The Dukes

· Random House
Ebook
416
Pages
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More

About this ebook

The origins of the non-royal dukes in the British peerage divide nicely into Tudor looters, Royal bastards, opportunist generals, territorial, metropolitan or Scottish magnates. Lloyd George said that a duke, fully equipped, cost more than a dreadnought to maintain and with their palaces, possessions and retinues, they are nearly all splendid. Some of them are, of course, now poor; some of them have great wealth; some of them hit every headline and others are obscure. But within each duchy, Brian Masters tells the story of quaint grandees determined to survive.

The Dukes is an essential guide that provides vital biographical information and explores the history of the dukes in unprecedented depth. This revised edition includes new information which was not available on first publication, and brings up to date the accounts of families whose titles have passed to a subsequent generation in the intervening years.

About the author

Brian Masters has written on a wide range of subjects, from dukes to gorillas to murderers. His account of the addictive killer Dennis Nilsen, Killing for Company, won the Gold Dagger Award in 1985, and he followed this with studies of Jeffrey Dahmer and Rosemary West. In between, there were biographies of John Aspinall, Georgina Duchess of Devonshire, Marie Corelli, and E. F. Benson, as well as a book on India and a celebration of Great Hostesses (such as Cunard and Colefax). His book on moral philosophy was entitled The Evil That Men Do. He also published his own memoirs, Getting Personal, in 2002.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.