"Crowns and Scepters" is an investigation of the origins and history of the coronation ceremony that was created on crowning His Majesty King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. The book tells of pageantry, religious significance, and symbolism of the coronation ceremony, mentions some interesting incidents, anecdotes, and oddities connected with coronations, and provides a list of places usually connected with such ceremonies. It also tells stories of royal infants, usurpers, uncrowned kings, and pretenders that don't usually enter the official history of the monarchy.

Fascination with royal pomp and circumstance is as old as kingship itself. The authors of Coronations examine royal ceremonies from the ninth to the sixteenth century, and find the very essence of the monarchical state in its public presentation of itself. This book is an enlightened response to the revived interest in political history, written from a perspective that cultural historians will also enjoy. The symbolic and ritual acts that served to represent and legitimate monarchical power in medieval and early modern Europe include not only royal and papal coronations but also festive entries, inaugural feasts, and rulers' funerals. Fifteen leading scholars from North America, Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and Denmark explore the forms and the underlying meanings of such events, as well as problems of relevant scholarship on these subjects. All the contributions demonstrate the importance of in-depth study of rulership for the understanding of premodern power structures. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches, drawing on the findings of ethnography and anthropology, combined with rigorous critical evaluation of the written and iconic evidence. The editor's historiographical introduction surveys the past and present of this field of study and proposes some new lines of inquiry. "For 'reality' is not a one-dimensional matter: even if we can establish what actually transpired, we still need to ask how it was perceived by those present." This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1990.

A short guide, aimed at the general reader and based on The History of the Crown Jewels: a catalogue of the Treasures of the Jewel House, edited by Claude Blair and to be published by HMSO in early 1993. This guide focuses on regalia used in the coronation ceremony and includes illustrations from the Jewel House and other sources.