Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. The writing style was not what I expected and I did not really enjoy.

I was so excited to receive this book from reading. I love reading about true crime and historical crimes,
This book was so well researched-never a bore to read at any time. Interestingly, the author included the history of actual crimes and current forensic techniques. The subject matter was disturbing-how we used to live-well what we were ingesting and eating-but. I guess you can say that about present times as well. There was science, but not over the top where the average nonscience person wouldn't understand-humor throughout- and just so incredibly written! I am still amazed at how fantastic this book was. I have gone out and bought myself a copy.
This was such an informative read. That is precisely what I was looking for and wanted. I will highly recommend this one to anyone I know.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press
for the opportunity.

What a fascinating read.

The Royal Art of Poison looks at the development of medicine and the concerns and hysteria surrounding poison throughout history. Eleanor Herman uses famous people throughout history and looks at the way they dealt with the threat of poison, the contemporary belief of what illnesses eventually got the famous person and also what a modern diagnosis would be. In some cases, the mystery has been resolved through exhumation of the body but in other cases it is conjecture.

With the Royal Art of Poison you are taken on a fascinating journey and as a modern reader you can laugh at some of the silly things that they thought but this is through the goggles of modern medicine. If you were a contemporary of those featured in this book then you would believe the same things. It is a testament to how much we have advanced in the medical world.

An absolutely fascinating read.

The Royal Art of Poison - Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman is available now.

For more information regarding Eleanor Herman (@eleanorherman) please visit www.eleanorherman.com.

For more information regarding St Martin's Press (@StMartinsPress) please visit their Twitter page.

Very extensive research was Dow 1 fo this book. I never knew poison could be so interesting. I really enjoyed how instances were given with a more up to date thought on the actual cause of death. I learned so much about various poisons, now they affect the body & how the death may have been. Very well written.Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving this book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This book is about how poison permeated every facet of life for historical royal figures. It was a highly entertaining read!

My favourite section of this book was Part 1: Poison, Poison, Everywhere where the author discusses the historical relevance of poison. The different chapters cover poison at the dinner table, cosmetic use, medicinal purposes and within the palace walls. The author takes the reader into the intimate lives of historical royals and their obsession with poison. The extent that they would go to prevent being poisoned made me chuckle. Not only were there dedicated individuals who would taste everything before the royal did, they went a step further. They were forced to kiss the king’s tablecloth, seat cushion and even sit on the king’s chamber pots just in case they were poisoned as well.

The chapter on the filthiness of royal palaces was equally as memorable. There are multiple passages about the copious amounts of human excrement within the palace walls that will make you cringe with disgust. They are forever imprinted in my mind!

There is a section in the book that focuses on various historical figures who died at a young age or under suspicious circumstances (Henry VII, Wolfgang Mozart and Napoleon Bonaparte to name a few) . The author provides a short introduction about the life and death of each individual. This is followed with a discussion of the autopsies that were performed both in contemporary and modern times. It is so fascinating to me how we can uncover so much from centuries old corpses. My only complaint is that I wish this section was longer.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested an ARC of this book on NetGalley before I had ever read any of Herman's nonfiction books. Now that I have read both this and Murder in the Garden of God, I'm a huge fan. This book is all about the ways people historically blamed poison for the deaths of the rich and nobles all over Europe. As expected, it wasn't rally always the case, or it was an accidental poisoning because of all the poisonous substances prescribed for diseases and used in cosmetics. I listened to this on audiobook while reading along on my ebook for some parts and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely pick this up if you like history with a little humor thrown in.

It's so fascinating to me that so many poisonous substances were used to rid people of terrible diseases like Syphilis and fever, when those prescriptions were actually worsening their condition unknowingly or negatively affecting other parts of their bodies. I knew about the mercury used to kill Syphilis, but there were so many cases of arsenic poisoning from use in makeup and other cosmetics. Women put these products on their faces to look more attractive while simultaneously ruining their skin, then they would need even more of the product to cover the poisonous effects and so on. These stories solidified the phrase "beauty is pain" because I cannot believe how many horrible things these people put into their bodies to be "healthy" or "beautiful." I highly recommend this book for fans of renaissance history!

I would agree with previous reviewers that this is definitely more of a sensationalised history rather than a serious work, but that said I did enjoy all of the gory details.

First, a word of warning: The Royal Art of Poison is not for people with weak stomachs! Herman offers excruciatingly disgusting facts about the horrors of being poisoned so that the reader knows every detail of the gross things that can happen to the human body after ingesting some mercury, lead, etc. There were a few times I actually felt sick to my stomach - which is probably just a credit to Herman's descriptiveness. I love this kind of non-fiction that's filled with just the interesting facts - including everything from royal intrigue and backstabbing to affairs and murder. I especially loved the section that broke down several famous poisonings in history (including what modern scientists and doctors have to say now). Perhaps the most disturbing part of the book is the end when Herman discusses how poisonings are still occurring today (especially with North Korea and Russia). I'd recommend this read to someone who wants to learn some fun, historical facts - and who doesn't mind descriptions of bodily functions and disease!

I have, in some people’s opinions, a strange set of interests, spanning over various fields like history, science and art. I enjoy learning dead languages, painting with watercolours, and shooting with bow and arrows. And one more thing: I grow poisons. I have a special little plot in the garden dedicated to all things deadly, teeming with Monkshood, Aconite, Larkspur, yew, Daphne, and Oleander, just to mention a few. It’s no surprise, then, that I was thrilled when I received this book as an ARC.

But even if it combines history and poisons, and contains a lot if interesting information about life in different times (sometimes a little too much information, to be honest) I still had to force myself to keep reading. The reason for this was not the gruesome details, but the way that the information was structured, and how many different examples Herman tried to fit into each chapter.

There are just so many kings, queens, and other royals that died because of weird medicinal practices, and somehow all of them seem to share the same five names overall. I used to believe I had some kind of grasp of a few historic persons, but after reading this book I mostly feel confused.

The fact that Herman also chose to jump between decades and centuries without any semblance of order, and also throwing in lengthy quotes in old English here and there, just made the fascinating subject a blur of lethal doses of lead, urine, gold, and horse dung.

It might be better suited to be read as a physical book, if there are more pictures or the text is structured better. I truly did enjoy some parts of it, but I would have liked it much better if the story it told had followed more of a red thread, and not jumped between centuries, royals, and deadly cures the way it did.

I wanted to like this book, and the subject is truly fascinating (if utterly gruesome), but I cannot give it more than three and a half stars.

This was an extremely interesting book. Having always been fascinated by history, this book quickly wrapped me in its pages. This was quite a different look at history than we are used to. So glad I didn’t live back then. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

4.5 Stars

I really can’t put into words how much I truly enjoyed reading this book. From disgusting palace life, to doctors who do more harm than good, this book was right up my ally. This book could’ve also been titled “Death by Poison”, as it was about all ways that poisoning has killed people in history. But not by purposeful assassination. The majority of these deaths by poisoning were self-administered. Beauty products all contained elements of poison including mercury, arsenic, lead, and even Belladonna to dilate the pupils. These were also common elements in many doctors’ cures for ailments. Most of which were being caused by the very poisons they were being prescribed to cure them! It didn’t help that doctors were still practicing bloodletting, and never washed their hands when performing surgical procedures or delivering babies. Which resulted in the likelihood of death in childbirth, but was never contributed to the nastiness of the doctors’ hands. It also didn’t help that a royal palace was basically a giant toilet. Feces and urine everywhere!

I especially loved the poison index at the end, and the studies of famous people in history who purportedly died from poisoning, and were posthumously studied to determine the more likely causes of death. Essentially, you never EVER wanted to get sick in Renaissance times or you were most likely going to die. If not by the disease, then definitely by the doctors you were paying to treat you.

If those things I’ve described above sound more interesting than disturbing, then you definitely need this book!

I received a copy of this story via Netgalley, and have provided a review of my own accord.

A Devious and Arcane Art



As the French King Henry IV went to receive Holy Communion, his dog suddenly started barking loudly. The wise King immediately thought that something was wrong and decided not to drink from the Chalice. He was right! An evil Cardinal had hoped to poison him.



Others were neither so wise nor so lucky. Eleanor Herman tells many stories of Royals who were probably poisoned, such as the beautiful Agnes Sorrel, mistress of Henry VI , who was found to have died after suffering from a huge amount of mercury and the charming sister of Charles II who was thought to have been poisoned by her husband. Some even poisoned themselves accidentally like Charles 11 who played with his dangerous alchemy experiments in his laboratory too many times, or some of the women who actually wore cosmetics filled with lead and arsenic..



This fascinating, well-researched and well-written book will take away any fanciful ideas of travelling back in time, even as a royal! Life really was ‘nasty, brutish and short,’ no matter how glamorous it looks in movies about royalty. If you were not in danger of being poisoned by mercury, arsenic, or another nasty substance, you could die from a terrible disease often caused by the filthy living conditions of the era, such as cholera and typhoid. Until relatively late in the nineteenth century, cholera was believed to have been caused by germs in the air.



I enjoyed much of this book, but I found some of it difficult to read because it was either too gruesome and creepy or the story of the dirt was too revolting! I hope to read more books by Eleanor Herman.



I received this free ebook from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

THE ROYAL ART OF POISON: FILTHY PALACES, FATAL COSMETICS, DEADLY MEDICINE AND MURDER MOST FOUL

Written by Eleanor Herman

June 12, 2018; St. Martin's Press (304 Pages)
Genre: nonfiction, history, medicine, true crime, health, royals, beauty

RATING: 4 STARS

First, I saw the gorgeous cover and was ready to request this book, but then figured I should read the synopsis. I read the intriguing description and clicked on request! I wasn't sure if this book would be to my liking as true crime books can be a hit or miss with me. I don't like the scandalization of murders, but rather learn how it was solved and what we can do to prevent it in the future. Eleanor Herman was going to look into the "poisonings" and deaths of Royalty - history, science and mystery. These poisonings were not all murder plots. Often, it was just a case of not knowing the consequences of every day things and uses. I was going to write "miseducation", but I am not sure if that is the correct word as there was no scientific knowledge on these consequences. As the titles indicates, it was often germs from urine/fecal matter/dust/filth in general, beauty practices, and medical practices and medicine that over time cause poisoning.

I think Herman does. great job in briefly explaining each form of poisoning. She gives you the facts in layman terms in a way that is easy to read. In the second part of the book, Herman gives us case studies of which royals were assumed to be poison. After providing a description on the Royal's demise, she provides the cause of death at the time period and then a modern day verdict. This was the most interesting part to read! The last section of the book is the "modern" look at the science behind poison and of royal poisonings. I believe that Herman in this book balances educating and entertaining readers quite well. It is what kept me reading and interested. I would say that this is probably a book you will go pick up here and there rather than reading it in one sitting. I would recommend that you get the eBook on your phone, as it is a perfect one to pull out while waiting in line or for the bus.

This book was so good, four out of five stars from me! It's really the perfect blend of drama and factual information. While you feel like you are reading something akin to a soap opera, you are actually learning a lot about history. There are a few gross parts, but it's so worth it! You can read my full review (and author Q&A!!!!!) on my blog!

Eleanor Herman takes us on a tour of one of the areas in history that are talked about, yet not. While that sounds a little weird - it is. Poison is something that we read about it books, suspected deaths and uses, but not really discussed and brought to the forefront.

From germs that were unknown and illnesses that today could be cured with simple remedies - life was not that simple back in the medieval ages. Doctors killed as many patients as they saved. Dirty hands and instruments were some of the leading killers, yet, their concoctions were just as unsafe. Now, there are going to be times within this book, that you might not want to eat before, during, or after... these "recipes" for medicines were NASTY. I have a very strong stomach, and there were a few times that I felt a tad queasy just reading through the ingredients that would go into a balm or drink for a cure.

Doctors though were not the only ones to blame. Cosmetics were also a leading cause of death. Women have always been very vain about their looks, and it was no different 600 years ago. Lead-based products, mercury, arsenic... the list goes on and on. Arsenic was used in just about everything! From clothing, cosmetics, fruit washes, and more. There was no test to see how deadly the many uses were at the time, and these were seen as agents that could "help" and "preserve" items. Little did they know that they were killing themselves slowly.

Mercury was used as a medicine, although in small doses. One of the main uses was for the treatment of syphilis, yet it would kill you just as quickly as the actual disease. It could be used though to kill someone if that was your intent. The Medici family perfected the art of poison and used it most effectively to eliminate many of their rivals. Yet, they were not the only ones to do so. While they are most commonly associated with poisoning - it was used on a far wider scale than many realize. England, France, Germany and many of the other world powers at the time had their own ways of poisoning a rival. Lady Francis Howard was convicted of murder in England, after removing a rival for her lover's affections.

Kings, queens, ambassadors, and many others were liable to fall victim to poison, just as easily as they could fall victim to the many germs that were rampant. Cleanliness was not as prevalent as it is today, and bathing was seen as opening the pores of your body too bad humor. They would bathe just a few times per year (depending on the person, they might never bathe). King James I was known to boast that he had never bathed in his life, and the smell that his body emanated certainly backed up that fact.

I absolutely LOVED this book! From murder to daily products that could kill you, ancient to more modern times, I was hooked! I love a good mystery, and these cases draw you in. Eleanor Herman really draws you in and takes you down the many facets that made up the known world at the time, from famous figures to some lesser known ones as well. You can read about Napolean, Mozart, and so many more.

This book is now available! You can search for it at your local library or favorite book spot! I give this book 4/5 stars!

I was invited to be part of the blog tour for this book by Clare and St. Martin's and this is the type of book I can sink my teeth into. I found it a fun if at times squeamish read, but I'm always up to learn new things from other times. I think I'm happy living in current times.

The story of poison is the story of power. For centuries, royal families have feared the gut-roiling, vomit-inducing agony of a little something added to their food or wine by an enemy. To avoid poison, they depended on tasters, unicorn horns, and antidotes tested on condemned prisoners. Servants licked the royal family’s spoons, tried on their underpants and tested their chamber pots.

Ironically, royals terrified of poison were unknowingly poisoning themselves daily with their cosmetics, medications, and filthy living conditions. Women wore makeup made with mercury and lead. Men rubbed turds on their bald spots. Physicians prescribed mercury enemas, arsenic skin cream, drinks of lead filings, and potions of human fat and skull, fresh from the executioner. The most gorgeous palaces were little better than filthy latrines. Gazing at gorgeous portraits of centuries past, we don’t see what lies beneath the royal robes and the stench of unwashed bodies; the lice feasting on private parts; and worms nesting in the intestines.

In The Royal Art of Poison, Eleanor Herman combines her unique access to royal archives with cutting-edge forensic discoveries to tell the true story of Europe’s glittering palaces: one of medical bafflement, poisonous cosmetics, ever-present excrement, festering natural illness, and, sometimes, murder.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advance electronic copy for my review and the blog tour.

Pub: June 12th, 2018


About the Author:

Eleanor Herman is the author of Sex with Kings, Sex with the Queen, and several other works of pop 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. Eleanor lives with her husband, their black lab, and her four very dignified cats in McLean, VA.

I would first like to thank Clare and Netgalley for letting me apart of the ” The Royal Art of Poison” blog tour. The title of this book in just a few words sets the tone perfectly about what this book is going to about. Not only do we get a good dose of history about Royals, but we also get deadly medical practices, murderous intrigues, and deadly poisons as well. think this book more than anything gave me a major wake up call. After reading this I was grateful that I lived in this time period and not back in the past. One of the things I found interesting about this book, was when Herman was talking about Castles. Unlike today, most of the palaces back then didn’t have proper sewage running through them. So most of the time courtiers would find a secluded spot and urinate and defecate in different parts of the castle (i.e. palace staircase). It was just not people, but animal feces could be seen around the castle and grounds as well. It had gotten so bad in the court of Henry VIII that he had to crack down and put up a sign banning people from urinating and defecating in the Palace and on Palace grounds. Another intriguing topic that was discussed in this book was cosmetics. Women were literally killing themselves all in the name of beauty. Well known historical figures like, Queen Elizabeth I is well known for the cosmetics she wore. After suffering a bout of smallpox, she started to apply deadly toxins to her skin in order to cover the pox marks. Some of these toxins consisted of mercury and human fat that they got from prisoner that they just executed. It was said that Elizabeth suffered from depressions and dark moods towards the end of her life. Could these toxins have contributed to her mood swings and her ultimate death? Another interesting fact is that Elizabeth I didn’t want to be embalmed, due to how the embalmers treated the body. She wanted her body to be washed, dressed, and covered with sweet smelling spices. Elizabeth really enjoyed this book. These orders were ignored because they were late in burying because they were waiting on James I. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very well written. I thought this book was very informative, and it made me want to study more on certain historical figures. Eleanor Herman has a way of making history fun. I was not bored at all with this story. I would highly recommend this book who is interested in royalty, history, poisons, and murder/mystery sort of thing. Please pick this book at your library or bookstores today !!!

Did you ever wish that you lived in times long gone? Did you ever think about how glorious it would have been being a king or queen or someone whose voice was heard down through the ages? Imagine dressing in those clothes, being in the regal company with leaders and those who influenced the times? Imagine that you are one of them? Well, perhaps the glory you have imagined is all an illusion!

Eleanor Herman has written a truly intriguing book about the times in the past where poisons were used at will by those who wanted to get rid of a ruler, a lover, or even a competitor. She brings to this story, the actual cases of people who were poisoned and didn’t live to see many more days, oftentimes dying in agony. There were ways that one could be poisoned be it arsenic, lead, or some other cocktail which left you writhing in pain for sometimes days until you succumbed to the poison. To combat this, many employed tasters, a job that sounds like so much fun, or that wonderful tool known as the unicorn horn, or even some concoctions which were often tried on prisoners to gauge their effectiveness which in most cases were nil. and…..if that wasn’t enough….

The men and women loved to adorn themselves with cosmetics. Want a whiter complexion, be a success in court, persuade someone to fall in love, well they had a method for that. They would use cosmetics laden with arsenic, lead, body secretions etc. to achieve the desired result. So, in essence, if someone was not trying to poison you, you yourself did a wonderful job of doing so.

Ever see some of those fabulous portraits where people were adorned in luxury? If you looked behind those portraits at the people, you would find many of those same wealthy endowed people were also “endowed” with lice, fleas, and bedbugs. For, you see, the conditions in these castles were deplorable. They were rat infested, where vermin roamed (both the human and the bacterial form), and the glitterati used the corners of the hallways for their bathroom privileges allowing more disease to infest the walls you lived within. Is it any wonder the life expectancy was so low? ..and then there were the doctors who bled you and fed you remedies that did more harm then good. The phrase “do no harm” was not their mantra.

Ms Herman wrote the real of life in times past. It was no life of fun and frolic as has often been pictured in movies and books. It was a life filled with filth and other dastardly occurrences. We would like to think that the life of then was over, that the poisonings were a things of the past, but that is hardly true as Ms Herman informs the reader of more modern poisoning. Plutonium anyone?

So, in many ways this was a harrowing tale. However, it was also thought provoking, fascinating, and compelling. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to learn about the past, learn about things they never told you in school, and find yourself among those who are happy they live in the times they do.


Many thanks to Eleanor Herman, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this fascinating tale.

I found this book to be quite fascinating, while also being nasty and disgusting. It chronicles many of the famous royalty that had been thought to be poisoned throughout history. Also there is a lot about the everyday things in medieval life that were toxic such as make up, clothing and medicine. And food was often eaten when rotten. Doctors treatments were often worse than the illnesses. This book is full of fascinating stuff. Frankly, it ‘s a wonder any humans survived to modern day!

For a nonfiction book on what could easily be a dry subject, this was an incredibly readable book! In fact, I'd call it a page-turner. It did not fall prey to many of the pitfalls that a lot of popular nonfiction does, where it becomes too wordy or bogged down in boring facts. Much of the book was absolutely disgusting and it was great! Herman did not shy away from the ugly side of poison and medicine. She laid it out in depth and it became so engaging that it was hard to put the book down.

I'll be reading more from Eleanor Herman from here on out.