QUEEN VICTORIA: A PERSONAL HISTORY - Hardcover

Hibbert, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002558262 ISBN 13: 9780002558266

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2000

Synopsis

In this surprising new life of Victoria, Christopher Hibbert, master of the telling anecdote and peerless biographer of England's great leaders, paints a fresh and intimate portrait of the woman who shaped a century. His Victoria is not only the formidable, demanding, capricious queen of popular imagination-she is also often shy, diffident, and vulnerable, prone to giggling fits and crying jags. Often censorious when confronted with her mother's moral lapses, she herself could be passionately sensual, emotional, and deeply sentimental. Ascending to the throne at age eighteen, Victoria ruled for sixty-four years-an astounding length for any world leader. During her reign, she dealt with conflicts ranging from royal quarrels to war in Crimea and rebellion in India. She saw monarchs fall, empires crumble, new continents explored, and England grow into a dominant global and industrial power. This personal history is a compelling look at the complex woman whom, until now, we only thought we knew.

About this title

About the Author:

Christopher Hibbert has written many well-received biographies, including, most recently, Queen Victoria. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Honorary Doctor of Letters of Leicester University.

Review:

`This book is, I think, his masterpiece...he has portrayed her as physically and imaginatively passionate, a loveable monster who, for all her extreme oddness, came to embody the aspirations and character not only of a nation, but of an Empire which embraced half the globe.' A. N. Wilson, Daily Mail`A splendid book in every respect.' Simon Heffer, Country Life`[Hibbert] succeeds in weaving a vast tangle of sources into a driving story. It is a testimony to his skill that he manages to make his 557-page book feel, If anything, a tad too short... it meticulously fleshes out the little butterball of a woman who came to dominate not only her own time, but ours as well.' Kathryn Hughes, Daily Telegraph`Full of scholarly references and splendidly produced.' Robert Blake, Sunday Telegraph`A deliciously gossipy but thoughtful biography...an exceptional portrait of a homely, formidably strong-willed woman who used her power both admirably and abominably.' Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times`A lively, episodic account of a remarkable woman's life...particularly strong on the stifling dullness of court life, Victoria's extraordinary relations with her Scottish and Indian servants, and her absolute domination of her children.' Evening Standard`An unrivalled portrait of a marriage...she emerges from his compelling narrative a more real, complex and fascinating figure than ever before.' Financial Times`This personal history provides as much food for thought as it does narrative energy and excitement.' Scotsman

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0002558262
• ISBN 13: 9780002558266
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 557
• Illustrator: Illustrated