George III: A Personal History - Hardcover

Hibbert, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0465027237 ISBN 13: 9780465027231

Publisher: Basic Books, 1999

Synopsis

In George III: A Personal History, British historian Christopher Hibbert reassesses the royal monarch George III (1738 1820). Rather than reaffirm George III's reputation as Mad King George,” Hibbert portrays him as not only a competent ruler during most of his reign, but also as a patron of the arts and sciences, as a man of wit and intelligence, indeed, as a man who greatly enhanced the reputation of the British monarchy” until he was finally stricken by a rare hereditary disease.Teeming with court machinations, sexual intrigues, and familial conflicts, George III opens a window on the tumultuous, rambunctious, revolutionary eighteenth century. It is sure to alter our understanding of this fascinating, complex, and very human king who so strongly shaped England's and America's destiny.

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Review:

Poor George III. Americans think of him as a tyrant whose unjust taxes provoked their revolution. Moviegoers envision a nightshirt-clad lunatic running through the palace halls in The Madness of King George. The handsome, gracious, conscientious young man of 22 who mounted the throne in 1760 may well be a revelation to many readers of Christopher Hibbert's elegant new biography. At 75, Hibbert is the dean of popular British historians and the author of more than 30 books spanning five centuries of European life; his experience enables him to convey prodigious research with the lightest of touches in his intimate account, which focuses on the king's personal character. Though Hibbert capably covers the period's political events and shows George to be a hardworking constitutional monarch, he prefers to direct our attention to the loving husband, devoted (though sometimes domineering) father, hearty appreciator of (very conventional) fine art, knowledgeable patron of literature, and avid all-around reader whose interests ranged from architecture to agriculture. This affectionate portrait makes it all the more distressing when George's bouts of madness (the result of a hereditary metabolic disease) begin in 1788 and permanently incapacitate him long before his death in 1820. Old-fashioned narrative biography doesn't get much better than this. --Wendy Smith

About the Author:

Christopher Hibbert has written many well-received biographies, including The Virgin Queen, Benito Mussolini, Wellington: A Personal History and Nelson: A Personal History, as well as several profiles of European cities, including London: The Biography of a City, Rome: The Biography of a City, and Florence: The Biography of a City. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an honorary Doctor of Letters of Leicester University. He lives in Henley-on-Thames.

About this edition

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0465027237
• ISBN 13: 9780465027231
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464