LETTERS FROM THE MARY ROSEby David Loades, C. S. Knighton. Hardback 256p pages (February, 2003)
I t’s a Man’s world. While modern society may make us debate this, there's no disputing that it was indeed a man’s world in the Tudor period. “Letters from the Mary Rose,” published this year with Sutton publishing, powerfully drives this point home. Life aboard this English galleon was indeed a man's world, completely lacking of women.A great addition to any Tudor library or just simply an addition as a family reference book of a bygone era, this book can be enjoyed by not only by the serious Tudor student, but also on many other levels. My seven-years-old son and I spent treasured moments together scouring this book's wonderful illustrations of artefacts found during the archaeological excavations of this ship. Seeing an ancient sundial held in a palm of a hand, a backgammon board, musical instruments, an archer’s protective wrist band, a door opens wide to a time once full of living and stout-hearted men serving in one of the most dangerous occupations known to Tudor times. With explanatory text written by two Tudor scholars, David Loades and C. S. Knighton. leading us to the primary source material, “Letters from the Mary Rose” is actually a biography of the life, death and rebirth of the ship. The Mary Rose, thought to have been named after Henry VIII’s favourite sister, once took pride of place in the navy of Henry VIII. One of the first ships to be equipped with cannon, she had an active military life before she heeled over and sank in 1545, and was served by such men as Sir Edward Howard and his brother Thomas, Lord Admiral, aka Surrey, the father of the Surrey executed at closing moments of the reign of Henry VIII. But not only does this book afford us with a glimpse aboard a Tudor galleon, it also helps us understand the working of the Tudor hierarchy and the machinery moving the wheels of this male dominated society at this time. I commend Sutton Publishing on producing such a beautiful book. It is so rare to see a book where the placement of illustrations thoughtfully supports the text. "Letters from the Mary Rose" also includes three appendix, including a valuable glossary for words common to this period and the life of Tudor sailors. |
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