Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy

Some info in the book is inaccurate, such as names, titles, birth, death & marriage dates. Many children are not even listed. Alison Weir has listed only the children & descendants she was aware of. Further in-depth research could have been done by researching libraries, town hall records, genealogy centers, etc. Still, not a bad source for info.

I know I lot of people would say this book is boring and very dry but I love it!Pro(1) it has dates of birth and dates of death(2) it has each persons name their parents their childrenCon(1) it is confusing as all get out trying to read this book the pro that it has each persons name their date of birth and their date of death plus their parents and their children also gets very confusing because that person will be in the book 4 or five times and you’re trying to figure out is it the same person is it a different person with the same name and it gets very very confusing

I first got an earlier edition of this book in paperback. At that time there was no other easy reference to find who "Prince Eddy" might have been in the Victorian Era, which of Henry I's numerous illegitimate offspring died in the White Ship, or which royal Duke of Kent Princess Marina of Greece married.If you don't have the "Trivial Pursuit" type of mind that has to follow up that kind of reference in a totally unrelated book or article, you may still enjoy the nuggets of information embedded in the summary biographies and the brief descriptions of the various dynasties. How often do you find an opening sentence such as, "The Tudors came from bastard stock." describing that notable dynasty or "...Every monarch of Britain since has been a usurper..." concerning the purported marriage of George III to a commoner before his official marriage?My only criticism might be that a three-dimensional, color-coded diagram would often be useful and that is the fault of the individuals being described, not the author.I have found it so useful that I recently purchased an electronic version to carry around with me.

This is a great reference book for anglophiles and lovers of history. I began my love of English history by researching the Tudor line. I read a number of books on Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Once I sated my thirst for these two influential rulers, I decided to go back to the previous king and his family. Pretty soon I figured I might as well start at the beginning to understand the names, families, and places within a linear historical perspective. Mind you, this book is dense with names, royal rank, foreign/domestic intrigue, and legitimate/illegitimate 'issue'. It is a dry straight read because it is just the facts. However, it becomes a critical tool when investigating a particular dynasty, a battle, a family feud, and any number of political machinations. I will always keep this on my nightstand as a concise reference. I applaud Ms. Weir for her thorough research and refined discernment. Separating fact from mythology is a daunting task and she created an intellectually honest book..

I am being kind giving three stars.Perhaps Ms.Weir is taking advantage of poetic license, but the title, as you see, states her book of geneology is complete. It is not! I am a direct descendent of the Royal Stuart (and Stewart) monarchy, and was hoping to use this book for genealogical work on extended family. The only possible regard for the term "complete" in reference to her work is to say it completely omits certain posterity.I should have taken to heart other reviews that noted her bias against the Scottish lines.Word of warning: where the title says, "Britains Royal Families..." at best she is only referring to those in England.

This book is a fantastic amount of information packed into 400 + Pages! Because of my blood relations to families in this book I found it extreemly interesting ! People Ive never seen much information on are now right at my finger tips and I can learn about them as I put the information into my family tree. The only bad part was the book arrived very late, the United States postal service is a horrible shipping choice!

This is more of a reference book much like the Visitations of old. It is very comprehensive and easy to follow. There is a thorough bibliography, though I would have like some footnotes as well. Very useful.

This was my second purchase of Alison Weir's book; the first copy I have been using for quite a while and this most recent copy I purchased for another family member who is also doing genealogy work. I like this book primarily because it is one of the very few books containing the details of the royal families of the UK and it does so in such a format for easy use. Also, in other sources I have used to cross-reference Ms. Weir's book, I have yet to find what I would call a mistake, an error, a questionable entry or claims to know something which is yet unverified in what she has written. It is a superb work of history, which, according to Ms. Weir, took 22 years to compile; we should all be grateful she was willing and able to give the rest of us so much for so little effort on our part.

Fast delivery. Book was very enjoyable.

Good reference source.

I was very pleased with this book. It gave many details about the individuals included in the British Royal Family history. I am very interested in genealogy. I could trace many people in this book that I am personally descended from, so it was like reading about the history of my own family. It was very well researched and documented, and very easy to read. I loved it.

Comprehensive and helpful.

This book is a great resource for checking out the family lines. As a person who is interested in the lineages (and the genetics that tie in as a result of certain practices through the centuries) this book has turned into a wonderful resource for the classroom too. Also rather interesting to trace the families back while watching movies such as "The King's Speech". I wanted to know more about the dowager queen; I was quickly able to research her in this book. Awesome!