizabeth by Emily Purdy.
Boleyn, I’ve often been thought of as a mind reader as well as a Dinosaur, but at least they can’t burn me at the stake for it these days! I hope you enjoy your reads and that you get to fill all of your wish list.
4:23 pm
October 28, 2011
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I read an Emily Purdy book last year and I am still suffering emotional trauma. Let me know what you think of Mary and Elizabeth Boleyn, I read the one about Jane Parker.
Thanks for letting me know about the William Seymour book Neil, I’ll have to hunt that one down.I’m sticking to non-fiction for a while, I can’t seem to keep up with reading all the books I’ve ordered, I have at least eight to read after I finish on my Six Wives quest.
4:37 pm
November 18, 2010
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Neil Kemp said
Plain Jane by Laurien Gardner.
A series which plays fast and loose with history due to each book having a different author. H8 is 17/18/19 when he becomes king amongst other errors. That said they are reasonable fluffy easy to read books.
The Spanish Bride and a Lady Raised High being the first two.
It's always bunnies.
7:21 pm
May 16, 2011
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I wish we just had one store dedicated to all Tudor books. Dream on…
I’m gona have to search some harder I guess.
• Grumble all you like, this is how it’s going to be.
9:43 pm
January 9, 2010
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Mya Elise said
I wish we just had one store dedicated to all Tudor books. Dream on…
I’m gona have to search some harder I guess.
One store dedicated to all Tudor books…. that would be my dream come true, lol
5:02 am
June 7, 2010
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Mya Elise said
I wish we just had one store dedicated to all Tudor books. Dream on…
I’m gona have to search some harder I guess.
Oh, how I wish! I would live there on a permanent basis! We could all congreagate there and discuss all things Tudor all day, every day! But, only in my dreams…
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
5:04 am
June 7, 2010
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Anyanka said
Neil Kemp said
Plain Jane by Laurien Gardner.
A series which plays fast and loose with history due to each book having a different author. H8 is 17/18/19 when he becomes king amongst other errors. That said they are reasonable fluffy easy to read books.
The Spanish Bride and a Lady Raised High being the first two.
I read these threee books. They are okay (but terribly inaccurate), but they are easy and quick reads.
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
6:29 am
May 16, 2011
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LOL all books have some inaccuracy in them because even these historians don’t know what exactly happend. They fill in the holes though with their own twist on what they believe happend. If there was one book for each wife that was completely full of nothing but the truth and exact events then there would be no need for any other book but there will never be a book like that.
• Grumble all you like, this is how it’s going to be.
6:42 am
April 11, 2011
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As a little add-on to the subject of Tudor books the following site lists the top 230 Tudor based books as voted by it’s readers. As PG figures very much at the top of the list I leave the value of this listing to yourselves. It does however provide a very full list for reference, so could prove useful in that regard. http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/382
