Search Results: Royalty from Capricorn Books

London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown., 1818. 524 pp, 8vo (8 1/2" H), medium brown leather spine/corners, maroon leather title block, gilt lettering/decoration on spine, marbled boards. The spine has been professionally and sympathetically replaced at some date, preserving the book in a sturdy, usable state. Fold-out colour map after title page, Errata slip bound in after final text page. Presented as a series of 32 letters, this journal of trip through some early 19th century German states provides information on city and country life, the aristocracy, hunting, duels, fashion, food & drink, architecture, entertainments, manners, etc. Soft bump with soft creases at fore-edge of approx. pages 107 to 235, a few pages with a soft crease at the top corner, erased pencilled old price on the front pastedown, small stamp from bookstore on the front free endpaper, scattered light foxing and light soiling/surface scuffs on the endpapers, light foxing on the map and first page - also on the… Read More

Stroud: Alan Sutton, 1995. 242 pp, small 4to (10" H). B&w illustrations. "Starting from the inherited tendencies of his unstable mother, this book follows Charles's involvements with women, from the passionate, illicit affair with his cousin, Louise de Montbazon, following his return from the '45, which resulted in a son, and his cruel arrogance when he took a new mistress replacing her, to his rough treatment of Clementine Walkinshaw, who had nursed him in 1746, and who sacrificed herself for him. She came to live with him, and bore him a daughter, the 'bonnie lass of Albany', his comfort when the dynastic marriage he eventually made with the young Princess Louise of Stolberg came apart, leaving him an elderly cuckold. Judged the wild man of Europe as a result of his scandalous behaviour, Charles's boorishness and drunkenness had cost him the stability he craved, and in his later years he was both ill and lonely, turning to his daughter to satisfy his longing for… Read More

Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Department of Trade and Commerce, 1940. 202 pp, 8 5/8" H. Many b&w photographs, drawings, tables, etc. (some fold out). Colour portraits of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth plus fold-out map of "The Royal Tour of Canada, May 17 to June 15, 1939. Contents: Canada's War Program and Economic Conditions at the Close of 1939; The Wetern Oil Situation - Its Possibilities and Its Problems; The Constitution and Government of Canada; Population - Vital Statistics - Public Health and Welfare; Wealth - Production - Income; Agriculture; The Forest Wealth of Canada - Lumbering - Pulp and Paper; Mines and Minerals; The Fisheries of Canada; The Fur Trade; The Water Powers of Canada; Construction; Labour - Unemployment Relief - Old Age Pensions; Transportation and Communications; External Trade of Canada - Non-Commodity Exchanges; Internal Trade - Wholesale and Retail Trade - Freight Movements - Security Prices - Commondity Prices - Cost of Living; The… Read More

Toronto: Canadian National, 1939. 9 1/4" H x 25" W sheet, with five folds creating 12 numbered panels. Details cancelled, altered and special train services during King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's visit to Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Port Arthur and Thunder Bay from May 17th to May 23rd, 1939. "Hamilton - June 7 - 1939" written in ink at top of cover page; small corner crease and a very small area of surface paper loss on front cover page; minor edge wrinkling, . Folded Paper. Very Good.

Toronto: The Canadian Annual Review, 1920. 955 pp, 9 1/8" H. Red cloth with gilt lettering/banding on spine. B&w photographs, drawing, map (Official Map of the Western Front When the Hindenburg Line was broken through by the British and Canadian Forces). Advertising section, pages 908-932. Chapter Headings: Canadian Echoes of the World War; Canadian Relations with Foreign Countries; Canadian Relations with the Empire; The Prince of Wales in Canada; Agriculture: The Organized Farmers; The 1919 Record of Farmers' Organizations; Industry: The Organized Manufacturers; Labour: The Organized Workmen; Educational Interests and Institutions; Dominion Goverment and Politics; The Province of Ontario in 1919; Quebec and the Maritime Provinces; The Western Provinces and British Columbia. Concludes with short notes on the North-West Territories, Territory of the Yukon; Canadian Obituary for 1919; Index of Names; Index of Affairs. Also includes a Special Supplement on Canadian Finances, Resources,… Read More

New York: W.W. Norton, 2017. 310 pp, 9 1/2" H. B&w plates, map. "Appointed to conquer the 'crime capital of the world', the first police chief of Paris faces an epidemic of murder in the late 1600s. Appointed by Louis XIV, Nicolas de La Reynie begins by clearing the streets of filth and installing lanterns throughout Paris, turning it into the City of Light. He pursues criminals through the city's labyrinthine neighborhoods. He unearths a tightly knit cabal of poisoners, witches, and renegade priests. As he exposes their unholy work, he soon learns that no one is safe from black magic - not even the Sun King. As Le Reynie continues his investigations, he is haunted by a single question: Could Louis's mistresses be involved in such nefarious plots? From secret courtrooms to torture chambers, (this) is a gripping true-crime tale of deception and murder. Based on thousands of pages of court transcripts and La Reynie's compulsive note-taking, as well as on letters and… Read More

Sankey, Hudson, Manchester, n.d. (1937). 64 pp, 8 3/16" H, soft cover (stapled in wraps). One page of text followed by pages of captioned b&w photographs. Title page continues: "Reproduced from authentic photographs of incidents in the lives of their Majesties the King and Queen". Not a history of the actual coronation, but of the lives of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their family up to the coronation. Interior - small soft crease at top corner of pages, minor soiling on last page, staples rusting, otherwise clea n a n d t i g h t with no other ownership marks. Exterior - light soiling to covers, staples rusting, small soft corner creases, one small edge tear archivally taped, minor edge wear. Good.

Toronto: HarperCollins / Phyllis Bruce, 2005. 384 pp, 9 1/4" H. "The lives of two dazzling aristocratic sisters, Lucy and Dorothy Percy, present a perfect window into the world of political unrest and social intrigue of seventeenth-century English society. Their breeding, beauty, and cunning made them among the most influential women of their time. Born during the reign of Elizabeth I, the Percy sisters came to prominence at the court of Charles I. Lucy, the Countess of Carlisle - the 'court lady' - dominated the royal scene thanks to her position at the center of power. Her beauty, captured in magnificent Van Dyck portraits, and her political skill attracted prominent lovers, and her charm and talents as a gossip ensured her inclusion in the Queen's inner circle. Then, her machinations during the Civil WAr led to her imprisonment in the Tower of London. Her sister, Dorothy, Countess of Leicester - the 'country wife' - had twelve surviving children and managed the family… Read More

New York: Liveright, 2015. 338 pp, 9 1/2" H. B&w illustrations. "In 1898, an elderly widow, Anna Maria Druce, came to the British court with an astonishing request. She claimed that the merchant T.C. Druce, her late father-in-law, had in truth been a secret identity for the deceased and enormously wealthy 5th Duke of Portland. Maintaining her composure amid growing agitation from the clutch of lawyers, journalists, and curious onlookers crowded into the church, Mrs. Druce claimed that Druce had been the duke's alter ego and that he had, in 1864, faked the death of his middle-class doppelganger when he grew tired of the ruse. She wanted the tomb unlocked and her father-in-law's coffin exhumed, adamant that it would lie empty, proving the falsehood and leaving her son to inherit the vast Portland estate. From that fateful afternoon, the lurid deatails of the Druce-Portland case spilled forth, seizing the attention of the British public for over a decade. Few tales could surpass… Read More

London: John Murray, 1931. 436 pp, 8vo (8 11/16" H). Family tree, b&w plates. "King Alfonso is one of the most outstanding figures now alive, in contemporary political history, in sport, and in social life. He is much beloved and equally disliked , as recent events in Spain have proved. This study, written by a very near relation, in collaboration with a well-known English author, shows the King as he really is, in public and in private life; it shows what his aims are, and how he has tried to carry them out; and explains the present difficulties in Spain and the collapse of the monarchy. The authors, in writing this book, have had privileges and sources of information which have been given to no one else, and they have had personal experience of the revolution. It is, therefore, essentially an authoritative work, as well as being immensely interesting both from the historic and the human points of view." Small label from book store on front pastedown, slight browning to rear… Read More

New York: Citadel / Kensington, 2003. 556 pp, 9" H. "It was the love story of the century - the king and the commoner. In December 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry ' the woman I love,' Wallis Warfield Simpson, a twice-divorced American who quickly became one of the twentieth century's most famous personalities, a figure of intrigue and mystery, both admired and reviled. Wrongly blamed for the abdication crisis, Wallis suffered hostility from the Royal Family and much of the world. Yet interest in her story has remained constant, resulting in a small library of biographies that convey a thinly veiled animosity toward their subject. The truth, however, is infinitely more fascinating than the shallow, pathetic portrait that has often been painted. Using previously untapped sources, (the author) presents a complete and, for the first time, sympathetic portrait of the Duchess that sifts the decades of rumor and accusation to reveal the woman behind the legend.… Read More

London: B.T. Batsford, 1963. 232 pp, 9" H. B&w illustrations. "The atmosphere of a Court is enclosed and artificial. The monarch has in the past enjoyed a wide degree of power without a corresponding sense of obligation or responsibility; and for the courtiers, whose position depended on their agreeableness, flattery has always been at a premium just as frankness has been inhibited. How do men and women react in circumstances where normal standards of behaviour are inapplicable? This is the question which, by implication, Ralph Dutton answers in this book. Since his survey covers the three centuries from Henry VII to George VII it is natural that, in so many different courts and under the reign of so various a series of kings and queens, Court Life should appear in most of its possible forms. But in the moral forcing house of the Court a constant element, from 1485 to 1760, has been the tendency for personal virtues and defects of character to become exaggerated to an extent seldom met… Read More

North Vancouver : Whitecap, 2005. 128 pp, large 8vo (9 3/4" H). Profusely illustrated with colour photographs. "This delightful celebration of the life of HM Queen Elizabeth II features a unique collection of 80 images of Her Majesty at home and abroad, taken by the world's top, contemporary royal photographer. As well as The Queen's dazzling smile, the book also captures the joy and devotion of real members of the public as they provide first-hand accounts of their meetings with The Queen. (This) is a unique tribute from the people, in words and pictures, to Her Royal Majesty in the year of her 80th birthday." Minor twist to spine, light edgewear at bottom of spine and bottom corners. Dust jacket has minor edgewear/wrinkling at top/bottom of spine and flap-folds, area of thin line indentations across bottom half of front panel.. First Canadian Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good-.

London: Richards Press, 1954. 244 pp, 8vo (8 3/8" H) - red cloth boards with silver lettering on spine. B&w illustrations. How much would a knighthood or a baronetcy cost? In the time of British Prime Minister Lloyd George, the man to ask would have been Arthur John Peter Michael Maundy Gregory. This is the story of corruption in high places and the sale and political use of Honours. It is also a tale of blackmail, fraud and, perhaps, murder. Split in front inside hinge paper, tiny faint foxing marks on free endpapers, small dent at the top corner of the verso of front piece - migrates into the following pages up to page 15, very light browning to pages, foxing along top edge of title page, wrinkling and light wear at top/bottom of spine, very light edge wear, small bump at bottom corner of front board, light lean to spine, light browning to fore-edge of text block, three very small colored pen marks and light soiling on bottom of text block. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good/No Jacket.

London: Muller, Blond & White, 1985. 192 pp, small 4to (10 1/8" H). Profusely illustrated in colour and b&w with photographs, drawings, reproductions. "(T)akes us behind the royal image - behind the panoply of royal fashion. With rare knowledge and informed wit Colin McDowell explains how the requirements of protocol and public relations combine to define the boundaries of royal style - not only in terms of clothes but also performance on state occasions and overseas travel and, indeed, at all the crucial moments of the Royal Year. His own outstanding drawings, as well as a marvellous selection of photographs, illustrate and enlarge on the story. Colin McDowell's meticulous research, and his privileged access to designers, suppliers and other sources closely involved in the creation and maintenance of royal style bring a very special authority to this fascinating and detailed survey. (It) concentrates on the style of four Queens, each of whom has or had a distinct and individual… Read More

Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1932. 403 pp, large 8vo (9 1/4" H). Decorated endpapers. "Life story of the young Khan Mahmoud who was no less a personage than boy courtier to The Mad Shah of Persia - the most colorful court since Cyrus the Great - also favorite page to the Queen. In an overwhelmingly brilliant pageant the young courtier rends the veil from the face of the Orient, disclosing fascination and horror. Being a scion of the ancient House of Saghaphi, it is easily understood that he exerted a powerful influence upon his immediate surroundings and upon officialdom of this spectacular Court." Two creases at bottom corner of pages 209 to 214, very light edge wear, very light browning to edges of text block, light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine. Dust jacket has light edge wear/wrinkling, a few tiny tears with creases (archivally taped) and chips, light browning, some light soiling, fading of red 'band' on spine.. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good-. Illus. by… Read More

London: Michael O'Mara, 1987. 176 pp, large 8vo (9 1/4" H). B&w photographs. "Kensington Palace, for years a forgotten semi-derelict royal residence described by Edward VII as an 'aunt heap', is today the decorous London home of some of the most famous members of the royal family. Among its inmates are the charismatic royal headline makers, the Prince and Princess of Wales; the stylish and ambitious Princess Michael of Kent; the more sombre and sober Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; and Princess Margaret, once, like her younger female relatives, considered fair game by the world's press but now largely ignored by the media and enjoying a quiet and very comfortable life. (This book) takes the general public - normally only allowed access to the State Apartments - on a tour of discovery into the private residences of four royal households, revealing the intimate and formerly secret details of their day-to-day lives. We learn of an old teddy bear that every night is tucked… Read More

London: Collins, 1949. 614 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H). 5 fold-out maps + 10 maps in the text (all present). "(F)ull-length presentation of the history of England from prehistoric times to the loss of Normandy in 1204." Contents: Introduction; Origins and Foundations; From Neolithic Times to the Late Iron Age; The Roman Conquest of Britain; Britain and Rome: A.D. 61 - A.D. 297; The Origins and Character of Christianity; The End of Roman Rule and the Coming of the Anglo-Saxons; From the Conversion to the Viking Invasions; From the Viking Invasions to 978; From 978 to the Norman Conquest; The Beginnings of the Anglo-Norman State; The Anglo-Norman Feudal System; The Church Under William I; England Under William II; England Under Henry I and Stephen; Henry II and the Angevin Empire; From 1154 to the Loss of Normandy; Appendices: Diagrams Illustrating the Sequence and Relative Duration of the Geological Eras; The Main British Prehistoric Cultures; Genealogical Tables; Charters of Enfeoffment; The… Read More

Toronto: The Champlain Society, 1980. 229 pp, large 8vo (9 3/4" H) - red cloth with gilt lettering/crest on spine. No. 844 of Twelve Hundred and Fifty Copies of this Volume prnted for the Champlain Society. B&w photographs, maps, reproductions. "John Prince was undoubtedly one of the most colourful individuals to reside in Upper Canada during the half century that preceded Confederation. (The mythology that had grown up around his memory in southwestern Ontario identified him as the product of an illegal marriage between George IV and Maria Anne Fitzherbert.) His eventful career as an attorney, politician, soldier, entrepreneur, and jurist caused him to become a legend in his own lifetime both in Essex County, where he resided at Sandwich from his arrival in 1833 until 1860, and in Sault Ste Marie where he spent the last ten years of his life as Judge of the Algoma District. In the legislature his independence and erratic individualism soon earned him the reputation of a political… Read More

N.P.: Rodale Press 153 pp, 8vo (8 15/16" H) - green cloth spine with gold lettering, pale pink boards with red crest on front board, glassine dust jacket, pale green wraparound band with title in black and illustration of a lady in red on front and back and price $3.95 on inside of front flap, plain red slipcase, no date. Illustrated. King George III's physician was also Mrs Elliot's physician and the King became intrigued with stories the doctor related to him of Mrs Elliott's experiences in Paris at the time of the French Revolution. At his request, she committed the story to paper. Contents: Preface; The Outbreak of the Revolution; Marie Antoinette / the Revolution at Brussels; The escape and recapture of the Royal Family; My adventures in aiding M. de Chansenets; The murder of Louis XVI and my arrest; My examination by the Comite Revolutionnaire; My arrest and confinement in the Recollets; The execution of d'Orleans / I am removed to the Carmes; The Editor's conclusion.… Read More