King George III.

To Englishmen George III is often remembered as "Mad King George" whose principal distinction was having lost the American colonies. To Americans he is usually portrayed as "bad King George," that oppressive tyrant named in the Declaration of Independence as "unfit to be the ruler of a free people." Was George bad or mad? Author John Brooke avoids the hearsay of history because of his access to all the King's papers which were never used in their entirety by previous biographers. Tracing George's life through notebooks, diaries, and accounts, Brooke provides a very personal biography of George III, rather than a history of his reign. Brooke's "King George III" is the first to show him as a human being with likes and dislikes, penchants and perversities and to dispel the ludicrous caricature that has made up the myth. This biography provides us with new light on the causes and conduct of the American Revolution. -- From publisher's description.