Elsie Thornton-Cook (1878–1960)

3311. Her Majesty: The Romance of the Queens of England, 1066-1910, by E. Thornton Cook (read 14 May 2000) This book was first published in 1926 and has accounts of the lives of every English queen up to and including Alexandra, the queen of Edward VII. It is quite well done and is never boring. It is somewhat sanitized (no reference is made, e.g., to Edward VII's mistresses, and only passing reference to Charles II's or to William IV's liaison with Mrs. Jordan). The book seems to be carefully researched. It is appalling how a wife was chosen at times for a prince: a picture was sent, and sometimes the marriage was by proxy, the prince never having seen the woman who was to be his wife. Often both were coerced into the marriage. The book is a neat once-over-lightly history of England from 1066 to 1910, with minimal attention to politics, wars, etc.… (mehr)