979 The Hollow Crown: A Life of Richard II, by Harold F. Hutchison (read 23 Nov 1968) I found this quite a fascinating book. Richard II was born Jan 6, 1367, at Bordeaux, the son of the Black Prince and the grandson of King Edward III. On June 21, 1377, Edward III died and Richard II succeeded. This book is quite an apologia for him, and yet is, I think, very interesting history. Maybe because I at the time I read this knew so little of the period. How, during Wat Tyler's revolt in 1381, Richard II said: "Let me be your leader," how the Lords Appellant killed Richard's friends in 1388, how Richard plotted and took revenge, how Henry Bolingbroke was deprived of his inheritance (he was John of Gaunt's heir) and then beat Richard and became Henry IV. After reading this fun book I said I should read more English history, since it really seems I knew little, despite having had a college course on English history about 20 years before I read this book. ( )