Tudor Library

Tudor Books

Each Tuesday, on my Facebook page, I run a segment called ‘Tudor Bookshelf Tuesday’ where I invite people to share photos of their treasured Tudor books whether they be housed in a formal ‘library’, on a bedside table or just wherever space permits!

I regularly share pictures of my own much loved and well-worn collection and on numerous occasions have been asked to list the Tudor books that I own – so here it is! I have organised them into fiction and non-fiction and then in groups including Anne Boleyn, Six Wives, Children of Henry VIII etc.

Most of these books you will find for sale at On the Tudor Trail’s Amazon Bookstore here. You will find a list of Anne Boleyn fiction books here.

I will do my best to add to the list as new additions take their place on my shelves. I hope this is useful!

Fiction

Anne Boleyn by E. Barrington

Brief Gaudy Hour by Barnes

At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill

To Die For by Sandra Byrd

The Queen of Subtleties: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Suzannah Dunn

Dear Heart, How Like You This? By Wendy J. Dunn

The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

The Concubine by Norah Lofts

Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

The King’s Secret Matter by Jean Plaidy

The Lady Raised High by Laurien Gardner

Anne Boleyn by Evelyn Anthony

Anne Boleyn by Margaret Heys

The French Executioner by C.C. Humphreys

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Virgin and the Crab by Robert Parry

Virgin by Robin Maxwell

Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain by Margaret Irwin

Elizabeth by Margaret George

The Secret Keeper by Sandra Byrd

In A Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener

Keeper of the King’s Secrets by Michelle Diener

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett

The Virgin Widow by Anne O’Brien

Raven Queen by Pauline Francis

Uneasy Lies the Head by Jean Plaidy

The Sixth Wife by Jean Plaidy

Katharine the Virgin by Jean Plaidy

St Thomas’s Eve by Jean Plaidy

Dissolution by C. J Sansom

Sovereign by C. J Sansom

Heartstone by C. J. Sansom

Martyr by Rory Clements

The Shakespeare Curse by J. L Carrell

The Courier’s Tale by Peter Walker

Sacred Treason by James Forrester

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau

At the King’s Command by Susan Wigg

The Voyage of the Destiny by Robert Nye

When Knighthood was in Flower by Caskode

A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir

A Likeness by Sonia Overall

Her Highness the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham

The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George

VIII by H. M. Castor

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

The Women of the Cousins War by Philippa Gregory

Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham

Figures of Silk by Vanora Bennett

The House of Lanyon by Valerie Anand

The House of Allerbrook by Valerie Anand

The Exiled by Posie Graham Evans

The Last Queen by C.W Gortner

The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner

Non Fiction

Anne Boleyn

Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn by Miss Benger

The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives

The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir

Anne Boleyn by P. Friedmann

The Life of Anne Boleyn by Philip W. Sergeant

Anne Boleyn by Elizabeth Norton

Anne Boleyn by Norah Lofts

The Early Loves of Anne Boleyn by Josephine Wilkinson

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England’s Tragic Queen

Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions by George Bernard

Anne Boleyn by Elizabeth Norton

The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Retha M. Warnicke

The Anne Boleyn Collection by Claire Ridgway

Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

The Boleyns by David Loades

Anne Boleyn by Carolly Erickson

Six Wives

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Paul Rival

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by David Loades

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

Six Wives by David Starkey

Katherine the Queen by Linda Porter

Queen Katherine Parr by Anthony Martienssen

Catherine Parr by Susan James

Catherine of Aragon: Henry’s Spanish Queen by Giles Tremlett

Catherine Howard by Lacy Baldwin Smith

Jane Seymour by Elizabeth Norton

Anne of Cleves by Elizabeth Norton

Mary Boleyn

Mary Boleyn by Alison Weir

Mary Boleyn by Josephine Wilkinson

Thomas Wyatt

Graven With Diamonds: The Many Lives of Thomas Wyatt: Courtier, Poet, Assasin, Spy by Nicola Shulman

The Complete Poems of Thomas Wyatt

Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser

Mary Queen of Scots by Carol Schaeffer

Lady Jane Grey

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen by Leanda De Lisle

Lady Jane Grey by Hester W. Chapman

Lady Jane Grey by Alison Plowden

Henry VIII

The Divorce of Henry VIII by Catherine Fletcher

The Inventory of King Henry VIII – The Transcript

The Last Days of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson

Henry: Virtuous Prince by David Starkey

Great Harry’s Navy by Geoffrey Moorhouse

In the Lion’s Court by Derek Wilson

Henry VIII: 500 Facts Historic Royal Palaces

The Reign of Henry VIII Edited by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Henry VIII’s Last Victim by Jessie Childs

Other Notable Tudors

Winter King by Thomas Penn

Drake by Stephen Coote

Bess of Hardwick by Mary S. Lovell

Wolsey by Hilaire Beloc

Shakespeare by Anthony Burges

The Pilgrimage of Grace by Geoffrey Moorhouse

Children of Henry VIII

The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir

May Tudor by David Loades

Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey

Queen Elizabeth by John Hearsey

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Edward VI: The Threshold of Power by W.K Jordan

The Tudors

The Private Lives of the Tudor Monarchs selected and edited by Christopher Falkus

Rivals in Power Edited by David Starkey

Henry VIII’s King & Court by Alison Weir

Henry VIII and His Court by Neville Williams

Henry VIII: A European Court in England Edited by David Starkey

The Tudor Court by David Loades

The Tudors by Richard Rex

Tudor England – Volume 1 by David Harrison

Tudor England – Volume 2 by David Harrison

The Earlier Tudors 1485-1558 (The Oxford History of England)

The Tudor Chronicles by Susan Doran

In Bed With The Tudors by Amy Licence

Life in Tudor England

Life in Tudor England by Penry Williams

Tudor Costume & Fashion by Herbert Norris

The Tudor Tailor by Ninya Mikhaila & Jane Malcolm-Davies

Birth, Marriages & Death by David Cressy

Food and Feast in Tudor England by Alison Sim

All the King’s Cooks by Peter Brears

Tudor & Stuart Gardens by Anne Jennings

Tudor Houses Explained by Trevor Yorke

Pleasures & Pastimes in Tudor England by Alison Sim

The Tudor Housewife by Alison Sim

The Pelican History of England

The Tudor Remedy Book

Tudor Buildings & Architecture

Uncovering Acton Court and the Poyntz Family

The Tower of London (Readers Digest)

Traitors of the Tower by Alison Weir

The Royal Palaces of Tudor England by Simon Thurley

Hampton Court: A Social and Architectural History by Simon Thurley

The History of the King’s Works, Volume IV General Editor H. M. Colvin

The Early Tudor Country House: Architecture and Politics 1490-1550 by Maurice Howard

The Early Tudors at Home by Elizabeth Burton

What’s Left of Henry VIII by Deborah Jaffe

The Private Life of Palaces Historic Royal Palaces

The History and Restoration of Pashley Manor

Pashley Manor and Gardens

The Vyne by Maurice Howard & Edward Wilson

The Time Traveller’s Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer

A Visitor’s Companion to Tudor England by Suzannah Lipscomb

Medieval and Tudor England: Day Trips South of England by Sarah Valente Kettler & Carole Trimble

The Amateur Historians Guide to Medieval and Tudor London by Sarah Valente Kettler & Carole Trimble

Guidebooks

The Tower of London

Hampton Court Palace

Hever Castle & Gardens

Windsor Castle

Blickling Hall

The Vyne

Winchester

Elizabethan England

Elizabeth’s London by Liza Picard

The Elizabethan Underworld by Gamini Salgado

The Queen’s Majesty’s Passage & Related Documents edited by Germaine Warkentin

Miscellaneous

London: The Concise Biography by Peter Ackroyd

The Drama of Coronation by Alice Hunt

English Aristocratic Women by Barbara J. Harris

Tudor Women by Alison Plowden

Holbein Portrait Drawings

Holbein – Every Painting

The Lisle Letters Edited by Muriele St Clare Byrne

Blood & Roses by Helen Castor

Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir

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Comments

  1. I recommend “The making of the Tudor Dynasty” by RA Griffiths and RS Thomas
    This book relates the Welsh origins of the Tudor Dynasty from Ednyfed Fychan, a major supporter of Llywelyn the Great to Henry VII the first and greatest Tudor king.

  2. Joy LaBarr says:

    WOW, what a wonderful collection!!!!! Of course mine pales in comparison, LOL, but ty for making a list of your books, gives me more titles and authors to browse, and hopefully buy as I can 🙂

  3. Trish McGee says:

    Found this site after watching first two of Downton Abby. Also watched the mini series The Tudors. My son’s girlfriend was able to visit England, Ireland, and Wales and brought a book able Anne Boyelyn as a gift for me. My ancestors were from England. One fought in the American Revolution! Was able to find that he was buried in a place very close to where use to reside. Looked up his name on Internet and apparently a book written about his family! What I found from my research is that it appears he was born in an area that was part of the a Northern Alliance during the reign of Henry VIII. Am very curious about this as I am about most English History since both sides of my family were listed as being English, Welsh, or Scottish. What is best book to read to understand what each were like during different periods and what that may have meant about them! My ancestors last name was Dent, Williams, Jarman, and Thompson!

  4. I just found this article with all the books! I was making my own list but if I want to find new ones to add I know where I can pick up titles! Thank you for sharing it!

  5. Mary Louise says:

    Good Gracious! Thank you for sharing the titles in your library with us! Much appreciated. Would love to compare titles. I know that you have some that I lack and vice versa. I also have quite an extensive collection of Historical Romance Novels set in the period primarily written by classic romance authors, Bertrice Small, Virginia Henley and Jude Deveraux amongst others. What a Lovely Collection!

    • Thanks Mary! I must update my list, as it has really grown since I posted this. I’ll try and do this in the next few weeks. Thanks for saying hello! Natalie

  6. As a descendant of Maredudd ap Tudur , I would like to congratulate you on a brilliant and informative library.R.A Griffiths is a most intelligent and worthy historian.

  7. Tiffany Sears says:

    Hi Natalie,
    I found your website after feeling a certain sense of emptiness and yearning for England. My fist visit to Hampton Court was absolutely astounding and made me realize why I was always so fascinated in school by English History. I enjoyed reading through your list of books and cannot wait to delve into more history regarding The Tudors and Tudor England.
    I do have one question though; I could not help but notice that your list does not have that many of Philippa Gregory’s works. Is this a personal preference? Please share your thoughts with me because I am very curious to know. I have watched many documentaries and read many historical articles. I never got into the fiction portion of Tudor novels until Philippa Gregory. I couldn’t get enough of her writing.
    Again, thanks for the list and I would love to know your opinions!

    • Dear Tiffany,
      Welcome to On the Tudor Trail! I put together this list of books some time ago, I think it’s time I updated it with the many books that have joined this collection since. As for Philippa Gregory, I happen to think her fiction is wonderful. I particularly enjoyed ‘The White Queen’, about the life of Elizabeth Woodville, set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses. I will endeavour to update this list with more titles soon!
      Best wishes,
      Natalie

  8. Janice Long says:

    Hi Natalie,
    Just wanted to say how informative your website is and thank you for listing your collection of books.
    I first picked up on your website when I was arranging my wedding last year. I love anything to do with Tudor history and I have been gradually increasing my collection as I get to read the books I have purchased! 23 and counting!
    I got married last year at Sudeley Castle and we had our blessing in St Mary’s chapel where Kathryn is buried.
    I have recently finished reading “She Wolves” and so Ian and I went to Le Mans and saw where the Plantagenets began and where Geoffrey is buried! We stayed in a lovely hotel and our room looked out onto the cathedral only a stones throw away! We then moved onto the chateau at Blois where Francis 1st lived and then we stayed at the lodge in the grounds of the chateau at Chambord, again our room looked out at the chateau and we could walk in the grounds at night when all the visitors had gone home, it was wonderful! Especially as it was Francis who met with Henry at “The Cloth of Gold”.
    Thank you for your website as really helped and inspired me to research further!
    Best wishes,

    Janice

    • Thank you for your lovely message, Janice! I really need to update this list but as I’m currently writing my second book, I’ve had very little time for anything else. Sudeley Castle is one of my favourite Tudor places, how lucky you are to have been married there. I’m sure all your photos are amazing! Best of luck with your research. Warm regards, Natalie.

  9. Check out the P.F. Chisholm series featuring Sir Robert Carey, son of Henry Carey, Baron Hunsdon. Sir Robert is up in Carlisle in the 1590s, with a mission to bring law and order to the reiver-ridden, very unsettled and lawless borderlands. First title is A Famine of Horses, publisher is Poisoned Pen Press.

    Another fiction series featuring lesser-known players is Anna Castle’s collection featuring Francis Bacon and his law students at Gray’s Inn. Not just a philosopher-statesman, Francis is called upon to collect intelligence for his uncle Lord Burghley, tracking down treasonous Catholics and other miscreants. First title is Murder by Misrule, published by author.

  10. JoeyMarie says:

    Wow! Thank you so much for this amazing site! I am (borderline) obsessed with everything Tudor, Plantagenet, Lancaster,all of it! I got a little worried that this was not an updated page seeing all the posts from 2012 until I scrolled down to see a post from just very recently! I wish I would have found this before. Again, thank you and keep em coming! ?

  11. Jacqueline says:

    Hello! Thank you for the exceptional book recommendations. I especially love the Mary Queen of Scots one as I have been having trouble picking out the best one to read. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for the Princes in the Tower? I’ve seen several books but would love one that seems to be the most accurate with the most up to date information. Thank you!
    Jacqueline

    • Hello Jacqueline, lovely to hear from you. I most certainly do have a recommendation about the princes. Matt Lewis has written a wonderful book entitled ‘The Survival of the Princes in the Tower’. I highly recommend it. You’ve also reminded me that it’s time to update this page with lots more titles. Watch this space!

  12. My ever growing to read list just quadrupled in length… what a wonderful site you have here. I listen to your podcasts all the time!!!! Just wondering if there were any good fiction or non fiction books about Anne Boleyn’s time in the courts of Margaret of Austria and Queen Claude of France??
    I have read many fiction novels, they only briefly cover this time, and I would love to indulge in Anne’s early life some more. Thanks! Rach

    • Hello Rachel, so glad you’re enjoying the podcast! As for fiction books about Anne’s early years, do check out Natalia Richards’ novels, The Falcon’s Rise and The Falcon’s Flight. I think you’ll really enjoy these!

  13. Beverly Sanchez says:

    I am so grateful for this list. Thanks so much. “Brief Gaudy Hour” was my first Tudor book. It was the one that drew me in. Natalie, Thanks so much for the podcasts they brighten my day, I learn so much and I am starting to listen to them all over again.

  14. Meredith Roberts says:

    I love book lists and this is stunning! It brings me so much joyful anticipation! I’ve been listening to your podcast for a couple of years or so and I love it! I’ve been thinking for a long time about becoming a Patreon & I think this next month will be the time for me to do it! Now just to decide what level. I’d love to be at the highest level because you are definitely worth it, but I have to fit it into my budget. Especially now that I see all these lovely books I also need to read! Thanks for all you do for Tudor history lovers!

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