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Jane Ridley
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Bibliographic Detail
Publisher
Random House Inc
Publication date
December 3, 2013
Pages
726
Binding
Hardcover
Book category
Adult Non-Fiction
ISBN-13
9781400062553
ISBN-10
1400062551
Dimensions
1.50 by 6.50 by 9.50 in.
Weight
2.38 lbs.
Availability§
Publisher Out of Stock Indefinitely
Original list price
$35.00
Subjects
§As reported by publisher
Amazon.com says people who bought this book also bought:
Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor | Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life | Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe | Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson | Victoria: the Queen | The Reluctant King | Edward and Alexandra | King George V
Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor | Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life | Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe | Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson | Victoria: the Queen | The Reluctant King | Edward and Alexandra | King George V
Summaries and Reviews
Amazon.com description: Product Description: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBE
This richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen. Granted unprecedented access to the royal archives, noted scholar Jane Ridley draws on numerous primary sources to paint a vivid portrait of the man and the age to which he gave his name.
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Born Prince Albert Edward, and known to familiars as âBertie,â the future King Edward VII had a well-earned reputation for debauchery. A notorious gambler, glutton, and womanizer, he preferred the company of wastrels and courtesans to the dreary life of the Victorian court. His own mother considered him a lazy halfwit, temperamentally unfit to succeed her. When he ascended to the throne in 1901, at age fifty-nine, expectations were low. Yet by the time he died nine years later, he had proven himself a deft diplomat, hardworking head of state, and the architect of Britainâs modern constitutional monarchy.
Â
Jane Ridleyâs colorful biography rescues the man once derided as âEdward the Caresserâ from the clutches of his historical detractors. Excerpts from letters and diaries shed new light on Bertieâs long power struggle with Queen Victoria, illuminating one of the most emotionally fraught mother-son relationships in history. Considerable attention is paid to King Edwardâs campaign of personal diplomacy abroad and his valiant efforts to reform the political system at home. Separating truth from legend, Ridley also explores Bertieâs relationships with the women in his life. Their ranks comprised his wife, the stunning Danish princess Alexandra, along with some of the great beauties of the era: the actress Lillie Langtry, longtime âroyal mistressâ Alice Keppel (the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles), and Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston.
Â
Edward VII waited nearly six decades for his chance to rule, then did so with considerable panache and aplomb. A magnificent life of an unexpectedly impressive king, The Heir Apparent documents the remarkable transformation of a manâand a monarchyâat the dawn of a new century.
Praise for The Heir Apparent
Â
âIf [The Heir Apparent] isnât the definitive life story of this fascinating figure of British history, then nothing ever will be.ââThe Christian Science Monitor
âThe Heir Apparent is smart, itâs fascinating, itâs sometimes funny, itâs well-documented and it reads like a novel, with Bertie so vivid he nearly leaps from the page, cigars and all.ââMinneapolis Star Tribune
Â
âI closed The Heir Apparent with admiration and a kind of wry exhilaration.ââThe Wall Street Journal
Â
âRidley is a serious scholar and historian, who keeps Bertieâs flaws and virtues in a fine balance.ââThe Boston Globe
Â
âBrilliantly entertaining . . . a landmark royal biography.ââThe Sunday Telegraph
Â
âSuperb.ââThe New York Times Book Review
This richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen. Granted unprecedented access to the royal archives, noted scholar Jane Ridley draws on numerous primary sources to paint a vivid portrait of the man and the age to which he gave his name.
Â
Born Prince Albert Edward, and known to familiars as âBertie,â the future King Edward VII had a well-earned reputation for debauchery. A notorious gambler, glutton, and womanizer, he preferred the company of wastrels and courtesans to the dreary life of the Victorian court. His own mother considered him a lazy halfwit, temperamentally unfit to succeed her. When he ascended to the throne in 1901, at age fifty-nine, expectations were low. Yet by the time he died nine years later, he had proven himself a deft diplomat, hardworking head of state, and the architect of Britainâs modern constitutional monarchy.
Â
Jane Ridleyâs colorful biography rescues the man once derided as âEdward the Caresserâ from the clutches of his historical detractors. Excerpts from letters and diaries shed new light on Bertieâs long power struggle with Queen Victoria, illuminating one of the most emotionally fraught mother-son relationships in history. Considerable attention is paid to King Edwardâs campaign of personal diplomacy abroad and his valiant efforts to reform the political system at home. Separating truth from legend, Ridley also explores Bertieâs relationships with the women in his life. Their ranks comprised his wife, the stunning Danish princess Alexandra, along with some of the great beauties of the era: the actress Lillie Langtry, longtime âroyal mistressâ Alice Keppel (the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles), and Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Winston.
Â
Edward VII waited nearly six decades for his chance to rule, then did so with considerable panache and aplomb. A magnificent life of an unexpectedly impressive king, The Heir Apparent documents the remarkable transformation of a manâand a monarchyâat the dawn of a new century.
Praise for The Heir Apparent
Â
âIf [The Heir Apparent] isnât the definitive life story of this fascinating figure of British history, then nothing ever will be.ââThe Christian Science Monitor
âThe Heir Apparent is smart, itâs fascinating, itâs sometimes funny, itâs well-documented and it reads like a novel, with Bertie so vivid he nearly leaps from the page, cigars and all.ââMinneapolis Star Tribune
Â
âI closed The Heir Apparent with admiration and a kind of wry exhilaration.ââThe Wall Street Journal
Â
âRidley is a serious scholar and historian, who keeps Bertieâs flaws and virtues in a fine balance.ââThe Boston Globe
Â
âBrilliantly entertaining . . . a landmark royal biography.ââThe Sunday Telegraph
Â
âSuperb.ââThe New York Times Book Review
Editions
Hardcover
The price comparison is for this edition
from Random House Inc (December 3, 2013)
9781400062553 | details & prices | 726 pages | 6.50 × 9.50 × 1.50 in. | 2.38 lbs | List price $35.00
About: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBEThis richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen.
About: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBEThis richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen.
Paperback
Reprint edition from Random House Inc (August 12, 2014)
9780812972634 | details & prices | 726 pages | 6.50 × 9.50 × 1.75 in. | 1.75 lbs | List price $20.00
About: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBEThis richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen.
About: NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND THE BOSTON GLOBEThis richly entertaining biography chronicles the eventful life of Queen Victoriaâs firstborn son, the quintessential black sheep of Buckingham Palace, who matured into as wise and effective a monarch as Britain has ever seen.
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