Monday, December 20, 2010

Princess Elisabeth of Thurn und Taxis talks about her new book

Princess Elisabeth of Thurn und Taxis, younger daughter of Gloria Princess of Thurn und Taxis and the late Prince of Thurn and Taxis, is the author of “La fede dei piccoli  (The Faith of Children). 

http://www.amazon.de/fromm-Elisabeth-von-Thurn-Taxis/dp/3939684619/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292871930&sr=1-1

The German title is fromm!, which translates to pious.

Here is a link to an interview (in English) with the princess.  http://www.romereports.com/palio/German-Princess-Thurn-und-Taxis-presents-book-about-her-faith-english-3264.html


She said she wrote the book, originally published in German,  "to reach out to a group of readers who may be searching for a source of inspiration."  She says "being a Catholic means to make God part of her dauly life."  Princess Elisabeth hopes the book will be translated into more languages.

Princess Elisabeth Margarete Maria Anna Beatriz was born March 24, 1982 at Regensburg.  She has one older sister, Maria Theresia, 30, and a younger brother, Albert, 12th Prince of Thurn und Taxis, who turns 28 in January.  She attended boarding school in Sevenoaks, Kent, and received a BA from the American University in Paris.   Princess Elisabeth now lives in London. 


The Princess is the features editor for  Finch's Quarterly Review.  She also writes an online blog for the review, entitled The Princess Diaries.

http://www.finchsquarterly.com/8452/goodbye-farwell-aufwiedersehen-adieu/    Shortly after the publication of the German edition of her book, the princess was interviewed by the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The reporter asked the princess: "What is your personal definition of morality?  Princess Elisabeth answered:  "To me morality means that one is sincere, his fellow man does no wrong, and one needs to be at peace with the environment."

What have you learned from Catholicism into the world of work?  "You can learn that earthly pleasures are short-lived.  Of course, it is nice to be successful and make money.  This does not contradict from the Catholic faith -- but it's just temporary."

Princess Elisabeth works as a full time journalist.  Finch's Quarterly Review is a luxury lifestyle publication.  How does this job fit in with her religious beliefs.  "It is true that my job is not all religious.  But the good thing about faith so that I can live it.  My faith does not limit or restrict me in my career choice. If that were the case, I would surround myself only with friends who are Catholic. "
Some of Elisabeth's friends were surprised with her book.  "I normally do not write about the sacred faith....It was great that my friends showed so much interest in my book."
In her book, Elisabeth writes about morning prayer and confession, both of which can help a career.  "It is always important to have rituals in life that give a structure.  Whether you pray, do sports or reading a book -- all of which can help to change the perspective and time to find new inspiration."
Princess Elisabeth says she prays twice a day - morning and in the evening. 
"It gives me strength and stability, and reminds me that ultimately I am not in control of my own life, for God guides me.  Confession is a good way to to be aware of the bad qualities you have.  It's basically like talking to a therapist."
Elisabeth's blog, The Princess Diaries, was the idea of her editor.  "At first I was rather reluctant to write under the title "The Princess Diaries," as I was always embarrassed to be a princess.  On the other hand, it is just a title, as I can do actually anything with the blog....It is a kind of weekly diary entry that I try to keep light and funny."

The Princess was asked if she thought it morally unfair to live such a privileged life.  She has financial independence and does not have to work for a living.  "Of course my name was a big help, but also a burden....In my profession, my ancestry has opened some doors," she acknowledged.
"Due to my financial independence, I can decide what I want to write, and I have no need to make compromises in order just to make ends meet.  On the other hand, the expectations others have in me are always higher, and I have to do things better so that my work is accepted.  But I have come to a point in my life where I can feel gratitude for things that have been given to me."

http://jetzt.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/488700

Monday, December 13, 2010

A Romanov Diary

Published in a limited number by Atlantic International in 1988.. 
A Romanov Diary was based on the typewritten memoirs of the late Princess Marie of Greece, widow of Grand Duke George  Mikhailovich of Russia.  The manuscript was in the possession of the Princess's grandson, Prince David Chavchavadze, when publishing rights were acquired by Atlantic International.  I remember taking the manuscript home, and reading it on my couch.  I had the pleasure of being the book's editor!

The book is difficult to find.

  http://www.amazon.com/Romanov-Diary-Autobiography-Duchess-George/dp/0938311093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292261550&sr=1-1-spell     Eight used copies are available for sale (from $150.00 -$272.20).  Yow.  Authors, editors, and right owners do not benefit at all from second hand sales).

The Red Prince by Timothy Snyder


Timothy Snyder's biography of Archduke Wilhelm of Austria, son of Archduke Karl Stephan, is a magnificent, well-researched study.

The book has been published in the US and in the UK.  Basic Books, the American publisher, released a trade paperback edition in September.

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Prince-Secret-Habsburg-Archduke/dp/0465018971/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292260085&sr=1-1http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Prince-Dynasty-Modern-Europe/dp/1845951204/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292260298&sr=1-1
Here is the link to the UK edition, which is also available in hard and softcover editions.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Prince-Dynasty-Modern-Europe/dp/1845951204/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292260298&sr=1-1

Highly recommended.

This book has been translated into German.  Der König der Ukraine was published by Zsolnay in September 2009

 http://www.amazon.de/K%C3%B6nig-Ukraine-geheimen-Wilhelm-Habsburg/dp/3552054782/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297186557&sr=1-6

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Sweden's Royal Wedding

Finally,  SVT has released the Royal Wedding DVD ... the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling.

http://sverigeonline.se/dvddocumentarytheroylweddingvictoriadaniel-p-1262.html  Very easy to order as the site is in English.  North Americans please note:  the DVD is region free, but in PAL only.   This means the DVD will NOT play on  most US and Canadian DVD players because both countries use NTSC.   Japan also uses NTSC. 
(My DVD player/recorder has a built in PAL converter.) 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Bequaret Old Books

For many years, I purchased royal books from Lucia Bequaret, who, with her husband, runs Bequaret Books in New Hampshire. The store's royal catalogs were always exciting, and interesting.  Times have changed, the Bequaret Old Books will no longer be publishing catalog.

Here is an excerpt from Lucia's letter.  "Hover, you can have the best of both worlds by going directly to our website.  Just go to http://www.beqbooks.com/ and click on "Search our Books," and the follow the instructions. You can then type in a choice of keywords, e.g., Royalty, for general books, or more specifically, Russia, Great Britain, etc.  "Balkans" yields you about four or five  royal houses.  Or try Windsor, Romanovs, etc., well you get the idea.  For example, I have recently acquired a small but important Romanov collection, in which there are about a dozen Russian-language picture books of the Romanovs, particularly of the family of the last Tsar.  There are other treasures as well, including reprints of those hard-to-find titles done by Royalty Digest and Pavlosk Press.  And, please, don't hesitate to call us or email us for more information.  We take credit cards, PayPal, etc., and will hold for your check.
We all have to change with the times, but I am proud to say that we will have an open bookshop during the months of April - November.  And we're always open by appointment if you call ahead.  We still, with other bookstores in the region, have our big "Around-the Mountain-Sales in April and November, which have become a New England tradition."

Bequaret Old Books is located in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire.   Their email address is info@beqbooks.com. Phone number is 603-585-338.

Bequaret Books are available through ABEm Alibris, Biblio and Amazon.