I have just finished reading this excellent new book by Helen Cox and would like to recommend it to everyone interested in the period.  You can read a review of it here.

Our branch members Leslie and Doug have just finished reading the Ricardian classic Some Touch of Pity by Rhoda Edwards.   We are very happy and grateful that they immediately let us know their thoughts on this excellent novel.

You can find their review on our “Book Shelf”  in the “Ricardian Library” or click here.

A review of John Ashdown-Hill’s latest book, The Last Days of Richard III, is now available on our website.  You can find it in the “Must Read” section on our Book Shelf or click here.

Helen Cox, author of The Battle of Wakefield Revisited, let us know that her book has been launched successfully.  Approx. 30 people attended the official moment, among them Peter Hammond, the Chairman of the Richard III Society; Sue Galloway, the Lord Mayor of York; Richard Watson, the Sheriff of York; Terry Suthers, the Chairman of the York Archaeological Trust and Mark Taylor, the Chairman of the Towton Battlefield Society as well as some more friends from the Towton Battlefield Society.

Obviously this was a very exciting occasion for Helen, as this is her first book that she has written on her own and the result of years of research.  Helen says that she is especially happy that it means she can “take a public stand in support of Richard, Duke of York, who usually gets such a rough ride from historians”.  The site for this rehabilitation was particularly appropriate as this was where the Battle of Wakefield effectively ended with the heads of Richard of York and his son Edmund and the Earl of Salisbury displayed on the York city walls after the battle.

For the launch Helen came kitted out with the full re-enactors necessities like a basket of crocks and 15th century goodies, swords, helmets, padded jacks, bows and arrows and sundry bits of costume as well as obviously cartons of books.

To find out more about the book have a look at the flyer Helen provided to us (here).  You can order the book from YPD Books.  I ordered it yesterday for £12.00 + £9.95 for shipping to Australia, which altogether came to approx. Aus$ 40.00.  And don’t forget to visit Helen’s website as well.

We would also like to thank Helen for providing  the photographs of this exciting occasion to us.

Congratulations to Anne Easter Smith who just let us know that she won the 2010 Romantic Times Book Review Magazine Award for Best Historical Biography for The King’s Grace.  The Grace of the title is Grace Plantagenet, an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV, her mother is unknown.  Indeed all we know about her is that she was one of two mourners (the other is an unnamed “gentilwoman”) on the funeral barge of Elizabeth Woodville in 1492.  From this Anne spins a fascinating story about the Perkin Warbeck mystery.  For if Perkin Warbeck was indeed Richard of York, this Grace would have been his half-sister.

With the award Anne beat another contender, which also deals with the question of what happened to Elizabeth Woodville’s sons by Edward IV:  Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen.  Having read both books, I can only agree with the judges.  We congratulate Anne on this award.  It is her first, but should not be her last.  I believe Anne is at present working on a book on Cecily of York, the mother of among others Edward IV, Richard III as well as Margaret of Burgundy.  Richard played an important role in Anne’s A Rose for the Crown, while Margaret was portrayed in Daughter of York.  Can’t wait for her to bring Cecily to life!

During last weekend’s conference, Lynne reviewed Richard:  The Young King to Be by Josephine Wilkinson.  You can read her review here.

Our day-long mini-conference on 15 May included reviews of several books.  One of them was Peter A Hancock’s Richard III and the Murder in the Tower.  If you missed the conference, you can read it here.

We first heard on the Ricardian grapevine about a  new analysis the Battle of Wakefield and  a fresh perspective on Richard of York’s final battle on 30 December 1460.  The book by Helen Cox is due to be published later this month.

On her website Helen tells us that historians have for a long time tried to reason why the Duke of York would have taken on the much stronger Lancastrian forces in this battle.  Some believe that the Duke was reckless and stupid, an ageing commander past his prime who made a bad decision – or that he charged out in blind fury because the enemy had sent heralds to insult him. Others think he made a heroic but futile attempt to rescue some of his foragers who were under attack; or that he didn’t realise how big the Lancastrian army was, because many of their troops were cunningly hidden in nearby woodland, waiting to charge out and ambush him.

Helen says that she has never been convinced by these theories, which aren’t well supported by contemporary reports of the battle. So in The Battle of Wakefield Revisited she has tried to pull together and re-examine all the surviving historical and archaeological evidence relating to the encounter.  She promises us a far simpler and more plausible explanation of why the Duke of York rode out to face his enemies that day.

The book will be launched on 31 May 2010 at Mickelgate Bar in York.  Helen and her husband Mick will be there in costume to sell and sign copies.  What a pity that we won’t be able to join them!

So we contacted Helen, to find out how we would be able to get hold of copies of this fascinating new study.  She informed us that the book will be available online from York Publishing Services £12.00 sterling plus p+p (at today’s exchange rate approx. Aus $20 plus p+p).

She also told us that writing the book was a real labour of love for the past 18 months.  She is fortunate enough to live only a mile from the Duke of York’s castle at Sandal, so she regularly visits it and often thinks of him and her favourite of his sons.  And I’m sure you can all guess who that is!

Keep an eye on Helen’s website for further information and developments.

We just heard from Joan Szechtman that her book This Time was named finalist in the General Fiction/Novel category for the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Congratulations, Joan!  We are thrilled for you.

This nomination is very well deserved indeed.  We hope that it helps to promote the real Richard III as well as Joan’s book.

For a review of This Time have a look on our Bookshelf in the Ricardian Library or click here.