Immortal Queen


Book Description

Based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots.




The Challenge to the Crown


Book Description

Mary Queen of Scots: Catholic martyr or manipulative femme fatale On 10 February 1567, conspirators bent on killing Henry, Lord Darnley, King-Consort of Mary Queen of Scots successfully razed his Edinburgh residence at Kirk o' Field in a huge explosion. Soon afterwards, Darnley's partially-clothed body was discovered in a nearby orchard, strangled to death by an unknown assailant. Rumours of Mary's involvement in his murder quickly surfaced. Placards across Edinburgh implied that she had provoked the Earl of Bothwell into killing her husband in a crime of passion. This became more plausible when she tried to avoid having to prosecute him for the murder, and subsequently married him, encouraged by her most senior Protestant nobles. While Mary's motives for the marriage might be explained by her need for his protection, those of the Nobility who had encourage it are confusing. Why would they want a union, which would inevitably place Bothwell, a man they hated, as head of government? Was their motif to associate her in the murder plot? Mary's involvement in Darnley's murder has remained one of the great historical mysteries. Genealogist and author Robert Stedall has spent ten years researching the inter-marriages within Scottish peerage to provide an explanation for their motives in removing Mary from the throne. In this first volume, of his two volume history of Mary and James, he explains in vivid detail the switching allegiances of the nobility, and can reveal for the first time, the gripping true story of Mary's downfall and imprisonment.




Spencer Tracy


Book Description

During his lifetime, Spencer Tracy was known as Hollywood's 'actor's actor'. Critics wrote that what Olivier was to theatre, Tracy was to film. Over his career he was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won two. But there has been no substantial, intimate biography of the man, until now. From his earliest days in stock theatre, Tracy was a publicist's trial, guarding his private life fiercely. Most of the people associated closely with him shunned the limelight - notably his wife, his children and the great actress Katharine Hepburn, with whom he had an affair that lasted over 26 years. Although his screen roles often depicted a happy, twinkling Irishman, Tracy struggled with alchoholism to the end, a fact which the studios managed to keep out of the papers.With the help of Tracy's daughter, Susie, and access to previously unseen papers, James Curtis has now produced the definitive biography of a tortured, complex and immensely talented man.The book contains 124 integrated photos, many published for the first time.




Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley


Book Description

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn. Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then, on February 10, 1567, an explosion at his lodgings left Darnley dead; the intrigue thickened after it was discovered that he had apparently been suffocated before the blast. After an exhaustive reevaluation of the source material, Alison Weir has come up with a solution to this enduring mystery. Employing her gift for vivid characterization and gripping storytelling, Weir has written one of her most engaging excursions yet into Britain’s bloodstained, power-obsessed past.




Katharine Hepburn


Book Description

Part of the Encore Film Book Classics series, this is a reprint of the original text to Katharine Hepburn: The Untold Story by James Robert Parish. An A-list star for over 60 years, Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) headlined over 60 films and 10 Broadway plays. She was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won a record 4! She was admired by generations of filmgoers, not just for her outstanding performances in such movie classics as Stage Door, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond, but also for being an icon of feminism and New England style candor. This rigorous examination of Hepburn's enigmatic life reveals the surprising truths behind the carefully constructed image. Discussed are her complex relationship with eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, her life on/off camera with her frequent film costar Spencer Tracy, and the several women who had a strong impact on Hepburn. (These included socialite Laura Harding, film editor/assistant director Jane Loring, and international cinema star Elissa Landi.) This biography answers many of the lingering questions about Hepburn's unique life. It pays tribute to her remarkable performance in the role of Katharine Hepburn, one of the most enduring stars of the 20th century. Katharine Hepburn: The Untold Story is the engaging narrative of an amazing iconoclast who "wanted to paddle my own canoe, didn't want anyone to pay my way."




Lord James


Book Description

Opening in the Danish dungeon where James raves at the end of his days, the book tells the story of his life from childhood to the betrayal by a spurned lover that leads to his imprisonment. Born in a climate of religious schism the young James Hepburn, Lord of Bothwell, soon finds himself divided between his loyalties and his conscience. Maturing rapidly into a brilliant young man, he is called home from Paris to take his place as Lord Bothwell. Life had taught him to be a fierce warrior and a passionate lover, and James's fate is set in motion when he meets his Queen. A love springs up between them that will overcome religious divides, spill blood, and haunt Bothwell until his dying day. BACK COVER The passionate and tragic story of Lord Bothwell, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, set against a background of religious turmoil, political strife and dramatic warfare. Told from his final days in a Danish dungeon, James Bothwell's tragic story, centring on his intense relationship with Mary Queen of Scots, unfolds. Set against the backdrop of French and Scottish history, in a climate of revenge, ruthless killings and religious strife, James finds himself divided between his loyalties and his conscience. The life of this fierce warrior and passionate lover is followed from his troubled childhood to the events of his final betrayal. Yet it is his meeting with the beautiful Mary Stuart that would ultimately secure his fate. Whilst Scotland, England and France grapple for power, tragic consequences await the lovers, with repercussions that would alter their country forever.




Dutch Girl


Book Description

Twenty-five years after her passing, Audrey Hepburn remains the most beloved of all Hollywood stars, known as much for her role as UNICEF ambassador as for films like Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Several biographies have chronicled her stardom, but none has covered her intense experiences through five years of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. According to her son, Luca Dotti, "The war made my mother who she was." Audrey Hepburn's war included participation in the Dutch Resistance, working as a doctor's assistant during the "Bridge Too Far" battle of Arnhem, the brutal execution of her uncle, and the ordeal of the Hunger Winter of 1944. She also had to contend with the fact that her father was a Nazi agent and her mother was pro-Nazi for the first two years of the occupation. But the war years also brought triumphs as Audrey became Arnhem's most famous young ballerina. Audrey's own reminiscences, new interviews with people who knew her in the war, wartime diaries, and research in classified Dutch archives shed light on the riveting, untold story of Audrey Hepburn under fire in World War II. Also included is a section of color and black-and-white photos. Many of these images are from Audrey's personal collection and are published here for the first time.




The Hepburn


Book Description

Historical romance set in the great castles of fifteenth century Scotland featuring Patrick Hepburn, a hot-tempered, reckless leader of the Border Lords. As a reward for his loyalty to his new king, The Hepburn is awarded a beautiful wife — the one woman in Scotland he cannot subdue.