Royal Book Challenge: The Royal Tombs Of Great Britain by Aidan Dodson

19/500

The Royal Tombs of Great Britain by Aidan Dodson
Published 2004
248 Pages
ISBN: 9780715633106

I've always had a fascination with royal death. With the addition of this book, I now own five on the topic. For some reason The Royal Tombs Of Great Britain is listed for exorbitant prices on Amazon, eBay and Alibris. Looking at the actual book there is no reason for it to cost that much. It is not written in gold script and it isn't even old (published in 2004). It took a while but I finally found a copy in good condition that I felt (at the time) was reasonably priced. If you're interested in buying a copy for yourself do not spend more than $100 on it. Unless you really want to own it I would even say that is too much.

My interest in royal death may sound macabre but death it is truly the great leveller. It happens to everyone, including royalty. But as this book reveals just because someone is a king or queen, does not necessarily mean their remains are treated with dignity or left to rest in peace.

The author details the burial places of sovereigns from the early English Kingdoms all the way to King George VI. There is some fascinating information about the various royal vaults and monuments along with photographs and illustrations. There is detailed information about embalming and the condition of corpses and skeletons which is interesting but I definately wouldn't advise reading about it while eating!

© Marilyn Braun 2012

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