The brooding grey walls of the Tower of London circumscribe one of the most recognisable buildings on the planet. Over its thousand-year history the Tower stood as a symbol of the English monarchy and served as both a palace and a prison. It is a place where court intrigues, clandestine liaisons, unimaginable tortures and grisly executions took place with frightening regularity. "Tales from the Tower" is the factual history of the great building itself told through the true stories of the people, royal and common, good and bad, heroes and villains, who lived and died there. Including characters such as William the Conqueror, the Princes in the Tower, Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes, Colonel Blood and Rudolf Hess, the broad range of stories encompassed in "Tales from the Tower" present a microcosm of all human experience, from love and death to greed and betrayal, all played out against romantic period settings ranging from medieval knights in shining armour to the darkest days of World War II. Anyone who loves history and adventure will find "Tales from the Tower" a classic page turner.
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About the Author
Daniel Diehl is an author and cultural historian with many publications to his credit. Mark P. Donnelly is a writer and lecturer on medieval subjects. Together they have produced an impressive number of books and television documentary scripts. Among their television credits is Tales from the Tower shown on Channel 4 in 2002.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone used to reading more highbrow history books I read this on holiday expecting a light read and this was exactly what I got. Do not expect anything too serious and demanding. However, even though the author writes in an engaging manner the sheer volume of inaccuracies is simply not acceptable. For example in the section on the execution of Anthony Babington and his fellow conspirators we have the following:
'Although hanging, drawing and quartering had been in use for centuries, because this was the first time in Elizabeth's long reign that it had been used, it is unlikely that the Queen actually understood how barbaric it was. On hearing the details of the executions and the public's horrified reaction, she ordered that the remaining eight conspirators should simply be hanged. There would never be another public dismemberment in the realm of England.'
Unfortunately, the queen knew only too well how horrific this form of public butchery was and she gave explicit orders that the traitors should be made to suffer terribly. It certainly was not the first time that it had been used in her reign as it was standard practice to execute catholic priests in this manner from 1578 onwards and this was the fate that befell the Jesuit Edmund Campion in December 1581 among many others. Again the author is wrong when he states 'that the remaining eight conspirators should simply be hanged'. There were 14 convicted traitors in this plot and the first seven were executed on the 20th September 1586 leaving the remaining SEVEN to be hung on the second day. Finally, the author is wrong again when he states that there was never 'another public dismemberment in the realm of England' after this as unfortunately traitors continued to be hung, drawn and quartered well into the 18th century. Good examples being the Gunpowder plotters of 1605 and the regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I in the mid 17th century.
Unfortunately, for this reason it is not possible to take this book seriously and I find it staggering that someone could actually write a book on a subject which he obviously knows so little about!
'Although hanging, drawing and quartering had been in use for centuries, because this was the first time in Elizabeth's long reign that it had been used, it is unlikely that the Queen actually understood how barbaric it was. On hearing the details of the executions and the public's horrified reaction, she ordered that the remaining eight conspirators should simply be hanged. There would never be another public dismemberment in the realm of England.'
Unfortunately, the queen knew only too well how horrific this form of public butchery was and she gave explicit orders that the traitors should be made to suffer terribly. It certainly was not the first time that it had been used in her reign as it was standard practice to execute catholic priests in this manner from 1578 onwards and this was the fate that befell the Jesuit Edmund Campion in December 1581 among many others. Again the author is wrong when he states 'that the remaining eight conspirators should simply be hanged'. There were 14 convicted traitors in this plot and the first seven were executed on the 20th September 1586 leaving the remaining SEVEN to be hung on the second day. Finally, the author is wrong again when he states that there was never 'another public dismemberment in the realm of England' after this as unfortunately traitors continued to be hung, drawn and quartered well into the 18th century. Good examples being the Gunpowder plotters of 1605 and the regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I in the mid 17th century.
Unfortunately, for this reason it is not possible to take this book seriously and I find it staggering that someone could actually write a book on a subject which he obviously knows so little about!
14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent book that covers various periods in the history of The Tower of London. The tower is usually thought of as a prison but it was built as a royal palace. The book covers stories of torture,betrayal and of course execution. It is the type of book that you can dip into and pick which particular story you want to read each chapter being complete within itself. You can pick between William the Conqueror,Jane Grey,Guy Fawkes and right through to Rudolf Hess. The book covers history from the times of medieval knights right through to the second world war. Each chapter is well written and informitive and as I have said it is a book to dip into at leisure it is not bed time reading. Overall a well written book but not "I must read the next page" book.
By Barryjohn
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A fascinating insight into the history of this remarkable building. Any lovers of English history through the ages will love this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great book
It's more than just a book about the tower of London it gives you a brief history of Britain as it winds it's way from Norman Times up to the second world war. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ade
5.0 out of 5 stars
History with a smile!
Wish this kind of history book had been around when I was a child. Lots of smiles and shivers the dry old characters of history were vividly brought to life!
Published 2 months ago by catherine honeywell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative read
Excellent and very interesting read, not just history about the tower of London but an insight into what was happening in the country at time.
Published 3 months ago by G. Bundick
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tales from theTower
I really enjoyed this book as it gave a different perspective of famous and not so famous people and what became old them. Read more
Published 3 months ago by sanddancer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting
I have visited the Tower of London several times and this book illuminates things which perhaps the Yeoman Warders do not have time to relate
Published 3 months ago by John Munger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
This gives an unexpected insight into the function of The Tower of London over the centuries.It's clearly written and entertaining.
Published 3 months ago by Susan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read
I really enjoyed this book and how it brought the history of the tower back to life. Well written, well researched and very readable.
Published 3 months ago by Mr R J Birch
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual
A rather gruesome and sometimes boring description of the history of some of the tower`s occupants. An accurate portrayal of past lives with much factual information
Published 4 months ago by deepee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting
Brilliant read! Definitely recommend for anyone interested in history! Very well written and researched. Could easily read it again it was that good.
Published 4 months ago by Siobhan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT READ
I am very interested in British history and have been since my school days. It was the only subject I was any good at! Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ian2463
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