Elizabeth

Two attractively illustrated volumes mark Queen Elizabeth's golden jubilee this year. Elizabeth: Fifty Glorious Years is by Jennie Bond, who has covered the tumult at Buckingham Palace for the last 25 years as BBC royal correspondent. In this decade-by-decade chronicle, Bond aims to paint a somewhat intimate portrait of the queen as a ""working mother"" who respects her children's wishes and whims (however much she may disapprove) and would rather be out with her dogs and horses than doing almost anything else. Close followers of the royals will probably not learn much that's new, but will enjoy the detailed trip down memory lane which reviews all the important scandals and state affairs and the many photos. (May)