Vivat Rex! An Exhibition Commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Accession of Henry VIII

The complicated personality and dramatic reign of England's King Henry VIII- visionary, tyrant, monarch, bully, defender of the faith, destroyer of monasteries, lover and libertine-have been immortalized (and fictionalized) in literature, on stage, and in film by leading writers of their generations. Vivat Rex! brings the real Henry and the machinations of his court and times to life through books, manuscripts, handwritten letters, and prints. Among them are works that are unique or belonged to Henry himself, to his family, or to members of his court, including the monarch's schoolboy copy of Cicero, which he emphatically inscribed "Thys Boke Is Myne Prynce Henry." The themes that run throughout are power, marriage, and religion. With essays by John Guy, Dale Hoak, and Susan Wabuda, this catalogue accompanied 2009 exhibitions at the Grolier Club and Folger Shakespeare Library.