The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory [Paperback]

Kimberly Craft's "The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory" presents as many of Elizabeth Bathory's correspondence as Ms. Craft could find translated for the modern reader. Invaluable to history buffs wishing to gain as much understanding as possible about Countess Bathory's state of mind during the time of her accused crimes until shortly before her arrest, including her first will and testament. This is more properly a companion piece to Kimberly Craft's "Infamous Lady" (2009), but she has included enough background information for uninitiated readers to follow it as well.

This book is a history buff's dream! Last year, at the suggestion of my granddaughters, I read the author's first book, Infamous Lady: The True Story of Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a biography about the life and crimes and trial of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. I was hooked on the wonderfully written and historically rich material. I was so excited when I heard this book was published, I immediately rushed to purchase it! If you enjoyed "Infamous Lady", you will definitely enjoy The Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory. It too, is wonderfully written and offers a compelling look at the daily life of the Countess Bathory, through letters that she wrote to all the people and nobles she had to deal with during a time of war and social unrest which was the same time she had committed those horrible acts. You get a feel for what is happening all around her and what she had to deal with, in my opinion, it's no wonder she went a little "crazy". Dr. Craft does an amazing job of translating all the those letters (which there are pictures of) and, in addition offers the reader a bit of historical background and further insights into the Lady's private life. I really got a sense of being there, and actually, almost being sympathetic to her. Still no excuse for the awful things she did, but this book brings to light the human being, and the strong woman that had a lot on her plate and how she remarkably handles it all in a time that was very "anti-female". Whether you're interested in the life of Elizabeth Bathory, or never heard of her, and simply enjoy European history, especially during the Renaissance, you will love this book! It is clearly and captivatingly written, makes for a great weekend read and very reasonably priced. I highly recommended it to all my friends and patrons at the library I work at. I even asked my library to purchase it!

I am so glad I accidentally clicked on the "buy it now" button for this book. I've had a long time interest in the Countess, and had always wished someone would have published her letters. And someone finally did! I look forward to buying the first book of letters written by the same author. She did an amazing job on this book. BRAVO!