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.

In this series, Mr. Taylor has painstakingly researched and collected information regarding shipwrecks from the English Tudor and Stuart eras, 1547–1647. By gathering all available information into single volumes, these books may aid in the...

In this series, Mr. Taylor has painstakingly researched and collected information regarding shipwrecks from the English Tudor and Stuart eras, 1547–1647. By gathering all available information into single volumes, these books may aid in the identification of historic wrecks.

This unique volume encompasses data including lists of ships and ship types in the service of King James I and Charles I, as well as the East India Company. The bare facts are enlivened by logs and narratives from shipwreck survivors relating the perils of seeking the Northwest Passage or sailing to India.

The author has found that many facts have been distorted on informative websites as a result of incomplete and embellished information. This book attempts to correct those errors. For each of the wrecks contained in this book, Mr. Taylor has attempted, if the wording of the documents is ambiguous, to determine the fate of these ships based on only the facts as they were recorded at the time. If in doubt, he would explain his reasoning.

In his efforts to collect and share all sailing and wreck-related data in this volume, Mr. Taylor has reviewed hundreds of electronic and hard-copy manuscript archival collections and travelled to view rare and wonderful, sometimes hand-illuminated, manuscripts that have not been digitized. However, as much as he would like to believe he has uncovered everything, it is easy to imagine that more details could come to light at some time.

Treasure has different meanings to different people. Some of these wrecks contain Spanish reales (“pieces of 8�), jewels, gold and silver bars that could not be recovered at the time and have since been forgotten. Written records of such events were reviewed by fewer people over the centuries and ended up buried in dark archives, until now. But some of us define treasure as knowledge, ensuring that facts are presented correctly to future generations. This is the goal Mr. Taylor strives for in these volumes.