More coronatime reading

Tags

18th century, Alaska, Corona virus, Cotswolds, Czechia, Lake District, London, South Wales, Sussex, Zatopek

So, corona virus restrictions are being reimposed.  Less socialising, less going out of the house, maybe worse to come.  But the upside of all that is, you can top up your lockdown reading …   Your Books To Be Read pile might have shrunk in the past six months, but why not add to it now?  Why not choose something new, maybe something you wouldn’t normally touch?

Taking some books at, er, random – you can enjoy historical fiction, thrillers, comedy, romance, novels exploring relationships and the human heart; revel in the settings of London (in the 18^th century and today), modern Czechia, Sussex, the Lake District, Alaska, South Wales, Devon and the Cotswolds.

Or you can read biography and moving memoir; and if you are a manager and your staff are all working from home, why not take advantage of their absence and bone up on management thinking?  And if you’re a parent or doting grandparent, get a lovely book for the little one.

Last, but not least, there’s poetry.  What better way to cope with today’s vicissitudes than settling down with some great poetry ‘the best words in the best order’, as I think someone said.

Happy reading!

 

 

 

Life of a 17th-century grandee

Tags

Charles II, Congreve, Louis XIV, Montagu, Pepys, Steven Hicks

The author discovered Ralph Montagu when he read how he wooed his second wife in the guise of the Emperor of China, as the rich (and mad) widow in question had declared that she would only marry royalty. (He needed her money to rebuild his burned down London house, on the site of what is now the British Museum.)

Ralph, First Duke of Montagu (1638-1709) by Steven Hicks is a remarkable biography of this leading nobleman of the 17^th and early 18^th centuries. Subtitled Power and Patronage in Late Stuart England, it’s an account not only of this extraordinary grandee’s life but also of the tortuous and dangerous world of the high politics of the time.

The author has delved deep into contemporary correspondence, so we read the actual words of the actors – Montagu himself, Charles II, and courtiers on various sides, writing with various degrees of sincerity. Montagu rubbed shoulders with the monarchs Louis XIV, Charles II and William III, and also with scientists and thinkers such as Robert Hooke and John Locke. Steven’s selections from Montagu’s letters give us fascinating glimpses of that world – for example, when as English Ambassador to Paris Montagu is negotiating peace and war, or haggling over the secret subsidy Louis XIV is paying Charles II to help him live without having to call a Parliament.   We can read letters from Montagu in which he nakedly asks for a dukedom (eventually granted) and to be made a Knight of the Garter (not granted).   We see him conspiring to bring about the downfall of Charles II’s first minister Danby (whose orders he had previously been taking when ambassador), and actively seeking to exclude James II from the throne.

Pepys writes about Montagu, and Congreve dedicated The Way of the World to him. The author Steven Hicks adds, “He managed to cap his career with the ultimate prize – a ducal coronet. His country house [Boughton, in Northants] still stands, occupied by his descendant and full of the treasures he collected. It also holds his archive (including many bundles of debtors’ bills) that has provided the foundation for this biography.”

The book contains some fascinating illustrations.  It’s published by New Generation Publishing, ISBN 978-1-78507-297-0. To learn more or to buy a copy (£15) contact the author at RalphMontagu@gmail.com.