Tower of London

by Christopher Hibbert

A story of one of England's most fascinating and tragic sites

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Travel, Reference, Photography

172 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.

Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting history of the imposing and dark Tower of London, full of exciting and tragic episodes and real life stories. It tells much of the history of England itself from the White Tower constructed on the orders of William the Conqueror in 1078. It has imprisoned such figures as Scottish and French kings, Richard II of England, the young princes and heirs to the throne imprisoned by Richard III, sir Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth I before she was queen by her jealous and paranoid sister Bloody Mary I, Guy Fawkes and Sir Walter Raleigh. This book tells their stories. The last prisoner there was the Nazi Deputy Fuhrer, Rudolf Hess in 1940.
It tells of the history behind these events. The tower of London has been a prison, a royal residence, held the royal treasures (which are displayed in this book which is filled with photographs and illustrations) and as site of executions, rebellions, disasters, bombings and alleged ghostly hauntings.

This book is divided into seven chapters as well as a section on the literature surrounding the Tower of London, with excerpts from Shakespeare, Maxwell Anderson, Sir Walter Scott, and Alfred Lord Tennyson. It is followed by a guide to the tower and a chronology, Exciting, compelling and informative.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

We'll be going to the Tower of London 24 hours after we land in London, and I can't wait. This non-fiction history about this area brings to life to the evolution of the monarchy, it's crown jewels, treasures, coinages, political prisoners, escapes, fires, animal menageries, and all the items required for successful defense. It's a colorful description of deeds and misdeeds that clarify history.

[Maddie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

excuse me I have to be a complete nerd for a min 🤓
Apparently I rlly enjoy Christopher Hibbert’s writing/telling of history bc I’m reading two books by him rn (from the 70s 🤭) and find both of them fascinating 😝🤓The coolest part about this one was Hibberts including various pieces of literature from the 1290s-1950s related to the Tower of London. The references in this book were great bc there was a Tower chronological timeline & also a genealogy piece 🤭🤓🤓🤓 ok I’m done 🥸

[[ J o ] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst I have no doubt there are better books out there about the Tower of London, this is the one I have and it was invaluable for me regarding research and referencing.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading a series of books about the Tudors and Stuarts and, needing something light for quiet times at the bookshop, thought this one about the Tower would be a helpful supplement. I've never been beyond the Heathrow parking lot in England and lack concrete mental pictures of the places described in the various history books and biographies. This Newsweek publication has lots of pictures of the Tower, its contents and environs.

Hibbert, whose biography of Charles I I'd just finished, writes well. No academic, he relies a lot on anecdotes chosen as illustrative and entertaining. As regards the Tower this means a lot of material about imprisonment, torture, execution--and the occasional escape--set within a very rough chronology of England.

All of these 'Wonders of Man' publications by Newsweek are pretty well done (I've read four now). Each has an appendix of diverse texts from different periods referring to the ostensible architectural focus of the history.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review - This book is a little outdated now (published 1971) but as always with Reader's Digest books I have found that there is a lot of solid information, particularly regarding the layout of the Tower of London and the history of the Tower. There is some good information regarding the executions of Thomas More and Anne Boleyn in particular, and the interrogation of Guy Fawkes, which line up with what the primary sources tell us. There is also an interesting section on literature about the Tower of London, which offers some very different interpretations.

General Subject/s? - Tower of London / Architecture / Buildings / History

Recommend? – Maybe

Rating - 15/20

[Tamara aka SoMysteriousLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not having known much about 'The Tower', I enjoyed this very much. Many tales both true and fiction center around it and I had no idea how much has been written in lore about it. Lots of tragedy to be sure, but found it rather fascinating overall.

[James S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and readable history of the Tower of London. Good pictures and fascinating details. Part of the now-defunct Newsweek Wonders of Man series, back when a magazine could publish a history and people would read it.

[clairedelune · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book about the Tower of London : )

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Helene's review.

Overall, this is a history of the Tower, which is an amazement to those of us in the U.S. whose history is so short, compared to this castle complex, begun in 1066. There are probably 90 historical paintings of the Tower, with apt explanations. There are three (four, counting the dust jacket) photos of the Crown Jewels, which have been removed to somewhere safer, since this book was written.

There are perhaps six photos of the Tower today, which was a disappointment to me. I remember being inside a round tower room (on a tour, don't get funny ideas), seeing the narrow arrow slits or loopholes, the large fireplace, the Garde-robe chute (loo) and the sparse furniture. I'm sure it was staged, but there is an incredible sense of the history, the awful stillness, despite the tourists, that the Tower presents. No photos of anything like that in this book. Worth reading and studying, including the history of the ravens(!) The Changing of the Guard is an impressive ceremony; I have no doubt that if the reigning Monarch were attacked, they would / could defend her / him ably to the last man.

[LaShawnna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book very much to say the least. I found it to be overly descriptive in areas not needed, and lacking in areas that were. Most of the time the author strayed from the Tower itself, adding details that seem pointless to the Tower. To be honest the writing was incredibly dull, like that of something out of the text book. The only reason why I gave it a two, was because of the Tudor history, in which caught my attention.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but inevitably brief history of the Tower of London. I enjoyed mostly the escapes, and was sorry there were not more of them. On the other hand, it was news to me that the bones of two children were found under the Tower stairs and the book professes to know the history of the murder of the two princes in the Tower, an event I had always understood to be shrouded in mystery and that no one knows to this day what happened to the two boys. It seems that more reading is required.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this text, despite it being more than a few years old. My knowledge of the Tower is really confined to Tudor era London so the stories woven throughout were interesting. This would probably not be as useful for someone who has a greater knowledge of the Tower's history, but for anyone looking for an introduction, I'd definitely recommend it.

[Dana Crawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical facts about the Tower of London along with alot of detail regarding prisoners, etc. Definitely worth reading!

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this at the library and thought it might give me some new insight on the Tower. Nope. Nothing special. Just the bare basics.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick rampage through British history. More maps and images would've been great.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tower of London" - written by Christopher Hibbert and published in 1971 by Newsweek. A detailed, interesting coffee table book.