The King and the Gentleman; Charles Stuart and Oliver Cromwell 1599-1649 Hardcover - 1999

New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. First U.S. Edition [stated]. First printing [stated]. Hardcover. Good/Good. [6], 473, [1] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Ink notation on fep. Bottom of book had gotten wet. Pages are separate but some staining is evident. DJ has some wear, soiling, and a small tear. Derek Wilson has been a writer for 50 years. His much acclaimed prize-winning works have largely centered on 16th and 17th century Europe. Recent non-fiction triumphs include The Plantagenets, Holbein: Portrait of an Unknown Man, and Charlemagne: a Biography. Derek Wilson graduated from Cambridge and spent several years traveling and teaching in Africa before becoming a full-time writer and broadcaster in 1971. He has frequently written and appeared on radio and television and is popular as a public speaker having appeared at several literary festivals,British Museum, Hampton Court Palace, The British Library and other prestigious venues. Derived from a Kirkus review: Veteran historical biographer Wilson takes a long look at England's Charles I and the man who ultimately caused his downfall. Oliver Cromwell and Charles Stuart had little personal contact, and there is no detailed record of any meeting between them. Nonetheless, Wilson pens interesting portraits of the Scottish-born king whose religious and economic policies tore apart Great Britain and the zealous Protestant who rose from Member of Parliament to leader of the victorious "Ironsides" force and of the New Model Army, as well as signatory of Charles's death warrant. In separate biographical sections, Wilson does an admirable job of covering the complex religious and political schism that rocked England and Scotland, and summarizes for general readers the wealth of extant material on both men's lives.