Magnificent Obsession by Helen Rappaport

Magnificent Obsession by Helen Rappaport

After the untimely death of Prince Albert, the Queen and her nation were plunged into a state of grief so profound that this one event would dramatically alter the shape of the British monarchy. For Britain had not just lost a prince: during his twenty year marriage to Queen Victoria, Prince Albert had increasingly performed the function of King in all but name. The outpouring of grief after Albert's death was so extreme, that its like would not be seen again until the death of Princess Diana one hundred and thirty-six years later.Drawing on many letters, diaries and memoirs from the Royal Archives and other neglected sources, as well as the newspapers of the day, Helen Rappaport offers a new perspective on this compelling historical psychodrama--the crucial final months of the prince's life and the first long, dark ten years of the Queen's retreat from public view. She draws a portrait of a queen obsessed with her husband and--after his death--with his enduring place in history. Magnificent Obsession also sheds new light on the true nature of the prince's chronic physical condition, overturning for good the one hundred and fifty-year-old myth that he died of typhoid fever.

A fascinating exposition of the art of mourning which Victoria made peculiarly her own. . Magnificent Obsession is that rare creature; a scholarly book that wears its learning lightly and is written with clarity and insight. It is a fascinating subject and an even better read: a model of its kind. * Sunday Express *
In this intriguing study, Helen Rappaport sets out to tell the story of the royal anguish that followed Albert's death in December 1861 . . . she excels in her portrayal of a cult of mourning over which the queen presided with all the imperious intensity of a high priestess. Fair-minded, thoughtful and rich in social detail. * Sunday Times *
Rappaport uses new sources to give a vivid account of Albert's death . . . a valuable and insightful book which will change our view of Queen Victoria. * Spectator *
Brilliant . . . Helen Rappaport is especially good on the incompetence of the gang of medics who presided over Albert's illness. * Daily Mail *
To mark the 150th anniversary of Albert's death, Helen Rappaport looks at the circumstances leading up to it, the ritual of his funeral and obsequies, and offers new theories on what killed him. * Majesty magazine *

Helen Rappaport is an historian and Russianist with a specialism in the Victorians and revolutionary Russia. Her books include Ekaterinburg: The Last Days of the Romanovs, No Place for Ladies: The Untold Story of Women in the Crimean War, and Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert and the death that changed the monarchy, as well as Beautiful For Ever: Madame Rachel of Bond Street - Cosmetician, Con-Artist and Blackmailer. She lives in West Dorset.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780099537465
ISBN 10	009953746X
Title	Magnificent Obsession
Author	Helen Rappaport
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cornerstone
Year published	2012-09-06
Number of pages	368
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.