Richard III: Fiction and Non-Fiction
Explore the best fiction and non-fiction books about Richard III. Discover gripping historical novels, biographies, and expert analyses of England's controversial king.
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Richard III
by William Shakespeare
The authoritative edition of Richard III from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers. In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on a moral holiday. The play draws us to identify with Richard and his fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. Not yet king at the start of the play, Richard presents himself as an enterprising villain as he successfully plans to dispose of his brother Clarence. Richard achieves similar success in conquering the woman he chooses to marry. He carves a way to the throne through assassination and executions. This edition includes: -The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference -Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation -Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play -Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently linked to the text of the play -Scene-by-scene plot summaries -A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases -An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language -An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play -Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books -An annotated guide to further reading Essay by Phyllis Rackin The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
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The Daughter of Time
by Josephine Tey
A hospitalized English policeman reconstructs historical evidence concerning Richard III's role in the murder of Edward IV's two sons.
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The Life and Times of Richard III
by Anthony Cheetham
Richard III is one of the most mysterious and controversial figures in English history. His early life is overshadowed by the prominence of his older brothers, Edward 'the sun of York', and the feckless Clarence, and comparatively little is known about him. But the untimely death of Edward IV in 1483 forced Richard into the limelight and the last three years of his life have taken on the character of a detective story. Did Richard really believe his brother and nephews were illegitimate? Why did he seize the throne? What did happen to the Princes in the tower? It was only natural that Henry Tudor should vilify his predecessor and hold him responsible for ever heinous deed. But some later historians have tried to redress the balance and portray him as the most unfairly maligned and glorious monarch of the period. The author cuts through the legend and the propaganda and reaches back to retrace the forgotten period of Richard's life. He thus places in context those final years before the last of the Plantagenets died on Bosworth Field.
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Richard III and the Princes in the Tower
by A. J. Pollard
Was Richard III a victim or villian? This book explores the events surrounding his life to look at the facts behind the folklore. surrounding his life.
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Good King Richard?
by Jeremy Potter
"Richard III, the so-called 'last English King of England' and the wicked uncle of popular tradition, is the most controversial and enigmatic of monarchs. Still the Great Debate between traditionalists and revisionists rages on. Was he an enlightened legislator out of his depth in the political intrigues of his time? Or was he simply, brutally, the 'gargoyle on the great cathedral of English history'? Searching for the man behind the portraits, Jeremy Potter adduces a formidable array of colourful and quarrelsome voices from St Thomas More to Laurence Olivier."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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The Sunne in Splendour
by Sharon Kay Penman
A historical novel that re-creates the life of Richard III in fifteenth-century England, presenting the monarch as a gifted man and romantic hero who was betrayed in life and in death.
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The Rose of York
by Sandra Worth
In a tumultuous era the passions of a few rule the destiny of England.
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The Murders of Richard III
by Elizabeth Peters
When attractive American Jacqueline Kirby is invited to an English country mansion for a weekend costume affair, she expects only one mystery. Since the hosts and guests are all fanatic devotees of King Richard III, they hope to clear his name of the 500-year-old accusation of murder.
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To Prove a Villain
by Guy M. Townsend
A rich historical novel that once again investigates the question or whether of not Richard III was a villain.
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The Princes in the Tower
by Alison Weir
Despite five centuries of investigation by historians, the sinister deaths of the boy king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, remain two of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. Did Richard III really kill “the Princes in the Tower,” as is commonly believed, or was the murderer someone else entirely? Carefully examining every shred of contemporary evidence as well as dozens of modern accounts, Alison Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events leading to the double murder. We are witnesses to the rivalry, ambition, intrigue, and struggle for power that culminated in the imprisonment of the princes and the hushed-up murders that secured Richard’s claim to the throne as Richard III. A masterpiece of historical research and a riveting story of conspiracy and deception, The Princes in the Tower at last provides a solution to this age-old puzzle.
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Portrait of an Unknown Woman
by Vanora Bennett
In an epic tale set against a backdrop of civil-war torn sixteenth-century Europe, portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger flees to the safety of Tudor England in order to escape artistic censorship.
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Richard the Third
by Paul Murray Kendall
"The best biography of Richard III that has been written."—A. L. Rowse, Chicago Tribune Paul Murray Kendall's masterful account of the life of England's King Richard III has remained the standard biography of this controversial figure.
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A Brief History of the Wars of the Roses
by Desmond Seward
During the 15th century, England was riven in bloody conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster over who should claim the crown. Out of this bitter war between the white rose and the red, the Tudor dynasty eventually came to power. This text maps the trials of five men and women who experienced the updeaval first-hand.
