As always Pen & Sword have put together a beautiful book. It’s beautifully edited and the photographs within the text really work. As well as that, the cover is absolutely STUNNING.

Von Goeth and Harper have done really well with this piece of work, proving to be writers who are able to grip their audience and pull them in with incredibly engaging prose. I certainly look forward to reading more of their work – hurry up and write your next one, guys.

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The Borgia Bull

Very well researched book. I loved it. I am completly fascinated by the french court and this book was easy to read, very interesting.

NetGalley, Emilie Lafleur

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A concise & well written book on the life of King Louis XIV. A wealth of knowledge & a great bibliography if you want to pursue further reading. Fascinating insight into the life of another royal Lothario!

NetGalley, reviewed by

It makes a quick and entertaining read.

All About History, issue 069

As a short introduction the book is not without merit and as such recommendable.

NetGalley, reviewed by Ilse Anne

Another well written and excellently researched book from Pen & Sword. The illustrations really compliment the narrative and the bibliography is a very useful little feature which I will be using to choose another title in order to further my knowledge of this influential King.

NetGalley, reviewed by Lou @readers_retreat

I was particularly impressed with the variety of images throughout the book, some of which I hadn’t seen before, and some of the interesting reading listed at the end of the book.

NetGalley, reviewed by Alison L

The French king still has a huge influence today, through music, comedy, dance and his splendid palace. He is an endlessly riveting object of study, and this book is an excellent addition to the collection.

NetGalley, reviewed by Lisa Sanderson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

An interesting and compact biography of the Sun King. A good starting book, with a lot of great pictures.

Strongly recommended to those who want to start reading about Louis XIV.

NetGalley, reviewed by Anna Maria Giacomasso

An engaging, quick little biography of the famous French monarch.

NetGalley, reviewed by Nicki Markus

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a lovely compact biography of Louis XIV of France. The great aspect and selling point of this book is that it provides a readable comprehensive foundation on the life of Louis XIV. If you like the period or want to know more about France and Europe at this time, this is the perfect place to start. This was a king to whom the entire history of Europe pivots, his importance to not just European but modern global history is incalculable. While no book can say everything about him and his age nor should it, we do need to learn the basic facts first about Louis XIV. This book does this with a well written narrative, excellent period illustrations and with a clear factual biography.

NetGalley, reviewed by Willy Marz

As featured in

The Bookseller 9/3/18