{"product_id":"9780008660888_queen-james-the-life-and-loves-of-britains-first-king","title":"Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eA BBC History Magazine and Waterstones Book of the Year\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e'James comes alive in full flamboyance … Russell expertly weaves the bedchamber gossip into the tapestry of a tumultuous reign' \u003cem\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e'Brings the backbiting and power struggles of the Jacobean court to life with wit and vigour' \u003cem\u003eOBSERVER\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e‘A warts and all story told with compassion’ PHILIPPA GREGORY\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e\n            \u003cem\u003e_______________________________\u003c\/em\u003e\n          \u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e\n            \u003cem\u003e‘Elizabeth was king,\u003c\/em\u003e\n          \u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e\n            \u003cem\u003eThen James was queen.’ – English author (1603)\u003c\/em\u003e\n          \u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eJames Stuart, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland did not always love wisely, but he never failed to do so boldly.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe fell in love three times – with a Scottish lord, a knight and George Villiers, ‘the handsomest man in the whole world’. He was infatuated three more times – with a Highland earl, a Welsh lord and an English spy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe know so much about the six wives of Henry VIII, why not the six loves of James I?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis groundbreaking new book puts James – genius, liar, spendthrift, idealist, witch-hunter – and the men he loved at the centre of one of the most dramatic stories in British royal history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeginning with the brutal and mysterious murder of his father in 1567, James’s life encompassed kidnapping, witchcraft trials, torture, his mother’s beheading, poison, political radicalism, religious fundamentalism, a queen’s alleged abortion, passionate sex, strong love, stronger hate, espionage, brothels, and a decade-long love affair that ended in assassination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is unquestionably one of the most gripping stories in British history, retold in Gareth Russell’s \u003cem\u003eQueen James\u003c\/em\u003e with scholarship, biographical insight and wit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e________________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003e'Books like this don't come along very often. Told with Gareth Russell's characteristic verve and exquisite eye for detail, it is a story so compelling and surprising that it feels as if it has been hiding in plain sight for 400 years. A stunning achievement and a must for history fans everywhere' TRACY BORMAN\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the best biography of a 17th century king, exploring his life and loves with a modern, LGBTQ+ lens. The book is a top pick for those interested in European royalty and historical non-fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Alison Weir (Elizabeth, the Queen), Joanne Paul (The House of Dudley), Sylvia Barbara Soberton (The Forgotten Tudor Women), Leah Redmond Chang (Young Queens), and Estelle Paranque (Thorns, Lust and Glory).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHarperCollins 2025\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gareth Russell, Read by Gareth Russell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889124528277,"sku":"9780008660888","price":52.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008660888.jpg?v=1776888380","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008660888_queen-james-the-life-and-loves-of-britains-first-king","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}