Description

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘As gripping as any thriller. History doesn’t get any better than this’ BILL BRYSON
‘A brilliant read … Game of Thrones but in the real world’ ANTHONY HOROWITZ
PICKED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 BY THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN, THE DAILY MAIL AND THE DAILY EXPRESS.

The sinking of the White Ship in 1120 is one of the greatest disasters England has ever suffered. In one catastrophic night, the king’s heir and the flower of Anglo-Norman society were drowned and the future of the crown was thrown violently off course.

In a riveting narrative, Charles Spencer follows the story from the Norman Conquest through to the decades that would become known as the Anarchy: a civil war of untold violence that saw families turn in on each other with English and Norman barons, rebellious Welsh princes and the Scottish king all playing a part in a desperate game of thrones. All because of the loss of one vessel – the White Ship – the medieval Titanic.

‘Highly enjoyable’ Simon Heffer
‘Brilliant’ Dan Jones
‘Fascinating’ Tom Bower

The #2 Sunday Times bestseller on Sunday 18 June 2021

Publisher Review

Praise for The White Ship

‘Out of a 900-year-old moment of heart-stopping tragedy, Charles Spencer conjures an exhilarating narrative full of incident and insight. Here is the story, marvellously told, of the post-Conquest kings – and one almost-queen – of England: unpredictable, violently dramatic, and never less than compelling.’ Helen Castor

Praise for Charles Spencer’s To Catch A King

‘Authoritative narrative history with the pace of a Jason Bourne film’, Books of the Year, Evening Standard

‘A truly thrilling tale which Spencer, a natural storyteller, delivers with erudition and wit … an exhilarating read’ Daily Telegraph

‘A book of quite extraordinary period atmosphere, the most diligent research and an appropriately cracking pace’ Sunday Express

‘It’s a wonderful tale, and Spencer tells it with journalistic flair’ The Times

‘Riveting…’To Catch a King’ is as gripping as any thriller’ Sunday Telegraph

‘One of the joys of this book…is just how close the reader gets to the action. The day-by-day account of the fugitive’s doings provide delicious details. Charles Spencer is the perfect person to pass the story onto a new generation. His pacey, readable prose coasts elegantly through the great tale. ‘To Catch a King’ is a cracking read and those who come to it knowing little of the famous tale will find they have a treat in store’ Literary Review

‘In this pacey slice of narrative history Charles Spencer…constructs this spare but atmospheric account of six weeks that changed the course of English history’ Mail on Sunday