Lewis & Clark Library Blog

The King's Grave by Philippa Langley; Michael Jones           (nonfiction)
The first full-length book about the discover of Richard III's remains by the person who led the archeology team and the historian whose book spurred her on The mystery of who Richard III really was has fascinated historians, readers and audiences familiar with Shakespeare's dastardly portrait of a hunchback monster of royalty for centuries. Earlier this year, the remains of a man with a curving spine, who possible was killed in battle, were discovered underneath the paving of a parking lot in Leicester, England. Phillipa Langley, head of The Richard III Society, spurred on by the work of the historian Michael Jones, led the team of who uncovered the remains, certain that she had found the bones of the monarch. When DNA verification later confirmed that the skeleton was, indeed, that of King Richard III, the discovery ranks among the great stories of passionate intuition and perseverance against the odds. The news of the discovery of Richard's remains has been widely reported by the British as well as worldwide and was front page news for both theNew York Times andThe Washington Post. Many believe that now, with King Richard III's skeleton in hand, historians will finally begin to understand what happened to him following the Battle of Bosworth Field (twenty miles or so from Leicester) and, ultimately, to know whether he was the hateful, unscrupulous monarch of Shakespeare's drama or a much more benevolent king interested in the common man. Written in alternating chapters, with Richard's 15th century life told by historian Michael Jones (author of the critically acclaimed Bosworth - 1485) contrasting with the 21st century eyewitness account of the search and discovery of the body by Philippa Langley, The King's Grave will be both an extraordinary portrait of the last Plantagenet monarch and the inspiring story of the archaeological dig that finally brings the real King Richard III into the light of day.

Rachel says, "The movie is The Lost King  and the book is The King's Grave by Phillippa Langley. Both describe the process in which Langley fought and ultimately was victorious in finding the bones of the last English King to die in battle: Richard III. The coolest part for me was how Ms. Langley visited the car park in Leicester early in her search and got a feeling in her bones that she was standing over Richard's final resting place and looked down to see an "R" painted on the pavement. Talk about chills!"
Find The King's Grave in the library catalog Here     
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