One book to miss -- really!!

This book is for sale through Amazon and Amazon.co.uk called The Royal Families of Europe by Lars Ulwencreutz.   Three words: don't buy it.  Do not waste your money.  A friend of mine, Steven Lavallee,  wrote this review, and has given me permission to repost here.

"This book includes huge swathes of direct copy-and-pasted material that can be found on a long established website widely known to fans of royal genealogy called "An Online Gotha." The author and publisher appears to have re-formatted entries from An Online Gotha, centering each entry instead of using the left-hand margin approach used at the website. There is no bibliography at all (no footnotes, and no index either). Looking over the book, a naive person might imagine that the 700+ pages of largely copied information simply sprung from Mr. Ulwencreutz's head."

The author and the publisher are one in the same.    The Royal Families of Europe is a rip off.  Do not ... I repeat ... do not purchase this book.    Ulwencreutz apparently plans ten volumes during the next year.  It can be safely assumed that he is not doing any original research, but cutting and pasting from other people.


http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Families-Europe-Lars-Ulwencreutz/product-reviews/1446721566/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&qid=1301946891&sr=8-1

Read More About It: King Leopold II and the Belgian Congo

Here are several recommended books on King Leopold II and the tragedy that was the Belgian Congo:

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terrorism and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild.  This book is available in hardcover and paperback through Amazon and other sources.  I cannot recommend this book enough.    The original US edition was published by Houghton Mifflin.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Leopolds-Ghost-Heroism-Colonial/dp/0618001905/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301499726&sr=1-1

The King Incorporated:  Leopold II and the Congo by Neal Ascherson.

http://www.amazon.com/King-Incorporated-Leopold-Second-Congo/dp/1862072906/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301499726&sr=1-4

Both of these titles were also published in the United Kingdom.

and for the North American market

William & Kate Planning a Royal Wedding

http://www.amazon.com/William-Kate-Planning-Royal-Wedding/dp/B004LFZORE/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1301199307&sr=1-Prince William & Kate: The Royal Romance

The DVD will be released on May 24

Prince William and Kate: The Royal Romance  The price of this DVD is $19.98.   It will be released on April 12.

New DVDs: Prince Wiliam and Catherine Midhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-William-Destiny-unauthorised-story/dp/B004LNSFM2/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1301198733&sr=1-2dleton

Here are several new DVDs (PAL) on the romance of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Prince William & Kate: The Royal Romance was released in late 2010.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-William-Kate-Royal-Romance/dp/B004D8HMTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1301198733&sr=1-1


Prince William An  unauthorised story.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prince-William-Destiny-unauthorised-story/dp/B004LNSFM2/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1301198733&sr=1-2


William & Kate -- A Royal Love Story
http://www.amazon.co.uk/William-Kate-Royal-Love-Story/dp/B004G9LHS0/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1301198733&sr=1-4


All three DVDs are available in the UK in the PAL format.  These DVDs cannot be played on the majority of North American DVD players.

DVD: The Royal Wedding in Colour: Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten

"For the first time ever Demand DVD in association with Celtic Arrow Media releases unseen footage of the Royal Wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth & Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Filmed by pioneering Cinematographer Jack Cardiff OBE, BSC ( Cinematographer Black Narcissus, Red Shoes and latterly The African Queen and Death on the Nile (and many others) this amazing film was one of the first to be shot in the then new Technicolor process in the 1940s. It contains never seen before footage in full colour of the processions at Westminster Abbey and afterwards at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 1947.

The film has not been digitally enhanced; the footage and soundtrack are as on the original and coming in at just under 30 minutes it is a far cry from today s detailed Media coverage. It is however a piece of History and provides a wonderful reminder of the times and people involved in this momentous event."   From Amazon.co.uk's product description.

This DVD will be released in the UK on April 18.  PAL, not NTSC.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-Wedding-Colour-Lieutenant-Mountbatten/dp/B004S9KXWY/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1SR3U8YCKDNF3&colid=3U14FZ5X0LZZS

US Magazine's Royal Wedding issue

While waiting for my Vanilla Latte at Borders this afternoon, I perused new magazines. US Magazine,  the poor man's People Magazine,  has recently published its own royal wedding commemorative magazine.  The second issue will be published shortly after the wedding, and will include photographs from the great day.  

I browsed through the first part, and put it back on the shelf.  Too cheesy.   Not worth the money. 

The North American Journals of Prince Maximilian of Wied

A rather interesting article from the Wall Street Journal regarding the publication of the first two volumes of Prince Maximilian of Wied's North American Journals, which have been edited by Stephan S. Witte and Marsha V Gallagher.  The publisher is the University of Oklahoma Press.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116711270258944.html?KEYWORDS=prince+maximilian

Each volume is price at $85.00 if you order from the publisher.   Amazon is a teeny bit less costly.

http://www.amazon.com/North-American-Journals-Prince-Maximilian/dp/0806138882/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1301103455&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/North-American-Journals-Prince-Maximilian/dp/0806139234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301103455&sr=8-1