Richard III Part II

Now for a few books. There are more than you would think out there. I'll start with a few fiction recommendations, and then dive head first into the non-fiction. A bit of disclosure: I probably won't list much that portrays Richard as a hunchbacked, mad, bloodthirsty serial killer. Be warned. I also talked so much about Shakespeare's play in the last post that I won't list it here again.



1. Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
This is the classic mystery, written in 1951. An inspector is laid up in hospital with a broken leg from his last case. He is a good judge of faces, and can usually tell if the face belongs in jail or on the bench. A friend brings him a stack of prints--one of which is a portrait of Richard III. The inspector can't reconcile what he has learned in school about wicked King Richard with the face in the portrait. He has a young researcher do the footwork while he does the thinking, and off you go on a ride that's as exciting as any exploding car chase could be. There's no doubt which side of the Richardian argument Tey is on. She also writes on the idea that the victor is the one who writes history. Run out and get it right now. It's a quick, fun read that you won't be able to put down, and is thick with names any anglophile will know. Watch out for the wicked Bishop Morton...

2. The Sunne In Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman
This is probably the most well-known fictional work about Richard. It's on the table, but I've not read it yet. It's huge and supposed to be an engaging work.


3. A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith
This is another five pounder, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a story inspired by the fact that Richard had two bastard children acknowledged during his lifetime and there are rumors of a third that was not acknowledged before his death. It is said the children were born prior to Richard's marriage to Anne. It is not known if they had the same or different mothers, but this novel creates a story around the children. Pure brain candy, in my opinion, but well-researched and high quality brain candy.

4. The "Rose of York" series by Sandra Worth. I haven't read these either, but am itching to get my fingers on them. There are three titles: Love and War; Crown of Destiny; and Fall From Grace. On the author's website, she explains that she doesn't agree with the Tudor view of Richard either, and found the "real" Richard fascinating.

5. Another good choice appears to be The Seventh Son by Reay Tannahill. Susan Higginbotham (who has a better blog than I could even dream about called "The Unromantic Richard III") recommends this book, and the blurb on Amazon.com makes it sound pretty good. My library doesn't own it, and it seems to be out of print, only available from independent sellers on Amazon. Oh dear, I'm going to want a copy of this...

Okay Charleen, that's enough fiction to get started. My favorite? Daughter of Time, of course. It was the first time I'd read a book that validated my suspicion that the stereotype of Richard was a little fishy, even if the book was fiction. Thank you Josephine Tey. You opened up a whole new world to me. You are also responsible for some pretty naughty behaviour when I walk past the tomb of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey...but the less said about that, the better.

I'm not even going to try to make a bibliography of the non-fiction books, Charleen. Go to Susan Higginbotham's site if you want some decent Richard III non-fiction. I'm crying uncle.