A Royal Recluse: Memories of Ludwig II. of Bavaria

by Werner Bertram, Margaret McDonough (translator)

Chapters: The young king. The rescue of Richard Wagner. Love's Joys and Sorrows. The Fulfilment of the Kynhauser prophecy. Recluse and Misanthrope. The Wonder-Castle Neuschwanstein. The magic of Linderhof castle. The Dream of Herrenchiemsee. Bayreuth and its spirit. The tragedy of genius. The arrest of a king. The king under guardianship. The tragedy of Stamberg lake. Legend and Truth. Epilogue.

Genres: Germany, Biography, Biography Memoir, History

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1936

Reviews

[Clarissa Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography on Ludwig II of Bavaria and the ultimately tragic life of the dreamer who built some of the most amazing castles in Europe, including Neusschwanstein which was the inspiration for the Disney castle. The book separates fact from fiction addressing some of the myths and stories that covered up what happened to him.

[Rita Gaskamp · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s a hard read that has been translated from German. But, a full discussion of Ludwig’s life and times. Hard to say this, but it’s my 3rd time to read in last 50 years. Interest because we lived in Munich.

[Sallie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this in the silent auction at BetsyGoesSouthWesty, and it's been sitting on the top of one of my to-be-read piles ever since. Strange and interesting book so far. Wellllll, it just ended up being strange after all. I finally just scanned the last chapters after wading through all the ones about the castles he built. Not a pretty ending to his story, and I shall remove the term 'mad' when referring to Ludwig, cuz he doesn't seem to have been any crazier than the rest of the ruling class of the day.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abhorent amount of typographical errors and editing blunders. A page started midway through a sentance and I couldn't find the beginning anywhere. Overall, though, the book was very informative with a tone of admiration for the beloved king. It was almost defensively written perhaps in an effort to counter the biographies that write of Ludwig II as derranged. I tend to agree with the author that he was far from mentally unbalanced and more likely a mere eccentric and utterly brilliant. A good read that could have used higher quality editing.

[Joshua Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightfully uncritical panegyric about an interesting romantic figure.
The author is an unapologetic fan of Ludwig II, so readers should look elsewhere for anything like a serious historical investigation or consideration of his alleged "madness". This is more fun, though. A good, easy read. Tonnes of descriptions of his beautiful castles.

So many spelling errors, but they're more endearing than problematic. A very handsome light blue hardcover volume with a few ads for Bavarian hotels in the back (the book's sponsors?) - a sweet touch.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely dated and biased. But I was reading it more for the value of its perceptions and original source material.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

About Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly wretched and silly book written by an indignant partisan of Mad King Ludwig.