School Library Journal - School Library JournalGr 7-10-In fewer than 100 pages, plus notes, this book tries to cover a lot of very complex history. It begins with Anne Boleyn's coronation, moves back in time for a chapter on the history of the War of the Roses and a brief overview of the reign of Henry VII, and then moves into a chronological format from Henry's coronation through his death. The information is grossly oversimplified, and it often confuses popular-culture details with history. Quoting Shakespeare's Richard III in the opening chapter on the War of the Roses, for example, is misleading and confusing. Worth does not acknowledge that the play is not a contemporary account, or that there are alternate explanations for both Richard's defeat and Henry VII's actions. The author skips back and forth through English history, Henry's wives, the Protestant Reformation and the reasons behind it, and the larger issues of European history. Very important persons are given a few lines or paragraphs, and incidents such as the "Field of the Cloth of Gold" are described but not explained. There are several maps, but no genealogy table appears, even though the chronology of the York and Lancaster Kings cries out for one. The text is supplemented by one or two paragraph "Source Document" sections, all of which are taken from secondary or tertiary sources. The illustrations are poorly reproduced and not attributed. This book may give casual readers a very basic, pro-Protestant, pro-Henry look at some of the issues involved, but it cannot be considered a serious source for research.-Amy A. Healey, Loyola Academy Resource Center, Wilmette, IL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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