[MR] Book of great interest to Scadians

[Garth G. Groff]

Friends,

We've hit the jackpot: HENRY VIII, ARMS AND THE MAN, 1509-2009, edited 
by Graeme Rimer, Thom Richardson, J.P.D. Cooper (ISBN 9780948092626; our 
call # Fine Arts NK6601.5 .G7 H46 2009). This book is the catalog to 
accompany the current major exhibition at the Tower of London, "Henry 
VIII, Dressed to Kill", and a marvelous book it is. Largely full-colour, 
it is lavishly illustrated with contemporary paintings and prints,  plus 
modern photos (some in fantastic close-up detail) of Henry's surviving 
armour, as well as swords, bills, daggers, and all sorts of other lethal 
toys carried by the King Himself, and his guards and associates. Even my 
beloved longbows, arrows and the fragment of a leather spacer, all from 
the MARY ROSE are shown. Included is a two-page spread of the naval 
battle of 1545 when that unfortunate ship was sent to the bottom. With 
so much material to cover, the individual chapters are short, but there 
are sections on court dress, food and dining at the court, the Tower of 
London, tournaments and sports (he was a really major jock!), treatment 
of injury and disease among his soldiers, and so much more. This book 
truly is a treasure and will be a valuable resource for anyone 
interested in the early to mid-16th century.

Kind regards,


Mungo Napier, Shire of Isenfir's Unofficial Librarian
(mka Garth Groff)