Her Majesty's Spymaster: Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Walsingham, and the Birth of Modern Espionage22 reviews Stephen Budiansky Plume, 2006 Espionage, Black Propaganda and Covert Action in Elizabethan England. Learn how a brilliant master did it. + espionage and treachery under Elizabeth I A short, yet comprehensive study of Sir Francis Walsingham. A brilliant spy master. He coordinated espionage activities against Spain and France and internal enemies (both real and unfortunately imagined) of Queen Elizabeth I. This history shows black operations and black propaganda, influence ...             Terrorism and the Illuminati: A Three Thousand Year History3 reviews David Livingstone BookSurge Publishing, 2007 A fun read + Connecting the Conspiracy Dots I blame the editor, not the author...but... If you can get past the massive amount of typo's and grammatical errors, there are quite a few interesting ways to tie together aspects of world history. My favorite part was the exhaustive research aligning the movers and shakers of their times and ...             Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley28 reviews Alison Weir Ballantine Books, 2004 Weir's Interpretation of the Mystery + Impeccably researched historical detective work and overall a good read + The Queen of Scots Greatest Blunder Like many people, I'm aware of who Mary Queen of Scots is, how she died and the death of her husband. But, I knew little about the actual details of the case, the atmosphere of the time, and the specific evidence against her. In this book, Alison Weir reveals her theory of what happened to Lord ...             Lucrezia Borgia (Phoenix Press)2 reviews Maria Bellonci Phoenix Press, 2003 The Portrait Tells the Story + kind sweet woman trap family from hell! There are few portraits as sharply drawn as that depicting (or considered to depict) Lucretia Borgia: smart, beautiful, edgy and dangerous. The illegitimate daughter of Roderigo Borgia, who reigned as the most notorious Spaniard of the High Renaissance, Pope Alexander VI, she spent her most adult ...             The Princes in the Tower96 reviews Alison Weir Ballantine Books, 1995 Weir provides a watertight case of the guilt of Richard III + Sad + The Princes in the Tower recounts the murders of King Edward V and his brother the Duke of York in the Tower of London + Case against Richard III Laid out Clearly             Cupid and the King: Five Royal Paramours3 reviews Princess Michael of Kent Touchstone, 2006 "Cupid And the King" is Quite Entertaining + Cupid and The King I thouroughly enjoyed this book. Princess Michael's writing style is chatty and open, and she chose five interesting women to study. It's a great "beach read" for lovers of biographies, history or even royal gossip.             Curious Myths of the Middle Ages: The Sangreal, Pope Joan, The Wandering Jew, and Others (Dover Books on ...2 reviews Sabine Baring-Gould Dover Publications, 2005 A Compendium of Fascinating Stories I was interested in this book because it covered stories with which I was already familiar--the Wandering Jew, Pope Joan, the Grail--and for which I am always interested in finding new resources. The bonus was that I discovered deeper roots for stories I only knew superficially--the Pied Piper, ...             A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, ...90 reviews Michael Farquhar Penguin (Non-Classics), 2001 Great Tid Bits of History + Highly Entertaining! + Five Stars I love history but I didn't want to read a 600 page novel that read like a textbook. This book is perfect. Fun, and straight to the point. I learned about all the dirty details of some of history's famous characters that my teachers and professors never bothered to mention. History + sex + murder= ...             The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall49 reviews Christopher Hibbert Harper Perennial, 1999 When's the Movie coming out? + Good Overview of a Grand Dynasty + calling all history buffs This history read like an adventure movie, especially the discription of Lorenzo the Magnificient's life. I'm surprised someone here thought it lifeless! Murders, riots, wars, seductions! What more could you want?             A Treasury of Great American Scandals: Tantalizing True Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers ...32 reviews Michael Farquhar Penguin (Non-Classics), 2003 AMERICA'S DIRTY LAUNDRY! + An Epigrammatic Endorsement + Interesting and informative. + A great read for short attention spans             The Last Days of Henry VIII11 reviews Robert Hutchinson Phoenix, 2006 An Understanding of the Political Climate in the Wake of Henry VIII + A Comprehensive Look at Henry's Final Years + Well-written, entertaining, very readable In response to the fellow that gave this book a 1-star, one cannot possibly understand the important political maneuverings in the final days of Henry without explaining details of his reign, of which I feel was the point of the book. I also did not mind the review of other parts of his reign ...             Shadowplay: The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare15 reviews Clare Asquith PublicAffairs, 2006 The Passion of The Bard + Unearthing A Secret History + Understanding Shakespeare + In the last days, much is revealed indeed. + The Jesuit Mafia invades Greenland             Shakespeare's Bawdy (Routledge Classics)5 reviews Eric Partridge Routledge, 2001 Still a classic of its kind, though showing its age + Shakespeare's Bawdy + We Got the Jokes! + A classic on the Bard's bawdy             Geisha: A Life102 reviews Mineko Iwasaki Washington Square Press, 2003 To be the best no matter what... + A wonderful trip into the hidden culture. + Amazing + An autobiography is an act of self-revelation             Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes; Third Edition (Yale Nota Bene)17 reviews Eamon Duffy Yale University Press, 2006 An Informative Window on the Origins of Modern Christianity + Excellent Reread + saints and sinners:a history of the popes + very good             The Uncrowned Kings of England: The Black History of the Dudleys and the Tudor Throne3 reviews Derek Wilson Basic Books, 2005 The Other Side of the Story + A history not so dark History has been unkind to the Dudley family, laying a multitude of evil actions at their feet and never really giving them a chance to defend themselves. Enter Derek Wilson, Defender of the Underdog? Wilson's biography of this influential family logically and soundly refutes many of history's ...             Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)56 reviews Eleanor Herman Harper Perennial, 2005 Such a fascinating book + TABLOIDS OF THE PAST + wildly entertaining + another hit             An Unchaste Life: Memoir of a Tudor Queen3 reviews Anne Cato Lyon-Rampant Publishing, 2006 Great Story + Facinating Book I enjoyed this account of the life of Catherine Howard. This story was fascinating and touching. Cathering was previouslly know as an adulterous wife and this is a more private side of her life, her feelings. Great read.             The Myth of Pope Joan2 reviews Alain Boureau University Of Chicago Press, 2001 Reasoned and well researched + fascinating It is a joy to see this finely researched volume on a topic of such mythic proportions. I have read several other books on the topic, but it is difficult to find writers who are interested in historical reality when it comes to Pope Joan. As a Roman Catholic theologian concerned with the all-male ...             Unwise Passions: A True Story of a Remarkable Woman---and the First Great Scandal of Eighteenth-Century ...24 reviews Alan Pell Crawford Simon & Schuster, 2005 Great Biography...Not So Much Scandal + Unwise, indeed................... + Historical Reality Check of early Americans The title is a little misleading, but this is still a great biography of Anne Cary Morris. The "scandal" is dealt with in several chapters and the remaining story tells of the disfunctional family of which she was a part of. It left me looking for more information about the remaining "cast of ...