Henry VIII: Man and Monarch

More bloggers' reactions - 4

We're into the last couple of weeks of the exhibition now, but there's still a steady run of blogged reviews.

Mark of Made by Geeks certainly enjoyed his visit: "My mind reels at the thought that I was eight inches away from something Henry VIII himself sat down and wrote, a passionate letter to the woman he loved."

Meanwhile there's a mention of us on Eve's resolute and very affecting blog Venceremos; and elsewhere, Lord Toby Harris was inspired by the exhibition enough to buy David Starkey's new book on Henry - with his own cash, not on expenses...

Alison Weir podcast: bonus MP3

If you enjoyed the Alison Weir podcast we talked about yesterday, hear this bonus MP3 of audience questions and answers following the lecture, introduced by historian Tracy Borman (31min 0sec, 17.7MB):

(Or play it in your default media player.)

New podcast: Alison Weir on Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was a femme fatale in all senses of the word. Henry's love for her - and his subsequent divorce from Katharine of Aragon which came at the cost of the split with Rome - changed the course of English history. It was a love that turned to hate, however, culminating in Anne's execution. But did she die an innocent victim?

Alison Weir is one of Britain's best-loved and most-read historians. Her works include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Henry VIII: King and Court and Mary, Queen of Scots. Her next book will be a detailed account of Anne's dramatic and controversial imprisonment and execution.

In this intriguing talk on Anne's rise and fall, Weir makes a compelling case that she went to her death a wronged woman. (34 min, MP3)

(Or play it in your default media player.)

More bloggers' reactions - 3

More blog reviews from exhibition visitors:

• 'A joy to look at' Mieke Gouda found explaining it all to a nine-year-old an entertaining challenge

• 'Highly intelligent exhibition' Cathy Linacre liked it so much she suggests two visits

•'We spent three hours working through the exhibition' Joe found himself absorbed by it all

Fire! Henry saw Scarborough as a 'boom' town, map shows

The Yorkshire coastal town of Scarborough is buzzing today with the revelations that Henry VIII considered it one of his key strongholds in the battle against those untrustworthy Continentals.

We know this, says today's Yorkshire Post, thanks to a hitherto unknown map that was unearthed during the preparations for the exhibition.

The map shows that Scarborough Castle had a big fat cannon, the sort of firepower that was reserved for ports of strategic importance.

Like Henry we're keen on Scarborough, a handsome and sturdy resort town full of the down-to-earth friendliness that characterises north-east Yorkshire. It's also a fine base for cycling and walking, though maybe the later Henry would have been keener on the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

More bloggers' reactions - 2

More people have been blogging about their trips to the exhibition. Here's some of the latest...

• 'If you want to know what proper historians really do, there is no better place... everyone interested in English history should go' Paul Lay, editor of History Today, must like it - he's been three times

• 'Wonderful... you should make an effort to see it. It really is phenomenal' Secret Agent Librarian thinks the British Library rocks

• 'I am now sort of an expert on the British royals from Henry VII to Queen Anne. Ha!' Racheya visited our friends at Hampton Court too

It's Henry the 8pm from 27 July

A reminder that you can stay later at the Library from 27 July. The Henry VIII exhibition will be open until 8pm every Monday to Thursday. The Reading Rooms and Shop are also open until 8pm on those days.

New podcast: Henry's Great Bible

The Great Bible, produced for Henry VIII in 1539-41, was the first authorised Bible in English.

The illustration on the frontispiece, showing Henry taking the Word from God and passing it down to the people, is impressive enough.

But as Richard Rex of Queens' College, Cambridge, tells Rob Ainsley, what's hidden behind its surface reveals much about Henry, his religion, and his politics. (MP3, 10min, 4MB)

Or play in your default media player

More about the Great Bible

It's Henry the Late-th from 27 July

Busy during the day? Our hours are longer in high summer. From 27 July, the Henry VIII exhibition will be open until 8pm every Monday to Thursday.

(The Reading Rooms and Shop are also open until 8pm on those days.)

New podcast: Henry myths busted

We've put another new podcast: Henry VIII - Myths and Reality (17 min, 7.8MB).

Clichés about Henry abound. But many are the products of film fantasy rather than fact. So here we ask people in the street to tell us what they think they know about England's most talked-about king - and then exhibition guest curator David Starkey puts the record straight.