- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Lion Hudson plc; 1 edition (20 Mar 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0745953654
- ISBN-13: 978-0745953656
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
541,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Books > Biography > British Royalty > Henry VIII
- #94 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > Henry V
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Product Description
Review
`A bold and original attempt to unravel one of the great mysteries of English history: how, when and why Henry VIII changes from a handsome Prince Charming into a fat and loathsome Bluebeard.' --David Starkey, author of Henry: Virtuous Prince and Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII
'Suzannah Lipscomb has achieved the near-impossible: she's found an intriguing new way of imagining the king we thought we all knew about.' --Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, and author of Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses
'The paradox of Henry VIII is brilliantly unravelled by Suzannah Lipscomb as she reveals the multiple nightmares of the King's annus horribilis.' --Peter Furtado, former Editor of History Today
`At once both scholarly and a joy to read' --Thomas Betteridge, Reader in Early Modern English Literature, Oxford Brookes University
'An engaging and splendidly readable account of a pivotal year in Henry's fascinating, terrible, reign.' --Greg Walker, Masson Professor of English Literature, University of Edinburgh
'Suzannah Lipscomb has achieved the near-impossible: she's found an intriguing new way of imagining the king we thought we all knew about.' --Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, and author of Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses
'The paradox of Henry VIII is brilliantly unravelled by Suzannah Lipscomb as she reveals the multiple nightmares of the King's annus horribilis.' --Peter Furtado, former Editor of History Today
`At once both scholarly and a joy to read' --Thomas Betteridge, Reader in Early Modern English Literature, Oxford Brookes University
'An engaging and splendidly readable account of a pivotal year in Henry's fascinating, terrible, reign.' --Greg Walker, Masson Professor of English Literature, University of Edinburgh
Product Description
The stereotype of Henry VIII presents us with the image of a corpulent, covetous, and cunning king whose appetite for worldly goods met few parallels, whose wives met infamously premature ends, and whose religion was ever political in intent. Moving beyond this caricature, 1536 - focusing on a pivotal year in the life of the King - reveals a fuller portrait of this complex monarch, detailing the finer shades of humanity that have so long been overlooked. We discover that in 1536 Henry met many failures - physical, personal, and political - and emerged from them a different man: a revolutionary new king who proceeded to transform a nation and reform a religion. A compelling story, 1536 shows what a profound difference can be made by changing the heart of a king.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As an interested reader with hardly any knowledge of Henry VIII, this book was the perfect introduction. The author uses the important date of 1536 as a starting point to explain the 'Two Henrys' - the young, well-tempered, handsome and talented king and the obese and irrascible tyrant of the later years.
The book is a pleasure to read, and I found the line of reasoning persuasive. Lipscomb has a wonderful writing style that effortlessly fits her obviously extensive research into a narrative structure that gives the book the exciting feeling of reading a good story.
The book is a pleasure to read, and I found the line of reasoning persuasive. Lipscomb has a wonderful writing style that effortlessly fits her obviously extensive research into a narrative structure that gives the book the exciting feeling of reading a good story.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was a fantastic exploration of the mind and motivations of Henry VIII. It made a serious attempt to get under his skin and give a detailed psychological profile of him in 1536, pieced together from original sources, letters and correspondence.
It's the first detailed account I've read that attempts to really link the events: rather than saying 'this happened, then that happened', she says 'this happened, which was a result of that, and led to...'
I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially her exploration of the perception of masculinity in Henry's day, and why his 1536 fall and Anne Boleyn's 'adultery' had such a deep impact on him in light of this.
The book is scholarly and well-sourced, but also extremely readable. I feel that the review by 'Alison Weir' (if that is the historian, and not just someone using her name) is a little unfair, but that's just my opinion.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking to get a real insight into Henry in his own context, rather than just a description of events that happened around him.
It's the first detailed account I've read that attempts to really link the events: rather than saying 'this happened, then that happened', she says 'this happened, which was a result of that, and led to...'
I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially her exploration of the perception of masculinity in Henry's day, and why his 1536 fall and Anne Boleyn's 'adultery' had such a deep impact on him in light of this.
The book is scholarly and well-sourced, but also extremely readable. I feel that the review by 'Alison Weir' (if that is the historian, and not just someone using her name) is a little unfair, but that's just my opinion.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking to get a real insight into Henry in his own context, rather than just a description of events that happened around him.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
1536 was a momentous year for Henry VIII, one which saw three queens, one of whom was executed; the hope of an heir, and those hopes dashed; the dismantling of a system that ended centuries of tradition and dragged the country, finally, out of the Middle Ages; and one of the most serious rebellions faced by the king from his own people.
Suzannah Lipscomb presents each of these events in chronological order, examining their impact on the king in terms of his masculinity, religion and his descent into tyranny. It is an interesting book, well-written and thought-provoking. The illustrations are very fine, carefully selected and captioned according to context.
For those not familiar with Henry VIII, his court and his policy, there is much to be learned here. Those already steeped in Henrician studies, will find little that is new, but they could not help being impressed with Dr Lipscomb's approach and analysis. I liked this book very much, especially considering it is the author's first, and I will be looking forward to more from her in the future. Highly recommended.
Suzannah Lipscomb presents each of these events in chronological order, examining their impact on the king in terms of his masculinity, religion and his descent into tyranny. It is an interesting book, well-written and thought-provoking. The illustrations are very fine, carefully selected and captioned according to context.
For those not familiar with Henry VIII, his court and his policy, there is much to be learned here. Those already steeped in Henrician studies, will find little that is new, but they could not help being impressed with Dr Lipscomb's approach and analysis. I liked this book very much, especially considering it is the author's first, and I will be looking forward to more from her in the future. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I wish Dr Lipscomb was my history teacher
I learned so much about Henry VIII from this book and look forward to anything this author produces. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Charlie Watson
A good broad overview of a man much misunderstood
Over the years I have read and re-read an awful lot of books on the Tudors, the Reformation, Anne Boleyn and HenryVIII's other wives, life in Tudor times, other Tudor biographies... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Keen Reader
A wonderful debut!
We all know that there were two Henrys, but Suzannah Lipscombe angles her debut at precisely the question when did Henry change? Read more
Published on 17 May 2010 by K. J. Greenland
A fair first effort
Susanna Lipscombe is a young historian with great enthusiasm, and this is a fair first effort, but more in-depth research was needed before she wrote this book with such assurance. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2009 by Alison Weir
Making history accessible
This was easy to read and yet academically credible, really bringing Henry VIII to life so I felt I understood him better than I did from all the films that mostly concentrated on... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2009 by Freddie Wilson
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