Richard III: The Self-Made King (Yale English Monarchs)

This is a master class in 15th century English history. The detailed yet readable analysis assumes some prior knowledge of medieval terms, and is certainly never dumbed down. But sets a benchmark for further studies of this strangely still controversial period. Difficult to see it equalled, let alone bettered, in this generation.

Very pleased with this book postage was very good book in very good condition.

Michael Hicks was a pupil of Charles Ross who wrote the previous Yale biography of Richard III and Ross was himself the pupil of Bruce McFarlane whose approach to the writing of medieval history can be summed up as 'to know the man you must know his society'. Professor Hicks has stuck to this principle throughout his work, rightly dismissing much of the anachronistic nonsense that has been written about King Richard. Time and again he reminds us how little is actually known, paring back his conclusions to what the evidence can support and no more. The result as other reviewers have noted is a dry, almost staccato style. No romance here; emotion is left to the novelists. Professor Hicks' scepticism extends to the Leicester bones - surely proved beyond doubt to be those of Richard III, though the possibility has to be admitted that there was someone else who looked like Richard, carried his DNA and happened to be interred in the same church... If you like your history to be colourful and inhabited by real flesh and blood human beings this book is not for you. If you prefer to be told the truth, the whole truth (at least as far as it is known) and nothing but the truth, then you will not find a better account of this endlessly fascinating individual. I have only given it four stars because the book itself seems rather mean in production; I would have paid more to have more illustrations.

A new book about Richard III! As if there were not enough books about Richard yet. But this is "the definite one", the "first to covers his whole life", so the editor tells us. By the greatest expert in his field. So I ventured for the first time into the world of Prof. Hicks, which I had as yet no great desire to do. For me Michael Hicks presents a strange mixture of conscientious research, interesting trains of thought and unsubstantiated assumptions. For example; he rightly observes, that the missing of a testament is no proof that there never was one. But he is adamant, in one of his favorite fancies, that Richard "undoubtedly" married Anne Neville deliberately without applying for all the necessary Papal dispensations. How can he be so sure that these dipensations did not exist? There is no proof either way.When reading I had the impression that the tale of Richard's dealings with the Countess of Oxford popped up in the text a little too often. I counted 19 times! It was literally drummed into the reader's head, so that he or she would never forget what a brute Richard was.Prof. Hicks then presents on the illustration pages a portrait of Richard, dated 1597-1617 and indulges in the fancy, that it shows " a self image of sober splendour the king chose to present". That Richard ordered a portrait of himself to be painted more than hundred years after his death seems as improbable as it being a true likeness of the king.On plate 9, we are told, that this section of the Rous Roll shows Richard and Anne Neville. Sorry, Prof Hicks, this drawing clearly shows Edward, Earl of Warwick and Margaret ( later Countess of Salisbury), the children of IsabelNeville ane George of Clarence, easily recognizable by the heraldic animals at their feet. Bull for Clarence and Bear for Warwick. Richard of course is also presented in the Rous Roll twice, with the Boar at his feet and Anne Neville once with the Bear of Warwick. It is astonishing that Prof Hichk obviously has little knowledge of the iconographiy of the period he is writing about.This book was better than I feared it would be. At times it even showed a certain respect for Richard. If one decides to read Hicks, one must put up with his tendency of presenting daring controversal interpretations as facts. I sometimes wonder if he does it just for the sake of provacation.

A good insight into Richard the person and what made him tick. Whilst I cannot forgive him for the murders of his nephews (I think he did arrange it) he had a remarkable life for a youngest son (with a disability) and built up his own 'personal empire' from virtually nothing.

I enjoyed reading this book. The author takes a very fair stance on this divisive figure in English history. By neither siding with the Riccardian side or the side determined to paint Richard III in the worst possible light, the author instead manages to strike an effective and honest balance, painting Richard the man as the truly complex and very human figure that he was. I would highly recommend this book for those looking to know the ins and outs of the life of Richard III in a factual and highly detailed sense.

Book shipped quickly. Was gifted to a family member who loves English history and requested this particular book due to reading reviews about it in the Wall Street Journal.

Hard to put down

It’s clearly academic biography, geared to an audience comfortably steeped in 15th century English-channel-French awareness. I’m a curious novice, and admit eye-roll tedium with the detailed minutiae of everyone Richard III knew. It’s understood incomplete documentation and firsthand anecdotal material survives, so much is interpretive, sensibly suspicious about succeeding Tudor bias and obfuscation in their retelling about Richard, his motives, methods, or decency.I’ve come away less critical than limited Shakespearean knowledge, but still unclear what happened to Edward IV son’s youthful disappearance.I wouldn’t have minded a bit more Henry Tudor insight, and post Bosworth rule consolidation discussion.

The vast majority of this biography, at least 80%, is basically a long tax document. The author is so unrelenting and so dry by describing the minute details of Richard’s land holdings that I struggled to continue.If you’re looking for a well researched study on Richard’s land holdings as Duke, and who he employed, as well as their wages, than this is the perfect book for you. If you’re looking for anything on the individual itself which sheds light on who he was as a person, look elsewhere.The author also, for some reason, goes out of his way to describe minute details that do not progress the story or his narrative at all. For example, after a battle he’ll mention that 16 people were knighted. He will then go on to list each of those individuals by name and title. But these aren’t important figures nor do they come up again.The author does this frequently. He’ll mention people working in the king’s household but they’re not relevant, or play any role in the biography or mentioned again.A thorough, dry, unrelenting, and aggressive biography on land holdings, and a list of names. This is what the book is about. I deeply regret purchasing this biography and would have much preferred anything else