Well researched, beautifully written - Rated 
This first volume of Josephine Wilkinson's life of Richard III is a joy to read. It is a meticulously researched biography, elegantly constructed and beautifully written. It is also a fascinating catalogue of late mediaeval intrigues - private intrigues, political intrigues, intrigues with courtly, continental, dynastic, military, even religious dimensions. There is never any doubt where WIlkinson's sympathies lie in wishing to rehabilitate Richard of York, but her analysis of the available material is always balanced and fair. Particularly compelling is her argument that Richard's enduring negative image owes little to historical fact, and much to the efforts of Tudor 'spin doctors' anxious to establish the credentials of their own regime, which was of dubious legitimacy and whose only right to rule stemmed from their marriage into the House of York.
Richard the young king to be - Rated
This is an excellent book. It is well written, well researched and fair.
I liked the way the author explained symbolism and I especially liked the way the book began with a brief look at Richard's astrology. I would have liked a more in depth look at his birth chart as I have been studying it myself. There are a couple of things I felt rather spoiled the book, they are only minor ones. The first is that the type settng and proof reading were not good and there are many words omitted or the wrong word appears - e.g. certainly for certaintity, things like that which are niggling. Also and more important, the author includes a lot of long quotations from early chronicles and I feel the spelling should have been modernised. I am fairly familiar with middle English so it was not an obstacle for me but it would be a problem for readers who were not used to old spelling. Apart from that I feel the spirit of the times has been well captured and I can't think of any other book which has considered all the events from the perspective of Richard and treated him like a person and not a monster or saint as often happens. I sincerely hope she will finish the story very soon.
Crosses the boundary between academic and popular - Rated
This is the first of a two part biography of Richard III. As someone who has read everything about Richard, I was very much looking forward to this and it does not disappoint. Volume one covers Richard's life from birth to 1475, ending just after Edward IV's anti-climactic invasion of France. Therefore, this book deals in depth with a part of Richard's life that is usually neglected or restricted to one or two chapters.
In taking this approach Dr Wilkinson is able to highlight various factors that helped to shape the future, adult Richard. It also places him in his proper context of the politics, the intrigues and the violence behind the Wars of the Roses.
Dr Wilkinson also describes in detail the symbolism behind many of the rituals Richard took part in as a child - his investiture as a Knight of the Bath is an excellent example - and shows how they applied to and shaped Richard's own outlook. She also offers a study of Richard's alleged deformity and her appendix, which discusses the origins of the blackening of Richard's name, is simply superb.
More controversially, Dr Wilkinson suggests that Richard did not marry for love, but that his union with Anne Neville was little more than a business venture in which both parties benefited (it will be interesting to see how this will pan out in the second volume!). Also, she is daring in her suggestion that one of Richard's illegitimate children was born after his marriage, differing from the accepted wisdom as promulgated by Ricardians.
Josephine Wilkinson has an excellent grasp of her sources, using them objectively to look at Richard from several angles. Her style is authoritative but accessible. Although she is clearly on Richard's side, she is not afraid to point out his faults. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the second volume!
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