The Reign and Abdication of Edward VIII

by Michael Bloch

A detailed history of Edward VIII, including the "abdication crisis", this account draws on unpublished material from Edward's private archives. An authority on his life and reign, Bloch has written four bestselling books on the subject, including "The Duke of Windsor's War" and "Operation Willi".

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 1990

Reviews

[Colin]

This is a well researched, well written and balanced narrative of the reign of King Edward VIII in 1936. Bloch lets matters speak for themselves and one is left with the impression of a group of people trying to do their best to resolve a matter that boiled down to Edward's devotion and dependency on Wallis, such that he was prepared to throw over his position and status. Whether Edward VIII would have been as wise and good a monarch as his successor is for another discussion. Take this book on its merits and, without emotion or sermonizing, the reader gets a fair assessment of this tragic episode.

[Suzanne]

If this book is accurate it means Wallis Simpson was not the awful person she is historically made out to be .

[Gillian Woodcock]

Of itself, it is interesting in that the author actually knew the Duchess of Windsor, but I found it rather hard going. Maybe the style of writing is a little turgid to modern taste. Maybe I have grown accustomed to a more subjective narrative style. I think any criticism of the book reflects badly on me, not the author.