An Associate Fellow with the Royal Historical Society, James D. Taylor Jr. is an independent scholar who has published a series of books with Algora pulling together all the available documentary evidence relating to key figures from English history. Painstakingly piecing together a wealth of details that were hidden away in archival records, old correspondence and other documents, he brings back in vivid color outstanding individuals whose flamboyance, character and stalwart dedication to their causes enabled them to shape the events of their times.

Taylor is particularly fascinated by figures from the treacherous era of the Tudors and Stuarts, times that tried men's souls but their characters as well — and it's their characters that shine clearly in the documentary evidence he unearths. The subjects of his books are paragons of courage, loyalty and integrity in the face of temptation and intimidation. Clear headed and well spoken under the direst of circumstances, these men and women lived life intensely, always keeping conscience ahead of comfort, whether they won their cause or lost everything. 

James Taylor has also published two books profiling actresses involved in creating beloved characters like Betty Boop who have been entertaining America since the 1930s.

While working on my last book, "The Shadow of the White Rose, Edward Courtenay Earl of Devon, 1526 to 1556," I realized that I was only telling part of a story, as there are many links between Edward Courtenay and Thomas Wyatt the Younger, son of...

While working on my last book, "The Shadow of the White Rose, Edward Courtenay Earl of Devon, 1526 to 1556," I realized that I was only telling part of a story, as there are many links between Edward Courtenay and Thomas Wyatt the Younger, son of Thomas Wyatt the Elder. Thomas Wyatt the Elder receives partial credit for introducing the sonnet into English literature, later refined by William Shakespeare. Thomas the Younger is mainly known for leading a rebellion against the advent of the Catholic Queen Mary Tudor. This work is the product of many years of research in which I reviewed all that 600 years of history has recorded, and as when researching Edward Courtenay, I was particularly intrigued by references to missing or altered documents. The most valuable references are those from the period of Wyatt's lifetime and immediately thereafter, such as the account recorded by John Proctor, who was a schoolmaster from Tunbridge Wells and published the events of the rebellion the following year, 1554. Although Proctor's account may be slightly biased, his account is a valuable asset in comparison to those of other historians who do not offer as much detail. One additional account that is especially useful is provided by Raphael Holinshed, whose chronicles offer a rare and detailed account of a complete court trial of one of the conspirators; it is included in this edition. Other notable historians of the period only recorded bits and pieces over the span of Wyatt's life, but when these fragments are assembled, a portrait begins to emerge of a well-educated, intelligent and disciplined man. Wyatt stood firm in his belief to the very end and discarded what could have been a comfortable life, perhaps following his father in ambassadorial duties and a comfortable and dignified retirement. Though nothing new was discovered, this is the first complete edition about Thomas Wyatt the Younger and of the rebellion he led ' which cost the lives of many who followed him ' against the marriage of Queen Mary Tudor and Prince Philip of Spain. The resulting executions totaled into the many hundreds and earned Queen Mary the nickname of Bloody Mary in one of England's most violent periods of history. The documents used in this edition are reproduced as near as may be to the way they were originally published (or the way they were originally handwritten). Due to the challenges of evolving standards of grammar, typography and orthography, some inconsistencies are unavoidable. My aim is to enable readers to see how each writer expressed himself or herself, preserving the flavor of Medieval English.