Listen to a sample
The Mirror of Great Britain
- Author
- Clare Jackson
- Narrator
- Emma Gregory
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 28 August 2025
- Run Time
- 18 hours 21 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
WINNER OF THE 2026 ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY
A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES, HISTORY TODAY AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY MAGAZINE
James VI & I, who died 400 years ago, was one of Britain’s most consequential and interesting monarchs, not least in creating the British monarchy itself by joining the English and Scottish thrones. A major intellectual, James's preoccupations ranged from witchcraft and theological controversy to hunting, diplomacy, poetry and sartorial fashion. The 'Mirror of Great Britain' was a spectacular jewel that gave symbolic endorsement to James's vision of British union, but mirrors themselves – with their limitless capacity to magnify, illuminate and distort – supplied James with one of his favourite literary metaphors.
Ruler of Scotland for nearly four decades before his accession to the English throne in 1603, James was a ‘cradle king’ whose long reigns encompassed extraordinary dramas, including his abduction in the ‘Ruthven Raid’ in 1582 and his attempted assassination in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In his lifetime, James often confounded contemporaries’ expectations while his posthumous reputation has been distorted by crude stereotypes.
Closely attentive to James’s own words – in numerous publications, manuscript musings, topical verse and private correspondence – Clare Jackson's wonderful new book tells the story of this highly unusual monarch with great flair and insight.
'After finishing this beguiling book, there seems no point in reading anything else... In research, analysis and imagination, it’s a masterpiece' Gerard de Groot, The Times
© Clare Jackson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Critics Review
-
The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of James VI & I eschews the tired ‘cradle to grave’ format and presents James through a series of perfectly formed thematic chapters. It’s like seeing James through several mirrors at once, and the effect is dazzling
History Today, Best Books of the Year 2025
-
A magisterial biography.... [Clare Jackson's] excellent book takes in [James'] infancy as the son of the useless Mary, Queen of Scots, his succession to Elizabeth I, the high drama of the Gunpowder Plot and the scholarly achievement of the King James Bible
The Times, Best Books of the Year 2025
-
Jackson’s biography is a thematic account of James’s life and times. The research is forensic and the extensive use of Scots language transports the reader to James’s world
The Royal Academy Magazine, Best Books of the Year 2025
-
A wide-ranging and insightful new biography... Jackson is an assured guide, offering both an astute psychological portrait of the king and a shrewd political history of his reigns... This judicious, perceptive and empathetic study lays down a robust challenge to biographers of rival candidates
Literary Review
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
After finishing this beguiling book, there seems no point in reading anything else. It’s the quintessence of James; rather like his big brain, it flows everywhere and is impossible to contain. In research, analysis and imagination, it’s a masterpiece... In [Jackson's] mirror one views a life perfectly rendered — complete, complex and awe-inspiring
The Times
-
A terrific book... an impressive biography, which combines a variety of productive approaches to the life of James into one scintillating work
The Telegraph
-
A monarch for the ages... Jackson shows her respect and affection for James in this highly readable history. A robust history of the first—and ‘by far, its most interesting’—king of Great Britain
Kirkus Reviews
-
The widest-ranging entry among a handful of titles that commemorate the 400th anniversary of James’s death... Ms. Jackson is no apologist — her James has flaws aplenty — but where prior historians offered snide caricature, she portrays a complex leader who was ‘intelligent, resilient, idiosyncratic, irascible, guileful and witty
Wall Street Journal
-
A detailed account of our most multifarious monarch... Clare Jackson’s excellent biography of James VI and I suggests a man who was accomplished at playing a variety of different roles
Scotland on Sunday
-
It’s 400 years since James’ death. Clare Jackson’s is the third book in six months to mark the anniversary and is undoubtedly the best… She understands the importance of looking at James through his own words
The Oldie
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Clare Jackson
- Narrator
- Emma Gregory
- Duration
- 18 hours 21 minutes
- Release Date
- 28 August 2025
- ISBN
- 9781802068146
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Biography: royalty, Biography: historical, political and military, European history
Synopsis
WINNER OF THE 2026 ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHYA BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES, HISTORY TODAY AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY MAGAZINEJames VI & I, who died 400 years ago, was one of Britain’s most consequential and interesting monarchs, not least in creating the British monarchy itself by joining the English and Scottish thrones. A major intellectual, James's preoccupations ranged from witchcraft and theological controversy to hunting, diplomacy, poetry and sartorial fashion. The 'Mirror of Great Britain' was a spectacular jewel that gave symbolic endorsement to James's vision of British union, but mirrors themselves – with their limitless capacity to magnify, illuminate and distort – supplied James with one of his favourite literary metaphors.Ruler of Scotland for nearly four decades before his accession to the English throne in 1603, James was a ‘cradle king’ whose long reigns encompassed extraordinary dramas, including his abduction in the ‘Ruthven Raid’ in 1582 and his attempted assassination in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In his lifetime, James often confounded contemporaries’ expectations while his posthumous reputation has been distorted by crude stereotypes.Closely attentive to James’s own words – in numerous publications, manuscript musings, topical verse and private correspondence – Clare Jackson's wonderful new book tells the story of this highly unusual monarch with great flair and insight.'After finishing this beguiling book, there seems no point in reading anything else... In research, analysis and imagination, it’s a masterpiece' Gerard de Groot, The Times© Clare Jackson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.