Introduced by the author
The Six Wives of Henry VIII is Antonia Fraser’s groundbreaking historical biography of England’s most famous royal consorts – a critically acclaimed international bestseller presented in a lavishly illustrated Folio edition.
Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.
In popular memory, the wives of Henry VIII are defined by their fate. But in Antonia Fraser’s pioneering study, the six queens emerge as rich and fascinating characters in their own right, not just the helpless victims of Henry’s obsession with a male heir. The story she tells us is by turns romantic and cruel, funny and sad, dramatic and enthralling. An international bestseller from the doyenne of historical biography, The Six Wives of Henry VIII is enriched with 32 pages of colour illustrations. There are the famous portraits by Hans Holbein, miniatures by Lucas Horenbout and views by Anton van den Wyngaerde, as well as letters, prayer books and palace scenes – many from the Royal Collection, the National Portrait Gallery and the British Library. In a new introduction, Fraser revisits her classic work to discuss the challenges of bringing to life people who were ‘just like us – and in another sense, completely different.’
Bound in cloth blocked with a design by Jessica Hische and Cat Caudillo
Set in Vendetta
632 pages
Frontispiece plus 32 pages of colour illustrations, including a fold-out, decorated part-titles and chapter headings
2 family trees
Ribbon marker
Blocked slipcase
10˝ x 6¾˝
‘One of the best popular histories I have read in years, full of spice and anecdotes of the Tudor Court.’
- Irish Independent
The Six Wives of Henry VIII looks beyond stereotypes of ‘betrayed wife’, ‘temptress’ and ‘ugly sister’ to capture a richer and more fascinating portrait of each royal consort. Catherine of Aragon, queen for twice the time of all the others combined, stands out for her love of learning. Antonia Fraser absolves Anne Boleyn of everything but a sharp tongue – a warning that the shrewd and silent Jane Seymour took to heart. Anna of Cleves, little-regarded in many previous histories, emerges as a dignified and sympathetic figure. Fraser writes captivatingly on the tragedy of Katherine Howard, an ingenue far out of her depth in the Tudor court. And the book reveals how Catherine Parr’s zeal for religious reform could have condemned her to the same grisly fate as her predecessor, if not for her willingness to humble herself before the King. Bound in beautiful cloth gold-blocked with the emblems of all six queens, presented in a slipcase bearing their names – the work of lettering artists Jessica Hische and Cat Caudillo – this is a both a pioneering reappraisal of the lives of the six queens, and a supremely entertaining read.
In The Tudor Age, historian Susan Brigden brings to life the world of Henry VIII, Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I in a Folio edition superbly illustrated with colour portraiture.
The rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell is brilliantly portrayed in Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall. This Folio Society edition is illustrated by world-renowned fine artists Igor & Marina.
Richly illustrated and newly revised for The Folio Society, In Search of the Dark Ages is Michael Wood’s thrilling account of the age of Beowulf, Sutton Hoo and the Vikings.
Hilary Mantel’s monumental trilogy continues with Bring Up the Bodies. Published in series with Wolf Hall, this lavish Folio edition is illustrated by celebrated artists Igor & Marina.
