Royal Babylon

April 30, 2001
Anyone who loves scandal, particularly the juicy dish on royalty, will inhale this gossipy account by British writer Shaw (The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Lists). In a style reminiscent of low-end tabloids, the author presents a litany of negative and sometimes disgusting details about the personal lives of the men and women who ruled Britain, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Austria. Leaving the late 20th century mostly behind (his only mention of Charles and Diana is in the introduction), the author concentrates instead on royal misbehavior back to the 1700s. Entertaining overall, many entries are indisputably not for the faint of heart, such as the truly gross story of Russia's Peter the Great (" 'Great' was generally a recognition of power or brute strength, no matter how they lived, how many people they had killed or how repulsive they were"), described by Shaw as a "paranoid sadist." This tsar was an alcoholic who tortured people for fun and once forced an attendant to bite into the flesh of a corpse. This chronicle is replete with royal sexual activities, including those of the Bourbons of France, whom Shaw credits with possessing "extraordinary appetites." Irony is Shaw's strong suit, which lends a great deal of humor to often humorless anecdotes. For example, he notes that Spain's King Philip IV fathered 30 illegitimate children—"but being a good Catholic always felt bad about it"—and forced his wife to have sexual relations three times daily. Like Michael Farquhar's A Treasury of Royal Scandals (see review below), this irreverent and amusing exposé of royal indiscretions will appeal especially to those who like their history "lite." Illus. not seen by PW.

June 1, 2001
Shaw's (The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Lists) graphic account of European royalty reads like a catalog of depravity and debauchery. Included are stories of comic absurdity, such as Louis XIV's penchant for "granting audiences to people" while seated on the toilet, to Frederick William of Prussia's weird obsession with collecting giant men to form his Potsdam regiment. More unsettling, though, are the tales of Peter the Great, whose self-named city was built on the "corpses of Russians," and the infamous King Leopold of Belgium, who tortured and nearly decimated the population of the Congo. Surprisingly, there is little overlap between Shaw's work and Farquhar's equally astonishing popular look at the monarchy. Their tragic frailties are depicted in a series of vignettes including, among many others, the "whoring" sloth of George IV, the foolish passions of Henry VIII, and the warmongering emperors of Germany. Familial ties mean precious little as we see "Bloody" Mary imprison her half-sister Elizabeth I and learn of the "nasty feud" of "inbred intrigue" known as the Wars of the Roses. Farquhar casts his net wider still to include the grisly details of some Roman emperors, such as Tiberius, and Nero, and even throws in some cruel, blood-thirsty Popes for good measure. Either book is recommended for large public libraries, particularly those with a special collection in history of the monarchy/royalty. Isabel Coates, Boston Consulting Group, Toronto

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.