A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens,... |
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A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens,...
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by Michael Farquhar
Sales Rank: 12105
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Discount: 32 %
$2.25
At Amazon
on 6-17-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
Published by: Penguin Non-Classics May 1, 2001
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0140280243
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0140280241
Book Dimensions:
8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
Weighs: 10.4 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
In another royal exposé, Farquhar, a writer at the Washington Post, duplicates some of the ground covered in Karl Shaw's Royal Babylon, such as Peter the Great's delight in administering torture (he had his son lashed to death) and the way Britain's Queen Mary cajoled her subjects into giving her their household treasures ("I am caressing it with my eyes," she would coyly coo). Written in a provocative tabloid style (with headings like "We Are Not Abused. We Are Abusive," "A Son Should Love His Mother, But" and "All the Holiness Money Can Buy"), Farquhar publicly washes the dirty laundry of not only European royalty, but also of Roman emperors and popes. Murderers and torturers who slept with their siblings (and other relatives), the emperors of Rome excelled at corruption. The maniacal pedophile Tiberius Caesar (A.D. 14-37) left the corpses of his many victims to rot on the Gemonian Steps, which descended from the Capitol to the Forum, or alternatively enjoyed watching them being thrown from a cliff ("A contingent of soldiers was stationed below to whack them with oars and boat hooks just in case the fall failed to do the trick"). Many popes were no better. Not content with just rooting out Christian heretics by launching a bloody crusade against the Cathars in southern France, Innocent III (1160-1216) declared himself ruler of the world. He sacked Constantinople and massacred every Muslim he could find. Like Royal Babylon, this gossipy string of anecdotes is a popularized rather than an authoritative history and perfect for travel reading.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Designed for lovers of the curious and bizarre, this choice collection of true stories spans more than a millennium of European history. Farquhar includes the debauchery and cruelty of Roman Emperors like Tiberius and Caligula, the lusty personal life of Catherine the Great, and a number of the depraved popes who reigned between 800 and 1200. The author's anecdotal style creates a popularized tabloid history. A Treasury of Royal Scandals is entertaining and warns against the excesses of power as narrator Johnny Heller leads the listener on a roller coaster ride.
James Dudley, Westhampton, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reader Reviews
The subject is a bit shallow, perhaps, but Farquahar's writing is hilarious and you must admit, it's fun. His stories are well researched and accurate portrayals of some shocking, dirty, horrendous, and often VERY funny escapades in the lives of prominent European rulers down through the centuries. If you're not into European history, you'll read it quickly, enjoy the ride, and accidentally learn a lot along the way. If you are, you'll love the refreshingly funny writing style and unique focus (they don't tell you THAT in textbooks!), and you'll appreciate the detailed geneologies in the front and chronologies in the back that are an inestimable help in keeping straight the tangled branches of Europe's royal family trees.
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A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens,...
Available from Amazon
Price: $2.25
Updated on 6-17-2008.
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NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
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