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Picture of the Week #303

Copernicus’ heliocentric solar system diagram. Harry Ransom Center collection, The University of Texas at Austin. Photo January 2012.

For someone like me, who works in astronomy and has a love of history, the collection at my university’s Harry Ransom Center is a joy. I’ve had multiple opportunities to see some of the great early astronomical text they have, including the one pictured above: Nicolaus Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, published in 1543.

Picture of the Week #301

Stained glass of the Royal Coat of Arms of England at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo August 2006.

This is one a many stained glass panels from England that were on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art when I visited in the summer of 2006. This particular one is from Coombe Abbey, Warwickshire, c. 1525-1550. I didn’t get a bunch of great photos of a lot of them, but I’ll be posting some of the better ones periodically as featured pictures.

Sunday Short Takes

Just a few stories this week!

* Five Things From the Mary Rose That’ll Make You Go ‘Oooh’! – Actually, I would say these make you go “Eewwwww” more than “Oooh”!

* Choral music not heard since era of Henry VIII has been played for first time in 500 years – Choral music not heard since the time of Henry VIII has been brought to life for the first time in 500 years. The manuscript, a book of 34 religious songs, was given to Henry VIII as a lavish gift from a French diplomat in his early reign. (Autoplay video at link)

And finally, a video from one of my favorite places:

Welcome to Westminster Abbey

Upcoming Books, Events, and Exhibitions for October 2014

So… yeah… I completely forgot to write this post last weekend to get it out before the end of the month. Whoops! And *that’s* why I have now put a reminder on my Google calendar for the 27th of every month!

Books

Dan Jones’ The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors (US title: The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors) was released September 4 in the UK and will be out October 14 in the US.

In new books this month, Amy Licence’s latest, The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Women’s Stories is out at the end of the month in the UK and next month in the US.

Out at the end of the month in both the UK and US is Geoffrey Parker’s Imprudent King: A New Life of Philip II, an important figure in the Tudor story.

Events

The Annual BBC History Weekend is Thursday October 16 through Sunday October 19 in Malmesbury. There are a number of Tudor-era historians speaking, although I think some talks may already be sold out. They often put recordings of talks from this on their podcast, so I’ll be sure to link to those on the news blog as they are posted (assuming they are).

Continuing Events and Exhibitions

* The Royal Shakespeare Company’s plays of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has finished the run in London, but will be moving to Broadway in the US in the spring. More details in early 2015!

* Treasures from the Royal Archives opened at Windsor Castle on May 17, 2014 and runs through January 25, 2015 and will feature some items from the Archives that have never been on display before.

* The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered display at the National Portrait Gallery opened September 12, 2014 and will run through March 1, 2015.

Picture of the Week #300

Outside the walls of Pembroke Castle. Photo May 2003.

Wow, I made it to 300! I figured I’d go with another photo from Pembroke Castle since that was the place in Picture of the Week #1.

I think from here I’m going to start incorporating some more photos from the broader British, Medieval, and Renaissance collection of pictures I’ve taken. I visited The Cloisters in New York in 2006 and I have a few photos from other museums I’ve been to in the US that readers might find interesting. And hopefully I’ll be back in the UK next year so I can have a whole bunch of new photos from there to use!

Picture of the Week #299

Another sign in the remaining section of Richmond Palace. Photo May 2000.

There was some scaffolding up around that part of the building when I was there, so that is what is cutting through the lower left corner of the picture.

Previous pictures of markers around the old Palace here and here.

Sunday Short Takes

The biggest story of the week were further details on the death of Ricard III –

* King Richard III’s Final Moments Were Quick & Brutal

* King Richard III killed by blows to skull

* Richard III died in battle after losing helmet, new research shows

And other news from the week –

* Mary, Queen of Scots letter auction sells for

Sunday Short Takes

The National Portrait Gallery’s The Real Tudors opened this week, so there was quite a but of coverage of that (although my pre-order of the accompanying book still hasn’t shipped from Amazon – grrrr).

* The Tudors as we’ve never seen them before

* National Portrait Gallery researchers reveal ‘airbrushed’ Elizabeth I in X-ray of portrait

* Tudor portraits exhibition at National Portrait Gallery reveals bug

Sunday Short Takes

Back with another round-up, including a few things I should have posted last week!

* This week’s BBC History Extra podcast features Tracy Borman speaking on Thomas Cromwell, the subject of her new book and cover article for BBC History magazine’s September issue.

* Also from BBC History Extra: 10 things you need to know about the battle of Bosworth

An update to a story that I posted about last year:

* Views fit for a Queen revealed at Kenilworth Castle

* Leicester’s Building at Kenilworth Castle reopened after more than 350 years

And just for fun…

* The top 10 codpieces in art

And finally – this may be my new favorite in the on-going series of “neat historical houses for sale that I’ll never be able to afford”:

Wings Place, Ditchling, Hassocks, East Sussex

Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for September 2014

Books

I missed it last month, so here’s Debra Bayani’s Jasper Tudor: Godfather of the Tudor Dynasty – now out in the US and UK. The Amazon links below go to the full color edition, but there is a less-expensive black and white one as well. Yes, this one is on my wish list as well – it’s great to see so much new interest in Jasper!

And Jessie Childs’ God’ Traitors: Terror and Faith in Elizabethan England, which was released in the UK in March, is now out in the US.

In new books this month, The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered, the book to accompany the new display at the National Portrait Gallery in London (more info on that below) will be released in the UK and US on September 11. (And big thanks to the NPG for making this a reasonably priced paperback!!)

Next up is Dan Jones’ The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors (US title: The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors) will be out September 4 in the UK and October 14 in the US.

And finally, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant by Tracy Borman will be out on September 11 in the UK, but won’t be out until January 6, 2015 in the US.

New display

The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered

This new display at the National Portrait Gallery opens September 12, 2014 and will run through March 1, 2015.

From the NPG website:

his special display, focusing on the portraiture of the Tudor monarchs, will allow visitors to rediscover these well-known kings and queens through the most complete presentation of their images staged to date.
Works from the Gallery

Sunday Short Takes

It seems that I have things *mostly* back to normal, so here’s this week’s news round-up!

* 2015 Anne Boleyn Files Tudor Places Calendar Now Available – The 2015 version of Claire’s excellent calendar, once again filled with gorgeous images from submissions to the photo contest. (And no, I’m not getting anything for endorsing it, I’ve just really liked the past ones!)

* Richard III had lavish diet of swan and wine, new forensic study reveals – This is a summary of the research on the BBC History Extra site, but if you would like to read the original journal article it is available here: Multi-isotope analysis demonstrates significant lifestyle changes in King Richard III (Yay for open access!!)

And yet another entry in the “dream home” category:

This is Thurston End Hall, located in Suffolk about 10 miles away from Bury St. Edmonds. And it can be yours for the low, low price of