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I am reading a lot more since I found out that I can special order books to be sent to my branch library. :D
I don't know how I actually came across The Great Pretenders, though it may have been one of those books I grabbed off a shelf or a display at the library because it looked interesting. It's subtitled The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries, and it's written by a doctor who takes a decidedly medical, scientific approach to some of the "Pretenders" of history -- people who have claimed, or been acclaimed as, royalty and nobility who died years before. Jan Bondeson has written a handful of books in a similar vein, exploring medical mysteries and the psychological roots of live burial, among other things.
The Great Pretenders presents the historical facts of various cases of assumed identity, then delves into rumour and gossip, then returns to fact with an assessment of the proofs and sometimes DNA testing to settle the question once and for all. It explores the mystery of the missing Dauphin who, on his father's death, became Louis XVII; the true identity of Kaspar Hauser, whom some saw as a European prince; the connection between a Russian Tsar and a hermit in Siberia; two people claiming noble blood that they might not have a right to; and whether or not an eccentric English nobleman posed as a cabinetmaker in the late 19th century.
( The Review. )
Final Verdict: If you're interested in history or in the techniques used to debunk popular historical myth, it's a good read and reasonably fast. You can skip the bits that bore you and not lose much along the way, and certainly I'd never before read about most of these people so it was definitely an education. Worth a fetch from the library or a purchase in a second-hand shop; I wouldn't buy it at full-price, but a bigger history buff than I am might not think it was money wasted.
Aaaaand ( Quotes! )
I don't know how I actually came across The Great Pretenders, though it may have been one of those books I grabbed off a shelf or a display at the library because it looked interesting. It's subtitled The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries, and it's written by a doctor who takes a decidedly medical, scientific approach to some of the "Pretenders" of history -- people who have claimed, or been acclaimed as, royalty and nobility who died years before. Jan Bondeson has written a handful of books in a similar vein, exploring medical mysteries and the psychological roots of live burial, among other things.
The Great Pretenders presents the historical facts of various cases of assumed identity, then delves into rumour and gossip, then returns to fact with an assessment of the proofs and sometimes DNA testing to settle the question once and for all. It explores the mystery of the missing Dauphin who, on his father's death, became Louis XVII; the true identity of Kaspar Hauser, whom some saw as a European prince; the connection between a Russian Tsar and a hermit in Siberia; two people claiming noble blood that they might not have a right to; and whether or not an eccentric English nobleman posed as a cabinetmaker in the late 19th century.
( The Review. )
Final Verdict: If you're interested in history or in the techniques used to debunk popular historical myth, it's a good read and reasonably fast. You can skip the bits that bore you and not lose much along the way, and certainly I'd never before read about most of these people so it was definitely an education. Worth a fetch from the library or a purchase in a second-hand shop; I wouldn't buy it at full-price, but a bigger history buff than I am might not think it was money wasted.
Aaaaand ( Quotes! )
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