This is a beautiful book which brought a lump to the throat of my Scottish husband (now living in the USA). This is the real Scotland that he and I (an English woman) both know and love. Highly recommended.

I do a little family history and wanted to know what the homeland of my possible ancestors looked like...Mr. Baxter makes me want to fly to Scotland and see it up close and personal. His photography is excellent and beautifully done and I couldn't be more pleased with the purchase.

Colin Baxter pushed his way up to the top photographers in my book when I saw this book! The way he photographs this lovely country is amazing! The love he has for Scotland shows in the way the photos are taken, printed, and arranged in this masterpiece of Scottish photography! It's one of my favorites in several books that he's published with his talent, definately on the top of the list.

Any aristocracy wants to extend its influence socially and geographically, and its first task in that pursuit is to be noticed, especially by means of very conspicuous consumption. In Europe between the Renaissance and the French Revolution, this meant the development of the court as probably the most important influence in a nation's political and cultural life. This lush volume surveys twelve of the great courts, from England, France, Russia, and Spain, to the princely establishments of Florence, Savoy, and Bavaria, as well as the singular oddity of the papal court in Rome. In addition to the pretty pictures -- which are very numerous -- the specialist authorities who wrote the chapters have investigated and largely reinterpreted the fuction of the European court. Whom, exactly, were they designed to impress? Were they really instruments of absolutism? How did they function, day to day? The picture that results is much more subtle than one might suppose, especially in the subject of power and patronage.

This is a great reference book. It helped place several courts in perspective: Sabaudian, Wittelsbach, and Medici, for example, while giving important details of the machinations of others like the Swedish and House of Orange. The illustrations of the various palaces demonstrate the importance of architecture in both the image and organization of routines at court. Political aspects of the hunt, the importance of staircases, the role of mistresses, the location of the court and art as prestige are all considered. Like the other reviewer noted, it's not for beginners.

The paperback edition at ... approx is a great value. It has 350 pages of scrumptious illustrations on thick glossy paper. I've been looking for a book on how it was to live at court. The book has 35 pg on each of 10 or so courts of Europe. It talks about court procedure & ritual, not dates, facts, politics, policy. Philippe Erlanger wrote a similar book (The Age of Courts & Kings, probably out of print)some years ago. His book is more anecdotal. I like this new book better since it talks to court procedure, i.e. what you were supposed to do at court. If the book has a weak spot, it is that I would rather have more info on fewer courts. Also, some a priori knowledge is helpful, this is not a beginner's book on the period.

This book is one of the best I have ever read. i couldn't put it down. It's so enthralling with a plot that keeps the pages turning. Ms. Miller really turned out a good one!

Kept me up all night reading it. I just couldn't bear to stop reading it until the end. Prince Rafael is every girl's dream man. Honourable, strong and handsome. The tension and suspense of the plot builds up towards the end of the book. You just had to keep reading to know what happens to the hero and his beloved heroine.... An enjoyable read!!

I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with Annie and Prince Rafael! Annie is bold and daring, willing to risk it all for the man she loves! Its exciting and very fast paced! I really enjoyed it!

An well researched, insightful and VERY WELL BALANCED look at the life of St. John of Krostadt. A must read for any Russian Orthodox Christian.

The book chronicles the life of Father John of Kronstadt, a controversial and highly profiled religious figure during the pre-revolutionary period. Details of his life and his world are fascinating. Seeing how he is approached for help and his actions indirectly reveals much about those living in Russia during that time. the book was also very helpful in dispelling some of the myths that commonly surround this man.

I think this is an excellent read for Orthodox Christians and ALSO anyone interested in Russia during that time period.

A good solid text that is actually fascinating reading. There is not much written in English about St. John - this book is a real gem.

A history course in a University should be created around this book! So might insightful information about the day-to-day existence of people during this period in history. An incredible amount of information is provided in an easy-to-read format by the author. A must read for anyone interested in the histoy of women throughout the ages.

If you want to thank your lucky stars for the things that are available to us in modern times, read this book. It is an excellent scholarly overview of the lives and times in the period it covers, but as well it is a fascinating book for anyone who enjoys reading about times past.

Each chapter addresses an area that was of interest to women of the times, and remain of interest today - health, cooking etc, and they are so complete in addressing the issues that they read like small essays on their own.

This is a really enjoyable book, and not just for its scholarly value.

The period 1500 - 1800 is marked with great social and political upheaval. Olwen Hufton has taken on a monumental task in trying to show, not only the various types of women within this period (rural, urban, old, young, wives, widows, spinsters) but also how their lives changed as society and politics changed (renaissance, industrial revolution, religous oppression). The result is an easy to read and entertaining book that gives a general picture of the women of Western Europe (using various surveys and censuses) as well as concentrating on specific areas to give a human face to the statistics (personal accounts, diaries). The extensive notes and bibliography make it usuful for those who wish to study more about this period.

An informative and entertaining read

I read the book in one sitting, and while it covers all a book can given the enormity of its subject, I was left wanting more. Give the author credit for capturing a remarkable monarch.

Those who believe that the institution of monarchy is archaic and serves no purpose in the modern nation-state might find Mr. Shawcross's book somewhat suprising. Employing a succinct writing style, Mr. Shawcross provides his reader with a fascinating glimpse into the woman who, by accident of birth and unforseen dynastic events, has occupied the throne of Great Britain for half a century and who, in a quiet, unassuming way, has exacted considerable influence over the politics of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and world. This book shows the error in characterizing the Queen as a mere figurehead. Indeed, her role as confidant to prime ministers, the political knowledge and wisdom she has acquired through her lengthy tenure as sovereign, her ability to lead by example, and her steadfast willingness to dedicate her life to the service of her nation and the Commonwealth, combine to produce a portrait of a woman who is anything but a token head of state.

This book successfully argues the case for monarchy. Politicians, scandals, and events come and go, but there, above it all, remains the Queen.

I found this book very interesting. I suggest all Britons campaigning for a republic read this book. It proves how influential and important the monarchy really is. It also proves what a brilliant woman Elizabeth II is and how she has come to embody the ideal constitutional monarch. What I found most interesting is her actual involvement in British (and many Commonwealth) affairs. Most Americans think of her as a mere figurehead who opens up hospitals here and there. This is far from the truth. As she is probably the most experienced diplomat in Britain, her sage counsel to Prime Ministers has proven invaluable. I urge those who pass off Elizabeth as dispensable to read this book and see how indispensable she really is.

Three years ago, I added this book to my too-large collection of books about the Royal Family. I started re-reading it this week when looking up something about her disinterest in clothes while reading the reports of her visit to Australia. Whoever is doing her hats now should be drawn and quartered!

This is an enjoyable book and I can only feel a bit sorry for the Queen. For all of her worldly possessions, she leads a rather dreadful life. Smiling, looking interested, holding flowers, etc. must almost drive her out of her mind! She does a good job of it, though, and for that I give her credit. It's a good show. I've been watching it for over 40 years!

One of the best books on the British Royal Family and on Queen Elizabeth in particular.

Reading this book one can see that Mr. Davies is quite knowledgeable and has done his homework where researching the subject is concerned.

Queen Elizabeth may not be easily amused - and she has every right not to be - but I certainly was highly amused and entertained.

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by the British Royal family; watching the weddings of both the Waleses and the Yorks, reading Majesty magazine each month, etc. I bought this book to find out more about the Queen and Prince Phillip. I finished this book within two days and still find myself drawn to it. The depth that the author reaches, describing the Queen's marriage, family, responsibilities, daily life - it is all covered with a thoroughness that makes the reader feel as though they knew Her Majesty personally. Undoubtedly there are other books available that detail Queen Elizabeth II's life, but this one will stand out due to it's ability to draw the reader into the world of this remarkable monarch.

This textbook differs so from nearly all others in it's deapth of treatment of the subject of the complex movements of peoples in Europe, Eastern Asia and Northern Africa. Each chapter could have been produced as an entire text. Of course descriptive terminology of physical anthropology must be mastered and detailed maps are needed for a thorough examination, but this text attempts to pull together all of the finds and studies available throughout the world of 1939. Since the page count of the edition mentioned here in Amazon is identical to the orignal 1939 edition, I must assume the later book is a reprint. I am anxious to learn if Carleton Stevens Coon updated his work with post-war findings. I find the study of these complex movements similar to a study of, say, astronomy. To most people, such a study would prove equally as original. In recent years our PBS Nova show has featured some abstract regional discoveries in Anthropology complete with an hour of speculation. But readers of the Coon text are already familiar with the directions of their conclusions. Possibly few have read Coon's masterful research compilation. Coon was begining his illustrious career when he wrote, "Races of Europe." I am anxious to read his work from later life.

Regardless of enormous advances that biology has made in the last decades,certainly racial typology has its own value in tracing,for example,human migrations whithout whose some historical aspects cannot be fully understood.Unlike the German literature in the 1930's,which is littered with ethnocentric superstition,in Coon's textbook we are finding blow to fallacies that something like "White Race" exist.What do Osteuropids have in common with Atlantomediteranians that sets them in special status vis-a-vi Mongoloids or Aethiopids for example?Our current misperception about races derives because we think only about "racial conglomerates",we see differencies that are obvious "at glance" without giving second thought.Although a little bit of obsoletness can be detected here and there,nevertheless this is good starting point for racial studies,together with two classics-"Mankind Evolving" by Th.Dobzhansky and "Race" by John R. Baker.

In the early 1970s I sold books about the white race in Silver Spring, Maryland with my partner, a very talented fellow who helped me to get the enterprise going even though it had to start on the kitchen table of our apartment. Eventually he took full responsibility and operated for many years on his own. Our company was called White Legion books, and although we handled just about every book anyone ever recommended about the white race, there was no book more sober, professional, and fascinating than Carlton Coon's "The Races of Europe." A lot of readers who are familiar with older classics on this subject know that such books tend to be politically biased in favor of Germans, Icelanders, and other nationalities believed by the far right to be superior representatives of the race. Carlton Coon, however, does not promote such obsolete beliefs. And it's unfortunate that more people interested in this subject, especially right wing political activists, couldn't learn from this book why they should give up the ideas of superiority which devaluate many whites. The misguided still laud the abilities of Nordics over other members of the white race; such as Alpines and Mediterraneans. That this is foolish is evidenced by the fact that it is vitually impossible to tell with total certainty, without some detailed DNA examination, exactly what sub-racial category someone is in. There are just too many jokers in the deck, and even a person fitting the "Nordic profile" can spiritually be in some other category anyway. When someone comes along on the political scene who ignores these facts, such as George Lincoln Rockwell of the American Nazi Party, it can have fatal consequences for the advocate. Rockwell was assassinated by John Patler, who was once the most active and loyal stormtrooper of his group; in fact, this party member was highlighted in the original edition of Rockwell's autobiography "This Time the World" with a large photograph (It's since been censored out). Patler, a Greek American with a dark complexion, one day realized that he was in a racial category considered by the National Socialist ideology to be a second class position - a Mediterranean. If you ever have the opportunity to see Carlton Coon's book, which could be available from a really decent college or university library collection on anthopology, be sure to look at the hundreds of photographs that are included for the purpose of identifying the many types of white people that exist. If you look carefully, and you have a natural eye for it, you may even see someone who looks just like yourself, or like your family members. These "types" were created because of the long periods of time in Europe when people did not move around very much. And while it's true that the Europeans of America are often much more blended than the types seen in Carlton Coon's book, you will still be able to see what "types" comprise the faces you've long been familiar with. I found it quite easy to locate faces so familiar that I see them every day, and they were easy to verify because there's supporting information below each photograph to confirm each determination by the few geographic locations associated with them in Europe. If there is anyone who has the opportunity to reprint this book, I would urge them to do it as soon as possible; for it's obvious that a lot of people never want to see this book available again.

You get the sense that Doris Lehman has spent a substantial amount of time in the Riviera and writes from personal experience. This book is very readable and the illustrations, by her daughter, Amy, are delightful. I have never visited the Riviera but, I sometimes like to read travel books so I can vicariously visit certain destinations. I definitely got the vicarious experience from this well written travel guide. She covers a lot of territory and I feel that Lehman's style compares very favorably with larger travel book operations such as Frommer and Foder. In fact, she has a personal touch that makes her book preferable. I highly recommend this book.

Well presented and warmly researched broadly based survey; hand-drawn illustrations are delightful and wonderfully evocative. Perfect volume from which to plan itinerary from home, or to make trip adjustments on the road.

The Riviera off-season and on was a very helpful source of information for my vacation to the Riviera. I used it both for hotels and restaurants and was not disappointed once. I loved the boxed in stories and found the illustrations very charming. I recommend this book for anyone going to the Riviera.