Lucy Worsley Popular Books
Lucy Worsley Biography & Facts
Lucy Worsley (born 18 December 1973) is a British historian, author, curator and television presenter. She is joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces but is best known as a presenter of BBC Television and Channel 5 series on historical topics. Early life and education Worsley was born in Reading, Berkshire, to Peter and Enid (née Kay) Worsley. Her father taught geology at Reading University, while her mother was a consultant in educational policy and practice. Before going to university, Worsley attended The Abbey School, Reading, St Bartholomew's School, Newbury, and West Bridgford School, Nottingham. She studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, graduating in 1995 with a BA First-class honours degree. In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree from the University of Sussex. As a child Worsley played piano from the age of four, took lessons for 15 years and passed all of her piano grades. Of her teacher, Miss Beaumont, she later said: "At the time I was terrified of her but in retrospect she gave me a great gift of self-discipline and self-reliance. She made me strive for excellence and work hard. To help somebody to get better and really to challenge them, that's a rare and valuable thing." Career Curator and academic Worsley began her career as a historic house curator at Milton Manor, near Abingdon, in the summer of 1995, before working for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. From 1996 to 2002, she was an inspector of historic buildings for English Heritage in the East Midlands region. During that time, she studied the life of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle and wrote the English Heritage guide to his home, Bolsover Castle. In 2001, she was awarded a DPhil degree from the University of Sussex for a thesis on The Architectural Patronage of William Cavendish, first Duke of Newcastle, 1593–1676. The thesis was later developed into Worsley's book Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion and Great Houses published in 2007. During 2002–2003, she was the major projects and research manager for Glasgow Museums before becoming chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity responsible for maintaining the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, the Banqueting House in Whitehall and Kew Palace in Kew Gardens. She oversaw the £12 million refurbishment of the Kensington Palace state apartments and gardens completed in 2012. In 2005, she was elected a senior research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London; she was also appointed visiting professor at Kingston University in west London. Television In 2011, Worsley presented the four-part television series If Walls Could Talk, exploring the history of British homes, from peasants' cottages to palaces; and the three-part series Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency. In 2012 she co-presented the three-part television series Antiques Uncovered, with antiques and collectibles expert Mark Hill, and (broadcast at the same time) Harlots, Housewives and Heroines, a three-part series on the lives of women after the Civil War and the Restoration of Charles II. Later that year she presented a documentary on Dorothy Hartley's Food in England as part of the BBC Four "Food and Drink" strand. Her BBC series A Very British Murder (and the accompanying book, also released as The Art of the English Murder) examined the "morbid national obsession" with murder. The series looked at a number of cases from the 19th century, beginning with the Ratcliff Highway murders which gained national attention in 1811, the Red Barn Murder of 1826 and the "Bermondsey Horror" case of Frederick and Maria Manning in 1849. In 2014, the three-part series The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain explored the contributions of the German-born kings George I and George II. The series explained why the Hanoverian George I came to be chosen as a British monarch, how he was succeeded by his very different son George II and why, without either, the current United Kingdom would likely be a very different place. The series emphasises the positive influence of these kings whilst showing the flaws in each. A Very British Romance, a three-part series for BBC Four, was based on the romantic novels and sought to uncover the forces shaping our very British idea of 'happily ever after' and how our feelings have been affected by social, political and cultural ideas. In 2016, Worsley presented the three-part documentary Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia with Lucy Worsley in January and Lucy Worsley: Mozart's London Odyssey in June. In September 2016, she was filming an upcoming series A Very British History for BBC Four. In December she presented and appeared in dramatised accounts of the three-part BBC series Six Wives with Lucy Worsley. In 2017, she presented a three-part series entitled British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley, debunking historical views of the Wars of the Roses, the Glorious Revolution and the British occupation of India. In 2019, Worsley presented American History's Biggest Fibs, looking at the nation's founding story and American Revolution, the American Civil War, and the Cold War. During February and March 2020 the first series of Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley was shown on BBC Four; the three-part series discovers how the history of The Reformation, The Spanish Armada and Queen Anne and the Union have been manipulated and mythologised. In November 2020, the second series of Royal History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley aired on BBC2, covering the myths behind The French Revolution, George IV and The Russian Revolution. In 2022 Lucy Worsley Investigates began running. The one hour programme investigates major events in British History, including The Black Death, The Madness of King George, and The Princes in the Tower. On 22 June 2023, she presented the The Krypton Factor-style quiz show Puzzling, which made its debut on Channel 5 and there are 13 episodes. Writing Worsley has published a number of books, many guides to houses and the like. Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court (2011) is her most recent work on history. In 2014, BBC Books published her book, A Very British Murder, which was based on the series. In April 2016, Worsley published her debut children's novel, Eliza Rose, about a young noble girl in a Tudor Court. In 2017, Worsley published a biography of Jane Austen titled Jane Austen at Home: A Biography. Worsley also wrote the young-adult book Lady Mary, a history-based book that details the life of Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon; it follows her as a young Princess Mary during the time of the divorce of Mary's parents. Personal life Worsley lives in Southwark by the River Thames in south London with her husband, architect Mark Hines, whom she married in November 2011. With reference to having children, Worsley once said she .... Discover the Lucy Worsley popular books. 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Best Seller Lucy Worsley Books of 2024
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The Conquest of New Spain
Bernal Diaz Del Castillo & John CohenVivid, powerful and absorbing, this is a firstperson account of one of the most startling military episodes in history: the overthrow of Montezuma's doomed Aztec Empire by the ruth...
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The Favourite
Ophelia Field'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely d...
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James II
David WomersleyThe short, actionpacked reign of James II (168588) is generally seen as one of the most catastrophic in British history. James managed, despite having access to tremendous reserve...
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Perception
Terri FlemingOne wealthy bachelor. Two Bennet sisters lacking prospects. Can either defy expectations? 'A charmingly written evocation of what might have happened to the remaining Bennet siste...
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The First Bohemians
Vic GatrellThe colourful, salacious and sumptuously illustrated story of Covent Garden the creative heart of Georgian London from Wolfson Prizewinning author Vic GatrellSHORTLISTED FOR THE ...
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Ask A Historian
Greg Jenner'Brilliantly funny' SHAPARAK KHORSANDI'Immensely enjoyable' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE'Every page contains delights' LINDSEY FITZHARRISWhy is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? How fa...
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Restoration London
Liza PicardHow did you clean your teeth in the 1660s? What makeup did you wear? What pets did you keep?Making use of every possible contemporary source, Liza Picard presents an engrossing pic...
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The Penguin Social History of Britain
Roy PorterA portrait of 18th century England, from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered include diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals...
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Emma
Jane AustenDiscover the classic story behind the major new film'Jane Austen's Emma is her masterpiece, mixing the sparkle of her early books with a deep sensibility' Observer Emma is young, r...
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Gainsborough
James HamiltonSelected as a Book of the Year in The Times, Sunday Times and Observer 'Compulsively readable the pages seem to turn themselves' John Carey, Sunday Times 'Brings one of the very ...
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Hush, Little Baby
Shane DunphyFive heartstopping true stories of terror and triumph, told by the man who tried to make life better for these troubled children ...Clive, a thirteenyearold victim of terrifying de...
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The New Book of Snobs
D.J. Taylor'Hugely enjoyable' AN Wilson, Sunday Times'Thoughtful, entertaining and enjoyable' Michael Gove, Book of the Week, The TimesInspired by William Makepeace Thackeray, the first great...
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Man and the Natural World
Sir Keith Thomas'Man and the Natural World, an encyclopaedic study of man's relationship to animals and plants, is completely engrossing ... It explains everything why we eat what we do, why we ...
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Tove Jansson
Dr Tuula Karjalainen & David McDuffThe definitive illustrated biography of one of the most unique and beloved children's authors of the 20th century, the creator of the Moomins. Tove Jansson (19142001) led a long, c...
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Georgian London
Lucy InglisIn Georgian London: Into the Streets, Lucy Inglis takes readers on a tour of London's most formative age the age of love, sex, intellect, art, great ambition and fantastic ruin. T...
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Naked
Kevin BrooksLondon, 1976: a summer of chaos, punk, love . . . and the boy they called Billy the Kid.It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It w...
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Masters of the Post
Duncan Campbell-SmithThe origins of the Post Office go back to the early years of the Tudor monarchy: Brian Tuke, a former King's Bailiff in Sandwich, was acknowledged as the first 'Master of the Posts...
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Hunting People
Hunter DaviesHunter Davies's first major interview was with John Masefield for The Sunday Times in 1963. In the years since, he has interviewed many of the most famous people that the late ...
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Brideshead Abbreviated
John CraceJohn Crace's 'Digested Read' column in the Guardian has rightly acquired a cult following. Each week fans avidly devour his latest razorsharp literary assassination, while authors ...
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The Palace
Gareth RussellA “riotously readable…tender and affectionate” (Daily Mail, London) exploration of five hundred years of British historyfrom King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth IIas seen through th...
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The Mousetrap
Agatha Christie'Even more thrilling than the plot is the atmosphere of shuddering suspense . . . No one brews it better than Agatha Christie' Daily ExpressFor more than 70 years, Agatha Christie'...