Elizabeth I : collected works /

Elizabeth I (1533-1603) is widely recognized as one of the most educated and intelligent monarchs who ever sat on the throne of England. She also produced a considerable body of writings, which the editors have gathered for the first time into one convenient and highly attractive volume. Texts have been divided into four chronological periods: 1533-58, 1558-72, 1572-87, and 1588-1603. Within these sections Elizabeth's writings have been organized into speeches (24), letters (103), poems (15), and prayers (39). Individual items are annotated, and significant variant versions are included. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized, but every effort has been made to preserve the flavor of the original by the inclusion of facsimiles of documents throughout. The editors have purposely left textual issues loose and indeterminate as they believe there are many occasions when variant readings of some of these works are possible. Some items have been excluded from the collection--letters concerning routine matters and any writings whose attribution to Elizabeth is considered to be sufficiently dubious. Biographies of Elizabeth abound, and many of them are excellent. Thanks to this fine scholarly edition, however, there can be no better source for gaining firsthand insight into Elizabeth I's enigmatic character and personality. All levels. R. Fritze; Lamar University

In addition to being a shrewd and powerful monarch, England's Elizabeth Tudor was also an extremely talented writer and an excellent verbal communicator. The beneficiary of an impressive humanistic education, she was well-schooled in the arts of creative, expository, and persuasive writing. Although her legacy included an enormous collection of letters, poems, prayers, and speeches, these works have been largely neglected by both historians and biographers. Organizing these selections in chronological order, the editors provide a comprehensive overview of Elizabeth's diverse literary output, resulting in a significant primary resource for Elizabethan scholars and dedicated students of English history. --Margaret Flanagan

This collection shines a light onto the character and experience of one of the most interesting of monarchs. English professors Marcus (Vanderbilt), Mueller (University of Chicago), and Rose (University of Illinois-Chicago) have collected the speeches, letters, poems and prayers written by Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603), arranged into four chronological groupings. The writings of the first period, from 1533 to 1558, contain no speeches because Elizabeth was then only a princess, daughter of the executed Anne Boleyn, and her principal job was, literally, to keep her head on her shoulders; the less she said, the safer she was. But even after she assumed the crown, she was still faced with the formidable task of staying alive as she forced her advisers to accept a woman as a sovereign and to obey her wishes. Her writings provide an excellent record of how well she was able to accomplish these goals. The speeches of this archetypal Renaissance figure (she wrote in several languages, including ancient Greek) sometimes read more like memos and her prayers occasionally seem like propagandaÄbut overall she was proficient enough to write in an elegant, clear voice. Because of the volume of writings contained herein and the extensive, helpful annotations the editors have added, we are likely never to get a closer or clearer look at her. An intriguing and intense portrait of a woman who figures so importantly in the birth of our modern world, this book, though aimed primarily at scholars, could be profitably read and enjoyed by any interested reader. Illus. not seen by PW. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In a single extraordinary volume, Elizabeth I: Collected Works, Marcus (English, Vanderbilt) and her coeditors have collected the Virgin Queen's letters, speeches, poems, and prayersDtranslated from French, Latin, Italian, Spanish, and ancient Greek, when necessary. From an early (1544) letter of the Princess Elizabeth to Queen Katherine to a long letter about Ireland addressed to Lord Mountjoy (February 1603) shortly before the queen's death, the editors have put together an impressive, heavily footnoted volume. While browsers will certainly find items of interest (e.g., a touching condolence letter from the queen to her ambassador to France upon the death of his son), this scholarly work will be of interest primarily to scholars. Highly recommended for academic libraries and for public libraries with strong collections of Elizabethan history. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.