Aristocrats: Power, Grace, and Decadence: Britain’s Ruling Classes from 1066 to the Present

Descended from the early knights, British nobility seized greater power with the Magna Carta, birthed English politics and performed a delicate balancing act with rulers who embraced the "divine right of kings," regardless of its effect on either the aristocracy or the impoverished lower classes. British historian James (The Middle Class: A History) effectively shows how these ambitious, proud families combined the "balance of public duty with private selfishness," transforming over the centuries from rugged warriors to Oxford-educated art collectors who expanded the British empire and occasionally started wars. Packed with rich, entertaining information on major nobles and an unusual depiction of the monarchs who irked them, James occasionally psychoanalyzes while fleshing out the reality behind these pre-media celebrities. Interestingly, the politically astute Shakespeare serves as a source on the nemesis of Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather without bolstering the argument that Richard III was an ineffectual tyrant. Regardless, anyone who indulges in modern interpretations of Tudor courts or relishes details of British historical undercurrents should enjoy James’s take on the power behind the British throne and the aristocracy’s current fight to remain relevant. 16 pages of color photos. (July)