In a Reformation kingdom ill-used to queens, Elizabeth I needed a very particular image to hold her divided country together. The 'Cult of Gloriana' would elevate the queen to the status of a virgin goddess, aided by authors, musicians, and artists such as Spenser, Shakespeare, Hilliard, Tallis and Byrd. Her image was widely owned and distributed, thanks to the expansion of printing, and the English came to surpass their European counterparts in miniature painting, allowing courtiers to carry a likeness of their sovereign close to their hearts. Sumptuously illustrated, Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship tells the story of Elizabethan art as a powerful device for royal magnificence and propaganda, illuminating several key artworks of Elizabeth's reign to create a portrait of the Tudor monarch as she has never been seen before.

'Packed with absorbing detail and brilliant insights ... I was gripped from the first paragraph.' - Alison Weir No English king is as well-known to us as Henry VIII - famous for his six marriages, for dissolving the monasteries and for the ruthless destruction of his foes. But Henry was also an ardent patron of the arts, whose magnificent tapestries and paintings adorned his lavish court and began the Royal Collection. In contrast to later royal collectors, Henry was more interested in storytelling than art for its own sake, and all his commissions relate to one central tale: the glorification of the king and his realm. Henry's life can be seen through his collection and the works reveal much about both his kingship and his insecurities. King and Collector tells this unique story of art and power, peeling back the layers of propaganda to show the true face of the Tudor monarch.

Beginning on the bloody battlefield of Bosworth, when Henry Tudor seized the crown of England and ended the Wars of the Roses, The Tudors contains stories and characters that have fascinated readers for centuries. The Tudor age gave us Henry VIII, famous for his six marriages and for breaking from Rome; 'Bloody Mary' and her attempt to return England to the Catholic fold; and Elizabeth I, 'Gloriana,' who reigned in a new era of discovery and innovation. Illustrated with contemporary artworks, photographs and documents The Tudors tells the public and private story of England's most famous royal family and the England they ruled.

Victor is a young man who wanders through the countryside trying to forget the tragedy that devastated his life. He settles in a small village where he and his previous life are unknown to the townspeople. In his day-to-day business as a blacksmith he encounters Ranette, who sees the despair in Victor and tries unceasingly to befriend him. As the story unfolds, a surprise awaits them both when Victor reveals his secret and Ranette must face the consequences of her meddling. Set in an imaginary time and place, The Man Who Forgot How to Laugh is a timeless and persuasive tale, mingling mystery and romance with the power of goodness and the strength of being a good example. This book shows how perseverance and forgiveness create hope when one has lost heart.

Beatrice Henlow was a young woman of twenty seven years old living on her own and basically happy with her life, but there was one thing she longed for and that was to meet someone too share it with. She had no close family but she did have a very special friend named Lucy who was always there for her when needed. Beatrice finally met a man whom she fell deeply in love with, and she now felt, at last, that her life was too be complete. But life sometimes can be so cruel and unforeseen circumstances were to throw her life into emotional turmoil and she was left wondering whether she would ever find the love and happiness that she so longed for.