Very interesting history of english monarch's-excellent!
It was a quick synopsis of each monarch but very informative none the less. ( )

I’d love to start off this review by giving you an all-around basic idea about what the book is about, but there’s a lot more to this read than meets the eye. Unlike many of the other books that I enjoy for the pure pleasure of reading, Royal Panoply served much more than just this purpose.

Besides its impressive array of English monarchs beginning with William I all the way to Elizabeth II, this book features impressive details that go beyond simply describing royal lives, conquests and fates. Carolly Erickson takes into particular consideration the fact that it may be a reader’s first encounter with any or most of these royals. At the beginning of every new sovereign, the author minutely goes back into the life of his or her predecessor to work us up until the particular heir in question. It’s only when you’re reading and trying to keep track of this incredible genealogy that you come to appreciate this very necessary task so eloquently re-capped.

This sort of going back and then taking you forward into the history also helped me see the historical figure from different perspectives. This, added dimension to the characters, as well as the period highlighted. And, as we all have our favorites, it’s a special treat when you can read about each of these family dynasties in subsequent order. However, if you prefer to just pick, sort and choose who you’d like to read about, this book offers you the option of doing just that; it can be just as useful and interesting when read in no particular order. The author’s re-capping method at the beginning of every new chapter served that purpose wonderfully.

It is also possible to use this book as a reference manual when you want to look up a specific monarch, or simply for refreshing your memory while on a different book dealing with a particular historical figure. I was delighted to be able to use this book in precisely that way. I began by reading it through, but then found myself going back to it for reference and research purposes as well.

I should however point out that Royal Panoply does not qualify, in my opinion, as an all-around-in-depth bibliography of English monarchs- the obvious reasons being length, accuracies and misses that could not all be contained in one book. This is especially true when one considers the volumes that could (are-were) written for each one. That being said, it remains that this fabulous book is incredibly interesting and definitely a jumpstart to whetting your appetite for reading and learning more about the richness of the English monarchy…

Another added bonus- This is a book that never entirely leaves you; being a reference as well as a bibliography selection of sorts, it actually can remain open indefinitely…

Useful, interesting and a delight to read. A definite history buff must-have.
Beautiful photos as well. ( )

An excellent book -- the bios are reasonably thorough, but brief enough so that this book makes good bedtime reading -- you can read a biography while you're waiting to get sleepy. I would recommend it as a supplement to other books on English royals, since ten- or twenty-page biographies are no substitute for full-length works. ( )