Book Reviews: Richard III Return Of The King by Patricia J Collins

The discovery in February this year of the body of Richard III under a car-park in Leicester has reignited interest in this brief yet compelling and often controversial King. This new release from Patricia J Collins attempts to answer some of most asked questions about the King. Below the cut: I review the book.

'The old proverb says "He who pleased everybody died before he was born." It means that every single historical figure was both criticized and praised, although in certain cases either praise or criticism prevails. In Richard's case it is criticism that prevails.'

At only £1.98 for Kindle on Amazon this book is easily accessible and easy to read, but also clearly aimed at the general public with little historical initiation.

This books sets out to answer a series of questions relating to Richard III and his life, and the book is arranged as such. These questions include the age-old 'What did Richard III really look like?' (a little easier to confirm now we have archaeological and DNA evidence) and 'Did Richard kill the Princes in the Tower?' but also some more interesting ones such as 'What was the relationship between Elizabeth Woodville and Richard III like?'. This is a useful way to set the book out, especially on Kindle as you can skip easily from chapter to chapter using the Kindle's 'Go To' function.

I thought that Patricia Collins wrote this book in an easy to read yet interesting manner. Yes, it will of course seem a little basic to people who study History and read historical biographies habitually, but as a general introduction to the theories and facts about Richard III it does a generally good job.

There are points where the book's lack of depth can be frustrating and leave you wanting more. In particular, in the chapter regarding the alleged murders of the Princes in the Tower and Richard's presumed guilt, Collins mentions at the very end as an aside the idea that Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the Princes, is sometimes blamed -- but this is where the chapter ends, and I feel that sometimes a little more explanation is needed at points like this. Of course Collins delved into the theories behind such supposed alternative accused as Henry Tudor, but I would like to have known about some of the more far-out theories too out of interest.

In terms of bias, Collins states at the beginning that she does not want to appear one-sided and I think this is achieved. She generally lays the evidence out both for and against Richard for the reader to analyse and ponder on without jumping to conclusions as others often do when pulled by a strong bias.

I think Collins introduced the idea of historiography very well. She explains in the book's conclusion that she feels that her most reliable source is Dominic Mancini and his contemporary work about the usurpation of Richard III (a book I am hoping to pick up, although sadly not available on Kindle!), whilst warning readers of the influence of the Tudor dynasty on later writers such as Thomas More. She also usefully compares sources across the book.

Pros and Cons

+An easy and short read -- not as intimidating as a vast volume -- good for people interested in reading about Richard III and the general theories on his life but not wanting an overwhelming amount of detailed.
+Well structured and easy to navigate through on Kindle.
+Uses a small number of well-chosen and easily-comparable sources but is clear to note which are more reliable.

-Often lacks detail and is quite simple.
-If you have read about Richard III before it is likely you will go away from this book having learnt nothing more.