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sarah2696's review against another edition
5.0
"The study of history is the asking of questions. In an age of fake news and dangerous agendas, it is a skill that must never be lost."
Before I read this, I held Baldwin's Richard III to be the best I'd read on Richard. Lewis' has absolutely taken over that mantle; he's a Ricardian and whilst that may be enough to turn many away for fear that Richard is lauded as a saint, I cannot express how much this isn't the case. Lewis is fair, examining everything - even if it means Richard isn't cast in the best light. He provides multiple explanations for Richard's actions, and though he is, as we all are, naturally biased in one way or another, this is still an incredibly fair and well-founded work that portrays Richard III as a loyal, pious man greatly interested in the law, reform, and doing the right thing. Multiple occasions are cited where Richard, who could easily have protected those in his service, turns over his retainers to the law for a just, fair trial when they were accused of various crimes. As Lewis points out, Richard has nothing to gain through this, and it's interesting that these occasions are not usually found in other works on Richard's life.
This is an exceptionally well written and well-researched book that's made me green with envy wishing I could write my dissertations and articles as well as Lewis has written this, and although I'm probably just as biased as Lewis, I don't think anything he says is unfounded, undeserved or fanciful. He isn't a 'crazy Ricardian', but instead focussed, and highlights that even where there isn't morality in some of Richard's actions, there is at least legitimacy and legality (e.g Hastings) and this is significant. In seeking out Richard's motives and the legality of his actions, we are presented with a much more fascinating version of the man than in any of the other books on Richard III (which are legion). All in all, if you're going to pick up ANY book on Richard III, be certain you make this one of them; it's surely deserving of a place on anyone's bookshelf - Ricardian or otherwise.
Before I read this, I held Baldwin's Richard III to be the best I'd read on Richard. Lewis' has absolutely taken over that mantle; he's a Ricardian and whilst that may be enough to turn many away for fear that Richard is lauded as a saint, I cannot express how much this isn't the case. Lewis is fair, examining everything - even if it means Richard isn't cast in the best light. He provides multiple explanations for Richard's actions, and though he is, as we all are, naturally biased in one way or another, this is still an incredibly fair and well-founded work that portrays Richard III as a loyal, pious man greatly interested in the law, reform, and doing the right thing. Multiple occasions are cited where Richard, who could easily have protected those in his service, turns over his retainers to the law for a just, fair trial when they were accused of various crimes. As Lewis points out, Richard has nothing to gain through this, and it's interesting that these occasions are not usually found in other works on Richard's life.
This is an exceptionally well written and well-researched book that's made me green with envy wishing I could write my dissertations and articles as well as Lewis has written this, and although I'm probably just as biased as Lewis, I don't think anything he says is unfounded, undeserved or fanciful. He isn't a 'crazy Ricardian', but instead focussed, and highlights that even where there isn't morality in some of Richard's actions, there is at least legitimacy and legality (e.g Hastings) and this is significant. In seeking out Richard's motives and the legality of his actions, we are presented with a much more fascinating version of the man than in any of the other books on Richard III (which are legion). All in all, if you're going to pick up ANY book on Richard III, be certain you make this one of them; it's surely deserving of a place on anyone's bookshelf - Ricardian or otherwise.
melstern's review against another edition
5.0
If you have ever read anything about Richard III, new or old, fact or fiction, you probably know that Richard was either the embodiment of the romantic notion of the chivalrous knight straight from tales of King Arthur, a victim to centuries of vicious propaganda and twisted history, or else he was a vile bastard, the physical embodiment of evil, entirely devoid of even the smallest redeeming quality, deserving of nothing short of total character evisceration until the end of time. Also, his brother, King Edward IV, was almost 6'4" tall - the tallest British monarch EVER! (If you didn't know that, congratulations. You are now one step closer to understanding Richard!)
This book was refreshing, avoiding the romantic knight and the evil villain in favor of Richard the human being, a man who was neither angel nor demon, but somewhere in between. The author examined all of the claims history has made about Richard, good and bad, and clearly, concisely, and logically reviews the facts about each one, careful not to twist the facts to suit his story. Rather than guiding the readers to a pre-conceived ideal of Richard, Lewis lays out the facts in favor of allowing his readers to decide for themselves.
Yeah, he was a bit....enthusiastic about making the reader aware of Edward's towering height, highlighting that fact no less than three times. There were also a few very repetitive parts, which put me very much in mind of.filler words and phrases in school research papers. Those are also the BIGGEST problems that I had with this book, and really they're really insignificant.
Whatever your interest in or beliefs about Richard III, this is a great read and a terrific reference, and I would recommend it to anyone.
This book was refreshing, avoiding the romantic knight and the evil villain in favor of Richard the human being, a man who was neither angel nor demon, but somewhere in between. The author examined all of the claims history has made about Richard, good and bad, and clearly, concisely, and logically reviews the facts about each one, careful not to twist the facts to suit his story. Rather than guiding the readers to a pre-conceived ideal of Richard, Lewis lays out the facts in favor of allowing his readers to decide for themselves.
Yeah, he was a bit....enthusiastic about making the reader aware of Edward's towering height, highlighting that fact no less than three times. There were also a few very repetitive parts, which put me very much in mind of.filler words and phrases in school research papers. Those are also the BIGGEST problems that I had with this book, and really they're really insignificant.
Whatever your interest in or beliefs about Richard III, this is a great read and a terrific reference, and I would recommend it to anyone.