The Magnificent Century, the second volume of Costain's A History of the Plantagenets, covers Henry III's long and turbulent reign, from 1216 to 1272. During his lifetime Henry was frequently unpopular, unreliable and inconsistent. Yet his reign saw spectacular advancement in the arts, sciences and theology, as well as in government. Despite all, it was truly a magnificent century. "Combines a love of the subject with factual history. . .a great story." (San Francisco Chronicle)
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"Well-researched facts recounted with really liberal amounts of historical imagination make this highly readable for people interested in history who don't necessarily like to read dry textbooks."
— Maria (4 out of 5 stars)
" The style of writing is a bit dated and as a result I found it a bit of a slog to get through. However well worth the effort "
— Jacinta, 1/12/2014" Second in the series. I actually read these a few years ago so this is simply a review of what happened. Given all the novels that are coming out about that time, I would recommend this series for someone who wants an overview of what really happened. "
— Coleen, 12/31/2013" Great book on the 13 th century. Didn't know about Henry iii before this. "
— Sonya, 12/12/2013" really fun, chewy history "
— Rosina, 1/16/2012" This is history that reads like a novel. "
— Judie, 11/24/2011" My least favorite of Costain's 4 Plantagenet books. Henry III was a pretty dismal guy. "
— Jerod, 8/31/2011" One of my most favorite historical fiction writers! "
— Tracy, 6/6/2011" I've gotten accustomed to the narrator's voice, so this was a very quick read. It was fun, but I'd recommend A Distant Mirror instead. "
— Thomas, 9/28/2010" Great book if you enjoy english history, the century in question is the 13th. "
— Curt, 9/6/2010" Second in the four volume series Henry III, Simon de Montfort and death of Henry III "
— Yvonne, 1/26/2010" This account of King Henry III's long and turbulent reign, from 1216 to 1272 is a very readable volume of British history. "
— Linda, 11/20/2009" Yet another great job by Costain in his examination of medieval England, this one focusing on the 13th century and the long reign of Henry III. Just one more to go in this 4 book series. "
— John, 7/20/2009Thomas B. Costain (1885–1965) was born in Brantford. He attended high school there as well as the Brantford Collegiate Institute. His career as a writer began in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge on January 12, 1910 and they had two children. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean’s magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of the Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
David Case was a distinguished narrator who recorded over 700 audiobooks, was nominated for a Grammy Award, and received numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for his narrations. AudioFile magazine named him a Golden Voice.
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.