The Coronation Book: The History and Legends of the Crowning of the British Monarchy

The crowning of a British monarch is one of the oldest, most colorful and most romantic rituals in the world. Its roots reach back through history into legend. Almost everything about the ceremony stems from distant tradition—from the officers who attend to the robes they wear and the tales of heroism and terror that surround the Crown Jewels. A born storyteller with a love of history who grew up in England, Leonard Wibberley (author of The Mouse That Roared) has brought together the varied and often inaccessible facts of the Coronation—a ceremony steeped in antiquity and unsurpassed in splendor—and has transformed them with skill and charm into a fascinating book rich in lore and humor. "With eyes turned this year to the big event in England, here is an absorbing portrait of its many aspects—legendary, historical, ceremonial—by a man who has Britain in his blood. With a light, yet befittingly serious informality, Mr. Wibberley tells of the symbolic meaning of the coronation and the Stone of Scone, the histories of the royal jewels and regalia, the functions of the various officers in attendance—stewards, heralds, marshalls—and finally the actual ceremony itself."—Kirkus Review 193 Pages.