The Dream King: Ludwig II of Bavaria

1339. The Dream King: Ludwig II of Bavaria, by Wilfrid Blunt (8 June 1975) Ludwig II had long fascinated me but this is the first biography of him I read. He was born 25 Aug 1845, became king March 10, 1864, and died June 13, 1886, probably a suicide, since he was in the process of being supplanted by a Regent. He was odd, but I shall never forget the fresh flowers I saw at his tomb in Munich in June 1974--he still lives in the memory of some. This book is magnificently illustrated. I had forgotten I'd read it on Feb 16, 1998, when I read another bio of Ludwig, by Greg King, which while non-profound, was I found worth reading. But royal biography is a weakness of mine... ( )

If you have any curiosity at all about the man who built those famous, fairytale castles in Germany, this is an excellent overview. It pairs a good, basic biography with loads of images and pulls the reader into Ludwig's world in a way a less well-illustrated biography might not. The images are, in fact, the strongest part of this book since the narrative, though good, isn't what you'd call a comprehensive study of Ludwig's life. If you want depth, you'll have to look elsewhere. But for a better understanding of the king and the time and place in which he lived, this is an excellent beginning. ( )

Blunt writes in a popular style that makes this book a good introduction to Ludwig II and his world. One comes away with a somewhat skewed sense of Ludwig's importance in the process of German unification. ( )