Stained glass of the arms of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo August 2006.
This stained glass was made in the late 16th century and was originally from Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire.
Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for December 2014
Books
Once again I have to start out with things that I missed from previous months!
Pirate Nation: Elizabeth I and Her Royal Sea Rovers by David Childs was released in late October in the UK and will be out early in 2015 in the US.
A new biography (maybe the first?) of Sir Henry Lee is out in the UK and is still listed as pre-order for the US (although the release date is listed as October, so I don’t know what’s happening there). Unfortunately it looks like this is a limited printing so it is “academically priced” and is quite expensive. That’s what libraries are for!
Two recent releases on Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour were released in paperback last month:
Another entry in the “possible Christmas present for people you want to bring into the Tudor history obsession” category, Richard Rex’s Tudors: The Illustrated History, out now in both the UK and US:
And Terry Breverton’s Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tudors but were Afraid to Ask was released in the UK back in October and will be out on December 19 in the US in print.
Tracy Borman’s biography of Thomas Cromwell that was released back in September in the UK is now out at the beginning of December in the US (moved up from a January release, it appears):
Continuing Exhibitions
* Treasures from the Royal Archives opened at Windsor Castle on May 17, 2014 and runs through January 25, 2015 and features 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.
Sunday Short Takes
Wax figures of Henry VIII and his wives up for auction. Photo: BBC.
Sorry for the lack of news round-ups this month, I’ve been trying to cram too much catch-up stuff into the weekends lately! So here’s several weeks’ worth of stories that caught my eye:
* Madame Tussauds figures and five shops to be auctioned – Anyone want to buy wax figures of Henry VIII *and* all the wives? If I had the money (and space to put them) I’d be tempted to buy them just get the costumes. I love that dress on the Anne Boleyn figure!
* Richard III reburial fundraising appeal starts – The diocese of Leicester said it had raised
Picture of the Week #308
One of the cooking fireplaces of the Kitchen Tower at Raglan Castle. Photo May 2003.
This seemed an appropriate choice since a lot of my fellow Americans have kitchens on the brain with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up tomorrow.
Picture of the Week #307
Stained glass of the arms of Thomas Cecil (b.1542) and Dorothy Nevill, Earl and Countess of Exeter. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo August 2006.
This stained glass was made c. 1600 and was originally from Ashridge Park, Hertfordshire.
Picture of the Week #306
Canterbury Cathedral Gate. Photo May 2003.
You’ll probably recognize several Tudor symbols in the center, including the Tudor rose, the Beaufort Portcullis, and the Royal Arms with Henry VII’s supporters – the Welsh dragon and the white greyhound. Cathedral records indicate that the gate was built in the early 16th century (more here from Canterbury Archaeology).
Picture of the Week #305
Reliquary busts of three female saints. Early 16th century, South Netherlandish. The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo August 2006.
Sunday Short Takes
Yes, two blog posts in one day! I would love to say that I used my extra hour from the time change for extra productivity, but in reality I was catching up on about two weeks’ worth of not enough sleep (seriously, I can’t believe I managed to sleep nearly 10 hours in each of the last two nights, I was that tired).
* Jousting secret explains how Charles Brandon rose in the court of Henry VIII – [N]ew records show how he managed to stay in favour at court
Upcoming Books and Exhibitions for November 2014
Books
Catching up with books that have already been released in the UK or that I missed in October:
* Digging for Richard III: The Search for the Lost King was released back in April in the UK and will be out November 11 in the US.
* Amy Licence’s The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Women’s Stories is officially listed as November 19 for release in the US, but I believe you can already get it on Kindle.
Two books that came out in October that I missed – and both sound like they would be good presents for friends and family who have been listening to your chatter about the Tudors for years and have finally started to express interest. 😉
* Gareth Russell’s An Illustrated Introduction to the Tudors came out mid-October in both the UK and US and I totally missed it in last month’s round-up.
* Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tudors but were Afraid to Ask by Terry Breverton came out in October in the UK and will be out in December in the US in hardback, but is already available on Kindle.
And a few new books in November:
* A new biography of Elizabeth I entitled Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince by Lisa Hilton is due out November 13 in both the US and UK:
And finally, Bishop Richard Fox of Winchester: Architect of the Tudor Age by Clayton J. Drees is out later in November in the US and UK.
Continuing Exhibitions
* 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 #304
Three Apes Building a Trestle Table, c.1480-00, German. The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo August 2006.
Guest Post and Give-away: Jane Seymour excerpt from Amy Licence’s “The Six Wives and Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Women’s Stories”
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.
Sunday Short Takes
A mixed bag of stuff this week:
* Richard III reinterment: Details king’s final ceremonial route through Leicestershire revealed
* http://westminster-abbey.org/press/news/2014/october/westminster-abbey-submits-plans-for-new-access-tower – This is a continuation of a story I mentioned back in 2010
And just for fun:
* Here
Picture of the Week #302
Allegorical scene with bookburning, c.1520-30, The Netherlands. The Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photo August 2006.
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:
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
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 –
