No comments about Complete Book of Emigrants, 1700-1750.

No comments about History and Genealogy of "Elder" John Whipple of Ipswich, Massachusetts His English Ancestors and American Descendants.

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5 comments about Henry VIII (English Monarchs Series).

1. I did not like this book at all! I have read most everything out there regarding Henry VIII. I found this a very hard go. It was extremely difficult to read. It focus's mostly on Henry's policies and the religous issue and a lot of assumptions as to why Henry acted a certain way. It is very date heavy. He barely mentions his wives except to say married on this date, died on this date. If you are beginner to Henry, this is not the book for you.



2. I read this book right after reading Carolly Erickson's biography of Henry VIII, and on balance this book is better and easier to read. I love that Scarisbrick has modernized the spelling and punctuation of the original documents he quotes. I think the picture of Henry presented is well-balanced, and does not minimize the faults of the subject of the biography. The careful examination of the question of the validity of the marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon is the best I have ever read, and partisans on either side of that question will see that there is indeed another side to the view they favor. The examination of the religious views of Henry is detailed and enlightening. I have always had a negative view of Henry VIII and I still have after reading this book, but the book was instructive and enlightening. The footnotes are where they belong (at the bottom of each page) and the bibliography is detailed though of course a bit dated in the 1968 edition I read. After you read this book you will know that you have read a really good biography of this important figure in world history.



3. Scarisbrick's book is a scholar's book and remains recognized after over three decades as the definitive work on the subject. It provides the background for other, equally valuable books, such as David Starkey's "Six Wives: The Wives of Henry VIII". This, though, is not to say that Scarisbrick can't be read for pleasure. It can, but you will not find it the brezzy read of a popular history; instead, you will find a wealth of information that will serve you well in future reading on the subject. And it is a very enjoyable read itself. If you are serious about your understanding of this period of English history then Scarisbrick is essential, and I can't imagine a personal library on Henry or Tudor England without a copy.
   
   As another reviewer remarked, this is not the book for an extensive treatment of Henry's wives. For that, I recommend turning to Starkey, and it too is essential for an understanding of this period of the history of Tudor England. What I've said about Scarisbrick's book can also be said about Starkey; although, I don't think it has quite the stature of Scarisbrick's.



4. Anyone wanting to seriously study Henry VIII will need to read this book. I think that it takes a number of books to get an idea of "Great Harry's" life, but this has unique information. I believe that Scarisbrick was the first historian permitted to use the Vatican archives to research Henry's annulment/divorce. Scarisbrick, for example, analyzes the divorce/annulment of Henry and Catharine of Aragon in careful details, and comes to a somewhat surprising conclusion. Also very carefully examined are the course of the Henrician church, and Henry's ever-shifting foreign policy.
   
   I have one small comment. Scarisbrick expresses surprise that Henry persisted in using the somewhat eccentric argument from Leviticus. I think the reason is clear: Henry wanted something that could not be resolved by dispensation. As Retha Warnicke says in The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII (Canto): "[...] Cardinal [Wolsey] [...] could and did find better reasons than Henry's for ending his marriage, but his arguments (like those of other scholars) can all be characterized as legal technicalities that are by their nature subject to retroactive dispensation. In contrast, Henry's reasoning is straightforward: the pope could not dispense from Biblical law [...]." This cavil does not diminish Scarisbrick's achievement.



5. This remains the best biography of Henry VIII, the one that began to turn the tide against Eltonianism.

No comments about The Brus Family In England And Scotland 1100-1295.

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1 comments about The Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart (Women Writers in English 1350-1850).

1. This book is basically all the letters of Arbella Stuart that the author could find. They have been transcribed into readable english and presented in chronological order. The english and spelling is not changed from the original letters, which can make them difficult to read at times, but there is no better way to get the 'flavour' of Arbella's life.

   The author has also written a biographical introduction on Arbella Stuart's life. This is the result of the reasearch the author has done in finding and transcribing these letters. It is almost a new biography worth reading in itself. Even if you find the letters hard going (like I did), the biography is worth the price of the book.

   I've only one real complaint about this book and that is the Author's insistance on naming Arbella "stuart" throughout her text - she says because it's more respectful - but I think it tends to de-individualise the subject and found it grating.

   If you have any interest in the tragic life of this lady this book is very worthwhile, and it's the first new book in *ages* on Arbella.

No comments about Deborah Turbeville's Newport Remembered: A Photographic Portrait of a Gilded Past.

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No comments about The English Seaside in Victorian and Edwardian Times (Shire Library).