A Bounty of Books

The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 1: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen (1947-1955) by Robert Lacey follows the first season of the hit Netflix series The Crown.

This is a true companion to the show, not just a show tie-in version. Sometimes when a movie is based on a book, the book publisher will release a new "movie tie-in" version. This is usually the same book with a few pages of pictures from the movie. That is more what I was expecting. Instead, The Crown, follows the show episode by episode. Each chapter is titled the same as the corresponding episode. There is some narrative that provides a bit more historical detail than the episode did, and if there is any discrepancy due to creative license, that is pointed out. Each chapter also contains mini-profiles of a prominent character in each episode. There are not just a few pictures, but dozens of pages full of stills from the show and the corresponding historical photo.

Someone looking for more of a conventional biography of probably needs to look elsewhere. However, anyone who is a fan of the show The Crown will love this companion book. Those interested in a cursory look at the royal family during this period of time will also find The Crown (both the show and this companion book) appealing.