"Royal Feud. The Dark Side of the Love Story of the Century" by Michael Thornton. Published by Simon and Schuster, New York, 1985, illustrated with photographs. First Edition, second printing.

Original dust jacket [a little wear]; hard boards, blind embossed author's signature on the front board, cloth spine with gold lettering on it; 6.1/4" x 9.1/2"; 456 including Index + several pages with monochrome illustrations, very good condition.

"Michael Thornton's fine book isn't just about Britain's 1936 abdication crisis but about the lifelong estrangement between the Royal family and the Windsors that grew out of it. Many documents relating to the abdication are sealed until 2037, but through interviews, diaries, and letters, Mr. Thornton gives a complete and compelling account of the crisis itself.

I've also read most of the books by Michael Bloch, the Windsor apologist, as well as more recent sympathetic works on the Duchess of Windsor. They flesh out the picture and make the important point that Wallis likely wanted a fling, not marriage, a throne, or Windsor's abdication. But it's Mr. Thornton's book, replete with contemporary observations, that shows why, if true, this wasn't obvious at the time, and it makes the antipathy the Queen Mother felt for Wallis Windsor perfectly understandable."

"This is a full account that favors the Royal family, but then so do the facts. Edward VIII seems not to have cared about the burden he handed off to George VI, his wartime conduct was at the least indiscreet, and the Windsors led an aimless existence after the war. That looks pretty shabby next to the Yorks' wartime leadership.

At bottom that's the appeal of the book for me. It's also the story of how the Yorks took on the unwanted duty of kingship and were wildly successful: inspirational and touching. That's why I reread this every few years." [a private review]

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ------------- $12.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ---- $32.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ----- $45.50