The most important royal book for years

A gripping authoritative tour de force

Abounds with insights.

Richly detailed

Superbly well informed, witty and wise.

This being the year of the Queen’s Jubilee, we should expect an avalanche of books celebrating every aspect of her life and reign, but I shall be very surprised if any turns out to be more revealing and engaging than this thoughtful study by the veteran Royal watcher Robert Hardman

Delectable biography

Hardman’s Our Queen is the closest thing to an official jubilee portrait. It is thoroughly researched.

[A] superb book.

Wise has brilliantly reconstructed the social histories of the period...The Italian Boy is a lip-smacking, gruesome joy from beginning to end

Wise has brilliantly combined a scalp-tingler with a scholarly account...It is exceptionally well organised, rich in data and hard to put down

Anyone intrigued by this tumultuous city will devour London Under in a few transporting hours... packed with revelations... Ackroyd's stylistic brilliance explains why the book remains a rattling good read

Fascinating study of everything under London, from rats and eels to monsters and ghosts.

As London's anatomist-in-chief, Peter Ackroyd turns his focus on what lies beneath the capital's surface. Peppered with erudite and literary references, Ackroyd's fluent style makes for entertaining reading

Packed with anecdotes and fascinating trivia...Ackroyd never misses an opportunity to link this hidden realm with the underworlds of mythology

Reveals the London beneath your feet in all its fascinating – and sometimes horrifying – glory. Historian and novelist Ackroyd invests his tales of buried rivers and catacombs with enormous energy