This is a scholarly look at the life of Margaret Beaufort, using archival materials not previously considered. It does not have the form of a long narrative of her life. Instead, there is an overview of her life, oddly enough ending with her son's death rather than her own, followed by extremely detailed sections on various subjects such as her property, her households, her legacy, etc. The authors assume a basic knowledge of the Wars of the Roses and the reign of Henry VII. I do think they should have been a little more forthcoming about her son's reign, explaining in more what they meant when the described Margaret as contributing to the rather sinister character of the end of the reign.

The work seems fairly even-handed, with the authors both praising and criticizing Margaret. She has always seemed like a rather solitary figure in my reading about the Wars of the Roses, but they point out that her mother had a number of children in the course of her three marriages, and that, given the interest that Margaret took in her half-siblings in later life, they probably formed a supportive family for her.

I think that most people will find some of the chapters a little dry, but the material is certainly invaluable for other historians, and it is easy enough to decide that one does not care who her household officials were and skip that chapter. The book is worthwhile for most people interested in this very popular period, and covers less commonly discussed material. ( )