Volume 24, Number 20 · December 8, 1977
Top People
By Christopher Hill
Charles V: Elected Emperor and Hereditary Ruler
by Manuel Fernández Alvarez, translated by J.A. Lalaguna
Thames and Hudson, 220 pp., $16.95
Philip II of Spain
by Peter Pierson
Thames and Hudson, 240 pp., $16.95
The Young Mazarin
by Georges Dethan, translated by Stanley Baron
Thames and Hudson, 199 pp., $16.95
The Cult of Elizabeth: Elizabethan Portraiture and Pageantry
by Roy Strong
Thames and Hudson, 227 pp., $24.95
'Far too much of modern British history,' Sir Lewis Namier wrote, 'is ensconced in biographies which dribble away their material without coming to grips with basic problems.' He need not have limited his remark to British history. Biography has been under something of a cloud with purist historians since the decline of 'great man' theories. We are all sociologists now, and inclined to see rulers as products of the movements of their age rather than as directors of them—corks, not waves.
Review, 3507 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |