The Royal Palaces of Tudor England: Architecture and Court Life, 1460-1547 (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
At the time of his death in 1547, Henry VIII possessed over 60 royal residences. Thurley, in his capacity as Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, has thoroughly researched inventories, diplomatic notes, recent archaeological data, and contemporary accounts of these Tudor houses for this work. The result is a fascinating illumination of Tudor society's etiquette, hygiene, religion, government, recreation (from tennis and bowling to cockfighting), cooking, and the evolution of interior decoration. Tracing the royal residences from the two-room lodges of the Plantagenets, Thurley shows the Tudor mansions, which could cover dozens of acres, to have become true hubs of power. Including 200 black-and-white and 158 color illustrations, along with 15 pages of floor and ground plans, this stunning achievement is highly recommended.- Joseph Hewgley, Nashville P.L.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.