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Best Books About the Tudor Period/Elizabethan Era  

post #1 of 15
3/5/08 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
Fiction and non-fiction.

Watching the Tudors on demand (which is so historically inaccurate it hurts but hey, it's still entertaining) has bitten me with the Tudor/Elizabeth bug. I remember my grandmother reading Margaret George's Henry the Eighth and loving it so I've put it on hold at the library but I'm not just looking for stuff on Henry VIII or just fiction. I don't mind historical fiction for entertainment but I'm still wondering about the actual history.

So any entertaining fiction and enlightening non-fiction recommendations? TIA!
post #2 of 15
3/5/08 at 5:54pm
My picks:

Fiction -- Patricia Finney -- she's written several, the only title I can remember is Firedrake's Eye.

Non-fiction -- The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser.
post #3 of 15
3/5/08 at 6:00pm
The 6 wives of Henry the VIII and Henry the VIII the king and his court, both by Alison Wier
post #4 of 15
3/5/08 at 6:07pm
Alison Weir has written several non-fiction books about the Tudors. I recommend them.
post #5 of 15
3/5/08 at 6:34pm
I love the Tudors, but I'm afraid only films are springing to mind right now! There was a fairly good film about Lady Jane Grey that I saw recently--it had a very young Helena Bonham Carter in the title role. It romanced-up the storyline considerably, but I liked how they included most of her famous real-life lines ('Was he a vine? Was he a door?'), so it was a lot more historically accurate than some... I also have a sneaking fondness for Shakespeare in Love, although that's not 'about' the Tudors per se. Dame Judi Dench makes a smashing Queen Elizabeth, though.

I'm interested in, although wary of, The Other Boleyn Girl when it comes out in cinemas (haven't read the book). Could be awful, might be good; we shall see.
post #6 of 15
3/5/08 at 6:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arduinna View Post
The 6 wives of Henry the VIII and Henry the VIII the king and his court, both by Alison Wier
ditto! Love her books!
post #7 of 15
3/5/08 at 7:25pm
The books by Allison Weir are great!

For other media, there's a BBC series called The Six Wives of Henry VIII which was made in the 70s. Also Anne of a Thousand Days with Richard Burton as Henry.
post #8 of 15
3/5/08 at 10:28pm
OK, at the risk of sounding trendy and uneducated, I'm going to say it: I recommend the Phillipa Gregory books: "The Other Boleyn Girl", "The Virgin's Lover", "The Queens Fool". LOL. I'm not really into "period" literature but I sure loved these books. I felt they were well written and fairly historically accurate (after doing a little research after reading "The Other Boleyn Girl)". I think they're probably a little less educational than the other books recommended here but very entertaining! I heard the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl", doesn't do the book justice.
post #9 of 15
3/6/08 at 6:59am
Oh, I just remembered one! 'Towers in the Mist' by Elizabeth Goudge. It's about the Tudor period rather than the Tudors themselves, although Queen Elizabeth does make an appearance (as does Philip Sidney, I believe). It's about a family who lives in Oxford during the Good Queen Bess 'tours'. Hard to explain, but amazingly well-researched and well-written--she has a very droll, whimsical style of writing which I love. It might be a tad difficult to get hold of, but I highly recommend it.
post #10 of 15
3/8/08 at 12:21am
In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker. It's technically sci-fi but is absolutely fantastic!
post #11 of 15
3/9/08 at 10:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamatoablessing View Post
OK, at the risk of sounding trendy and uneducated, I'm going to say it: I recommend the Phillipa Gregory books: "The Other Boleyn Girl", "The Virgin's Lover", "The Queens Fool". LOL. I'm not really into "period" literature but I sure loved these books. I felt they were well written and fairly historically accurate (after doing a little research after reading "The Other Boleyn Girl)". I think they're probably a little less educational than the other books recommended here but very entertaining! I heard the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl", doesn't do the book justice.
I loved them too. And also The Boleyn Inheritance.
We saw the movie and it definitely didn't do the book justice, but it was entertaining. I love watching the Tudors and like the OP said there are alot of inaccuracies, but still very entertaining.
post #12 of 15
3/11/08 at 12:12pm
I really recommend "The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn" by Eric Ives. He's been studying Anne for over 20 years, and is one of the foremost authorities on her life. The book itself is extremely interesting -- not dry or overly scholarly at all.

http://http://www.amazon.com/Life-De...5248081&sr=1-1
post #13 of 15
3/12/08 at 9:33am
I quite like Elizabeth and Mary by Jane Dunn. A series of letters detailing the relationship between the cousins- fiction, obviously, but still. Also fiction (but YA) is A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley.
Wildly OT, but does anyone know if the Mary Rose WAS actually named after Mary Boleyn? I need to go google properly at some point...
post #14 of 15
3/13/08 at 12:57pm
Another vote for Weir's books, especially her one about Elizabeth, and The Children of Henry VIII.
post #15 of 15
3/13/08 at 3:25pm
The books that Patricia Finney wrote under the pseudonym P.F. Chisholm are really excellent, too. I think A Surfeit of Guns is the first one.
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