Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy

I first bought this book years ago - probably when it first came out - just for browsing. Yes, Im a big geek. I also used it to prod my memory when reading about the various monarchs and their families. Now that I’m writing my own non-fiction book, I’ve put it on my desk along with other reference books, e.g., my thesaurus, in a spot where I can grab it without searching around for it. It’s very detailed and includes the monarchs of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. There are only 2 things that I am going to quibble about: 1. When Weir goes into detail about the family members of the children if monarchs and their families, a reader can find it difficult to keep these details straight. I can see how this would be hard for a writer or editor to organize in a better way, but I wish they had spent more time on it; and 2. The book came out in 1996 and definitely needs updating. There’s no mention of Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandchildren (or the spouses if her grandchildren). I hope Weir will take the time to at least re-issue the book with this important information, if she wants people in the future to use this book as a source for writers and students. Otherwise this excellent resource might fall by the wayside.

I am an avid reader of historical fiction in British history. I enjoy Alison Weir's works with her thorough research and readable style. I bought this book as a reference book to keep track of all those kings and queens..and the pretenders.

i bought this book to use for research. i love genealogy and this book on british royalty was perfect.

Allison Weir does it again. Her research is amazing. I was fascinated by her "six wives of Henry VIII", and consider her writing superior

I bought this book before it was even available in the States, and had it shipped from England. Wier has written a comprehensive geneology of the British royal family, dating back to the 8th century. There's short biographical data about most of the people, and some of them are very interesting. It's not a good book to get if you're interested in biographies of these famillies... there's not really enough information about that. But it's a great book to get if you're interested in British history and want basic facts about the history of the monarchy.

This volume does not pretend to represent original research in primary resources, but is a convenient compilation incorporating information from many alternative sources. Most published lineages on the British monarchy are interested primarily in the line of succession, which usually has been male. Descendants of female royals generally get short shrift, but Weir provides at least basic information on all children and grandchildren of each sovereign, together with their spouses. This makes connections to other highly placed English and Continental families and to the royalty of other countries much easier to follow. Coverage is from Egbert in the late eighth century to the present day -- including Scotland -- and the index is very well done (and necessary). An eleven-page bibliography leads the reader to a large number of other secondary works. The only thing missing here is footnotes citing sources -- but the reader should rely on the _Complete Peerage_ for that and use Weir as a ready reference tool only. A very useful addition to one's bookshelf.