Politics and Prose
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Eleanor Herman, "The Royal Art of Poison"
Posted
July 21, 2018
Views
2,749
Likes
66
Comments
2
Engagement
2.47%
July 21, 2018
2,749
66
2
2.47%
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55:15Now PlayingEleanor Herman discusses her book, "The Royal Art of Poison" at Politics and Prose on 6/16/18.
In popular histories such as Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen, Herman kept readers riveted with true stories of power, murder, and revenge. Now she adds poison to the mix, showing how dangerous it was to be part of court life in medieval Western Europe. Using royal archives as well as modern forensic research, Herman catalogs the deadly ingredients that could be slipped into food, drink, or clothing. She describes the royal families’ use of tasters to foil murder plots and their recruitment of convicts as guinea pigs for possible antidotes. Deliberately introduced or not, toxins were everywhere, and Herman paints a horribly fascinating picture of unsanitary quarters, unwashed bodies teeming with lice, makeup laced with lead, mercury, and arsenic, and medications concocted from the renderings of freshly executed prisoners.
Eleanor Herman is the author of Sex with Kings, Sex with the Queen, and several other works of popular history. She has hosted Lost Worlds for The History Channel, The Madness of Henry VIII for the National Geographic Channel, and is now filming her second season of America: Fact vs. Fiction for The American Heroes Channel. Herman, who happily dresses in Renaissance gowns, lives with her husband, their black lab, and her four very dignified cats in McLean, VA.
Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at
Produced by Tom Warren
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