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A Dark History Series
Dark History of the Tudors
British history during the Tudor Dynasty where England is transformed from a minor medieval kingdom to a European power on the verge of an empire. Illustrated with 180 photographs, paintings, and illustrations.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 19, 2014
Little more than a synopsis of the Tudor reign. Do not expect a great deal of detail or any new/less well known information about this famous family of monarchs. Also, I find the use of the word 'incest' in this book's subtitle inaccurate and sensationalistic. The only "incest" mentioned in the entire book is one sentence stating that Anne Boleyn was accused of having an affair with her brother (among others) as justification for Henry's setting her aside. Misleading to use it in such a way that implies Tudor family members were actively involved in such.
Quick and uncomplicated read and a decent introduction to the subject.
Quick and uncomplicated read and a decent introduction to the subject.
March 15, 2016
Buku ini sebenarnya informatif juga untuk mengisi celah-celah kosong ttg pengetahuan saya mengenai Dinasti Tudor di Inggris. Namun sangat disayangkan terjemahannya yg menurut saya kualitasnya buruk padahal harga bukunya lebih dari 100ribu rupiah. Baru buka halaman pertama saja sudah terjadi kesalahan typo di bagan silsilah. Henry VII ditulis Henry VIII, dan berulang-ulang kesalahan yg sama dilakukan di hlm-hlm berikutnya. Ini kesalahan fatal menurut saya krn proofreader sangat tidak berfungsi di buku ini.
Diawali dgn latar belakang Perang Mawar antara keluarga York dan Lancaster, yang diakhiri dgn rekonsiliasi kedua pihak dgn pernikahan Henry VII dgn Elizabeth of York. Dilanjutkan dgn kepemimpinan Henry VIII yang fenomenal, biadab dan penuh skandal. Tampuk takhta beralih ke Edward VI yg msh bocah, diteruskan oleh kakak sulungnya, Mary Tudor yg terkenal sbg Bloody Mary dan terakhir oleh kepemimpinan dan puncak kejayaan Dinasti Tudor, Elizabeth I.
Walau semua sejarah sudah dijelaskan secara lengkap, namun saya merasa ada ganjalan juga dalam pemikiran kritis saya. Angkatan Laut Inggris yg notabene baru dibentuk pd saat pemerintahan Henry VIII, dan sebagaimana dikatakan masa pemerintahan Henry VIII menghabiskan sumber daya kas negara, blm lagi penerusnya spt Edward VI dan Mary I tidak memiliki kemampuan utk mengisi kas negara. Otomatis kas negara baru masuk pd saat pemerintahan Elizabeth I, namun tidak dijelaskan scr agak detail, bgmn angkatan laut Inggris yg masih berusia belia itu bisa mendadak tangguh pd masa Elizabeth? Apa hanya sekedar faktor keberuntungan saja karena Inggris memiliki Francis Drake, sang perompak yg piawai membaca gerakan gelombang dan angin laut? Tidak ada penjelasan.
Walau dgn kekurangan tersebut, bagi pembaca awam ttg Dinasti Tudor, buku ini bisa menjadi panduan utk mengenal dan mengetahui sejarahnya yang lumayan pelik dan penuh skandal. Cuma dgn satu syarat: Bertahanlah dgn kalimat-kalimat yg lumayan banyak bikin kening berkerut. Selamat membaca.
Diawali dgn latar belakang Perang Mawar antara keluarga York dan Lancaster, yang diakhiri dgn rekonsiliasi kedua pihak dgn pernikahan Henry VII dgn Elizabeth of York. Dilanjutkan dgn kepemimpinan Henry VIII yang fenomenal, biadab dan penuh skandal. Tampuk takhta beralih ke Edward VI yg msh bocah, diteruskan oleh kakak sulungnya, Mary Tudor yg terkenal sbg Bloody Mary dan terakhir oleh kepemimpinan dan puncak kejayaan Dinasti Tudor, Elizabeth I.
Walau semua sejarah sudah dijelaskan secara lengkap, namun saya merasa ada ganjalan juga dalam pemikiran kritis saya. Angkatan Laut Inggris yg notabene baru dibentuk pd saat pemerintahan Henry VIII, dan sebagaimana dikatakan masa pemerintahan Henry VIII menghabiskan sumber daya kas negara, blm lagi penerusnya spt Edward VI dan Mary I tidak memiliki kemampuan utk mengisi kas negara. Otomatis kas negara baru masuk pd saat pemerintahan Elizabeth I, namun tidak dijelaskan scr agak detail, bgmn angkatan laut Inggris yg masih berusia belia itu bisa mendadak tangguh pd masa Elizabeth? Apa hanya sekedar faktor keberuntungan saja karena Inggris memiliki Francis Drake, sang perompak yg piawai membaca gerakan gelombang dan angin laut? Tidak ada penjelasan.
Walau dgn kekurangan tersebut, bagi pembaca awam ttg Dinasti Tudor, buku ini bisa menjadi panduan utk mengenal dan mengetahui sejarahnya yang lumayan pelik dan penuh skandal. Cuma dgn satu syarat: Bertahanlah dgn kalimat-kalimat yg lumayan banyak bikin kening berkerut. Selamat membaca.
January 12, 2025
Tudorlar hakkında genel bilgiler içeren bir kitap. Kitabın kapağında da bahsettiği üzere iktidar mücadelesinin sebep olduğu karanlık işler, Tudorların yaşamından hiç eksik olmamış.
Kitapta öne çıkan kişiler elbette acımasızlığıyla bilinen VIII. Henry ve İngiltere tarihinde dönüm noktası oluşturan I. Elizabeth olmuş.
Kitabın çevirisi başarılı sayılabilir, resimlerle desteklenmesi iyi fakat sayfa düzenine biraz daha dikkat edilebilirmiş.
Kitapta öne çıkan kişiler elbette acımasızlığıyla bilinen VIII. Henry ve İngiltere tarihinde dönüm noktası oluşturan I. Elizabeth olmuş.
Kitabın çevirisi başarılı sayılabilir, resimlerle desteklenmesi iyi fakat sayfa düzenine biraz daha dikkat edilebilirmiş.
February 1, 2016
Judith John doesn't offer any new insights into the notoriously significant dynasty of the Tudors. Additionally, her prose is uninspired, with the overuse of idioms, such as "nail in the coffin." Thankfully, there is liberal use of illustrations that aren't normally offered in historical accounts, which provides enough interest to keep Tudor enthusiasts engaged... just barely. If you want the condensed version of the Tudors, this book will suffice. But, it's an insult to their legacy to allow this to be the only book you read about a family which had such an impact on world history.
September 28, 2021
Great book if you want to start with the basics of the Tudor Era. It gives you just enough info to pull you into this dysfunctional family.
December 16, 2015
This was a decently done book with some new information I had not read before. The beginning was confusing by the author referring to the various Henrys without the appellate number.
Certain names were common and the author made the text much more difficult by not including surnames and numbers each time. I realize that the current custom is to name them once and then only refer to them with a single name, but it leads to serious confusion in the case of the many men who shared either first or last names, i.e. King Henry VI, VII, and VIII with occasional mentions of King Henry V. Thomas and Edward Seyword and the multiplicity of Marys were among the troublesome parts of the narrative.
Otherwise, this is a concise narrative with some lesser known facts presented. I thought the history was fairly presented.
Certain names were common and the author made the text much more difficult by not including surnames and numbers each time. I realize that the current custom is to name them once and then only refer to them with a single name, but it leads to serious confusion in the case of the many men who shared either first or last names, i.e. King Henry VI, VII, and VIII with occasional mentions of King Henry V. Thomas and Edward Seyword and the multiplicity of Marys were among the troublesome parts of the narrative.
Otherwise, this is a concise narrative with some lesser known facts presented. I thought the history was fairly presented.
April 22, 2015
Deeply average general history that ignores a lot of recent scholarship, especially feminist scholarship. Honestly, I only finished it because I'm a few books behind on this year's reading challenge.
October 23, 2021
I have always had an interest in British history, especially the Tudor period. For that reason, I grabbed up this book for a dollar at the second-hand book store at the library. It has lots of beautiful illustrations and the text is mainly interesting. Sometimes it is a bit dry, but there are fascinating facts covered and amazing historical characters. My only problem is that this copy is badly done. Pages 49-64 are missing and replaced by pages 161-176, which are repeated later in their proper place. I missed the part of the history where Henry begins to tire of his first marriage and keeps trying for a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn. For this reason, I don't feel right donating the book back to the library. It's not fair to another reader. Whether I will keep it for myself is not yet decided. I am glad I read it though. The illustrations added much to the story.
June 22, 2022
🇬🇧 İngiltere Kraliyetinin Tudor Dönemi’ne (1485-1603) ait bir kitap ile geldim✨ Bencil çıkarları için yeni bir kilise kuranlarla, sadece 9 günlüğüne taç giyebilenlerle ve yönetimde tek kadın olanlarla dolu bu aile benim için her zaman izlemesi, okuması, araştırması zevkli bir konu olmuştur 😍
Kısaca bir Tudor’ları tanıyalım:
👑 VII. Henry: Güller Savaşı sonrası kurulan Tudor Hanedanlığındaki ilk kral ✨
👑 VIII. Henry: Karizmatik kral, ilk eşini başka kadın uğruna boşamak için Katolik kilisesi ve Roma’dan ayrılarak (çünkü boşanmak bu kilisede yasak) Anglikan Kilisesi/Protestanlığı kurmuştur 😳 Ancak uğruna kilise kurduğu kadınla da geçinemeyip onu idam ettirdikten sonra kendisine 4 eş daha almıştır 🤦🏻♀️
👑 VI. Edward: Babasının meşhur 6 evliliğinin 3.sünden olan bu kral, genç yaşta elinden geleni yaptı… Ancak sağlık problemleri sebebiyle kısa sürede ölünce vasisi olarak 2 kız kardeşini de geçerek kuzenini kraliçe yaptırmıştır.. Bahsi geçen kuzen, Jane Grey sadece 9 gün taç giyebilmiş ve I. Mary tarafından en sonunda tahtan indirilmiştir 🙄
👑 I. Mary: İngiltere tahtının ilk kadın hükümdarı olan Mary aslında VIII. Henry’nin ilk evliliğinden olan kızıdır. Katı bir katolik olan kraliçeye Protestan bir krallık kalınca da dini dayatmaları ile birçok kişi yaktırmış ve “Bloody Mary” ismini almıştır🩸
👑 I. Elizabeth: VIII. Henry’nin uğruna kilise kurduğu Anne Boleyn’den olan tek kızı Elizabeth, kendi deyimiyle “aslan yüreğiyle” İngiltere’ye Altın Çağ’ını yaşatmıştır ✨ Kendisini İngiltere’ye adayan bu kraliçe ülkesini başka hanedanlıklara yar etmemek için asla evlenmemiştir. Çünkü onun tek eşi İngiliz Krallığıdır 👸🏻
#kitapyorumum
Kitap içeriğinde yer alan görseller, ek notlar, bilgi kutucukları, soy ağaçları ile harika bir tarihi eser. Kitabın tek sıkıntısı 100 yılı 216 sayfaya sığdırmak olmuş 🙊 Bazı yerler istediğimden kısa geçti ne yazık ki ama öz bir anlatım eminim meraklıları yine de tatmin edecektir 🥰 Zaten izlemeyi ve araştırmayı sevdiğim bir dönemi bir de böyle bir eserde okumak apayrı bir zevkti✨
Kısaca bir Tudor’ları tanıyalım:
👑 VII. Henry: Güller Savaşı sonrası kurulan Tudor Hanedanlığındaki ilk kral ✨
👑 VIII. Henry: Karizmatik kral, ilk eşini başka kadın uğruna boşamak için Katolik kilisesi ve Roma’dan ayrılarak (çünkü boşanmak bu kilisede yasak) Anglikan Kilisesi/Protestanlığı kurmuştur 😳 Ancak uğruna kilise kurduğu kadınla da geçinemeyip onu idam ettirdikten sonra kendisine 4 eş daha almıştır 🤦🏻♀️
👑 VI. Edward: Babasının meşhur 6 evliliğinin 3.sünden olan bu kral, genç yaşta elinden geleni yaptı… Ancak sağlık problemleri sebebiyle kısa sürede ölünce vasisi olarak 2 kız kardeşini de geçerek kuzenini kraliçe yaptırmıştır.. Bahsi geçen kuzen, Jane Grey sadece 9 gün taç giyebilmiş ve I. Mary tarafından en sonunda tahtan indirilmiştir 🙄
👑 I. Mary: İngiltere tahtının ilk kadın hükümdarı olan Mary aslında VIII. Henry’nin ilk evliliğinden olan kızıdır. Katı bir katolik olan kraliçeye Protestan bir krallık kalınca da dini dayatmaları ile birçok kişi yaktırmış ve “Bloody Mary” ismini almıştır🩸
👑 I. Elizabeth: VIII. Henry’nin uğruna kilise kurduğu Anne Boleyn’den olan tek kızı Elizabeth, kendi deyimiyle “aslan yüreğiyle” İngiltere’ye Altın Çağ’ını yaşatmıştır ✨ Kendisini İngiltere’ye adayan bu kraliçe ülkesini başka hanedanlıklara yar etmemek için asla evlenmemiştir. Çünkü onun tek eşi İngiliz Krallığıdır 👸🏻
#kitapyorumum
Kitap içeriğinde yer alan görseller, ek notlar, bilgi kutucukları, soy ağaçları ile harika bir tarihi eser. Kitabın tek sıkıntısı 100 yılı 216 sayfaya sığdırmak olmuş 🙊 Bazı yerler istediğimden kısa geçti ne yazık ki ama öz bir anlatım eminim meraklıları yine de tatmin edecektir 🥰 Zaten izlemeyi ve araştırmayı sevdiğim bir dönemi bir de böyle bir eserde okumak apayrı bir zevkti✨
August 25, 2019
Review - I was actually quite disappointed by this book. I wasn't expecting anything really detailed, but I was expecting an exploration of some of the darker aspects of Tudor history, but really this is just a general overview of the Tudors. There were also a few errors, like Thomas Cranmer being described as Katherine Parr's uncle at one point, and Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon being crowned the day after their wedding. Little things, but they demonstrate that a few more checks were needed. Some interesting insights, but ruined for me by the little mistakes.
General Subject/s? - History / Tudors
Recommend? – No
Rating - 13/20
General Subject/s? - History / Tudors
Recommend? – No
Rating - 13/20
January 16, 2019
This UK edition is entitled The Golden Age of the Tudors, but appears to be the same book published as Dark History of the Tudors. I hate it when they do that!
Other than that, this is a nice looking book with lots of illustrations, but on reading it's just really, really poor. The language makes me think it's aimed at school children and it's full of hyperbole. A lot of the illustrations are Victorian, nowhere near contemporary, and some of the facts are just plain wrong! I don't know how such rubbish gets published!
Other than that, this is a nice looking book with lots of illustrations, but on reading it's just really, really poor. The language makes me think it's aimed at school children and it's full of hyperbole. A lot of the illustrations are Victorian, nowhere near contemporary, and some of the facts are just plain wrong! I don't know how such rubbish gets published!
September 4, 2024
Tüdor dövrünə giriş əsəri kimi baxıldıqda yaxşı saymaq olar. Sadəcə ümumi məlumatlar dərinə getmədən verilib. Əgər Tüdor monarxları haqqında biraz araşdırmısınızsa, kitabda yeni məlumat saya biləcəyiniz az şey olacaq yəqin ki. Kitabın içindəki şəkillər, illüstrasiyalar, xəritələr və s. kitabı maraqlı edən əsas şeylərdir. Oxuduqca adı çəkilən şəxslərin və ya hadisələrin təsvirlərini görmək oxumağı daha maraqlı edir və mövzuda təsəvvürünüzün formalaşmağına kömək edir.
Kitabda ətraflı araşdırmanın olmaması və hər yerdən öyrənə biləcəyiniz məlumatların olması Tüdorları bilən biri üçün cansıxıcıdır. Bundan başqa arada xırda səhvlərə rast gəlmək olur: Edmund Tudorun (VII Henry'nin atası) ölüm tarixinin səhv verilməsi kimi. Xırda detal kimi görünsə də nəzərə çarpır və oxucunu bir qədər ruhdan salır.
Əsas iradlarımdan biri də bir çox yerdə obyektivlikdən çıxılmasıdır. Məlumdur ki, tarixi araşdırmada ən əsas nüanslardan biri obyektivlikdir. Lakin kitabda bəzi şəxslər haqqında təhqirə varan ifadələrin işlədilməsi bir yerdən sonra insanı narahat edir. Həmin şəxslərin içində mənim də sevmədiklərim var idi, ancaq belə kəskin ifadələrə müraciət edilməsinin düzgün olduğunu düşünmürəm. Eyni şəkildə yaxşı, fərasətli sayılmaqdan uzaq olanların bəzi yerlərdə ucaldılması mənim üçün xoş olmadı.
Bir də bunu qeyd etmədən keçmək istəmirəm. VIII Henry kimi əsasən evlilikləri ilə tanınan bir krala 2 bölmə ayırmaq yerinə VII Henry kimi ağıllı, uzaqgörən, bacarıqlı, taxt üçün canı və qanı ilə mübarizə aparmış, taxta çıxdıqdan sonra belə cürbəcür çətinliklərlə, üsyanlarla üzləşib öhdəsindən gəlmiş bir kral haqqında 30-40 səhifəlik bir hissə ayrılmasını yox, geniş məlumat verilməsini üstün tutardım. VII Henry üçün yenə də lazımi diqqət ayrılmayıb.
Kitabda ətraflı araşdırmanın olmaması və hər yerdən öyrənə biləcəyiniz məlumatların olması Tüdorları bilən biri üçün cansıxıcıdır. Bundan başqa arada xırda səhvlərə rast gəlmək olur: Edmund Tudorun (VII Henry'nin atası) ölüm tarixinin səhv verilməsi kimi. Xırda detal kimi görünsə də nəzərə çarpır və oxucunu bir qədər ruhdan salır.
Əsas iradlarımdan biri də bir çox yerdə obyektivlikdən çıxılmasıdır. Məlumdur ki, tarixi araşdırmada ən əsas nüanslardan biri obyektivlikdir. Lakin kitabda bəzi şəxslər haqqında təhqirə varan ifadələrin işlədilməsi bir yerdən sonra insanı narahat edir. Həmin şəxslərin içində mənim də sevmədiklərim var idi, ancaq belə kəskin ifadələrə müraciət edilməsinin düzgün olduğunu düşünmürəm. Eyni şəkildə yaxşı, fərasətli sayılmaqdan uzaq olanların bəzi yerlərdə ucaldılması mənim üçün xoş olmadı.
Bir də bunu qeyd etmədən keçmək istəmirəm. VIII Henry kimi əsasən evlilikləri ilə tanınan bir krala 2 bölmə ayırmaq yerinə VII Henry kimi ağıllı, uzaqgörən, bacarıqlı, taxt üçün canı və qanı ilə mübarizə aparmış, taxta çıxdıqdan sonra belə cürbəcür çətinliklərlə, üsyanlarla üzləşib öhdəsindən gəlmiş bir kral haqqında 30-40 səhifəlik bir hissə ayrılmasını yox, geniş məlumat verilməsini üstün tutardım. VII Henry üçün yenə də lazımi diqqət ayrılmayıb.
August 11, 2021
A Dark History of the Tudors shows good and bad about the Tudor Family who had ruled England from the years 1485 until 1603. The first Tudor Monarch was Henry VII whose greatest achievement was to successfully end the War of the Roses uniting the houses of York and Lancaster. On Henry’s death in 1509 Henry the VIII came into power. Henry VIII may be the most famous King in English History. Henry VIII had 6 wives and starting his own religion after the Pope would not grant him a divorce. Unfortunately, Henry had executed 4 of his wives. He also sent Britain on many wars which left Britain in debt. After Henry VIII died his son Edward became King at the age of 9. He was led by smart and capable men by having him marry Mary Queen of the Scots. This helped quell the relationship between England and Scotland. However Edward had died in 1533 After his death the Crown went to his sister Mary I. Mary was a devout Catholic who tried to reinstitute Catholicism on British subjects. This became quite a messy affair because she thought it was her duty to purge non Catholics. She became known as Bloody Mary. When she died in 1558 but left her Crown to one of England’s greatest Monarchs-her sister Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth despite being protestant stopped the killing of other Protestants and protected the Catholics. She hired Francis Drake who privateered potential enemy ships and brought gold and other valuables he obtained to her. Elizabeth’s greatest accomplishment was her defeat of the Spanish Armada which led England to populate the America’s unmolested. Elizabeth reign ended the Tudor rule in England in 1603 after her death.
July 29, 2025
This almost works as a light summer read about the Tudor dynasty. If you’ve seen The Tudors or maybe two or three movies on the topic, you won’t find a ton of new information here. But the prose is far from scholarly and the story keeps moving fairly well. Copious sidebars and illustrations help keep things from getting dull. My only big gripe is that this reads like a long Wikipedia entry, complete with choppy shifts back and forth in the timeline and oddly shifting points of view about who’s genuinely horrible and who’s simply misunderstood.
September 2, 2017
This is a very interesting book about the Tudors. It builds on the basic knowledge of them to give a clear picture of each monarchs reign and what they were like. Each monarch has their own chapter with the most well known, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, having two. It's very well researched especially the bits on the less well-known monarchs. There is a lot of information and it's a very good read for anyone wanting to know more about the Tudors.
March 8, 2023
( Format : paperback )
"Nice pictures."
The magazine style approach to information: anyone liking History Today is sure to love this book. Bite sized and consecutive but random paragraphs of history about the Tudor period (and a little before), but heavily illustrated with glorious pictures throughout. For these it is worth getting the book : nice to dip into and enjoy the visuals.
For a fuller sense of the history of the period, go elsewhere.
"Nice pictures."
The magazine style approach to information: anyone liking History Today is sure to love this book. Bite sized and consecutive but random paragraphs of history about the Tudor period (and a little before), but heavily illustrated with glorious pictures throughout. For these it is worth getting the book : nice to dip into and enjoy the visuals.
For a fuller sense of the history of the period, go elsewhere.
November 14, 2024
Nothing new here. It was difficult keeping traffic of the authors train of thought as some of the views and ideas jumped around. There also some grammatical errors. This basically a badly written condensed version of Tudor history. Information regarding Catherine Howard is inaccurate as well. I must say a lot of what is written here appears to be biased towards some of the queens.
January 13, 2018
The illustrations are great. The book is interesting and enjoyable. A few details I didn't know about them, however I was expecting more. A few times I went back to checked which Henry they was referring to. Otherwise, I enjoy the book.
May 13, 2019
This book was a quick history. The chapters were devoted to specific people and hit the best parts. It's a great start for someone who might be interested in the study of the Tudor dynasty. I'm glad I wasn't alive then. Horrible times for women and free thinkers.
January 14, 2020
A good introduction for the layman. If you're looking for detailed history of this dynamic dynasty, then this is not the book for you, but as an intro, it's not a bad start. The maps and portraits are a useful reference.
September 25, 2020
An interesting read on the Tudors, there were a few mistakes in relation to how some died, going to Brittany when they never left the country and wrong relationships, but on the whole OK for a quick history lesson
October 23, 2021
Nothing "dark" about this this book, but it is dull. There are much better options out there for histories of the Tudors. The included artwork is is lovely & for that alone I am giving it a second star and makes it worth flipping through.
December 30, 2021
i’ll honestly read/watch/etc absolutely anything about the tudors (or the houses of york & lancaster), they’re probably my favourite historical dynasty to learn about!! the content wasn’t new information for me, but it was a good recap of everything i learnt during a-level history that i’d forgotten, i enjoyed it!!
February 24, 2018
The book read as a history book. But I learn more about the Tudors and the pictures were beautiful. I wish I could find a book about the other people in that era that was behind the kings and queens.
June 10, 2019
This is one of the most disjointed history books that I have ever read. It jumps backwards and forwards in time mentioning people before introducing them and ignoring any chronology.
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July 7, 2020I find the history of the Tudors fascinating.
May 5, 2021
Loved the history and beautiful portraits.
May 5, 2021
Nothing really new, just written in a different format.
July 23, 2021
Good overview of the Tudors. Lots of good pictures too. Found a few errors/typos, but not too distracting.
December 11, 2021
I enjoyed it! It didn't provide any new information that I didn't already know but I really enjoyed the fact that the book had pictures showing documents, artifacts, portraits, palaces, etc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews