Richard III’s Books by Anne F. Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs

[gilda_elise]

Richard III, the most notorious and most discussed of English kings, was also unusual among his contemporaries in regularly signing his books. This characteristic, among others, has enabled Anne Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs to reconstruct his library, and link it to the culture and reading habits of his generation.
The books of Richard III are typical of what was available to and popular with the medieval reader - religion, chivalry, history, genealogy, advice on how to govern, romance and prophecy - and allow us to draw an interesting overview of fifteenth-century opinions. Each type of book is examined on its own terms and then related to the known preoccupations of Richard himself, his associates and to the political practices of his time.
Containing valuable biographical material, insights into the history and politics of the later fifteenth century, and much detail on late medieval piety and other important aspects of contemporary culture, this fully illustrated survey has wide-ranging significance for all who study the history and literature of the medieval period.

There’s a lot of information here, but I found its interest to be somewhat uneven. Some chapters, such as those dealing with the history of his family, and his own life, were easier to read. But some, like “Mirrors for Princes,” I felt were a bit of a stretch. There’s a certain dryness to the book, and adding in such truly esoteric topics doesn’t help.

Still, as the writers state, you can learn a great deal about a person from the books they own. Here, you learn, not just about Richard, but about the learned class of his time in general.

This isn’t a book I would recommend for the casual reader. But for those interested in the times, or in Richard III, it makes for interesting reading.




Mount TBR 2022 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.



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MAY- Book Lovers Unite. Read a book set in a library or bookstore; with a librarian, author, or book loving character; OR a book with the word ‘BOOK’ in the title.

Richard III’s Books by Anne F. Sutton & Livia Visser-Fuchs