first edition Trade Paperback
2013 · New York
by Penn, Thomas
New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2013. 1st Printing. Trade Paperback. Near Fine. 5x1x8. First printing. Remainder mark. 2013 Trade Paperback. xxvii, 448 pp. A fresh look at the endlessly fascinating Tudorsâthe dramatic and overlooked story of Henry VII and his founding of the Tudor Dynastyâfilled with spies, plots, counterplots, and an uneasy royal succession to Henry VIII. In 1501, England had been ravaged for decades by conspiracy, coups, and violence. Through luck, guile, and ruthlessness, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, emerged as rulerâbut as a fugitive with a flimsy claim to Englandâs throne, he remained a usurper and false king to many, and his hold on power was precarious. But Henry had a crucial asset: his queen and their children, the living embodiment of his hoped-for dynasty. His marriage to Queen Elizabeth united the houses of Lancaster and York, the warring parties that had fought the bloody century-long Wars of the Roses. Now their older son, Arthur, was about to marry a Spanish princess. On a cold November day sixteen-year-old Catherine of Aragon arrived in London for a wedding that would mark a triumphal moment in Henryâs reign. But Henryâs plans for his son would not happenâand waiting in the wings was the impetuous younger brother, the future Henry VIII. Rich with drama and insight, Winter King is an astonishing story of pageantry, treachery, intrigue, and incidentâand the fraught, dangerous birth of Tudor England. (Inventory #: 2338610)