Most Popular Books by John Guy

Soon to be a major film, this is a dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians of this period. She was crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months of age, and Queen of France at sixteen years; at eighteen she ascended the throne and began ruling one of the most fractious courts in Europe, riven by religious conflict and personal lust for power. She rode out at the head of an army in both victory and defeat; saw her second husband assassinated, and married his murderer. At twenty-five she entered captivity at the hands of her rival queen, from which only death would release her. The life of Mary Stuart is one of unparalleled drama and conflict. From the labyrinthine plots laid by the Scottish lords to wrest power for themselves, to the efforts made by Elizabeth''s ministers to invalidate Mary''s legitimate claim to the English throne, John Guy returns to the archives to explode the myths and correct the inaccuracies that surround this most fascinating monarch. The portrait that emerges is not of a political pawn or a manipulative siren, but of a shrewd and charismatic young ruler who relished power and, for a time, managed to hold together a fatally unstable country.

Charismatic, insatiable and cruel, Henry VIII was, as John Guy shows, a king who became mesmerized by his own legend - and in the process destroyed and remade England. Said to be a ''pillager of the commonwealth'', this most instantly recognizable of kings remains a figure of extreme contradictions: magnificent and vengeful; a devout traditionalist who oversaw a cataclysmic rupture with the church in Rome; a talented, towering figure who nevertheless could not bear to meet people''s eyes when he talked to them. In this revealing new account, John Guy looks behind the mask into Henry''s mind to explore how he understood the world and his place in it - from his isolated upbringing and the blazing glory of his accession, to his desperate quest for fame and an heir and the terrifying paranoia of his last, agonising, 54-inch-waisted years.

Thomas Gresham was arguably the first true wizard of global finance. He rose through the mercantile worlds of London and Antwerp to become the hidden power behind three out of the five Tudor monarchs. Today his name is remembered in economic doctrines, in the institutions he founded and in the City of London''s position at the economic centre of the earth. Without Gresham, England truly might have become a vassal state. His manoeuvring released Elizabeth from a crushing burden of debt and allowed for vital military preparations during the wars of religion that set Europe ablaze. Yet his deepest loyalties have remained enigmatic, until now. Drawing on vast new research and several startling discoveries, the great Tudor historian John Guy recreates Gresham''s life and singular personality with astonishing intimacy. He reveals a calculating survivor, flexible enough to do business with merchants and potentates no matter their religious or ideological convictions. Yet his personal relationships were disturbingly transactional. He was a figure of cold unsentimentality even to members of his own family. Elizabeth I found herself at odds with Gresham''s ambitions. In their collisions and wary accommodations, we see our own conflicts between national sovereignty and global capital foreshadowed. A story of adventure and jeopardy, greed and cunning, loyalties divided, mistaken or betrayed, this is a biography fit for a merchant prince.

In "Twenty Years Around the World," John Guy Vassar embarks on an extraordinary literary journey, chronicling his extensive travels across the globe with an engaging narrative style that blends personal memoir with encounters of cultural significance. The book reflects the spirit of exploration that characterized the 19th century, positioning itself within a rich tradition of travel literature, while also offering candid reflections on the social and political climates of diverse regions. Vassar''Äôs vivid descriptions and astute observations document not just his physical journeys but also his intellectual and emotional evolutions throughout two transformative decades. John Guy Vassar, a man of notable curiosity and a deep appreciation for varied cultures, was profoundly influenced by the ethos of his time, which championed exploration and the quest for knowledge. His background as a well-educated individual in a rapidly changing world, coupled with a desire to connect with the unfamiliar, propelled him to write this book. Vassar''Äôs perspectives reveal both his privilege and responsibilities toward understanding global contexts, allowing readers to grasp the essence of human experience across different landscapes. "Twenty Years Around the World" is highly recommended for readers interested in travel literature, cultural history, and personal narratives of discovery. Vassar''Äôs eloquent prose not only entertains but educates, inviting you to reflect on the interconnectedness of humanity and the nuances of the places that define us. This book is a valuable addition to any literary collection.

Explorers.

Every two years the fall issue of The Met''s quarterly Bulletin celebrates notable recent acquisitions and gifts to the collection. Highlights of Recent Acquisitions 2022–2024 include the monumental handscroll painting Streams and Mountains without End, a masterwork by the Qing-dynasty painter Wang Yuanqi; the nineteenth century painting Bélizaire and the Frey Children which offers a rare depiction of an identified Black teenager with the children of his enslaver; Helene Schjerfbeck’s The Lace Shawl, which is a layered, dramatic portrait of the artist’s friend and landlady. Meanwhile, Leopoldo Méndez’s linocut depiction of the great Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada expands the already distinguished collection of twentieth-century Mexican graphic arts in the Department of Drawings and Prints. This publication also honors the many generous contributions from donors that make possible the continued growth of The Met collection.

Some of the theoretical and experimental implications of isotropic incremental elastic-plastic constitutive models formulated with constant values for the shear modulus G are examined. Two types of constant G models are considered, i.e. a single constant value of G for loading and unloading and two separate values of G, one for loading and one for unloading. These material property specifications are successively coupled with four increasingly more realistic idealized stress-strain axial strain and a von Mises-type limiting shear envelope characteriatic of that specified for the classical Prandtl-Reuss material. The resulting models are used to calculate mean normal stress or pressure versus volumetric strain and uniaxial strain principal stress difference versus pressure relations for qualitative comparison with observed test phenomena. The constitutive equations of a classical Prandtl-Reuss material and the behavior of this ideal model for conditions of uniaxial strain are included in an appendix for reference and informational purposes. (Author).

Describes the culture, history, and lifestyle of the ancient Greeks.

Life in 16th century England under Queen Elizabeth I. 10 yrs+

Glazed ceramics, through their physical resilience and social relevance, have become a persistent indicator of cultural contact in Southeast Asia for over a millennium of the region''s history. This lavishly illustrated historical survey includes introductions to technical and stylistic aspects of the ceramic traditions of China, Vietnam, and Thailand, over two hundred illustrations of stoneware and porcelain ceramics, and an extensive biography.

Royalty.

This book investigates the norms and values of Tudor and early-Stuart politics, which are considered in the contexts of law and the Reformation, legal and administrative institutions, and classical and legal humanism. Main themes include ''imperial'' monarchy and the theory of ''counsel'', Parliament and the royal supremacy, conciliar politics and organization, the relationship of law and equity, and the jurisdictional rivalry between the courts of common law and canon law. The author argues that norms of Tudor England were sufficiently pluralist to satisfy both ''absolutist'' and ''constitutionalist'' aspirations, whereas by 1628 they proved no longer effective as a mechanism for the orderly conduct of politics. The clash between two conflicting sets of values was translated into a clash of ideologies.

Court painting, both devotional and secular, has a long history in India and has inspired artists from diverse global traditions. This Bulletin features more than fifty stunning examples of Indian court painting by Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani, and Pahari artists all from the former collection of British painter Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017). The works featured include stunning portraits, beautifully detailed text illustrations, studies of the natural world, and devotional subjects. Authors explore Hodgkins’s interest in these works and the relationship between his collecting and artistic practice while also providing detailed discussions of individual styles of the Indian courts and the vibrant exchange across their kingdoms from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.

The Teacher''s Resource Guides provide over 100 activities and reproducible worksheets to support the books and extend students'' reading skills. Each is 8-1/2 x 11 and 16 pages. A key at the end of each guide provides answers and sample responses. The activities are built around the essential elements in reading literacy as identified by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.