Most Popular Books by John Guy

A biography "as enthralling as a detective story" ( New York Times Book Review ) of the woman who reigned over sixteenth-century Scotland. Basis for the movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. Winner of the Whitbread Award In Mary Queen of Scots, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history''s most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Stuart as a romantic leading lady—achieving her ends through feminine wiles—and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I. Through Guy''s pioneering research and superbly readable prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. It is an enthralling, myth-shattering look at a complex woman and ruler and her time. "The definitive biography . . . gripping . . . a pure pleasure to read." — Washington Post Book World "Fabulously readable . . . a biography wiped free of mythologizing, shot through with sparkling new interpretations . . . It is a testament to this book''s power that more than a few readers will be inclined to bow." — Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Recent royal shenanigans look tame compared to what John Guy unearths." — Entertainment Weekly First published in 2004 as Queen of Scots

The fascinating family drama of Henry VIII and his four children, re-created from the original sources by best-selling Tudor historian John Guy

Medieval Life provides a short history of life in the Middle Ages. Colourful illustrations, many from contemporary medieval paintings, as well as striking photographs of surviving buildings and artefacts, allow the reader to understand the everyday lives

''If the English people were to be set a test to justify their history and civilization by the example of one man, then it is Sir Thomas More whom they would perhaps choose.'' So commented The Times in 1978 on the 500th anniversary of More''s birth. Twenty-two years later, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Thomas More the patron saint of politicians and people in public life, on the basis of his ''constant fidelity to legitimate authority and ... his intention to serve not power but the supreme ideal of justice''. In this fresh assessment of More''s life and legacy, John Guy considers the factors that have given rise to such claims concerning More''s significance. Who was the real Thomas More? Was he the saintly, self-possessed hero of conscience of Robert Bolt''s A Man for All Seasons or was he the fanatical, heretic-hunting torturer of Hilary Mantel''s Wolf Hall? Which of these images of More has the greater historical veracity? And why does this man continue to fascinate, inspire and provoke us today?

Victoria gives a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the most formidable monarchs that Britain has ever seen.

“A fierce, scholarly tour-de-force. . . . Hunting the Falcon brilliantly shows how time, circumstance and politics combined to accelerate Anne’s triumph and tragedy." —Tina Brown, New York Times Book Review “A sumptuous drama of lust, intrigue, and betrayal, underpinned by the harsh reality of politics.”—Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire A groundbreaking, freshly-researched examination of one of the most dramatic and consequential marriages in history: Henry VIII’s long courtship, short union, and brutal execution of Anne Boleyn. Hunting the Falcon is the story of how Henry VIII’s obsessive desire for Anne Boleyn changed him and his country forever. John Guy and Julia Fox, two of the most acclaimed and distinguished historians of this period, have joined forces to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways. By closely examining the most recent archival discoveries, and peeling back layers of historical myth and misinterpretation and distortion, Guy and Fox are able to set Anne and Henry’s tragic relationship against the major international events of the time, and integrate and reinterpret sources hidden in plain sight or simply misunderstood. Among other things, they dispel lingering and latently misogynistic assumptions about Anne which anachronistically presumed that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. They reveal how, in fact, Anne was a shrewd, if ruthless, politician in her own right, a woman who steered Henry and his policies, often against the advice he received from his male advisers—and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign. Hunting the Falcon sets the facts–and some completely new finds–into a far wider frame, providing an appreciation of this misunderstood and underestimated woman. It explores how Anne organized her “side” of the royal court on novel and (in male eyes) subversive lines compared to her queenly predecessors, adopting instead French protocol by which the sexes mingled freely in her private chambers. Men could share in the women’s often sexually charged courtly “pastimes” and had liberal access to Anne, and she to them—encounters from which she gained much of her political intelligence and extended her authority, and which also sowed the seeds of her own downfall. An exhilarating feat of historical research and analysis, Hunting the Falcon is also a thrilling and tragic story of a marriage that has proved of enduring fascination over the centuries. But in the hands of John Guy and Julia Fox, even the most knowledgeable reader will encounter this story as if for the first time.

Vietnamese potters combined their own native genius with elements derived from neighboring cultures, including Cambodia, Champa, India, and especially China. Yet their decorative motifs, glaze types, production methods, and perhaps even attitudes toward potting differed distinctly from those of China. Using the excellent clay of the Red River valley--smooth, homogeneous, gray-white--they created the most sophisticated ceramic tradition of Southeast Asia. The most definitive study on Vietnamese ceramics to date, this volume is the collaborative effort of experts from around the world, including Vietnam, Japan, England, France, and the United States. They discuss the history and development of Vietnamese ceramics, kiln sites discovered in Vietnam, and technical questions. John Guy (Victoria & Albert Museum, London) contributes essays on Vietnamese ceramics and cultural identity, and Vietnamese Ceramics in international trade. John Stevenson (Seattle Art Museum) explains the historical context and examines the ivory-glazed wares of the Ly and Tran dynasties. Louise Cort (Smithsonian Institution) analyzes Vietnamese ceramics in Japanese contexts, while Regina Krahl (British Museum) shares her expertise on Vietnamese blue-and-white and polychrome traditions. Asako Morimoto (Fukuoka Museum) describes the kilns of northern Vietnam. The book contains additional essays by Philippe Truong of the Louvre, Trian Nguyen of UC Berkeley, and Peter Lam of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Lastly, Nguyen Dinh Chien of the Hanoi Historical Museum and John Guy address chronological issues and list dated and datable ancient Vietnamese ceramics.--Amazon.com.

Focuses on the society, politics and culture of Tudor England, examines its strengths and weaknesses and portrays the personalities and politics of the monarchs and politicians.

"Numerous Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished in Southeast Asia from the 5th to the 9th century, yet until recently few concrete details were known about them. Lost Kingdoms reveals newly discovered architectural and sculptural relics from this region, which provide key insights into the formerly mysterious kingdoms. The first publication to use sculpture as a lens to explore this period of Southeast Asian history, Lost Kingdoms offers a significant contribution and a fresh approach to the study of cultures in Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and other countries"--Distributor''s website.