Either I’m getting old or time is flying at the moment – it always seems to be Friday!
Before I round up what’s going on here at The Anne Boleyn Files and in the history world, I must apologise for the The Anne Boleyn Files being offline for a few hours yesterday. Obviously, being in Europe, I was asleep when it happened and couldn’t do anything about it – sorry! Everything is fine now though.
So, what’s been going on this week:-
- Edward VI’s Birthday – Edward VI was 472 years old on Monday (12th). Well, he wasn’t really, the poor boy died at the age of 15, but you know what I mean! You can read a brief bio about him in my “Happy Birthday Edward VI” blog post.
- Halloween Competition – Watch out for a blog post about this over the weekend!
- “Lady Jane Grey: A Tudor Mystery” by Eric Ives – Yay! It’s finally out! I got my copy this week and have been flicking through it. It looks brilliant and is split into 4 parts – 1) The Scene – with three chapters setting the scene and context of Lady Jane Grey’s short reign. 2) The Protagonists – Four chapters on Lady Jane Grey, two on Mary Tudor, three on John Dudley and four on Edward VI 3) Thirteen Days – Six chapters covering Lady Jane Grey’s reign and the Rebellion of Mary Tudor 4) Consequences – Six chapters on the consequences.The book also has the usual wonderful illustrations – portraits, places, letters etc., notes, bibliography and index. I loved Eric Ives’ biography of Anne Boleyn and this too looks like it is going to be a wonderful resources on Edward VI, John Dudley and Lady Jane Grey. The book is out in the UK and US (thanks, Nancy for pointing this out) – click on the book cover to buy in the US or – click here to buy now in the UK. I’ve just found a newspaper article from last year about Eric Ives’ aim in writing the book – see http://www.kenilworthweeklynews.co.uk/whats-on-news/Warwick-is-missing-a-trick.4456261.jp
Christmas -For those of you who are ultra organised and who have already started planning gifts and doing your Christmas shopping, I’ve set up a special Christmas page with a few gift ideas (from our bestsellers).We also now offer a gift wrapping service so you can order a gift, get it stylishly wrapped in gold paper and ribbon and get your message written on a gift tag. This service is available for Steve’s B necklace and brooch, and Daniela’s “The Tudors” and Renaissance ranges and is $5. I have added “Gift Wrapping Service” as a product on each of the relevant pages so that you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and add it to your basket before checking out.The gold paper also makes it suitable for birthdays and other special occasions.
- Custom Orders and Queries – We have been having quite a few queries about jewelry with real gemstones and in real gold or silver, so we are hoping to launch a “luxury” Tudor jewelry range in a few weeks. In the meantime, I am always happy to hear from you if you have a jewelry request or query – just email me at claire@theanneboleynfiles.com and send me the photo, portrait or description and I’ll see what we can do.
- Other Blog Posts – Make sure you read my blog post on “Anne Boleyn: The Other Woman” and leave your comment to share what you think. I’ve had some wonderful comments so far so thank you! I also posted about “The Beasts of Hampton Court Palace”.
- The Elizabeth Files – Over at The Elizabeth Files this week, there’s a wonderful article written by author Robert Parry – “The Virgin, the Crab and Mythology” – and an article written by me about Elizabeth and Mary and their relationship. Remember to download the free report over there on “The Myths Surrounding Queen Elizabeth I”.
Follow me on Twitter – Yes, I do tweet! Not as Anne Boleyn but as me, Claire, creator of The AB Files. You can follow me at www.twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles or by clicking on the little bird.- Only 8 rooms left on The Anne Boleyn Experience 2010 – Click here to check out our special tour website.
- BBC History Magazine Friday History Quiz – I got a rather dismal sore of 1 this week so see if you can beat me over at http://www.bbchistorymagazine.com/quiz/history-quiz-9. Good luck!
Watch out for a blog post over the weekend giving details of our Halloween Competition to win a signed copy of Robert Parry’s “Virgin and the Crab”.
Claire:
I just signed up for the Anne Boleyn tour yesterday, so I’ve talked to you via email. I just wanted you to know that I live in the States and preordered Lady Jane Grey – A Tudor Mystery. My copy came yesterday. I preordered it from Amazon in the States; I remember them saying that it wouldn’t be available until November or January(I can’t remember which), then I got an email saying that it would come earlier than expected. Earlier this week I got the email that it had been dispatched, and it arrived yesterday. I don’t know if it is available through anyone else but Amazon at this time, or if the fact that I preordered had anything do about when it was shipped, but copies of it have been sent. Also, The Sisters Who Would Be Queen, Katherine, Mary and Lady Jane Grey, is also available in the States, at least through Amazon. Again, the first email that I got when I preordered was that it wouldn’t be available until November or January; then I got the email that it had been dispatched. It arrived on Wednesday. I’ll have reading matierial for awhile!
Nancy
Eric Ives book is great. Hope you also enjoy my latest book on the three Grey girls The Sisters Who Would be Queen; Mary, Katherine & Lady Jane Grey, A Tudor Tragedy. Ives and I would swap thoughts and ideas when we were writing our books. We don’t always agree however and give different slants, best wishes to Boleyn fans, Leanda de Lisle
Hi Leanda,
I really must get hold of your book too and then compare it with Ives, I love to get different opinions on topics. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and I wish you every success with your book.
i,ve been “phished” so i”ve added an x to my address. now i need to catch up on all the emails i’ve lost when i got a new address and password. word to the wise”if it happens to you ,it’s the only cure. tech support couldn’thelp me.i’m reading ‘the white queen” and somehow can’tinto the plantagenets.i CAN put the book down, unlike any book on the tudors. i guess i need encouragement from those who have read it. PLEASE HELP!!
Hi Nancy,
Thanks so much for the information about Eric Ives book being available in the US – I’ve added the Amazon link above. I’m so excited about you coming on the tour, it will be wonderful to meet other Anne fans and actually meet face to face with people I’ve met through the AB Files. Time is flying so May will soon be here!
Hi Barbara,
That’s a pain about your email address – are you on our mailing list?
It’s a shame you can’t get into The White Queen – what is it about it? The Subject? Style of writing? Have you read other Philippa gregory books before? I really enjoyed it because I liked seeing events through Elizabeth Woodville’s eyes and I also enjoyed the theme of magic. All I would say is hang in there, sometimes books take time to get into but it’s a shame it hasn’t grabbed you.