Library member Peter Jackson writes about how his favourite author Jean Plaidy feeds his passion for history. If you have an author you'd like to recommend to other readers get in touch email contribute readon@rnib.org.uk
About Jean Plaidy
Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert wrote as Jean Plaidy and several other pseudonyms. She died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt. By the time of her death, the novels of Jean Plaidy had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. As Victoria Holt she sold 56 millon copies and as Philippa Carr, 3 million.
"In the days of my youth, I was a member of the National Library, because I was an avid and avaricious reader. But it wasn't until comparatively late in my life that I made the wonderful discovery of my most recent history teacher - Jean Plaidy: in fact, I am at present reading Queen of this realm, a book written about the life of Elizabeth I."
Even though these books are called novels they give such an insight to the fashions, trends, intrigues of the day, and there were plenty of the latter.
Above all, I feel I have a deeper understanding and sympathy for the characters, including Catherine of Aragon - so badly treated; Ann Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey, and so many more.
Extracts from her work
Here's an extract of the way she describes Elizabeth when thinking of her mother Ann Boleyn:
"There is one image of her which remains vividly in my mind, and as long as I live I will never forget it. I am in a courtyard and my fascinating mother is holding me in her arms. At one of the windows there appears a glittering figure - large, imposing, red-bearded. It is the king and she is trying to say something to him through me. She is holding my hand and waving it at him, appealingly, desperately, For a brief second he regards us with exasperated indifference before he turns away. That actually happened. Later I discovered it took place three or four days before she was arrested and taken to the tower."
Just one more extract which is a commentary of the 16th century in which Elizabeth was living. Elizabeth says:
"I could rejoice in those early twenty-five years - and indeed all through my life have done so - because during them I learned many a bitter lesson and it has been my endeavour never to forget one of them. I was young, lacking experience in the ways of men and women; and over my defenceless head - as dangerously as it ever did over that of Damocles - hung the sword of destruction. One false step, one thoughtless word, even a smile or a frown and down would come that sword depriving me of my life. I believe my teacher, Jean Plaidy, had a heart for history, and shares that heart with anybody in her books. "
Thanks to Peter for that and the library has lots of titles by Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr.