Annette's little book

Just read Annette Carson's "Small Guide to the Great Debate," which was well worth the $5.27 for a Kindle book. I recommend it to any person who is just becoming familiar with Richard. She encourages traditionalists and Ricardians to stop attacking each other and try to examine the evidence and she points out some of the flaws in the two most-quoted early sources, Mancini and the Croyland Chronicle. She was surprisingly hard on Richard for arresting Rivers, Grey, and Vaughn, though. I would characterize that preemptive strike (which may well have involved a real conspiracy) as efficient rather than ruthless. She does, however, point out that the remaining Woodvilles could well have prevented the later executions by cooperating with Richard (coming out of sanctuary in EW's case and returning from abroad in the case of Dorset and Sir Edward). Instead, they continued to conspire. I especially liked her line regarding the execution of Hastings (after making the important point that he was acting within his authority as constable of England): "[E]ither we agree with Hastings's group that he was aiming at the crown and had to be removed, or we accept that Richard's actions arose from a disinclination to be assassinated." Nice but if understated ironic humor there, along with a seldom recognized truth.

Carol