Elizabeth Files Best Book Recommendations
For those of you who want to find out more about this great lady, I would highly recommend the following four books that I dip into constantly when I’m researching:-
 |
Elizabeth the Queen (Elizabeth I in the USA) by Alison Weir – I love this book because Alison Weir writes in an engaging readable style and always backs up her theories with sources.
My UK paperback copy is over 500 pages long and contains illustrations, three genealogical tables, a note on sources, a bilbliography and, of course, an excellent examination of Elizabeth I’s life. |
 |
Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset (different cover in the US and some UK editions) is another fantastic biography of this iconic Queen of England.
My battered paperback edition is over 800 pages long and in it Anne Somerset explores Elizabeth I’s domestic and foreign conflicts, her religion, her sexuality, Elizabethan politics and the Tudor Court. It includes illustrations, a family tree, notes and an extensive biliography. Click here for details of US version. |
 |
“Elizabeth I” by Alison Plowden is a huge book – my copy is over 700 pages and they’re big pages! – because it is actually 4 books in one. The four parts were originally published separately and are:-
It is a brilliant book. Click here for the US version. |
 |
Every Tudor history fan has heard of the eminent Tudor historian, Dr David Starkey, who has also written books on Henry VIII and his six wives, as well as producing documentaries such as the recent “Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant”.
It is obvious from the way that Starkey writes about Elizabeth that he loves his subject, finds her fascinating and has teh utmost respect for her, and this book gives a different light on Elizabeth because it concentrates on “Elizabeth the Apprentice”, her early years. It is a much shorter read than the others but is excellent because it helps you to understand her background and what drove her. Click here for the US version. |
 |
Elizabeth I: Collected Works, edited by Leah S. Marcus, Janel Mueller and Mary Beth Rose.
A fantastic book containing speeches, prayers, poems and letters written bu Queen Elizabeth I. It really is Elizabeth in her own words and is an excellent resource. It is divided up chronologically: 1533-1558, 1558-1572, 1572-1587 and 1588-1603, Click here for details of US version. |
